Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Policy Lead – Uplands Transformation
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Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
Job Summary
England's uplands are some of our most important landscapes. They are home to communities, farming businesses and internationally important natural environments, yet they face complex and interconnected social, economic and environmental challenges.
The Flourishing Uplands project is one of the most ambitious place-based change programmes currently underway in government.
Working alongside communities in Dartmoor and Cumbria, we are developing a new approach to creating social, economic and ecological flourishing in England's uplands. Rather than designing policy from a distance, we are building change with people on the ground — listening deeply to communities, supporting local ideas, testing new approaches in practice, and creating the evidence needed for future policy.
Commissioned following the review led by Dr Hilary Cottam OBE for the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs, the project is exploring new ways for government, communities and organisations to work together. By placing nature, people and place on a par, we aim to create thriving landscapes, thriving rural economies and thriving communities.
This is not traditional policy development. It is about creating lasting system change: breaking down barriers between organisations, uncovering opportunities that cut across conventional boundaries, and developing new ways of working that can transform both upland communities and the way government itself operates.
This work needs a new approach to team design, and a group of people with a different skillset to that which is traditionally recruited.
Job Description
We are seeking a Grade 7 Policy Lead to help shape and deliver this work. You will lead on translating place-based, community-led prototyping into policy recommendations, delivery models and ways of working that can scale across different upland contexts. This will require you to be comfortable working on detailed policy across a broad portfolio such as agri-environment schemes, food policy, commons, and nature finance.
You will be part of a small, agile team focused on systems change. This is a non-traditional policy role and should be comfortable supporting across a range of functions including community-led, novel policy development, and evidence and analysis.
As well as helping set the overall strategy for the work, you will need to be able to help advance the case of uplands-specific approaches with communities, policy teams, senior officials and ministers. It will require close working with Defra’s community of analysts, economists and delivery leads in Arms-Length-Bodies.
Person Specification And Specialist Skills
This role would suit someone looking for a highly varied, strategic role seeking an opportunity to show leadership in a complex policy environment. The post entails working at pace in a rapidly changing context where priorities constantly need to be reviewed and flexed. We’re therefore looking for a dynamic and adaptable policy lead who will be able to learn quickly and hit the ground running.
Essential criteria
- Strong track record of policy development in a complex, cross-cutting environment, ideally including land use, environment, or place-based/local growth policy.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting clear, well-evidenced advice for senior officials and ministers. Proven ability to discuss complex policy clearly and sensitively with communities.
- Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to synthesise qualitative and quantitative evidence (including community-derived evidence) into clear policy recommendations.
- Ability to quickly build strong, effective working relationships with people across the department (particularly senior leaders and Private Offices), including those with differing or competing interests.
- Comfortable with a reactive and fast-paced environment; works well under pressure and in an iterative, less linear way than traditional policy development — able to hold ambiguity and adapt as a programme evolves.
- Deploys excellent organisational and prioritisation skills to manage own workload and priorities with limited day-to-day supervision, while keeping others informed.
- Understanding of upland farming and/or land use policy.
- Experience of place-based policy making, community engagement, or co-design/participatory approaches.
- Experience developing business cases and spending review bids.
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Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 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%
Application Process
As Part Of The Application Process You Will Be Asked To Complete a CV, a Personal Statement (no More Than 500 Words) And 250-word Behaviour Statements For The Following Behaviours
- Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Further details around what this will entail are detailed on the application form.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
Sift
Should there be a large number of successful applications, there will be an initial sift assessing the CV and Personal Statement. Those who pass the initial sift will either be progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.
Interview
If successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on the 4 x Civil Service behaviours (Seeing the Bigger Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing & Delivering at Pace) & three strength-based questions. We will assess you against the specified behaviours and professional competencies at interview.
Your interview will be conducted by video using MS Teams.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
- New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
- Location: As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s). Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
- A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
- Any move to DEFRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
- If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
- Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
- Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.
- Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
- If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
- Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences.
- All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.
- Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in a new window).
Contact Point for Applicants
Job Contact
- Name: Jamie Sandall
- Email: FD_BusinessManagement@defra.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice
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