Higher Officer - Protected Sites and Agri-Environment - ( Ref : 6876 )

Natural England; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Natural England is recruiting for an experienced advisor in the East Midlands region, based in Lincoln or Nottingham. The role focuses on driving nature recovery through farm advice, protected sites management, and schemes like Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.

You will bring conservation knowledge, land management experience, and the ability to build consensus among landowners, farmers, and partners to deliver nature-based solutions and environmental improvements across the area.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering land management advice to landowners to support environmental outcomes and sustainable farming.
• Strong communication skills to explain complex policy and schemes to diverse partners.
• Experience working with Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier or similar schemes.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality advice to farmers and land managers in the East Midlands.
• Regulate and support management of protected sites and landscapes.
• Lead engagement with partners to deliver nature recovery and environmental benefits.

Skills

Land management advice

Communication with landowners

Stakeholder engagement

Environmental outcomes

Conservation knowledge

Education

Degree in agriculture or conservation

Experience with agri-environment schemes

Job description

This position can be based at Lincoln or Nottingham.

Job Description

The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region.

The Team

The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region. The advertised role sits in one of our integrated County Teams containing staff from a variety of functions and with a wide range of technical expertise.

The Role

Driving nature recovery through farm advice and protected sites management within the East Midlands Team. Achieving the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan objectives for nature recovery and the Environmental Improvement Plan targets are dependent on greener farming. Our team of advisers support farmers and other land managers build long-term capability to deliver nature recovery and associated environment benefits such as climate adaption, access, clean air and water.

As a Higher Officer, you will have a unique mix of knowledge and skills including an up-to-date understanding of conservation management, protected sites management, land management regulations and incentives that underpin them, and how they come together to help farmers and land managers deliver nature recovery. You will also be expert at bringing people together and building consensus to deliver nature-based solutions for the most challenging problems.

These skills and knowledge will enable you to provide high-quality advice for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications to famers and land managers on across the East Midlands. You will also provide regulation and advice for the management of protected sites.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Engage with farmers and other land managers to drive forward nature recovery, providing advice, signposting and encouragement regarding ongoing and new opportunities such as Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery scheme, Capital Grant schemes, England Woodland Creation Offer, Biodiversity Net Gain and Green Finance.
• Negotiate Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes, providing Pre-Application advice to applicants that seeks to maximise nature recovery and wider environmental benefits whilst also supporting sustainable food production.
• Regulate protected sites and advise land managers to support positive management of these special areas for nature.
• Where needed, draw in advice and specialist knowledge from other Team members to maximise nature recovery outcomes, including Catchment Sensitive Farming Advisers to secure water and air quality improvements.
• Undertake 1:1 site visits, events, and communications to engage with farmers, land managers and partners to improve environmental outcomes through farming practice.
• Work with partners and stakeholders to identify and deliver shared objectives.
• Support existing Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship agreement holders to maximise the environmental outcomes from their schemes.
• At least weekly attendance in the office to network with colleagues. Attendance at team training and other events across the East Midlands Team area.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience of providing land management advice and being able to communicate effectively with landowners to deliver environmental outcomes alongside long-term sustainable food production/agricultural transition.
• Good level of agricultural knowledge and agri-environment schemes, particularly Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.
• An understanding of what makes protected sites ecologically valuable and a working knowledge of how to manage sites for nature conservation.
• A broad understanding of priority habitat management, ideally with more detailed experience in either species rich grassland, wetlands, wood pasture or heathland.
• The ability to gain technical understanding and knowledge quickly over an agreed timetable is a key skill to demonstrate.

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. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. Please be aware that we reserve the right for roles that receive a high volume of applications to initially sift applications for one competence only.

• Technical Skills and Knowledge
• Personal Effectiveness
• Work Delivery
• Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas

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 Action.

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.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking.

Technical Skills And Knowledge

• A degree in agriculture, conservation, or equivalent degree and/or relevant experience. (Essential)
• Good ecological understanding to assess environmental opportunities on farm and understand how these relate to the priorities in the area to deliver effective nature recovery advice. (Essential)
• Experience of listening to and understanding a diverse range of partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and nature recovery. (Essential)
• Experience in nurturing trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver nature recovery and wider environmental outcomes. (Essential)

Personal Effectiveness

• Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective. (Practitioner)
• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Practitioner)
• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience. (Basic)
• Respect the diverse needs and experience of other people, be inclusive in everything you do. (Basic)

Work Delivery

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)
• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures. (Practitioner)
• Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks and strategies to your work. (Basic)

Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas

• Understand and use appropriate agri-environment schemes and other interventions to contribute to a healthy natural environment that benefits people and the economy. (Practitioner)
• Understand how natural processes, land/sea management and use impact the conservation and management of geodiversity, the marine and historic environments. (Practitioner)
• Understand the environmental value of designated sites and explain that to partners, stakeholders and customers. (Practitioner)
• Identify appropriate solutions for avoidance, mitigation, compensation of environmental impacts and meeting shared outcomes; and identify opportunities for enhancing the natural environment. (Practitioner)