Infrastructure Sector Leads Senior Advisor

Infrastructure Sector Leads Senior Advisor – (Ref 5714 )

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Working pattern: Full-time, Job share, Part-time

About the job

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and
secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a
team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural
Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure
environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and
nature.

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes:

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social
  prescribing.
• We are the Government’s Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in
  delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new
  opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england 

The Team

The Planning and Infrastructure Team forms part of the Sustainable Development Team, located
within Strategy and Government Advice, in the Strategy Directorate of Natural England.

The Team works across the terrestrial and marine environment to:

• Advise Government on national policy issues, contributing to the development of planning
  policy, guidance and process changes and responding to national consultations.
• Provide strategic technical advice and leadership to our programme and operations teams and
  develop new approaches to planning and infrastructure work
• Develop and maintain relationships with key national partners including Government, other
  regulators and agencies, NGOs and the commercial sector.
• This presents a unique opportunity to influence government policy to secure greater
  outcomes for the natural environment, whilst also playing a key role in both supporting and
  shaping Natural England’s Planning and Infrastructure work.

Job description

We are looking for Senior Advisers to join our team and work alongside our Infrastructure
Principal Advisers and the wider SGA Planning and Infrastructure Team to provide the leadership
and technical focus to drive forward Natural England’s ambitions for the natural environment.
This will be delivered through our policy advice and by helping to shape the way in which we
deliver our statutory advice on major infrastructure work.

You will play a key role in shaping Natural England’s response at a critical time with
fundamental changes proposed to the planning, infrastructure planning and environmental
assessment regimes under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, British Energy Security
Strategy and related reforms. .

A key focus of these roles will be interacting with key industry bodies and partner
organisations. You will work proactively to build an understanding of the aims, objectives and
challenges of industry and partners. Collaborative work both internally and externally will be
required to identify and maximise opportunities to improve our evidence base and knowledge,
driving forwards solutions which help further the ambitions of the government’s Environmental
Improvement Plan.

You will provide national leadership and technical advice for your core topic area to ensure
consistency of advice both within and across sectors, through the development and provision of
training, guidance and leading technical networks.

Key Tasks and Accountabilities

The post holder(s) will need to maintain a flexible and adaptable attitude and approach.
Initial broad work areas are likely to comprise those described below:

Act as sector lead on specific terrestrial infrastructure sector(s). For example:

• Carbon and Hydrogen (generation, transmission, and storage).
• Renewable Energy (Solar/Onshore Wind)
• Nuclear Energy
• Energy & Water Transmission Networks
• Transport

We are working in a changing and evolving policy environment with the likelihood of more hybrid
types of developments. Exact details will be determined based on the emerging infrastructure
pipeline and the skills and interest of the candidates. Successful candidates will need to be
flexible and willing to adapt in response to the changing demands on the team.

• Lead specified work areas, working closely with staff across Natural England’s teams on
  infrastructure and planning advice to ensure that our proposals for change are well thought
  through and address both risks and opportunities for the natural environment.
• Provide technical advice to Defra, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
  (DLUHC), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for
  Transport (DfT) to support NE’s response to the Levelling Up Bill and related secondary
  legislation, policy and guidance including responses to national consultations.
• Build effective relationships with Defra, DLUHC, DfT and other Government Department
  colleagues alongside key infrastructure stakeholders, developers and industry groups
• Provide technical infrastructure planning advice to operations teams on casework including
  environmental assessment processes and strategic approaches as required.
• Act as the relationship manager for key planning and infrastructure stakeholders as
  required.
• Lead/contribute to technical guidance, briefings and, training on infrastructure and
  planning.

Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 1st March 2024