Environment & Business Adviser - National Navigation team - 23075

As the second largest navigation authority in England, the Environment Agency has a legal responsibility to ensure the statutory right of navigation is maintained on the over 1000km of navigable waterways we are responsible for.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Environment Agency’s National Navigation team to support delivery of our statutory duties and our sustainable business plan for our navigable waterways. Our team’s job is to set the strategic direction, and then support our operations teams to deliver the outcomes from our business plan locally. This role will need you to lead projects and develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver our priorities. We want our assets and waterway destinations to be safe and accessible to an increasing and wider diversity of users. We want our navigable waterways to benefit biodiversity, support nature-based solutions and be valuable habitats. We want to ensure our waterways are resilient and helping to tackle climate change, providing sustainable water supply whilst reducing our own carbon footprint and promoting sustainable modes of travel as we aim for net zero. You will work with the team, the business and its partners and lead projects to help achieve this.

The successful applicant will be part of a national team of 8 people who are geographically dispersed. The National Navigation team sit within the Environment and Business Directorate and sets the strategic direction for Navigation and works with Defra, stakeholders, partners and local operational teams to support its delivery.

We are looking for somebody with drive and enthusiasm to deliver results. Somebody with experience of building positive relationships with key customers and stakeholders to support delivery, as well as influencing others to achieve outcomes. You’ll be organised with excellent written and verbal communication skills and able to produce clear, accurate and high-quality work. You’ll have experience of identifying problems, finding effective solutions and making sound decisions. You’ll be able to work as part of a team and individually to prioritise an interesting and varied workload, supporting several key projects simultaneously. You will be good at working flexibly, under pressure and at pace.

You’ll need:
Enthusiasm to deliver a sustainable business plan
Ability to innovate and drive new business ideas
Ability to engage and influence key stakeholders
Ability to build a network of contacts to support business delivery
Experience in the leisure/tourism sector, particularly Navigation is desirable but not essential

We work in a hybrid way, working a mix of in the office and at home. This is a dispersed team so travel to other Environment Agency offices and central locations for meetings with other team members will sometimes be required.
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns, including job-share.
Your answers to the capability questions will be used to determine interview selection.
For any questions relating to this role, or if you would like a copy of our Navigation Business Plan to help you prepare to apply for this position, please contact: Omoniyi Green or Jo Scully (nationalnavmanager@environment-agency.gov.uk)
Interviews are scheduled to take place from week commencing 18 July 2022.

As part of this role you will be required to look for innovative ways of doing things and encourage the business to work more efficiently.
Please explain your experience of implementing innovative ways of working and improving the efficiency or quality of processes.
Try to exemplify how you:
Take responsibility for the quality and timeliness of own work, admit errors when necessary and quickly takes action to rectify. Demonstrate an ongoing concern to improve performance and increase efficiency. Check and ensures the accuracy of information received and produces work that is right first time. Put in place checks to ensure that plans and processes are being carried out to the required degree of accuracy. Actively seek and implement opportunities to maximise efficiency and effectiveness of self and the team. Ensure that data and information are always delivered in an accurate, timely and legal manner. Proactively look for better ways of doing things, learns from events and seeks to improve future performance.

In the role you will be required to influence others to do things differently in order to continuously improve and meet our business plan objectives.

Please provide examples of how you have influenced people in the past in order to achieve the required outcome.

Try to exemplify how you:
Gather relevant data, marshal facts and prepare sound arguments. Listen to other’s opinions, understanding their viewpoints, needs and concerns. Respond appropriately. Lobbie others in advance. Present a credible case and explain the benefits to the audience/listener; anticipates the main objections/arguments. Respond to the needs and style of the listener when influencing. Seek to achieve a “win-win” outcome and develop the relationship with the person(s) being influenced. Prepare convincing written arguments on complex issues, present information logically, concisely and persuasively. Are able to modify and reformulate your case, read the listener’s mood and adjust accordingly. Plan and prepare influencing strategies for key players and opinion leaders.

This role requires the applicant to work with colleagues internally (e.g. Area operations teams, Procurement, Finance, Legal) and external organisations (e.g. our stakeholders). Please provide examples of where you have worked well with internal departments and external organisations to deliver successful outcomes.
Try to exemplify how you:
Address the needs of internal and external customers, provide rapid and effective responses. Recognise the concept of both internal and external customers and treats both equally well. Identify and address the needs of customers, deliver what is promised and ensure that they are satisfied with the outcomes. Take personal responsibility to meet customer needs; are polite, courteous and professional. Ensure customers receive consistent and clear messages supported by accurate and timely information. Regularly monitor and measure customer satisfaction and look for ways to improve customer service. Anticipate and balance the needs of a range of customers with conflicting priorities. Keep customers informed and manages expectations. Handle complaints effectively, defuse anger and tension and resolve problems.

On a day to day basis you will be required to take decisions relating to the navigation assets and our role as a navigation authority. The applicant should demonstrate how they approach decision making and explain any significant decisions they have had to make in their work.
Try to exemplify how you;
Find and deliver optimal solutions by effectively analysing all the information, probing to develop alternatives and taking sound and timely decisions. Use previous experience and careful analysis to identify potential problems, effective solutions and arrive at sound decisions. Identify and ask appropriate questions to explore and detect root causes of problems or sources and quality of evidence. Apply sound techniques to analyse problems, generate options and select best course of action. Seek out and consider the best available information before making decisions. Probe, check and confirm veracity of data as appropriate. Confront head-on difficult situations where major decisions have to be made quickly. Make sound decisions based on complex or incomplete information and/or within limited timescales. Escalate issues when they are beyond own limitations and/or have consequences further than own responsibilities.