Senior Environment and Business Advisor - 17283

The Integrated Environment Planning Leadership & Data Team have been at the forefront of coordinating the approach to environmental monitoring so monitoring activities provide the evidence we need for local and national decision making and partnership working. We are looking for a water environment system thinker from catchment to coast, to explore conceptual models and systems thinking to bring about continuous improvement in our evidence base and the way we target our resources to solve environmental problems and provide robust evidence for decision making. As a Senior Advisor in our monitoring sub-team you will lead time limited work to:
• Capture and / or develop a suite of conceptual models to represent the water system from catchment to coast
• Take the conceptual models and develop a framework for systems thinking in the context of our local and national evidence needs.
• Test our thinking through pilot catchments and existing networks to identify gaps in our evidence and opportunities for better integration of our evidence with environmental planning and for improving the way we commission our evidence.
• With evidence commissioners, start to transform the way we commission environmental monitoring so it is outcome-focused, long-term and delivers against organisational priorities.

The IEP L&D team are a warm and friendly team with a big heart who value and support each other to be ourselves and be the best we can. Our team coordinates the work in E&B that shapes the priorities, work plans, systems and processes used in IEP teams in Areas. Within our monitoring sub-team, we oversee, co-ordinate, manage and support the commissioning of monitoring across all relevant parts of the business.

We are looking for a confident, enthusiastic person with a strong technical background, ideally in environmental systems analysis. An understanding of monitoring and assessing the water environment is desirable. We would love to hear from people who can:
• demonstrate an in depth understanding of the water environment from catchment to coast
• lead on the continuous improvement of our evidence commissioning
• turn new ideas in to ways of working
• problem solve and find scalable creative solutions
• influencing peers and managers to achieve their outcomes
• work collaboratively across multiple teams and departments
• demonstrate excellent listening skills and experience of adapting their approach to different tiers in an organisation
This is a fantastic opportunity to make tangible improvements to how we prioritise and acquire the evidence we need from rivers, lakes, groundwaters, estuaries and coast that you, our team, and the EA can be proud of.

• Our team promotes an inclusive culture and we welcome all applicants, especially colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+ or Black Asian and Minority Ethnic.
You will be working as part of a dispersed team, so travel to meetings in Birmingham, Bristol and other offices will be required as and when restrictions are lifted. Some overnight stays may also be required.
This role is an assignment/fixed term contract based on a 37 hour week until the 31st March 2022.. Candidates will need line manager approval to apply.

For further details or for an informal discussion about the post, please contact Roger Proudfoot (Tel: 07799582719 or email roger.proudfoot@environment-agency.gov.uk)

Further information on the format of the assessments will be provided ahead of the assessments.

Our evidence and monitoring represents a complex environment from source to sea, catchment to coast. You will need to collect and visualise information throughout the system using participatory approaches to gain a greater understanding of the environmental monitoring system that we operate in order to seek improvements and influence our priorities.

Our evidence and the monitoring that supports it is costly and under pressure to achieve more with less. Innovation to improve efficiency will be key whilst maintaining quality standards and achieving outcomes.

Working with a wide range of teams from across the business to achieve your outcomes building relationships quickly and sustaining those relationship will be key to develop accurate conceptual models and an understanding of the evidence system.

Your work will influence decisions on the future of our evidence base and the supporting monitoring programmes. The system is complex requiring thorough analysis with your stakeholders to solve problems to achieve improvements, buy-in and affordability.