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Natural England

Project Support Higher Office (Ref: 6374)

On site

London, United kingdom

Freelance

29-01-2026

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Skills

Communication Project Management

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 is a Nationally based role

Job Description

The team

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: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK

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: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK

The Team

This role is a rare opportunity to play a part to bring about systematic change to the planning system and planning casework.

We are seeking ambitious individuals with great communication and organisational skills to join our highly performing, supportive and friendly teams across Natural England’s Sustainable Development work.

Job Purpose

You will help shape and deliver legislative planning, policy reforms and infrastructure projects to ensure that they are customer focused, digitally enabled and sustainable in the long term with a shift to nature’s recovery at scale delivered through the planning system. Priority work areas include the Nature Restoration Fund, wider planning policy reforms and implementing Government reviews such as the Lead Environmental Regulator pilot (major projects/infrastructure development).

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

Assist the Project/Programme Manager to:

Prepare, monitor and control the business case and project plan(s) to ensure that the project scope, cost, timeframes and intended benefits are agreed. Support work to deliver the project against the baselined plans.
Select and apply appropriate project management methodologies. Work to meet organisational standards for project delivery and understand assurance and approval requirements. Support the preparation of highlight reports as required by governance.
Identify benefits and ensure they are understood, measured, tracked and owned, developing management and realisation plans as required.
Ensure appropriate contract management resource is available, if commercial procurement is required.
Prepare, monitor

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