Environment Agency
Sustainable Places Officer - 33058
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Job Description
Are you passionate about contributing to a sustainable environment? This is your chance to make a meaningful impact.
We’re seeking a motivated, confident and enthusiastic person to join a team that engages with a range of customers to promote sustainable growth, securing the best possible environmental outcomes.
You'll be one of the EA’s main points of contact with a designated group of local planning authorities, developers and other bodies mainly engaged in:
- Planning application advice
- Pre-Application and strategic advice, including recovery of costs for this work, liaising with customers, issuing quotes and reports,
- Local Development Plan advice – evidence, policy and site allocations.
You’ will proactively engage with Local Authorities and developers, working closely with colleagues in flood risk, water quality, contaminated land, biodiversity, and environmental management to deliver expert advice and manage and coordinate our formal responses within negotiated timescales, ensuring that we provide appropriate quality outcomes. You’ll advocate for climate resilience and influence policies and proposals - shaping decisions that impact the future of our towns and cities. You will need to meet strict deadlines and targets under challenging work pressures.
The successful candidate will need the ability to develop strong relationships, have excellent communication and customer service skills, and will develop an awareness of the Government’s growth agenda, relevant planning systems, how the development industry in general operates as well as an understanding of Environment Agency objectives. This is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of planning systems while developing valuable skills in project management, financial oversight, leadership, and innovation.
Incident response is central to our mission, everyone who joins us undertakes training and is expected to incident response, which could attract additional payments, full training is provided.
The Team
The Yorkshire Area Sustainable Places team is a friendly and supportive team that work across departments to deliver EA2030 goals. We work closely with internal technical teams to evaluate environmental data, evidence and assessments and produce consolidated planning responses on behalf of the Environment Agency. Externally, we advise councils and developers to ensure development happens in the right way with the right environmental infrastructure to protect and enhance the environment.
Experience/Skills Required
Essential:
- A willingness to learn and enthusiasm for the environment and planning processes.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully engage with a range of audiences.
- Strong team ethic and ability to work independently.
- A proven ability to achieve results and proactively identify and solve problems.
- Excellent time management and organisational skills and the ability to prioritise effectively.
- Strong customer service, communication and relationship-building skills – both written and verbal.
- Excellent IT skills.
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Desirable:
- Good understanding of our broad business and environmental activities.
- A degree in Town and Country Planning or a relevant discipline (e.g. Geography, Environmental Science, Sustainability, Geoscience, Ecology, Biology), OR significant relevant planning experience, such as working in an EA Sustainable Places or consultee team, or for a developer, local planning authority, or another statutory consultee (e.g. NE, MMO, Historic England, Highways).
Contact and Additional Information
You’ll have an inclusive incident management objective in your development plan. We’ll help you find a role to suit your needs. Appropriate training will be given.
You’ll have an EA Office base location geographically based in the Yorkshire Area. Either Leeds, York, Rotheram, Beverly.
This role is a hybrid role, offering a combination of home and office working, based on business need.
Please read the Candidate / Additional Information Pack for information. Any queries, contact Zoe.Needham@environment-agency.gov.uk
Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions.
Interviews will be held via MS Teams during the week commencing 3rd August 2026.
If you consent to being held on a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.
Competence 1
Achieves Results
Description: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results
Question: In Sustainable Places we set out to achieve environmental gains through the planning system.
Please describe a situation when you have demonstrated your ability to prioritise and organise tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.
More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.
If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift using this lead capability may be conducted. Successful candidates will then proceed to a full sift or directly to assessment/interview.
Feedback is generally not available at sift stage
Competence 2
Communicates Effectively
Description: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.
Question: A key part of this role will be communicating with customers
Please give an example of a time when you have had to tailor your communication style to a specific individual/situation
Competence 3
Influences and Persuades Others
Description: Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.
Question: In the planning advisor role, it is important you are able to influence others.
Can you tell us about a time when you have needed to persuade someone round to your point of view? How did you do this?
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Competence 4
Manages Self
Description: Has full awareness of own strengths, weaknesses, impact and approach. Effectively organises self and takes personal responsibility for own role in the organisation
Question: To perform well in this role you must be able to effectively manage your own workload. At times, this may be quite high.
Can you give us an example of one of the most demanding times you have had in your studying and/or working life so far?
How did you manage this?
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls. Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
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. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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