Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Deputy Director for Clean Water and Public Health
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This role can be based at any main Defra Hub – including – London, Birmingham, Bristol, York, Newcastle.
Please note – As part of this job role, there will be regular travel to London for Ministerial in person meetings, and occasional travel across England to visit projects/stakeholders
Job Summary
The post holder will lead a high-profile national agenda at the intersection of environmental protection and public health, central to Defra’s outcome of “Clean Rivers, Lakes and Seas”. As Deputy Director, you will set strategic direction and shape policy development across water quality and public health, bringing together a coherent, innovative long-term approach to reducing pollution and protecting communities across England.
Job Description
You will be accountable for overseeing delivery against statutory targets to reduce pollution from wastewater, metal mines and agricultural sources, and the targets set out in our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, ensuring government meets ambitious environmental commitments.
This is a pivotal leadership role offering the opportunity to apply strategic judgement, strong delivery focus and the ability to empower and inspire multidisciplinary teams to deliver meaningful outcomes for people and the environment.
Key Responsibilities Of The Role Will Include:
- Leadership of a broad Water Quality and Public Health portfolio, including safe drinking water, bathing waters and enforcement policy
- Provide clear, trusted and evidence-based advice to ministers on high-profile issues
- Developing strong, system-wide relationships with Defra colleagues, regulators, partners across government and stakeholders to deliver outcomes
- Driving key reforms to strengthen the regulatory framework, including measures to reduce water pollution from agriculture
- Supporting and enabling teams working on drainage and wastewater policy, including sustainable drainage systems and delivery of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan
Person specification
Essential Criteria
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria.
- Outstanding strategic analysis – with the ability to assess, shape and articulate complex system-level reform.
- Policy leadership and delivery: Experience of developing and implementing complex policy, translating strategic priorities into tangible outcomes.
- Evidence and innovation: Strong track record of using evidence and analysis to inform decisions and develop innovative solutions to complex challenges.
- System leadership: Ability to influence and deliver across boundaries and through partnerships, aligning diverse stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
- Inclusive leadership: Experience of building, leading and developing diverse, high-performing teams and fostering an inclusive culture.
- Leading through ambiguity: Strong judgement and resilience, with the ability to provide clarity, pace and delivery focus in uncertain and fast-changing environments.
Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
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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Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Completed applications must be submitted no later than the closing date of 23:55pm, Sunday 9th August 2026.
Informal conversations with hiring manager
Prior to the closing date informal conversations (not assessed) can be arranged with the vacancy holder, David Hallam, Director for Water Delivery. If you would like to arrange to speak with David please contact his Private Secretary, Scott Woodman via email scott.woodman@defra.gov.uk.
Sift
A sift will be conducted against the key criteria above and will assess your experience. Applications will be assessed by the selection panel and shortlisted.
Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE)
These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision-making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity. For further information regarding the assessments please visit -
https://scs-assessments.co.uk/
Interviews
You will be asked to attend a panel interview in London at 2, Marsham street, to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role. As part of the interview, we will ask you to prepare a short presentation. This will be confirmed in the interview invitation.
Interviews will be held face to face in London at 2, Marsham Street.
Other Information
Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled. To discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance.
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.
Defra Is committed to ‘name blind’ sifting. That means that identifying characteristics such as your name, gender, age, or address are removed from your application until after shortlisting for interview has taken place.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
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As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) 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) (opens in a new window)
- 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 (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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 : SCS Recruitment Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
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