Natural England
Area Delivery Team Officer - ( Ref : 6708 )
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West Midlands (England)
Job Summary
This position is based at Worcester.
Job Description
Note that this role is based at either NE's Worcester office, or at Shrewsbury in Defra's Hafren Office. Regular travel (on at least a weekly basis) will be required to NE Shrewsbury and Worcester offices.
The Area Delivery Team (ADT) is the first point of contact for West Midlands enquiries relating to Protected Sites (PS) and Rural Payments agency (RPA) agri‑environment scheme queries. As an ADT Officer, you will support the delivery of nature recovery by helping minimise impacts on protected sites and contributing to positive outcomes through accurate, timely casework.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
- Deliver low‑risk statutory SSSI casework, preparing draft advice, assessments, and documentation for review by senior colleagues, in line with established procedures and regulatory requirements.
- Manage straightforward SSSI enquiries, triaging and escalating medium‑ or high‑risk issues where appropriate.
- Respond to non‑statutory SSSI queries, including general management questions and providing information to new SSSI owners or occupiers.
- Support low‑risk enforcement and EIA (Agriculture) casework, ensuring timely escalation where risks, complexity, or non‑compliance are identified.
- Maintain accurate records and audit trails, updating the PS Casework Tracker and supporting the management of the West Midlands mailbox and answerphone.
- Contribute to improvements in local SSSI casework processes and support implementation of agreed reforms, identifying opportunities to enhance service delivery.
- Participate in Protected Sites Delivery Calls when required, sharing updates and supporting discussions under the guidance of senior colleagues.
- Work collaboratively with Farm Advisers, technical specialists, and other team members to ensure effective case handling and consistent customer service.
- Manipulate data and collate information to support casework, PS condition reporting, projects and decision‑making.
- Operate within Natural England’s systems, methods, and procedures, complying with all relevant policy, legislation, and governance requirements.
- Contribute to reviewing and improving existing systems, methods, and processes within the delivery area.
- Develop your technical knowledge and capability through on‑the‑job learning, training, and support from senior officers.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- Developing understanding of the Habitats Regulations and ability to apply them to low‑risk casework with support.
- Understanding of the environmental value of designated sites and ability to communicate this clearly to customers and partners.
- Experience or developing experience in providing advice to SSSI owners/occupiers and Section 28G bodies, with clear and professional communication skills.
- Applied knowledge of work routines, systems, and digital tools used within Natural England.
- Have a good level and experience and use of Microsoft applications (Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams) and digital mapping systems.
- Ability to work to specified standards, service levels, and timeframes, prioritising short‑term tasks and supporting others to meet deadlines.
- Ability to communicate effectively, build strong working relationships, and influence using reasoning and technical understanding.
- Knowledge of Natural England’s role.
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Competencies
Competence 1
Professional competency
Technical Skills and Knowledge
- Relevant experience or knowledge of delivering nature recovery, for example, habitat management or protected sites legislation. (Essential)
- Knowledge of Natural England’s role. (Essential)
- Experience of, and ability in, applying effective communication skills (verbal and written) in conveying complex and/or difficult messages to a variety of different audiences. (Essential)
- Experience of working in a fast-paced environment delivering work within deadlines and contributing to team targets. (Essential)
- Confident and experienced user of Microsoft applications (Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams). (Essential)
Competence 2
Professional competency
Personal Effectiveness
- Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective. (Basic)
- Apply new technology to improve the way we deliver our work. (Practitioner)
- Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and the organisation you represent and inspire others to act. (Practitioner)
Competence 3
Professional competency
Work Delivery
- Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures. (Basic)
- Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)
- Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks, and strategies to your work. (Basic)
Competence 4
Professional competency
Putting People at the Heart of the Environment
- Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you represent. (Practitioner)
- Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver the organisation you represents vision, mission and aims. (Basic)
Note
This role is based at either NE's Worcester office, or at Shrewsbury in Defra's Hafren Office. Regular travel (on at least a weekly basis) will be required to NE Shrewsbury and Worcester offices.
The Area Delivery Team (ADT) is the first point of contact for West Midlands enquiries relating to Protected Sites (PS) and Rural Payments agency (RPA) agri‑environment scheme queries. As an ADT Officer, you will support the delivery of nature recovery by helping minimise impacts on protected sites and contributing to positive outcomes through accurate, timely casework.
Description
- Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you represent. (Practitioner)
- Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver the organisation you represents vision, mission and aims. (Basic)
Person specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £28,910, Natural England contributes £8,375 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
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Selection process details
Please Refer To Job Description
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact:
- Name: Caroline Dahn
- Email: caroline.dahn@naturalengland.org.uk
- Telephone: 07979 757684
Recruitment team
Email: defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Further information
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