Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Senior Evaluator for Environmental Land Management (Science, Monitoring and Evaluation)
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Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
Job Summary
Environmental Land Management schemes are a core part of Defra’s Farming Directorate. They reward farmers and land managers for activities that deliver environmental benefits. ELM is a large and fast-paced area, bringing together policy, delivery and evidence teams to develop, monitor and evaluate the schemes.
We are recruiting a Senior Evaluator to join the Environmental Land Management Science, Monitoring and Evaluation team. The team is multi-disciplinary, with natural scientists, social scientists and analysts working together to understand how schemes are performing and how they can be improved. This role will strengthen our monitoring and evaluation capability, working closely with colleagues across the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes.
The team works at the intersection of government policy, land manager behaviour and environmental outcomes. We use a range of monitoring and evaluation approaches to assess scheme implementation, understand impacts on people and nature, and generate evidence to support policy development.
Staff are geographically dispersed and work in a mix of office and home-working arrangements. We use a range of digital tools to collaborate day to day across locations.
Job Description
We are looking for an enthusiastic and capable Senior Evaluator with strong technical, communication and coordination skills. The post holder will lead and deliver monitoring and evaluation activity for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes.
The role will contribute to the assessment of environmental outcomes, scheme impacts, value for money and participant experience. The evidence generated will help Defra understand whether schemes are delivering their intended benefits and inform future policy development.
The post holder will work closely with analytical, policy and delivery teams, and engage effectively with external stakeholders where needed, to support high-quality scheme monitoring and evaluation.
Person specification
Responsibilities
The post holder will lead, coordinate and present analysis; develop monitoring and evaluation approaches; produce analytical outputs and technical documentation; manage projects and contracts; quality assure evidence; and present findings to influence policy design. They will also provide specialist advice in their areas of expertise.
- Develop, coordinate, quality assure and manage monitoring and evaluation of scheme outcomes, including progress against targets, alignment with scheme objectives and value for money.
- Conduct, coordinate and deliver monitoring and evaluation of scheme processes, including farmer and land manager experiences of taking part in schemes.
- Develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge of socioeconomic and environmental monitoring and evaluation approaches.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with policy teams, provide updates, run specialist evaluation workshops such as theory of change sessions, and sustain support for monitoring and evaluation activity.
- Work closely with economics, monitoring, social research, modelling and policy colleagues on responsive analysis and contribute to ministerial briefings where needed.
- Promote and share research, evidence and analysis across policy and delivery teams, the wider Department and other government departments so that learning informs current and future policy development.
- Manage externally commissioned monitoring and evaluation projects end to end, including developing specifications, drafting invitations to tender, overseeing delivery, managing budgets and performance, and providing technical leadership.
- Lead or oversee primary research activity where required, including research design, delivery and quality assurance.
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Essential Criteria
The following criteria apply to this role:
- A degree in a relevant scientific discipline, social science discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
- Specialist knowledge of, and experience in, socioeconomic research and/or monitoring and evaluation in one or more of the following areas: environment, food and farming or agriculture, nature restoration, nature-based solutions, or land use.
- Ability to lead a complex portfolio of work and manage priorities flexibly, maintaining long-term delivery while responding to emerging short-term demands.
- Experience of communicating complex research findings to diverse and non-specialist audiences using clear written, verbal and interpersonal skills.
- Experience of partnership working, negotiation and balancing competing priorities with strong attention to detail.
- Demonstrable knowledge of socioeconomic and/or environmental monitoring methods.
- Strong analytical skills, including evidence synthesis, qualitative and quantitative methods, and an understanding of economic research methods where relevant to monitoring and evaluation.
- Demonstrable knowledge of key environmental concepts such as ecosystem services and natural capital.
- Experience of commissioning and contract management.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- For GSR candidates, applicants will be asked to evidence one relevant skill. For GSE candidates, applicants will be asked to evidence one relevant technical skill.
Salary
Alongside your salary of £44,052, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £12,761 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, Personal Statement, two Behaviours and a Technical Statement.
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, Experience and Technical skills.
Sift
Should there be a large number of successful applications, there will be an initial sift assessing the Personal Statement and CV. Those who pass the initial sift will either be progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours, Experience and Technical.
Your interview will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.
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. The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations. Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
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The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Merit Lists
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.
Childcare Vouchers
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.
Reasonable Adjustment
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.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Near Miss
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.
Criminal Record Check
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.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Internal Fraud Database Check
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (
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