Reference number
379189
Salary
£41,220 – £49,020
National salary: £41,220 – £45,400 London salary: £44,500 – £49,020 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Job grade
Senior Executive Officer
Senior Scientific Officer
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DEFRA – Environment – Water & Flood Management
Type of role
Science
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Location
Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
About the job
Job summary
The post holder will initially focus on furthering the evidence base on how to best meet our Environment Act targets on water and monitoring and reporting of the state of the water environment. They will join a multi-disciplinary evidence team responsible for supporting both strategic policy development and delivery through the provision of robust scientific evidence and analysis for Floods, Water and Contamination. We work flexibly, and the post holder may take on other areas of work as our priorities change and different workstreams are prioritised across the directorate. The team also works closely with experts from other parts of the Defra group and will need to develop excellent collaborative relationships with colleagues from outside our work area.
Our Directorate sets policy for managing water, including the water utility industry, improving the quality of our rivers and lakes, and managing the risk of flooding. The Directorate also manages emergencies such as drought, water supply interruption, major floods and contamination incidents. We are a friendly and inclusive team and we welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are happy to accommodate flexible working arrangements for successful candidates.
As part of the Joint Water Evidence Programme, you will work in close collaboration with fellow team members, the Environment Agency, other Defra group bodies and the Welsh Government/Natural Resources Wales. You will build relationships with policymakers to understand their research needs and to proactively grow our evidence base and portfolio of projects. This will include designing and managing natural science, social and economic research, and commissioning and managing projects with our external professional partners. You will also work closely with academics to ensure that policy makers use the best research when developing future policy.
You will be encouraged to take up opportunities for on-the-job learning and development.
Job description
Providing high quality scientific advice, analysis and insight to support the work of the Floods, Water and Contamination Directorate.
You will:
- Lead on developing our evidence base to help policy teams develop robust policy pathways to meet our Environment Act targets for water quality, including monitoring and reporting.
- Work with policy teams to develop a strong understanding of their requirements and how evidence and analysis can inform decision-making, helping them to consider and prioritise their strategic multi-disciplinary evidence needs and their shorter-term tactical needs.
- Undertake robust multidisciplinary analysis, working closely with economists, operational researchers and social scientists.
- Be able to keep abreast of dependencies and potential impacts of the work area.
- Liaise with other scientists and analysts from across Defra group and elsewhere.
- Think creatively to address emerging issues.
- Publish, disseminate and interpret research findings for policy teams.
- Designing, commissioning and effectively managing external contracts, including evaluation of tenders. Helping manage the broader programme of research projects, including working with colleagues on project and financial management.
- Assessing the best way to meet evidence needs and collating or developing in-house evidence where required. This may include more substantive pieces as well as working at pace to deliver commissions to tight deadlines.
- Promoting evidence-based policy making, helping to embed this within the culture of the Directorate and building positive and effective relationships across Defra group and externally with stakeholders.
Whilst the post holder will have responsibility for a particular area of work, they will be expected to work flexibly and adapt to deliver additional work requests as they arise, drawing on their specific expertise. There may be line management opportunities associated with this post.
Person specification
You will be responsible for working with policy teams to help develop our evidence base relating to our Environment Act targets on water. These relate to:
- Diffuse agricultural pollution
- Pollution from treated wastewater
- Pollution from abandoned metal mines
This will include working with EA and other parties to coordinate our work on reporting metrics and indicators. You will develop and understanding of the caveats and limitations associated with different reporting options and communicate these clearly and succinctly. You will also help design external research projects, taking these through procurement, managing external contracts and ensuring findings are published and disseminated effectively so that they have real impact with policy teams and decision makers.
We’d love to hear from you if you have the following skills and/or experience:
Essential Experience
- Helping to assess, diagnose and conceptualise issues and problems (ideally environmental ones) to better understand causes and potential mitigation options.
- Ability to find, assess and collate scientific evidence from a diverse range of sources to develop evidence products.
- Communication of complex or technical subject matter to non-specialist colleagues or stakeholders.
- Experience working at pace to deliver analytical products to a short turnaround, managing multiple projects and coordinating within a larger team.
- Experience applying analysis and evidence to decision making e.g. for policy making.
- Ability to work closely with a mixed team of analysts from different professions and non-analysts.
Qualifications
A relevant BSc (e.g. Environmental Science, Physical Geography, Biogeochemistry, Hydrology, Earth Sciences, Geology).
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Previous experience relating to GSE technical skills of Building and applying knowledge (via 5 minute presentation and questions).
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £41,220, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £11,941 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
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 provide two behaviour statements – Working Together & Communicating and Influencing, as well as a personal statement.
Your personal statement should be no more than 750 words and should detail your relevant experience and how it is linked to the essential skills, with experience in any subject area highlighted.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on experience and behaviours.
There will also be a 5 minute presentation with questions to assess experience relating to GSE technical skills of Building and applying knowledge.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. The Interview will be conducted via MS Teams.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
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.
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 Clearance
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.
This post requires 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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name :Eleanor Rutherford
- Email :FandW.resourcing@defra.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email :defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact:
Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/ to visit Civil Service Commission.
