Job description
The Environment Agency is fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don't just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.
This is an exciting and challenging role which sits at the heart of the delivery of planning, growth and infrastructure. It’s a new role and new team, reflecting the complexity of our Spending Review settlement and the importance of ensuring we deliver effectively with this funding.
In this Portfolio and Business Manager role you’ll be instrumental in providing direction to the leadership team with their ongoing priorities, delivery, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of outputs, and in supporting the Director for Nature and Place in her role as Senior Responsible Officer for this funding.
You’ll lead in creating the relevant portfolio and team business plans, and work across the organisation to understand and track how benefits are realised for growth across the business. While technical knowledge of planning policy is not essential to be successful in this role, it may be beneficial, alongside a genuine enthusiasm for helping the organisation deliver the government’s growth mission.
The role is varied and there will be a need to assimilate new information quickly, working with a variety of senior leaders across the Environment Agency and Defra, and you’ll need to be comfortable working in a busy and often reactive environment.
You’ll oversee both existing and new functions, including finance, risk management, evaluation, and benefits realisation. You’ll need to be able to set up a new team, quickly bringing together the experience and ideas of existing team members with constructive challenge for how we could do things better, and be enthusiastic in developing your team.
You'll join our Planning and Place team. We’re part of the Environment and Business (E&B) Directorate. We sit alongside four other team managers. We are committed to delivering sustainable growth while protecting and enhancing the environment.
We're a welcoming, inclusive, supportive and fun team, based across the full breadth of the country. We work collaboratively across our planning teams, and with operational colleagues across the country to deliver our planning service.
Demonstrate how your skills and experience would enable you to:
-Oversee the management and delivery of our SR settlement. This will include not just monitoring and understanding our forecasting but being able to set a clear narrative explaining how we’re delivering.
-Set up, lead and develop a high-performing team, ensuring a motivated workforce that delivers organisational aims.
-Lead on the development of our team business plans and resource management to ensure that goals are delivered to required standards and budget, with continued monitoring and evaluation of what we achieve.
-Develop our approach to risk management, ensuring that we have the right mitigations in place across all delivery, and escalate appropriately.
-Develop our approach to benefits realisation, setting us up to not just track what activities we carry out, but also develop a proper understanding of what they achieve, and their effectiveness at supporting the delivery of sustainable growth.
Please attach your CV to your application, as we will be conducting a separate review of relevant experience, with particular focus on financial management.
You’ll have an inclusive incident management objective in your development plan. We’ll help you find a role to suit your needs. Appropriate training will be given.
You’ll have an EA Office base location, as a national role the working location is flexible / hybrid.
We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel some travel and overnights may be required.
You’ll have a range of development opportunities and appropriate training will be provided.
Any queries, contact [email protected]
Interviews will be held via MS Teams within two weeks of the closing date.
#LI-DNI
Describe a time when you have had to solve a particularly unusual or difficult business problem, where there were no established guidelines of precedents?
If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift using this lead capability may be conducted. Successful candidates will then proceed to a full sift or directly to assessment/interview. Feedback is generally not available at sift stage.
Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions.
More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.
Describe a time when you have set the direction for your team to deliver differently, and how you optimised their skills and experience?
Give an example of how you have delivered a major project through others in the face of considerable challenges or obstacles ?
Describe a time when you have pro-actively sought an opportunity to set the strategic direction to deliver differently?
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
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. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
