Sustainable Development Principal Adviser – Thames Solent Area Team

Job summary

This position can be based at any of the following NE offices: Reading, Wallingford, London or Eastleigh.

Job description

This role will involve senior level, strategic oversight, and support of our Sustainable
Development work in the Thames Solent area team. You will help to drive delivery of the Nature
Recovery Network within our Priority Places and the wider team through our planning advice. It
will require a strategic approach to integrating these work areas in a place and in partnership
with others, both internal and external.

As a Principal Adviser, you will have responsibility for functional support of our Sustainable
Development delivery:

• Provide leadership to reimagine our strategic development work for Thames Solent, looking
  to support and enable the delivery of a Nature Recovery Network, with benefits for people and
  nature.
• Identify and influence key Sustainable Development opportunity plans and projects to
  maximise multiple benefits for people and nature.
• Work closely with Managers to plan and deliver reforms.
• Actively undertaking external horizon scanning to provide leadership on changes in
  legislation, best practice etc
• Build internal and external partnerships and relationships, looking for opportunities of
  collaboration, network sharing of best practice that will benefit NE.
• Provide support to the advisers in the team as a subject matter expert, along with building
  capability and sharing knowledge within the team. 
• Work with partners and national staff to identify and disseminate lessons learnt that can
  improve future casework delivery.
• Take ownership and responsibility for significant or complex risks, issues, projects or
  cases that require greater experience or knowledge.
• Provide expert technical advice to the team on casework and spatial plans including
  environmental impact and habitats regulations assessments, and strategic approaches as
  required.
• Quality assurance and support major infrastructure and other planning casework,
• Work with team members to support the effective case handling and delivery of timely and
  evidence-based advice, attending meetings and public inquiries/hearings as appropriate.
• Manage risks and resolve issues as they arise, escalating and briefing upwards as required.

Key accountabilities: 

• Shaping alignment of Nature Recovery Network and Sustainable Development work in Thames
  Solent area
• Delivery, monitoring and reporting of agreed KPIs, delivery plan and commissions linked to
  our sustainable development work.
• Deliver consistency in approach amongst the team members, ensuring that messaging,
  policies, procedures, and training resources are delivered in accordance with legislation, best
  practice and is fit for NE purposes. 
• Wider contributions to the Thames Solent leadership team. 

Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

Specific knowledge, skills and experience required: 

• The ability to make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional
  judgement and evidence, seeing the big picture and the organisational context (vision, mission
  and aims). 
• The ability to see the big picture, so you can steer sustainable development work within
  the context of the organisation’s vision, mission and aims, and help colleagues understand how
  their work relates to and supports this.
• The ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues (both internally and
  externally) to help make things happen and deliver outcomes, including with Senior leaders. 
• Experience of leading significant change, and maximising resource efficiency and
  effectiveness through a culture of continuous improvement 
• Ability to direct, coach and support staff to deliver on sustainable development objectives
• The ability to resolve problems and manage risks that requires significant levels of
  judgement and interpretation with innovative solutions
• Excellent planning, prioritisation, and organisational ability to manage complex delivery
  areas with competing demands. Project Management skills. 
• Excellent written and oral communications skills 
• Robust and current knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance and how to apply and
  interpret it to NE’s activities and duties
• Strong understanding of environmental protection in England and the legislation that
  underpins them
• Demonstrable experience of UK ecology with a broad understanding of priority habitats and
  species – essential

Working for Natural England

Do you want to make a difference for people and nature? Do you have a passion for securing
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
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods

We are the Government’s advisor 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.

See more about the work of Natural England at:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england

Natural England staff are inclusive, motivated, and ambitious to achieve results for our
environment, and for everyone. We welcome and encourage applications from all communities and
we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum
requirements for the role.

Wherever possible we will accommodate requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other
flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their
health and wellbeing.

From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to
develop their skills and capabilities. Where appropriate there will be offers of training under
our apprenticeship schemes.

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means that our staff will work from a
flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant
sites. By default, 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 geographic area.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties working in this way and
cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Thames Solent Staff are based out of Reading, Eastleigh, Wallingford and London.

View a map of our office locations here.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Thames Solent Area Team at Natural England.

You will work with our planning Advisers and Specialists to contribute to wider networks,
building effective working relationships with national teams and other Area Teams.

 As a Principal Adviser you will fulfil a key leadership role and will be expected to be a role
model for Natural England’s ways of working.

How to apply

Please visit Civil Service Jobs to apply under reference 5660.

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.

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

• Technical Skills and Knowledge – Expert
• Personal Effectiveness – Expert
• Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas – Expert
• Putting People at the Heart – Expert
• Leading and Managing People – Practitioner

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 doing so.

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.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name :Louise Crothall
• Email :[email protected]
• Telephone :07785 459 128

Recruitment team:

• Email :[email protected]