Location
Central London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£41,550 per annum

About the Role
Natural England is seeking a Senior Officer to lead the Data and Evidence Workstream within the Defra Group Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) Project. This key leadership role will oversee the development and implementation of a national LNRS mapping product and promote its adoption across Defra Group organisations and Responsible Authorities. With LNRS moving from strategy into delivery, this position offers an exciting opportunity to influence nature recovery at scale by providing strategic direction, leading collaboration, and supporting operational delivery.

The postholder will work nationally within the National Delivery Team, building trusted relationships across Natural England, Defra, partner organisations, and Responsible Authorities to ensure effective delivery of LNRS objectives. The role requires strong data literacy, policy understanding, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills to drive outcomes on the ground and embed LNRS priorities into local decision-making.

Experience
- Understanding of LNRS policy and the data and evidence context within which the project operates.
- Experience working within or alongside government departments, public bodies, or arm's-length organisations, with insight into how policy, evidence, and operational delivery interact.
- GIS literacy with the ability to advise on GIS-based tasks and manage large-scale spatial data projects.
- Proven leadership skills with the ability to lead teams and engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong communication skills, capable of conveying complex spatial information through maps, dashboards, reports, and statistical outputs.

About you
- Strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture and encourage strategic thought within the team.
- Ambitious and proactive, identifying improvements and inspiring others.
- Collaborative, nurturing trusting partnerships to achieve pragmatic outcomes.
- Acts with integrity, managing conflict openly and objectively.
- Committed to delivering high-quality work to meet agreed targets and deadlines.
- Passionate about environmental improvement and nature recovery, with a strong understanding of government environmental targets including the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).

Qualifications
- Degree-level education or equivalent experience relevant to spatial data, environmental science, or related fields.
- Up to date with developments in GIS, digital mapping, and spatial data technologies, using innovation to improve delivery and decision-making.