6344 - Senior Officer - NRF Policy, Delivery and Implementation
| Posting date: | 29 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £37,950 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 18 January 2026 |
| Location: | UK |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 4 days per week |
| Company: | Natural England |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 6344 |
Summary
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.
Our role
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.
Our priorities
We will focus on the following priorities:
Drive Nature recovery at a greater scale and faster pace than before by supporting large scale projects and making it easier for landowners to get permissions for Nature positive change.
Tackle the root causes of Nature’s decline working with Defra partners to ensure cleaner air, clean and plentiful water, healthier soils and rich, productive seas.
Partner with planners and developers on “high nature; low carbon” houses, energy and transport infrastructure and introduce strategic solutions so development can also protect and restore Nature.
Support food security and sustainable farming, forestry and fishing through targeted advice and the right mix of public and private finance.
Shape better places for people to work and live by providing clear evidence and advice to our partners, using spatial plans for Nature as a framework for investment and joined up action.
Connect communities with Nature and create Nature close to people’s homes, ensuring everyone gains from the health benefits Nature can bring.
Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england
Job description
The team
This role is a rare opportunity to play a part to bring about systematic change to the planning system and planning casework.
We are seeking ambitious individuals with great communication and organisational skills to join our highly performing, supportive and friendly team within the Sustainable Development Portfolio.
Job Purpose
You will help shape legislative planning and policy reforms to ensure that they are customer focused, digitally enabled and sustainable in the long term with a shift to nature’s recovery at scale delivered through the planning system.
There is much to deliver in this space, and although the current priority for the Sustainable Development Portfolio is the development of the Nature Restoration Fund, there may be opportunity to shape and deliver wider Critical Reforms, and you could be deployed to any area of planning casework.
The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) is designed to accelerate development while introducing innovative mechanisms that can extend significant and targeted environmental protection that drives nature’s recovery. The NRF will offer a flexible, scalable approach to delivering environmental improvements where development impacts protected sites or species. Through Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), the NRF will identify strategic, landscape-scale conservation measures to ensure better outcomes for nature.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
Provide evidence-based advice to Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Other Government Departments (OGDs) and regulators on the development of new legislation, policies or strategies relevant to the organisation’s remit.
Provide a key technical leadership role for a specific area or topic.
Identify, develop and maintain positive and influential relationships with stakeholders – internally and externally - to help Natural England develop, implement, and deliver key areas of strategy and policy.
Work collaboratively with colleagues across Natural England, Defra and other Arm's Length Bodies.
Help translate policy into delivery and contribute to the development and delivery of new programmes and pilots to support implementation of major strategies.
Undertake horizon scanning for emerging policy related issues and opportunities to guide future organisational priorities for delivery.
Raise awareness and provide advice, training, guidance and support to build capability across the organisation.
Potential line management
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Good analytical skills and a strong understanding of key environmental legislation and the role of policy and the policy-making process.
Very good technical skills appropriate to relevant work area; possible national expert in field but supported by other staff in national external meetings.
Good knowledge of the breadth of Natural England’s role and delivery responsibilities; and of the key issues in environmental policy.
Experience of collaborating with a range of stakeholders to achieve pragmatic outcomes.
Good working knowledge of the key stakeholders relevant to the specific strategy/policy area.
Ability to use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques to disseminate complex technical advice.
Knowledge of how to handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures.
Experience of delivering work against agreed targets and deadlines in line with relevant project/programme management structures.
Our role
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.
Our priorities
We will focus on the following priorities:
Drive Nature recovery at a greater scale and faster pace than before by supporting large scale projects and making it easier for landowners to get permissions for Nature positive change.
Tackle the root causes of Nature’s decline working with Defra partners to ensure cleaner air, clean and plentiful water, healthier soils and rich, productive seas.
Partner with planners and developers on “high nature; low carbon” houses, energy and transport infrastructure and introduce strategic solutions so development can also protect and restore Nature.
Support food security and sustainable farming, forestry and fishing through targeted advice and the right mix of public and private finance.
Shape better places for people to work and live by providing clear evidence and advice to our partners, using spatial plans for Nature as a framework for investment and joined up action.
Connect communities with Nature and create Nature close to people’s homes, ensuring everyone gains from the health benefits Nature can bring.
Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england
Job description
The team
This role is a rare opportunity to play a part to bring about systematic change to the planning system and planning casework.
We are seeking ambitious individuals with great communication and organisational skills to join our highly performing, supportive and friendly team within the Sustainable Development Portfolio.
Job Purpose
You will help shape legislative planning and policy reforms to ensure that they are customer focused, digitally enabled and sustainable in the long term with a shift to nature’s recovery at scale delivered through the planning system.
There is much to deliver in this space, and although the current priority for the Sustainable Development Portfolio is the development of the Nature Restoration Fund, there may be opportunity to shape and deliver wider Critical Reforms, and you could be deployed to any area of planning casework.
The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) is designed to accelerate development while introducing innovative mechanisms that can extend significant and targeted environmental protection that drives nature’s recovery. The NRF will offer a flexible, scalable approach to delivering environmental improvements where development impacts protected sites or species. Through Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), the NRF will identify strategic, landscape-scale conservation measures to ensure better outcomes for nature.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
Provide evidence-based advice to Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Other Government Departments (OGDs) and regulators on the development of new legislation, policies or strategies relevant to the organisation’s remit.
Provide a key technical leadership role for a specific area or topic.
Identify, develop and maintain positive and influential relationships with stakeholders – internally and externally - to help Natural England develop, implement, and deliver key areas of strategy and policy.
Work collaboratively with colleagues across Natural England, Defra and other Arm's Length Bodies.
Help translate policy into delivery and contribute to the development and delivery of new programmes and pilots to support implementation of major strategies.
Undertake horizon scanning for emerging policy related issues and opportunities to guide future organisational priorities for delivery.
Raise awareness and provide advice, training, guidance and support to build capability across the organisation.
Potential line management
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Good analytical skills and a strong understanding of key environmental legislation and the role of policy and the policy-making process.
Very good technical skills appropriate to relevant work area; possible national expert in field but supported by other staff in national external meetings.
Good knowledge of the breadth of Natural England’s role and delivery responsibilities; and of the key issues in environmental policy.
Experience of collaborating with a range of stakeholders to achieve pragmatic outcomes.
Good working knowledge of the key stakeholders relevant to the specific strategy/policy area.
Ability to use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques to disseminate complex technical advice.
Knowledge of how to handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures.
Experience of delivering work against agreed targets and deadlines in line with relevant project/programme management structures.