About the job

Job summary

This position can be based at the following locations: 

Crewe, Kendal, Manchester

Job description

The team

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 Cheshire to Lancashire Area Team:

We provide environmental leadership across an area of 6 million people and home to some magnificent natural assets, where Nature Recovery and Partnerships are at the heart of everything we do. Restoring habitats, reconnecting the natural environment and connecting people with nature across the Lancashire uplands of West Pennine Moors and Bowland Fells, the wetlands and rivers of Cheshire, the wildlife-rich Irish Sea coast and urban heartland of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.

In 2024 we have an ambitious plan to build a resilient natural environment.  We want to support flourishing landscapes that are a source of pride, rural employment, access and enjoyment.  We want to continue to develop and expand our Uplands advice to deliver more benefits across mosaics of habitats for biodiversity, water quality, air quality, flood management, climate change and the wider farmed environment, and to develop Nature Recovery Networks & Species Recovery.

The role:

We are looking for an experienced individual with effective working knowledge of upland land management plus sound ecological and conservation skills that will help us make a difference to the landscape across the Lancashire Uplands, with a particular focus on the Forest of Bowland National Landscape area.

This is an exciting opportunity to make nature recovery happen. Our lead Advisers work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including landowners, land managers, utility companies, NGO’s, and other interested parties, to identify opportunities to protect, restore and enhance the existing network of protected sites including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and those with European Designations.

A key part of this role will be focused on facilitating and securing improved condition of the peatland resource in the Bowland Fells SSSI/SPA, both in terms of the habitat and the bird species it supports, enabling a healthy and resilient long term future for the landscape.

Key tasks and areas of work will include:

• Working collaboratively with upland land managers/owners/occupiers and other public bodies to secure favourable management of Bowland Fells SSSI/SPA.
• Identify opportunities for Nature Recovery Networks which will help link our existing wildlife rich spaces for nature with newly created, expanded and enhanced habitats, so nature can thrive.
• Working with partners and landowners to facilitate and encourage peatland restoration projects and secure appropriate management of blanket bog, grassland and wider landscape
• Carrying out field-based and desk-based assessments (site checks, rapid assessments and detailed assessments) on upland, woodland and grassland habitats to understand their condition and design/facilitate interesting conservation and restoration proposals
• Contributing to the team’s agri-environment work programme by providing technical advice, helping to conduct ecological assessments and developing habitat restoration proposals
• Influence and capture a landscape vision for Bowland and outline how we could secure those long term ambitions and values, including identifying future moorland restoration works, wildfire risk management, and opportunities for species rich grassland enhancement.
• Leading on upland statutory casework such as consents/assents/advice/HRAs and contribute to enforcement cases/EIAs where necessary; priority habitats
• Be an active and engaged member of our Uplands project team; work collaboratively with colleagues to help design, facilitate, encourage and maximise opportunities to support and deliver peatland restoration projects working towards enhancing Nature Recovery Networks and Government’s net zero targets
• Experience of managing a full workload with continually changing and often competing demands on your time
• Good communication skills at a range of levels; an ability to explain things clearly on the phone or in writing
• Good organisational skills
• Effective problem solving; involves considering new approaches, testing options, applying sound judgement and interpretation when making recommendations or determining appropriate action.
• Competence in the use of IT, including ability to work with spreadsheets, databases & presentation packages (experience of Geographic Information Systems is desirable but not essential. 
  

Benefits

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates 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.

Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer.

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us.

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events.

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated.

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan.

Locations

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. 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 geographical area. Full time staff are expected to attend their associated office for a minimum of one day a week.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

How to Apply

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
• Personal Effectiveness
• Putting people at the heart of the environment
• Work Delivery

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.

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 4 competencies as set out in the Job Description.

Successful candidates will be allocated roles in merit order based on scores achieved at interview and in accordance with location preferences, taking into account the work area to which successful candidates are most suited, wherever possible.

Competencies

Competence 1 

Professional competency

Detail 

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Description 

1. Practical working experience of issues affecting upland habitats and species - ecological field assessment, surveying, restoration and management
2. Knowledge of Peatland restoration;
3. An understanding/knowledge of protected sites legislation relevant to priority habitats, SSSIs and European sites or alternative experience;
4. Good terrestrial vegetation species identification skills;

Competence 2 

Professional competency

Detail 

Personal Effectiveness

Description 

• Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively with land managers and partners in a practical, helpful, trustworthy and impartial way.
  
• Address challenging issues and manage conflict.

Competence 3 

Professional competency

Detail 

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description 

• Work proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify and secure opportunities to deliver gains for people, wildlife and nature.
  
• Demonstrate an ability to collaborate, negotiate and influence in a well-informed and timely way (in line with customer service standards) to achieve pragmatic outcomes.

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail 

Work Delivery

Description 

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines, be a strong team player to share your knowledge and expertise to achieve this.
  
• Be focused, but retain flexibility to delivery under tight timescales and be able to work to set guidelines.

 

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,318, Natural England contributes £7,945 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Please refer to Job Description

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

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.