About the job

Job summary

We have a rare and exciting opportunity for an Economic Advisor to join the Farming Economics Team within the evidence and analysis division of Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme. The post holder will gain first-hand experience of using economic analysis to inform domestic agricultural policy, as we transition away from the system of direct payments under the EU’s common agricultural policy towards a system of paying farmers and land managers for the provision of public goods.  As we move away from the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy towards a wholly new approach for the agricultural industry, we are committed to working together with the industry to deliver one of the biggest industry changes to any sector anywhere in the UK. Farming is a sector that’s going through a once in a generation change. We are looking for an exceptional analyst who is a self-starter, ambitious and able to work at pace.   

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups.

Job description

Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food & farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink. We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. Your role will be critically important to achieving our vision of ‘creating a great place for living’. 

This role sits within the Farming Economics team in the evidence and analysis division of Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme. The Programme is the principal mechanism for delivering policies and support to farmers to achieve our key goals for farming – productivity, Net Zero Strategy, 25 Year Environment Plan and animal/plant health and welfare. Delivery is through a mix of grants and other support and also regulations underpinned by the Agriculture Act and set out in our Agricultural Transition Plan (until 2028).

The Farming Economics Team aims to ensure the Farming and Countryside Programme optimises the social value of public spending, minimising unintended consequences, and ensures both an efficient and proportionate regulatory system. We aim to improve understanding of the incentives and market dynamics in farming such that the Department's goals of a thriving agricultural sector and an improved natural environment are achieved.   We are seeking an ambitious economist to take up an Economic Advisor role.

In this role you will:

• Integrate yourself with policy to ensure we have the evidence available in a timely manner to help develop and appraise productivity-focused agricultural schemes. This will involve the full policy development cycle including production of relevant business cases where relevant.
• Lead the evidence base for the horticulture sector for the department.
• Lead relevant analysis on various productivity schemes required for the Spending Review and inputs to the Programme Business Case.
• Work in a fully integrated way with social research colleagues to ensure we are learning what we can from existing schemes and collating and producing the required evidence for specific policy areas.

Person specification

This is a high-profile area with significant ministerial interest so the post-holder will need to be flexible, being able to adapt to changing priorities. This post will provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and/or develop a wide range of general and profession-specific skills. The role would suit individuals who are keen to demonstrate analytical leadership and are capable of setting direction in a challenging and high-profile environment. 

The successful candidate will:

• Have an established record of using economics to inform policy or similar decisions.
• Understand policy colleagues’ pressures and objectives and apply evidence to ensure full consideration in policy design and implementation of the value for money.
• Have a proven track record on building strong teams, including, for example with policy and social research colleagues, to ensure understanding of needs and confidence in delivery.
• Work in partnership with other analysts and scientists within and outside government, and across departments to achieve high quality, robust and relevant input
• Be able to present technical evidence to non-economists both orally and in writing, at a working level and at senior Board meetings such as Investment Committee.
• Experience of working at pace and delivering through uncertainty  
• Line manage at least 1 junior economist 

Essential Criteria 

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Strong analytical skills, and ability to demonstrate analytical leadership
• Experience of leading a team
• Experience of being a self-starter, and demonstrating ability to work on own initiative, in identifying opportunities for evidence and delivering high quality analytical outputs
• Experience of collaborating with colleagues across professions and with different backgrounds to deliver shared outcomes.
• Experience of working at pace and delivering through uncertainty  
• Experience of communicating analysis to a non-technical audience.

Entry Requirements:

• Successful applicants for this role must be a full member of the Government Economic Service (GES) or be prepared to become a member.
• Civil Servants who are currently a member of the GES will retain their professional membership in this role. 
• Applicants without membership will be considered for accreditation between the application sifting and interview stage.
• This means you must meet the academic entry requirements.  Links to the entry requirements are below.
• Government Economic Service (GES)
• Technical Competence Frameworks:
• All applicants will need to demonstrate they have the competences listed in the technical framework for their relevant profession.
• Applicants who are currently a member of the GES and seeking promotion will be assessed for promotion within their profession as part of the selection process.  
• Applicants without a current affiliation will be notified if there are other entry tests which need to be successfully completed to ensure compliance with their professional group's requirements.
• Further information about competency/technical skill level requirements can be accessed via the links below.
• The Government Economic Service (GES) technical framework
• Government Economic Service (GES)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,120, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £14,072 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement, behaviour and technical statements.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please tailor your application to evidence your experience and skills according to those stated in this job advert.

Your personal statement should show, in no more than 500 words, how you meet the essential criteria of the post.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview

There may be 2 interviews, if successful at sift. The first interview would be an assessment that is only required for those who pass the sift and are not already badged Government Economic Service members. Full details on what is required for this assessment will be provided if successful at sift. It will be based on the GES Framework which can be found here: Government Economic Service (GES)

For Badged GES members, if you're successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on the behaviours and GES technical skills.

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed. Further details will be provided in advance.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Interviews will be virtual.

Location 

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s)

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Merit Lists 

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Salary

Existing Civil Servants moving on level transfer will retain their current salary or move onto the pay range minimum, whichever is the higher. Staff moving on promotion will have their pay increased by 10% or move onto the pay range minimum, whichever is the higher. As a general rule allowances and supplements will not be recognised.

This post offers the successful candidate the opportunity to receive an additional pay supplement of £3,000 upon appointment (pro rata). In addition to this, there is a further pay supplement of up to £3,000 (pro rata) which may be offered based on candidate's annual competency assessment.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

Please note tests on this vacancy are timed, therefore if due to the need for a reasonable adjustment such as additional time contact us as below.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

NSV

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Higher Security

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

Childcare Vouchers 

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

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. 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.