Social Impact Specialist - 32064

We are the Environment Agency. We create better places for people, wildlife and the environment. We improve and protect the quality of our air, land and water. We are 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.

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be asked to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training will be available to support you with your incident role.

Working with the Social Equity Senior Advisor, you will collaborate with colleagues across the Environment Agency to embed social value and modern slavery safeguards into our contracts, operations, policies, partnerships and decision making. You will:
• Support delivery of our work on social value and modern slavery
• Review and input into policies, procedures and practices to optimise social impact
• Collaborate across the EA and with external stakeholders to embed social value and modern slavery risk management in contracts and projects
• Work across teams and the supply chain to embed legislative requirements in the right way into organisational processes, instructions and priority activities. This will ensure we comply with legislation, reduce risks and deliver measurable benefit, through our operations and commercial practices.
• Provide expert advice on reducing risks and aligning decisions with relevant legislation and policy such as the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Social Value Act 2012 and relevant procurement policy
• Assist with development of tools, guidance and training
• Coordinate data and evidence collection to report on progress including tracking Roadmap actions

The Sustainable Business Team is a welcoming team. Our purpose is to support colleagues across the Environment Agency and our suppliers, to deliver our corporate strategy, in a sustainable way. The Social team is the part of the Sustainable Business Team, co-ordinating Social Value and Modern Slavery prevention within the business.

We’re looking for someone who shares our commitment to sustainability, social value and tackling modern slavery. We want someone with experience embedding these principles into organisational policies and operations, and who’s confident engaging stakeholders and collaborating across complex structures. It’s important that they’ve supported or co-ordinated training programmes and have experience collecting and analysing data to guide actions and reporting. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential and the ability to think analytically. We need someone who understands legislation such as the Social Value and Modern Slavery Acts and procurement policy.

Desirable skills and experience to help you stand out include:
• project or programme delivery within government, the third sector, or environmental organisations
• understanding of procurement and contract management practices
• familiarity with relevant sustainability frameworks
• qualifications or training in areas like social equity, community development, or sustainability
• forward-thinking, eager to embrace bold ideas

The location for this role is flexible and will require hybrid working with some occasional national travel. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share.
Everyone starting a new role will be welcomed into the team and given all the training and support needed. As part of your comprehensive induction, you will also be provided with all the equipment required for your role.
For more information about working for us, our extensive range of employee benefits and how to apply, please read the candidate pack and additional information document.
For questions relating to this role, please contact Social Equity Senior advisor Kat Cornfield by email: katherine.cornfield@environment-agency.gov.uk
Interviews are expected be held week commencing 10 November 2025, via MS Teams.

Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Tell us about a time you delivered or co-ordinated social impact or improvement as part of a project or initiative. What goal were you aiming for, what obstacles did you encounter, and how did you know your work made a difference?

PLEASE NOTE: your answers to the capability questions will be used for shortlisting purposes. Your examples do not necessarily have to be work related, please use the best example from any area of your life. You may find researching the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) useful when answering the questions. Try to utilise the full word count where possible. A link to the capability dictionary, which outlines some of the key things we're looking for in your answers, can be found in the Candidate Pack attached to the advert.

Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.

Tell us about a time when you had to persuade others to support a plan or idea that wasn’t well understood. How did you tailor your approach, handle objections, and build support across different individuals or groups?

PLEASE NOTE: your answers to the capability questions will be used for shortlisting purposes. Your examples do not necessarily have to be work related, please use the best example from any area of your life. You may find researching the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) useful when answering the questions. Try to utilise the full word count where possible. A link to the capability dictionary, which outlines some of the key things we're looking for in your answers, can be found in the Candidate Pack attached to the advert.

Works successfully, with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and ensuring that work is managed so that everyone can deliver their best. Actively encourages others to consider diversity issues in their work.

Tell us about a time you worked with individuals or communities from diverse backgrounds. How did you adapt your approach to ensure inclusivity and fairness, respond to different needs, and promote a culture of respect and collaboration across teams or stakeholders?

PLEASE NOTE: your answers to the capability questions will be used for shortlisting purposes. Your examples do not necessarily have to be work related, please use the best example from any area of your life. You may find researching the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) useful when answering the questions. Try to utilise the full word count where possible. A link to the capability dictionary, which outlines some of the key things we're looking for in your answers, can be found in the Candidate Pack attached to the advert.

Finds and delivers optimal solutions by effectively analysing all the information, probing to develop alternatives and taking sound and timely decisions.

Give an example of a time when you worked with others to solve a complex issue. What role did you play, and how did the group reach a decision? What was the outcome?

PLEASE NOTE: your answers to the capability questions will be used for shortlisting purposes. Your examples do not necessarily have to be work related, please use the best example from any area of your life. You may find researching the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) useful when answering the questions. Try to utilise the full word count where possible. A link to the capability dictionary, which outlines some of the key things we're looking for in your answers, can be found in the Candidate Pack attached to the advert.