Senior Finance Officer - Landscape Recovery (Ref: 6024

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment? 

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature. 

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes:

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive;
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change;
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods;
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing.

We are the Government’s Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-englan

Landscape Recovery Team:

This is an exciting opportunity to be at the cutting edge of the piloting of large-scale land-use change projects which will attract national attention and deliver the outcomes of the Environmental Improvement Plan. 

The Landscape Recovery (LR) scheme is one of three Environmental Land Management schemes currently being developed in England: Sustainable Farming Incentive, an expanded Countryside Stewardship offer and Landscape Recovery. LR aims to offer long term environmental solutions and funding to deliver landscape scale change. 

Natural England and the Environment Agency are leading the delivery of the two-year project development phase of Landscape Recovery. Our team is currently delivering both Round 1 and Round 2 Landscape Recovery projects and will be the Accountable Organisation for Implementation.  

The current rounds of projects are hosted within Strategy and Government Advice, with strong links to other parts of Natural England.

Working closely with Defra, the Environment Agency, other ALBs and NE Specialists, the Landscape Recovery Team manage a small number of pilot projects through their development phase. We aim to support these projects through to full applications for the implementation of 20+ year agreements.

We are looking for a Senior Finance Officer to provide technical input on the development and implementation of the financial and payment model for Landscape Recovery implementation phase. You will be working closely with the wider Landscape Recovery team, including Defra and EA Finance officers to develop processes and tools for the Landscape Recovery Scheme.  You will build on our ALB partnerships, providing expertise and support to establish the model and best practice across our Landscape Recovery partnership

Key tasks / principal accountabilities:

• Work with the Natural England Legal team on Project Implementation Agreements, specifically leading on payment schedule requirements.
• Production of payment schedules for projects.
• Liaise with Landscape Recovery project teams within Natural England and Project Liaison Officers (PLOs) to understand contracts and spending.
• Manage payments – reconciling and accounting for payments both manually and automated.
• Collaborate with Grant managers to ensure compliance and payment milestones are achieved.
• Design end-to-end processes for monitoring spending and budgets.
• Design systems to prepare financial statements and accounts.
• Work with partners (including Defra, Environment Agency and Rural Payments Agency) to analyse the project’s financial performance.
• Forecast and plan future spending and profiles. Recommend ways to reduce costs.
• Help create audit requirements in line with National Auditing Office (NAO) guidelines.

The post holder will be working as part of a dispersed national team. Occasional travel to Natural England or Defra offices will be required and sometimes with overnight stays.  

This role can be performed from any Natural England office. 

Benefits

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing.

Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer.

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us.

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events.

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated.

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan

Locations

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographical area. Full-time staff are expected to attend their associated office for a minimum of one day a week.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

Full details and Applications here.