Farm Adviser Higher Officer - ( Ref : 6754 )

Job summary

Job description

The Team

Natural England’s West Midlands Area Team covers Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands Combined Authority. Our offices are in Shrewsbury and Worcester.

The West Midlands landscape is rich in nature and cultural heritage, from its industrial heartlands to the hills of the Welsh border in the West. We have accessible nature next or near to dense conurbations, home to over 6.5 million people. Most of the area is farmed, with the River Severn and its many tributaries snaking through the landscape. The area boasts a great natural diversity, including rivers, meres, mosses, lowland heaths, uplands, ancient woodland and grassland.

Our vision for the West Midlands reflects the ambitions set out in the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan. Our ambition is for a West Midlands characterised by distinctive landscapes of connected high quality habitats, teeming with nature. Our urban environments providing high quality green space that connects both people and nature to the wider landscape.

Job description

The Role

Driving nature recovery through farm advice within the West Midlands Team. Achieving the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan objectives for nature recovery and the Environmental Improvement Plan targets are dependent on greener farming. Our team of farm advisers support farmers and other land managers build long-term capability to deliver nature recovery and associated environment benefits such as climate adaption, access, clean air and water.

As a Natural England Farm Adviser, you will have a unique mix of knowledge and skills including an up-to-date understanding of conservation management, farming systems, the regulations and incentives that underpin them, and how they come together to help farmers and land managers deliver nature recovery. You will also be expert at bringing people together and building consensus to deliver nature-based solutions for the most challenging problems.

These skills and knowledge will enable you to provide high quality advice Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications to famers and land managers on across the West Midlands – although the specific geography will depend on the successful candidate’s location within the 7 Counties that the West Midlands Team covers.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Engage with farmers and other land managers to drive forward nature recovery, providing advice, signposting and encouragement regarding ongoing and new opportunities such as Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery scheme, Capital Grant schemes, England Woodland Creation Offer, Biodiversity Net Gain and Green Finance.
• Negotiate Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes, providing Pre-Application advice to applicants that seeks to maximise nature recovery and wider environmental benefits whilst also supporting sustainable food production.
• Support applicants with developing Feasibility Studies that seek to integrate outcomes and the required management in the context of restoring, where possible, natural function.
• Where needed, draw in advice and specialist knowledge from other Team members to maximise nature recovery outcomes, including Catchment Sensitive Farming advisers to secure water and air quality improvements.
• Undertake 1:1 site visits, events, and communications to engage with farmers, land managers and partners to improve environmental outcomes through farming practice.
• Work with partners and stakeholders to identify and deliver shared objectives.
• Support existing Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship agreement holders to maximise the environmental outcomes from their schemes.
• At least weekly attendance at either our Shrewsbury or Worcester office to network with colleagues. Attendance at team training and other events across the West Midlands Team area.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience of providing on farm advice and being able to communicate effectively with farmers to deliver environmental outcomes alongside long-term sustainable food production/agricultural transition.
• Good level of agricultural knowledge and agri-environment schemes, particularly Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.
• Good knowledge of agricultural water and air pollution and being able to recognise and identify farming practices which can cause pollution.
• A broad understanding of priority habitat management, ideally with more detailed experience in either species rich grassland, wetlands, wood pasture or heathland.
• The ability to gain technical understanding and knowledge quickly over an agreed timetable is a key skill to demonstrate.

How to Apply

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. Please be aware that we reserve the right for roles that receive a high volume of applications to initially sift applications for one competence only.

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking.

Competencies

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• A degree in agriculture, conservation, or equivalent degree and/or relevant experience. (please specify). (Essential)
• Good ecological understanding to assess environmental opportunities on farm and understand how these relate to the priorities in the area to deliver effective nature recovery advice. (Essential)
• Experience of listen to and understand a diverse range of partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and nature recovery. (Essential)
• Experience in nurturing trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver nature recovery and wider environmental outcomes. (Essential)

Personal Effectiveness

• Act