Location
Bristol

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£86,000 per annum

About the Role
This senior leadership role is focused on increasing the global impact of Defra’s development portfolio by maximising the effectiveness of the UK aid budget managed by Defra. The Deputy Director will integrate this portfolio with other programming and leverage partnerships globally to tackle the biodiversity crisis, reduce poverty, and address inequality.

The postholder will mature Defra’s systems, processes, and programming, overseeing an Official Development Assistance (ODA) portfolio of approximately £345 million over the Spending Review period. They will ensure alignment with government priorities and environmental outcomes, maximise learning and technical partnerships between international and domestic teams, and maintain robust financial, risk, assurance, and accountability frameworks.

The Deputy Director will lead teams managing flagship biodiversity programmes including the Darwin Initiative, Legacy Landscapes Fund, and Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, ensuring effective delivery and continuous improvement to support local communities and conservation efforts.

This role requires a strong communicator capable of building partnerships across government and leading ODA Spending Review negotiations. The Deputy Director will represent Defra externally and develop relationships with international organisations, donors, foundations, and the private sector to leverage additional finance and scale impact.

Leadership responsibilities include managing a multidisciplinary team of approximately 28 full-time equivalents (FTE) and providing professional oversight, learning, development, and standard setting for a wider community of around 100 staff working on ODA programming. The role demands fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture that champions equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Experience
- Exceptional strategic leadership and management skills, including inspiring and developing teams through change and uncertainty.
- Proven ability to collaborate and build strong alliances across complex and blurred boundaries.
- Strong programme management experience, ideally with ODA programmes or similar portfolios involving multiple partners and significant budgets.
- Experience in public finance, governance, risk management (including safeguarding and fraud), assurance, and delivery of complex programmes.
- Ability to align programming with wider policy and strategy.
- Strong understanding of the international context, including operational, political, and governance risks.
- Experience in building political capital and influencing international policy development across government.

About you
- A confident and effective communicator capable of representing Defra externally.
- Skilled in building and maintaining impactful partnerships with delivery partners, multilateral organisations, philanthropic foundations, donors, and the private sector.
- Committed to fostering an inclusive, psychologically safe, and high-performing team culture.
- Able to champion equality, diversity, and inclusion and ensure fair and effective people management.
- Strategic thinker with excellent analytical and scientific insight, able to anticipate risks and develop innovative solutions.

Qualifications
- While specific qualifications are not detailed, candidates are expected to demonstrate relevant senior leadership experience, strategic programme management skills, and a strong understanding of international development and biodiversity finance.