6526 - Sustainable Development Senior Officer in Reading

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.

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, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

• Recovering Nature – Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• Building Better Places – Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.
• Improving Health and Wellbeing – Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
• 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 plentiful water and clean air.

This position offers the opportunity to join the Sustainable Development team within the Thames Solent Area Team, providing senior oversight and support on complex, high‑risk, and high‑opportunity casework. Natural England has an important role in enabling local authorities and other plan‑makers across Thames Solent Area Team (London, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire Hampshire & IOW) to embed nature into a range of place‑based plans, and you will be central to shaping strong partnerships to drive this ambition.

Our Sustainable Development Senior Officers play a crucial part in this role by working together to lead Sustainable Development delivery in the team, providing technical advice to Sustainable Development Higher Officers and working with partners to identify opportunities to best deliver nature’s recovery. You will work closely with colleagues across the business to maximise opportunities for nature and access to nature in a range of plans and strategies. You will work closely with local authorities and key stakeholders, developing strong relationships and ensuring effective handling plans and communication strategies in collaboration with area leadership and external affairs colleagues.

We are seeking candidates whose strengths lie in collaboration, enjoy working with others and feel passionate about helping to shape improved outcomes for nature through leading Sustainable Development Higher Officers in Thames Solent and acting as part of the Thames Solent Leadership Team. As part of the leadership team, you will contribute to building capability and capacity within the team by supporting staff development and sharing knowledge gained through national networks. Acting as a role model for organisational values, you will help drive consistency in advice delivery and foster a culture of continuous improvement in sustainable development work.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Provide senior‑level support to sustainable development advisers by offering guidance on complex issues, attending internal and external meetings, and escalating risks appropriately.
• Work collaboratively with other Senior Officers to ensure consistency in advice and decision‑making across all areas of work.
• Drive improvements in ways of working by building team capacity, identifying training needs, and delivering relevant development opportunities.
• Engage with customers and partners, including Local Planning Authorities and government agencies, to provide clear, pragmatic advice that supports sustainable development objectives and drives forward the Natural England Strategy ambition to build better places.