On a daily basis the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) deals with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact people’s lives. As we prepare to leave the European Union, there has never been a more exciting time to join us. EU Exit will fundamentally change the work we do and how we deliver it. This creates a career defining opportunity for you to help us to reshape our future. With us you will be able to influence and contribute to the development of new approaches and policies on a wide range of issues affecting millions of people in the UK.
You could be leading a team in any of our priority EU Exit work streams: Environmental Regulations, Marine and Fisheries, Animal and Plant Health, Future Farming, Food Chain, or EU Strategy and International Trade. Each team needs someone who is adaptive, flexible, and comfortable working at pace and with ambiguity.
Whichever policy team you join you will be responsible for:
- Understanding and leading a range of different policies;
- Using evidence and expertise from within and outside Government, to help guide decisions about how policies are developed and delivered;
- Briefing Ministers and senior officials;
- Planning and prioritising effectively, to deliver results;
- Working with stakeholders within and outside Government, to help ensure we get the best policy results.
To make an impact you will need to be inspiring, collaborative and have inclusive team leadership skills, especially as you support your teams throughout this time of change and uncertainty. With excellent people management skills, you will prioritise coaching, building capability and resilience, and the creation of a supportive high performance culture.
Great analytical skills are essential as is the ability to understand key issues and risks from often complex, conflicting or unclear information from a wide range of sources. You will work with experts to present clear evidence-based policy recommendations. Your approach will be innovative and inclusive, seeking to do things differently, but always adaptable, responsive and able to develop new options as things change.
You will need to be able to work across organisational boundaries, engaging multiple stakeholder groups with differing priorities and perspectives to agree consensus based solutions. At the same time it is vital that you have the integrity to take personal responsibility for shaping, planning and driving work forward, delivering at pace and managing deadlines across a broad portfolio of work.
Office locations
Defra is able to support flexible working, which means that as well as our policy hubs in York, Bristol and London, you may be able to work in another Defra office. However, some travel to the policy hubs may be required. You will need to agree your location and working arrangements with your new manager.