City/Town
London, All
Region
London, National
Vacancies
4
Salary Minimum
£54,940
Position Type
Permanent
Job ID
32601
Closing date
04 Jan 2026
Published date
19 Dec 2025
Grade
Staff Grade 6
Role type
Business Management & Improvement
Post type
Full Time, Part Time
Security check
Basic Check
Job description
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce that reflects 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.
We are looking for four enthusiastic and experienced individuals to join the Environment Agency’s Strategy Directorate. This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a key role at the heart of the organisation. Successful candidates will either join the Government Relations or the Strategy teams within the Strategy Directorate.
In this role, you’ll shape the Environment Agency’s strategic thinking and strengthen its work with Government, Parliament, and key stakeholders. Examples of critical work these roles could lead include managing relationships with Government departments, producing strategic insights on future environmental challenges, leading analytical sprints or problem-solving on corporate priorities, responses to Select Committee inquiries, devising political engagement strategies or handling, or supporting the design and delivery of the Environment Agency’s corporate strategy EA2030. You will provide expert advice to the Chair, Chief Executive, Executive Directors, and senior managers on reputational, political, and strategic issues. You will work across multiple teams and cross-cutting projects.
Your work will span issues such as flood risk, climate change, environmental protection, circular economy, planning, and water resources. These roles will require agile and creative thinking, political nous, good relationship building and communication, and strong analytical skills. The roles also include supporting the Environment Agency’s emergency response, particularly during major flood incidents and they may include line management. Working flexibly within the Strategy Directorate, you will protect and enhance the Environment Agency’s strategy and reputation across Whitehall and Westminster, and beyond.
These roles sit within the Environment Agency’s Strategy Directorate, working across two fast-paced teams: Government Relations and Strategy. Government Relations leads parliamentary engagement, ministerial briefing, and stakeholder relationships. The Strategy team drives corporate strategy, future thinking, and mission-focused delivery.
Working at the heart of the organisation, you will lead high-profile work, from managing relationships with government departments to driving the vision set out in our EA2030 corporate strategy.
We are looking for self-motivated individuals who can manage a busy portfolio of work and deliver results through others from across the organisation on time, to a high standard. You will be an experienced advisor, customer-focused, have great communication skills and an excellent understanding of Government and Parliamentary processes.
You will have:
- Sound political judgment and awareness.
- Agile and curious thinking and analytical skills, knowing how to solve problems.
- Ability to work closely with senior managers and build networks quickly.
- Flexibility to deliver high-quality work under pressure to tight deadlines.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail, and ability to present information clearly.
- Experience in working on organisation-wide strategies and/or engagement, including stakeholder mapping.
- Knowledge of environmental issues and/or sustainable growth (desirable).
This role requires influencing skills and the ability to collaborate effectively to shape outcomes that create strategy and protect and enhance the Environment Agency’s reputation.
The successful candidates will preferably be based at our Marsham Street office in London or may travel there frequently. London-based roles require an enhanced security check, including at least three years’ UK residency. This post is eligible for inner London weighting (£4,406 per annum).
We welcome flexible working patterns, including hybrid arrangements, and will consider civil service secondments.
For queries, contact [email protected].
Applications are “blind” assessed using competency question responses.
Interviews will be held via MS Teams from mid January.
This role includes incident response duties, please see the Candidate Information Pack for details.
Definition: Develops and maintains effective working relationships
Building effective relationships with people inside and outside the organisation is critical in this role.
Question: Tell us about a time you had to build and sustain effective relationships with senior colleagues inside your organisation and external stakeholders (e.g., Government departments, Parliament, partners) to deliver a key outcome. What did you do, and what was the result?
The work of the team can sometimes be highly reactive and variable, often with urgent deadlines.
Question: Tell us about a time when you had to manage yourself effectively under pressure to meet critical deadlines, manage conflicting priorities, and support your team. How did you organise your work, maintain focus, and ensure you delivered high-quality results?
In this role you will frequently need to convince colleagues that a particular course of action is right. Often they will be very senior colleagues..
Question: Tell us about a time when you had to persuade senior colleagues or stakeholders to support a course of action that was critical to delivering results across multiple teams. How did you present your case convincingly, overcome resistance, and ensure they willingly followed the plan?
This is a busy role with multiple portfolios, and you will need to deliver results for senior customers through your team and through colleagues across the organisation.
Question: Describe a time when you had to deliver a high-profile project, working across various teams and colleagues at pace. How did you organise the work, motivate others, and ensure delivery on time and to the required standard?
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.