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Natural England

Sustainable Development Senior Officer - ( Ref : 6370 )

Hybrid

London, United kingdom

Senior

Freelance

28-01-2026

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Job Specifications

East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

Job Summary

This position is based Nationally

Job Description

Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive. Whether you're drawn to hands-on conservation or playing a vital part behind the scenes, your work at Natural England will support lasting benefits for the environment and society.

Our Role

Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental, social and economic actions critical to thriving nature.

Recovering Nature – Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
Building Better Places – Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more

investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.

Improving Health and Wellbeing – Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
Delivering Security through Nature – Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a

changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water and clean air.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at Natural England’s Strategy: Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK

The Team

Do you want to make a real difference, working in a high priority area, securing significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in and leading a team? If so, this role may interest you as an opportunity to create a better future for people and nature.

The roles are based across England in our Area Teams. Some travel may be required.

Natural England’s Area Teams use a range of mechanisms including land management and planning advice, engagement with stakeholders and direct management of our own land, to achieve the protection and enhancement of biodiversity and landscapes within its area.

Natural England’s new Strategy includes making a shift from isolated interventions to nature recovery happening at scale, ensuring our efforts deliver lasting improvement across whole landscapes and seascapes. As part of this, our sustainable development work is helping build better places, and ensure nature is designed into development and investment plans from the outset to strengthen communities and benefit growth.

These roles will contribute to Natural England’s sustainable development delivery, with a focus on securing nature recovery and long-term environmental benefits. The roles will need the flexibility to advise on local plans and spatial development strategies as well as high risk and high opportunity development cases. The work will include supporting the development of new strategic approaches to manage environmental pressures and building strong relationships with developers so that nature is planned in from the start to streamline development and reduce risk.

Job Description

The Role

The successful candidate will work alongside other senior staff in similar roles and the role and responsibilities will include:

Providing a strategic lead for specific high risk, high opportunity casework, with a particular focus on Town and Country Planning Act development proposals. This will involve working closely with colleagues across the team, supporting others delivering technical advice, and drawing down national specialist input as required.
Providing advice on spatial development strategies and working closely with local planning authorities on high priority local plans to manage risk, ensure nature is designed into development, and secure plan policies that support strong, long term environmental outcomes.
Building partnerships with customers and stakeholders to resolve complex planning issues. Providing clear, pragmatic, evidence-based advice to developers and local planning authorities, seeking opportunities to maximising delivery through our discretionary advice service (DAS).
Act as an account manager for Lead Environmental Regulator, managing relationships with developers and working with Defra and other Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) e.g. Environment Agency, to provide joined up advice to developers and enable delivery of integrated outcomes for nature recovery and growth.
Enabling developers to use tools such as Green Infrastructure standards, Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Delivery Plans (as these are developed) to secure planning approvals and gains f

About the Company

Natural England is an Executive Non-departmental Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Our purpose is to protect and improve England’s natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get involved in their surroundings. Please note: we do not respond to queries on social media. Know more