Reporting and Governance Senior Advisor - 32020

The Environment Agency is committed to building an inclusive workforce that truly reflects the diverse communities we serve. We don’t just talk about diversity — we actively seek it, embrace it, and embed it into everything we do.

Our newly established Transformation Portfolio Management Office (PfMO) is focused on creating a centralised portfolio that drives change, transformation, and continuous improvement. We’re currently looking for a Reporting and Governance Senior Advisor to join the Environment and Business (E&B) and Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Portfolio teams.

These teams play vital roles in shaping and optimising the project Portfolios, ensuring strategic alignment, enhancing decision-making, and providing evidence to manage risk across change and transformation.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience in change and transformation. You’ll have the chance to creatively shape a brand-new portfolio office, with plenty of development opportunities and strong support from your team and peers.

You will be at the heart of shaping how E&B and STA Portfolios are governed, tracked, and delivered. This is a strategic and hands-on role that will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of governance frameworks, while ensuring high-quality reporting that drives informed decision-making at all levels.

Key responsibilities:

Governance Framework Development: Design, implement, and maintain a robust governance framework tailored to the needs of the Change and Transformation Portfolio. Ensure it supports effective oversight, risk management, and decision-making across all programmes and projects.

Portfolio Reporting Oversight: Lead the development of standardised reporting tools and templates to ensure consistency, accuracy, and clarity. You’ll be responsible for producing high-quality reports that provide actionable insights to senior leaders and stakeholders.

Data Quality and Insight: Champion improvements in data quality across the portfolio, to ensure reporting is underpinned by reliable and timely information. Use data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

You’ll join the Portfolio management offices (PfMO) of the Transformation Team in the STA (Strategy, Transformation and Assurance) directorate and our Change and Continuous Improvement team in the E&B (Environment and Business) directorate.

The PfMO support change, transformation, and continuous improvement across the business.

Both STA and E&B foster inclusive, supportive cultures and use evidence and innovation to influence policy and delivery.

You will understand the importance of governance structures, which define who makes decisions, how decisions are made, and who is accountable. You will be comfortable working with data and be confident to communicate complex information in an appropriate way across all levels of the business. You will be able to work comfortably in a collaborative and inclusive way to support others through change.  

Essential skills include:  

Experience or qualification in Project, Programme or Portfolio Management

Excellent analytical, stakeholder management and communication skills 

Understanding how to design, implement and maintain governance structures  

Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret and communicate complex data clearly. 

Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills. 

Confidence working with large datasets and producing high-quality reports. 

 

Desirable skills and experience:  

Be able to use Power BI reporting to build reports 

Experience working with Governance Boards 

Experience writing business cases

We are a Category-1 responder, and all staff are required to take on an incident role. You will be given appropriate training and support to find a role that suits your role and situation. 
 
You’ll have an EA Office base location, as a national role the working location is flexible/hybrid, however some travel and overnights may be required. 
 
If you wish to discuss this opportunity or for additional information, please contact Ben Robinson (ben.robinson@environment-agency.gov.uk) or Rebecca Atkinson (rebecca.atkinson@environment-agency.gov.uk).
 
Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions. Interviews are anticipated to be held in November. As part of the interview process there will be an additional assessment, if selected for interview these details will be sent closer to the time.

Collects, analyses, interprets, records, manages, develops and shares data, material or information appropriately for a variety of purposes.

More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.

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

Question:
In terms of portfolio, programme and project management, describe what information you provide to the business on a regular basis. What processes or governance have you introduced to ensure the information is accurate, relevant to your customers and produced in a timely manner?

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

More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.

Question:
Please describe a time when you were unable to meet a deadline or target. How did you decide and communicate this, and what did you do to manage the impacts? Did you learn anything from this?

Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.

More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.

Question:
Give an example of a time when you have had to communicate effectively with a large number of stakeholders. How did you decide what communication method to use and ensure the message was understood?

Identifies and seizes the opportunity to create, introduce and implement new or improved methods, processes and without, compromising quality or accuracy.

More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.

Question:
Describe the most innovative solution to a work issue that you have created and implemented. What problem did you need to solve, how did you identify this and ensure your solution was accepted by stakeholders?