Principal Analyst

Office for Environmental Protection

Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 25th March 2026

Reference number: 451180

Salary: £54,470 - £61,000

Contract type: Permanent - Secondment

Length of employment: This will be a 2 year appointment if taken on a secondment basis.

Location: Northern Ireland, West Midlands (England)

Job summary

Do you enjoy working in a research and analytical role developing policy relevant evidence and insights related to the natural environment, drawing on scientific evidence and collaborating with experts, universities, and research centres to understand environmental processes, changes, and trends? Can you summarise that information into clear, accessible reports for Ministers, Parliament and the public? If so, then we want to hear from you. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) mission is to protect and improve the natural environment. Established by the Environment Act 2021, our role is to hold government and public bodies in England and Northern Ireland to account. We do this in several ways including reporting on progress towards environmental commitments, advising on changes to environmental laws and receiving complaints from the public, which can lead to us investigating and taking enforcement action.

This role is based within the OEP’s Insights Directorate which leads on progressing our strategic objective of holding governments to account for delivery of environmental goals and targets, in accordance with Environmental Improvement Plans. The scope of our work is broad and the OEP’s priority areas over the next three years are improving nature on land and at sea, clean water, planning and effective governance; as well as developing our work on the circular economy and waste and chemical regulation. Alongside analysing and commissioning scientific evidence on the natural environment, understanding policy is a key aspect of assessing how government is addressing its commitments and meeting its targets. Through our Environmental Improvement Plan monitoring and reporting, we analyse and comment on government’s progress. We make recommendations on how progress could be improved across environmental goals and plans. We also provide advice on the adequacy of environmental monitoring.

With a total staff of approximately 90, the OEP is a dynamic, friendly and flexible organisation covering both England, Northern Ireland, and environmental matters reserved to the UK government. We offer flexible working arrangements, high profile, impactful work and the chance to have an impact on improving the state of the environment. The OEP is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra in England and DAERA in Northern Ireland. We operate independently from government, including Defra and DAERA, and we are not part of the UK Civil Service. Our employees are public servants.

Job description

As a Principal Analyst, the post holder will be expected primarily to support our strategic objective of sustained environmental improvement, where Government is held to account for delivery of environmental goals and targets, and its plans for environmental improvement. The role holder will have experience within complex policy environments, navigating competing government priorities and delivering robust analysis in situations marked by ambiguity and change. They will show strong organisational and political awareness, with the ability to anticipate impacts and adapt approaches to ensure effective outcomes. They will focus on scrutiny of EIPs and statutory targets in England and Northern Ireland. They will lead on developing and implementing prospective assessment methodologies. The role will also include critical appraisal and reporting in selected areas of the natural environment, including what progress is being achieved, what is holding back progress and recommendations on how progress and prospects can be improved.

The OEP takes an issue-based approach. Therefore, in addition to their main role to support our objective of sustained environmental improvement, the post holder will input into the wider strategic objectives of the organisation, in particular where this aligns with subject matter expertise, experience and work being undertaken through the scrutiny of EIPs. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly and lead analysis and insights across OEP functions and across a range of themes or subjects, and develop expertise accordingly.

Key areas we expect the role-holder will lead on include:

• Provide leadership in the planning, management and delivery of aspects of the OEP’s approach to scrutinising Environmental Improvement Plans (EIPs) and targets, in particular prospective assessments.
• Lead the critical appraisal, synthesis, and integration of knowledge, evidence, and analysis to inform independent, high-impact assessments.
• Drive continuous improvement. Anticipate risks, develop creative solutions to novel challenges, and ensure outputs are robust and evidence-based.
• Oversee and quality-assure content for the OEP’s annual EIP progress report. Deliver inputs as required and support the development of key messages and recommendations.
• Commission and manage external science and evidence research contracts to support the development of the assessment approach and evidence base to support reporting and recommendations to government.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, including government officials, external experts, and cross-government networks.
• Support wider OEP functions and thematic programmes, including cross-functional and issue-based activities. For example, the development of briefings to the OEP Executive and Chair, technical inputs into the monitoring of environmental law, providing analytical support when reviewing complaints and undertaking investigations. Deputise for senior colleagues as required and foster a culture of excellence and collaboration.

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,470, Office for Environmental Protection contributes £15,779 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Salary Sacrifice, Discounts and SmartTech Benefits

All employees have access to the STaR, Reward Gateway an online platform providing access to hundreds of discounts, offers and cashback options with well-known retailers. They offer a SmartTech scheme, a Cash Healthcare plan and numerous other benefits and services.

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