City/Town
All
Region
National
Vacancies
1
Salary Minimum
£68,820
Post Type
Permanent
Job ID
34764
Closing date
30 Apr 2026
Published date
14 Apr 2026
Grade
Staff Grade 7
Role type
Analytical
Security check
Basic Check
Job description
The Environment Agency are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don't just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.
This is a pivotal and high impact leadership opportunity ready for someone with a proven track record. You will be responsible making a success of innovation in the Chief Scientist’s Group (CSG). Based in the Environment and Business (E&B) Directorate, CSG leads on the provision of evidence and expertise to support national policy development and delivery for the Environment Agency.
With a particular focus on monitoring innovation, you will have the experience, pace and determination to turn initial ideas into end-to-end proposals that can be tested and then adopted as the new way of doing things operationally. Your leadership will be vital to ensure effective coordination across the EA, particularly between national and local teams, and across science, policy and operations.
You will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of an innovation pipeline for the Chief Scientists Group. By ensuring our research and development has real-world and practical application, you will be the strategic leader for scientific and technical innovation for significant parts of the Environment Agency.
You will work closely with colleagues across the EA and across government and be responsible for the EA’s relationship with Defra’s Innovation Team. In collaboration with innovation colleagues in Floods and Coastal Management, you will also help to lead the EA’s relationship with external partners such as Innovate UK and the Catapult Network – leveraging opportunities to pilot, co-develop and ultimately implement innovations to support EA activities. Your role will be external facing, representing the EA and CSG with funding bodies, private sector organisations and across government.
You’ll join our Monitoring, Insights and Innovation Team. We modernise the way the Environment Agency gains insights about the environment. We’re a dispersed team and work with technical and project teams across the country.
We’re part of the Environment and Business (E&B) Directorate. We promote a positive, inclusive, and supportive culture where everyone feels valued. We use evidence, expertise, engagement, and innovation to enhance and support delivery, influence policy, legislation, and secure resources.
In your capability-based answers please demonstrate your:
- Extensive experience of identifying innovative technical solutions and landing them at pace in complex, large organisational structures
- Firm understanding of innovation, the development and implementation of pipeline, strategic partnerships and their application in the public sector
- Experience and skill in environmental sciences and collection of environmental data so that you can interpret highly technical problem statements and talk with credibility to audiences who may initially be sceptical
- Ability to be an engaging and compelling communicator who is able to work with, and establish trusted relationships with, a wide range of stakeholders, organisations and professions.
- Ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and actively encourage others to consider diversity issues in their work.
- Ability to lead others, utilise programme and project management skills, to tap into governance routes in order to make organisations faster, better and more efficient.
You’ll have an inclusive incident management objective in your development plan. We’ll help you find a role to suit your needs. Appropriate training will be given.
You’ll have an EA Office base location, as a national role the working location is flexible / hybrid.
We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel some travel and overnights may be required.
Please read the Candidate / Additional Information Pack for information. Any queries, contact [email protected]
Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions.
Interviews will be held via MS Teams within four weeks of the closing date.
If you consent to being held on a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.
With examples that can be verified through references please tell us how you have identified innovative opportunities and how you seized these opportunities to create a lasting positive impact on the service, business or organisation you were working with.
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.
More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack
Please describe your experiences of delivering through others to implement technically innovate solutions that required input from staff or resources beyond your direct control.
Please tell us how you win over people, departments or organisations, where logic and reason alone are not enough.
Tell us how you confront difficult situations where major decisions have to be made quickly and how you arrive at sound decision based on complex or incomplete information. Ideally, provide examples that involve decisions around the adoption of innovative technology.
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.