SEO senior policy adviser

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Strategy Directorate

Strategy Directorate is a fast-paced, dynamic, and challenging environment. Our purpose is to give a high quality and timely service to Ministers and the Permanent Secretary, and to ensure that Defra group is able to achieve the strategic objectives we set out in our Business Plan.

We work in support of Defra's strategic objectives, look at how we can join up with other initiatives across the organisation to get things done, support each other to deliver excellent work, help Defra to make good decisions and we identify and unblock barriers to change.

The Team

Our team is responsible for place-based delivery and English Devolution. English Devolution is a significant priority for this government and tailoring delivery approaches to align with local priorities, within a national framework, is fundamental to improving Defra's outcome delivery.

This is an exciting time to join a team in a high-priority work area, with significant opportunities to develop and lead new areas of work. As an SEO senior policy adviser, you will support the team's reputation within the department and across government and help Defra to articulate a coherent strategic vision for its approach to English Devolution and place-based delivery.

Encouraging diverse applicants

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups.

Location

This role can be based at any Main Defra Policy Hub. You will be expected to attend your contractual office 60% of the time.

As an SEO senior policy adviser in a central team, you will play a critical role across the team's priority work areas. Our work is high priority for the new Prime Minister and Secretary of State; you will need to be comfortable working across a wide brief, reprioritising work to meet shifting demands across the portfolio, and handling ambiguity. Our team's priority workstreams include:

1. Developing and delivering recommendations for how place-based delivery can improve Defra's outcomes, in collaboration with policy teams across Defra and our Arms-Length-Bodies.

2. Coordinating Defra's approach to English Devolution policy and local government reform work, which is principally led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG). This involves working with multiple teams across the department to develop an understanding of Defra's interests and equities in this policy area, and influencing MHCLG and other departments to ensure these are reflected in government policy.

3.Developing and maintaining strategic relationships with local government, and particularly with Mayoral Combined Authorities, e.g. this includes running a programme of mayoral roundtables.

4. Developing and articulating Defra's strategic approach to English Devolution and place-based delivery; gathering intelligence on what we are already doing and how we can do things differently.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Strategy and Delivery division and the Place Team within that; a collaborative and high-performing division sitting at the centre of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We develop strategic policy with huge impact, and also work in close collaboration with external delivery partners on the ground, delivering projects which bring to life the significant opportunities arising from increased devolution, and the challenges which need to be addressed in order to make it a success.