Environment Agency Deputy Director Governance & Engagement

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 27th October 2024

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Details

Reference number

373694

Salary

£75,000

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

Governance and Engagement

Type of role

Governance
Senior leadership
Strategy
Other

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Location

London

About the job

Job summary

This post is an Environment Agency post at Deputy Director level with at EA salary £75,000. It is not a post at CS PB1 as indicated on the left-hand side bar of this advert. Further confirmation of the EA grade and terms and conditions can be found in the attached candidate pack.

This is a vacancy working for the Environment Agency, part of Defra Group. EA are not Civil Servants so terms will reflect that. Anyone moving from the Civil Service will lose their CS terms and benefits starting new employment with the EA.

Working with the Environment Agency means protecting and improving the environment for generations to come, tackling issues of national importance across a variety of disciplines.

We’re grouped into 14 areas across England, and our responsibilities span major industry regulation, flood defences, land contamination, water quality, fisheries and conservation. Such a broad scope of work calls for diverse, multi-skilled teams and exceptional leadership: together, we’ll promote sustainable growth, tackle climate change and secure a better future for everyone.

As Deputy Director for Governance and Engagement you’ll be at the heart of everything the Environment Agency does, leading our relationship with government. This is an exciting, fast-paced and rewarding role on the Strategy Directorate’s leadership team, working alongside the Director of Strategy and four other Deputy Directors.

Candidates will have the opportunity to find out more about the role as there will be a virtual briefing session on Tuesday 15 October at 12.30. Invitations can be acquired by emailing: Rebecca.allen@environment-agency.gov.uk

Job description

This is a fantastic opportunity to apply for a senior leadership position within the Environment Agency. This is a great place to work if you want to make a real difference in improving our environment and building a more sustainable future.

As Deputy Director for Governance and Engagement you’ll be at the heart of everything the Environment Agency does, leading our relationship with Government. This is an exciting, fast-paced and rewarding role, working alongside the Director of Strategy and four other Deputy Directors.

We are looking for a motivated and experienced individual to join our Deputy Director cadre and lead a high performing team of c50 people which is responsible for leading our relationship with Ministers, Government and Parliament, as well as providing a first-class service through our Board governance team and private offices. This role requires proven capabilities in working with complexity at a strategic level, effective collaboration, and influencing and shaping organisational direction.
In this role you will lead four branches:

Government relations – lead our relationship with Ministers, Government and Parliament, including on policy and legislative developments; and support place-based and technical teams to engage with MPs.
Governance – provide essential support to the Environment Agency Chair and Board and work with other relevant committees to ensure that the Environment Agency operates legally compliant governance in an innovative and efficient manner.
Executive support – lead the private offices tasked with providing first class support to our Chair and Chief Executive, including strategic and tactical oversight of their engagement to provide maximum value for the organisation.
Insight and engagement – provide expert professional advice and information to help the organisation engage with individuals, business and communities; and develop internal and external insight into the Environment Agency to support our decision making.

The Team

You’ll be working withing the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Directorate reporting to our Director of Strategy. STA is at the heart of the Environment Agency. Its passionate and skilled people provide national-once services to enable our organisation to thrive.
You will support and drive the team, embedding new ways of thinking and working across the organisation.

Person specification

Experience/ Skills Required

You’ll be an experienced leader, able to motivate and set direction for a large and high performing team
You’ll be adept at managing multiple priorities in a fast-moving landscape.
You’ll be a strategic thinker, able to show that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the skills to succeed at senior level as a Deputy Director.
You’ll have exceptional political understanding and judgement with clarity of argument and concise writing skills.
You’ll have expertise in influencing senior leaders and colleagues in a range of situations.
Responding to incidents is central to what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. Full training will be available.

Benefits

Substantial pension scheme, generous annual leave, with up to two days’ paid environmental outcome days each year, flexible working patterns to allow you to achieve a good work life balance, access to a number of employee networks and forums that support our employees and help us build an inclusive culture.

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.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Closing: 23:55 Sunday, 27th October 2024

Shortlisting: Early November 2024

Interviews: 2nd half of November 2024

We plan to run candidate assessments during the second half of November. Further detail will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

For further information please contact: Rebecca Allen (Rebecca.allen@environment-agency.gov.uk)

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.