Deputy Director

York, Bristol or London, with the potential for flexible working 

With large and wide-ranging responsibilities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) works collaboratively to protect the environment and to maintain and grow the rural economy. Our vital work is far-reaching and complex. Plus the UK’s impending exit from the EU continues to set us absorbing challenges. Join us and you will contribute to the development of new approaches and policies affecting millions of people across the country. This is a career-defining opportunity that offers networking and professional development. 

Joining either the Environmental Quality Directorate or the Floods and Water Directorate, you will take on a variety of high-profile challenges that will have a direct impact on the nation both now and in the future. You will:

• Oversee the work of your designated directorate, encouraging the team to work together to achieve shared goals. 

• Set team priorities, ensuring targets are achieved on time and within budget. 

As Deputy Director for Air Quality and Industrial Emissions, you will lead the team responsible for delivering the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, which was published in January 2019. Within this directorate, you will take on a range of challenges such as developing evidence on air quality sources, impacts and solutions. You will also be tasked with projects including the regulation of industrial emissions, the Clean Air Act, Smoke Control Areas, and Local Air Quality Management, and you will contribute to analysing evidence relating to roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide.  

Alternatively, you could join us in The Floods and Water Directorate, where you will lead the water services team. Working on several live policy debate topics, you will support the development of the policy framework for the regulation of the water industry. You will also contribute to challenges affecting the long-term security of water supply and drainage.

Regardless of which team you join, you will need to be a self-confident individual with the confidence to stand your ground when managing challenging situations and working with multiple stakeholders. A natural leader with solid communication, influencing and negotiation skills, you will be a problem solver with great analytical capabilities. Crucially, you will have a track record of working with partners to lead policy projects or programmes through a period of change. With good political awareness, it would be useful if you have an understanding of legislative and parliamentary processes. 

We aim to support the professional and personal wellbeing of everyone in Defra. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme. We also offer flexible working and a variety of learning and development opportunities. 

Closing date: 10 March 2019.