Senior Officer – Coastal Infrastructure – ( 6866 )

About the Job

Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive. Whether you’re drawn to hands‑on conservation or playing a vital part behind the scenes, your work at Natural England will support lasting benefits for the environment and society.

OurRole

Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence,expertiseand advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental,socialand economic actions critical to thriving nature.

• Recovering Nature– Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• BuildingBetter Places– Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives aroundus.
• ImprovingHealth and Wellbeing– Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever theylive.
• Delivering Security through Nature– Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentifulwaterand clean air.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at:

Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security – GOV.UK

The Team

The Planning and Infrastructure Teamsits within theStrategy Directorateof Natural England.

The Team works across the terrestrial and marine environment to:

• AdviseGovernment on national policy issues, contributing to the development of planning policy, guidance and process changes and responding to national consultations.
• Provide strategic technical advice and leadership to our programme and operations teams and develop new approaches to planning and infrastructure work.
• Develop and maintainrelationships with key national partners including Government, other regulators and agencies,NGOsand the commercial sector.

This presents a unique opportunity to influence government policy to secure greater outcomes for the natural environment, whilst also playing a key role in both supporting and shaping Natural England’s Planning and Infrastructure work.

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Officer to join our team to lead strategic work on planning and major infrastructure in the coastal environment. The role will play an important part in shaping Natural England’s approach to infrastructure development, influencing policy,guidanceand practice to secure better outcomes for nature whilst supporting sustainable development.

The Government’s ambitions for economic growth, infrastructure delivery, cleanenergyand nature recovery are drivingsignificant changeacross the planning and infrastructure landscape. Major investment isanticipatedacross sectors including energy, transport, water,housingand coastal infrastructure, creating both challenges and opportunities for the natural environment. Natural England has a key role inprovidingstrategic advice to government, regulators,industryand partners, helping to shape planning policy, improve environmental outcomes and develop effective approaches to infrastructure delivery.

In this role youwill play a key role in shaping Natural England’s response at a critical time with fundamental changes proposed to the planning, infrastructureplanningand environmental assessment regimes. Youwill work alongside our Infrastructure Principal Officers and the wider Planning and Infrastructure Team to provide the leadership and technical focus to drive forward Natural England’s ambitions for the natural environment. This will be delivered through our policy advice and by helping to shapethe way in which we deliver our statutory advice on major infrastructure work.

A key element of these roles will be interacting with key regulators, delivery bodies, industrybodiesand partner organisations within the major infrastructure sector. You will work proactively to build an understanding of the aims,objectivesand challenges of industry and partners and provide strategic support to decision-makers dealing with complex or novel impacts.

Collaborative work both internally and externally will berequiredtoidentifyand maximise opportunities to improve our evidence base and knowledge,identifyingconsenting challenges and driving forwards solutions to those which help further the ambitions of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan.

Internally, you willprovidenational leadership and technical advice for your core topic area to ensure consistency of advice both within and across sectors, through the development and provision of training,guidanceand leading technical networks.

Key Tasks/PrincipalAccountabilities

• Act as sector lead for a keycoastalInfrastructuresector(s)initially focussed on Tidal Range, Nuclear and marine carbon dioxide removaltechnology.
• Provide and co-ordinate technical advice to Defra, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)and other government departmentsto support NE’s response to emerging infrastructure planning policy and guidance including responses to national consultations.
• Build effective relationships with Defra, DESNZ, MHCLG, and other Government Department colleagues alongside key infrastructure delivery bodies,developersand industry groups. Act as relationship manager asrequired.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• A relevant degree and/or extensive experience in a related field.
• Technicalexpertiseand applied experience of the planning system, legislation, nationalpolicyand guidance the Town and Country Planning System, Nationally Significant InfrastructureProjectsand Marine Licensing.
• Technicalexpertiseand experience of the application of environmental assessment processes to planning casework (HRA, EIA,MCZ Assessments,SEA).
• Experience of working with key national external partners and stakeholders that have been directly engaged with the infrastructure/planning system systems.
• Understanding of the legislative/policy/strategic context of infrastructure and planning work.

Benefits

At Natural England, we support a healthy work‑life balance by offering full‑time, part‑time, and flexible working arrangements.

Weprovideexcellent opportunities for career progression, training,and development tailored to your role. This includestendays annually for personal learning and development, plusthreeadditionaldays for volunteering.

You’llreceive a generous leave allowance of25 days per year (pro rata), increasing by one day for each year of service up to 30 days (pro‑rata), access to the Civil Service Pension scheme with a 28.97% employer contribution, and a range of benefits such as shopping discounts and a cycle‑to‑work scheme. Staff can also join the Civil Service Sport club for discounts on sports, leisure activities, and social events.

We are committed to fairness, equality, and inclusivity. Our employee‑led diversity networks help foster a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

Locations

Natural England has adopted hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. Allnew staffwill be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England, and the expectation is that allnew staffwill be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographical area. Staff are expected to attend their associated office for 20% of their contractual hours.

Staff membersare 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: online map of Natural England office locations

Pay

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

Please note: Licensed visa sponsoring organisations are employers authorised by the government to recruit and sponsor overseas workers, enabling them to obtain the appropriate visa to work legally in the country. Natural England is NOT a licensed sponsorship employer.

As part of the Natural England’s application process, candidates are asked to confirm their right to work and remain in the UK. If a candidate says that they meet these requirements, ID is checked, a provisional offer of permanent employment is made and pre‑employment eligibility checks commence. Only after these checks are candidates given firm offers of employment.

Natural England is unable to employ individuals who cannot provide the required evidence of their right to work.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,550, Natural England contributes £12,037 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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%

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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 basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in a 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.

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).

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name :Alistair Horton
• Email :alistair.horton@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone :077489 31444

Recruitment team

• Email :defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6866-6866-Senior-Officer-Coastal-Infrastructure/en-GB

Attachments

DEF-001h – Candidate Pack Natural England v3.1

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