Locations

Natural England has adopted hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England, and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographical area. Staff are expected to attend their associated office for 20% of their contractual hours. This role will involve regular travel to sites, so a driving license is essential.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work-related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

View a map of our office locations here: online map of Natural England office locations

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

How To Apply

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process:

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking.

Job Description

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

The purpose of this role is to work with a range of partners including landowners/managers, statutory undertakers, and other agencies to drive forward local nature recovery.

The role operates through stakeholder engagement and uses of a range of tools such as technical advice, grant schemes and regulatory mechanisms to secure environmental improvements.

This Higher Officer role sits in Area Teams and provides the main interface between Natural England (NE) and the key local stakeholders who NE wish to engage with and influence. The scope of the role extends across the full range of protected habitats and the wider farmed environment, encompassing a variety of agricultural sectors and practices.

The role has an important customer-facing function. To effectively influence and support landowners and managers, it’s necessary to develop and maintain external relationships, including fostering and influencing partnerships to achieve shared nature recovery goals. Higher Officers will also develop networks and work closely with both Area Team and national colleagues.

This Role Is To Work In Collaboration With Colleagues And Partners To Recover Nature In Bedfordshire, Including a Lead Role On Delivering Projects For Joining Up Habitats And Enhancing Protected Sites And Enabling Improved Access To Nature For People:

• Engage with landowners/land managers and stakeholders, including statutory undertakers and agencies, to deliver improvements to the condition of habitats and species on protected sites.
• Contribute to the production of strategic plans, working closely with partner agencies and private companies, such as utility providers.
• Apply technical knowledge and advice on protected sites casework such as assessing proposals for activities affecting Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
• Apply relevant legislation, policy and governance frameworks to ensure consistent advice and messages are delivered to customers.
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to identify and deliver shared objectives.
• Take responsibility for ensuring personal safe working in line with corporate guidance.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

The post holder will use their communication skills, technical knowledge and a range of tools to secure important environmental enhancements for the protected sites network and the wider environment. The role focuses on cases and partnerships where high opportunity or high-risk environmental outcomes have been identified. This role must analyse evidence to make informed, objective decisions, negotiate ambitious grant agreements within a complex governance framework and find pragmatic solutions to accommodate the needs of both people and nature. This role demands a good understanding of the ecological processes and systems in Bedfordshire. The post holder must be able to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, and experience of building pragmatic working relationships with partners and stakeholders is essential.

A relevant academic qualification or significant equivalent industry experience and knowledge will be required alongside the ability to gain additional technical knowledge at pace. Competence in the use of IT and the ability to drive for site visits will also be necessary.

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical skills and knowledge

Description

• Knowledge of ecological principles and the ecology of habitats or species groups
• Understanding of how to apply protected sites legislation and/or understanding of agricultural land management practices in the context of nature recovery
• Experience of analysing data/evidence to inform decision making

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Creating Resilient landscapes and seas

Description

• Recognise and describe the environmental value of designated sites (including undertaking condition assessments using the correct methodology)
• Understand the environmental value of designated sites and explain that to partners, stakeholders and customers
• Design your local projects to have beneficial impacts at the landscape scale

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Putting people at the heart of the environment

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