CSF Higher Officer - ( Ref : 6740 )

Job summary

This position is based at Tyneside House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Job description

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.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental, social and economic actions critical to thriving 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.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at:

Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK

Job description

Northumbria Area Team, Tyneside House, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7A

Due to the farm-based delivery of these roles, they are based in the Northumbria Area Team, and the CSFA Higher Officers must be resident in Northumberland, or Tyne and Wear, or County Durham, or Teeside. For the 2 permanent roles, we are looking for an applicant who can mainly carry out farm visits in Teeside and County Durham, and an applicant to mainly carry out farm visits in Northumberland.

Natural England (NE) delivers a wide range of farm advice, including the Catchment Sensitive Farming Programme: Catchment Sensitive Farming: advice for farmers and land managers - GOV.UK / Catchment Sensitive Farming - Our advice , Farming Advice Service

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is a partnership programme between NE, Defra, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission. CSF provides advice to farmers to reduce diffuse water and air pollution from agriculture as well as to reduce natural hazards (floods) and support farms through agricultural transition. CSF operates through a network of locally based farm advisers (CSF farm advisers) and partner organisations to deliver Defra’s 25-year plan ambitions for water quality, air quality (ammonia) and sustainable water management through nature-based solutions.

The primary focus of the role is to work with and provide on the ground advice to farmers.

The role-holder will also work with partner organisations, the agricultural industry, and colleagues from the Defra group to build our capabilities to deliver a range of priority outcomes for NE.

Some training will be provided.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

The role of the CSF farm adviser is to:

• Evaluate and understand environmental priorities for CSF within the specified catchment(s), using national data validated locally.

• Work in priority areas to develop and lead specific CSF training, information and advice campaigns for farmers and landowners. Give bespoke advice on farm to farmers and organise and deliver, with the aid of specialists, further advice, group events and workshops.

• Secure agreement and ownership in the priority area on key pollution issues and solutions. Achieve change in land management practices on farm and help farmers and landowners to take action.

• Communicate, advocate, and promote CSF activity with Natural England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission colleagues and externally with farmers, land managers and partners.

• Work with NE colleagues and partners, such as water companies and catchment partnerships, to deliver a joined-up approach including developing formal partnerships where appropriate.

• Drive delivery via a range of tools including specialist training and advice (own or procured through contractors) and using incentives such as Capital Grants, SFI, FETF, etc.

• Support Countryside Stewardship (CS) applications in high priority areas for water and air quality by advising farmers on suitable land management options and/or capital items, approving Capital Grants, and giving advice on water and air quality options/ items in Higher Tier applications. Offer general advice on other CS options such as those addressing biodiversity and/or signpost applicants to additional advice from other sources where targeting overlaps.

• Support Defra’s new Tackling Pollution from Slurry programme including offering advice to Slurry Infrastructure Grant applicants if/when a new scheme is available.

• Work with the ETAFF programme for tenders for group events and farm advice. Conduct quality control to agreed processes and deadlines.

• Record interactions and advice given. Monitor the effectiveness of engagement with farmers and landowners.

• Understand the relevant Diffuse Water Pollution Plan(s) and Shared Nitrogen Action Plan(s) and incorporate into CSF plans where appropriate.

Frequent farm and site visits, and partnership working are required. The post holder will be required as part of regular, day-to-day work to visit farms and walk over fields and around farm buildings within the geography of the relevant area. Sometimes this may be in inclement weather conditions.

It is essential that the post holder has a current, valid, full UK driving licence and is willing to drive. Some national travel may be required, which might involve overnight stays.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• A degree in agriculture, conservation, or equivalent degree and/or relevant experience in agriculture, nature conservation.

• Significant experience in providing on farm advice to farmers and being able to communicate effectively with farmers and persuade them to engage

• Good level of agricultural knowledge and farming systems in the United Kingdom, and agri-environment schemes in the United Kingdom, such as SFI, capital schemes

• Good knowledge of and farm advice experience relating to agricultural water and air pollution, and being able to recognise and identify farming practices which can cause water and air pollution
  
• Basic knowledge of ArcGIS or similar GIS software

Benefits

At Natural England, we support a healthy work-life balance by offering full-time