Water Security & Resilience Policy Advisor, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Position Overview

Application Deadline: June 19, 2026

Salary: £42,665 to £50,495 per annum (National £42,665 to £46,765; London £46,060 to £50,495), plus 28.97% Civil Service Pension employer contribution

Description

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is hiring a permanent Water Security & Resilience Policy Advisor at Senior Executive Officer grade, with applications closing 11:55 pm on Friday 19 June 2026.

Water is a top priority for the Secretary of State; sufficient water supply is a matter of national security. The Floods & Water Directorate works programmatically, prioritising effort across drinking water, sanitation, agricultural and industrial use, ecosystem support, and resilience to climate change and population growth pressures.

The Water Security & Resilience Policy Advisor develops policy and legislative interventions to strengthen the water sector’s resilience to a range of malicious and non-malicious risks, and joins the emergency response rota covering water supply, flooding, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, delivery, and implementation of water security and resilience policy.
• Collaborate across the department and government, and with external stakeholders and experts.
• Prepare and contribute to briefings for Ministers and Senior Civil Servants.
• Draft responses to written correspondence and Parliamentary Questions.
• Join the out-of-hours emergency response rota.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, to tight and often challenging timescales.
• Experience of collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, building trusted working relationships across government and with industry partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to synthesise complex technical information into actionable insights.
• Confident across the policy cycle, including design, delivery, and implementation.
• Strong task management and prioritisation with a focus on delivery.
• Minimum of Counter-Terrorist Check security clearance, with willingness to apply for SC and then DV STRAP clearance once in role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with resilience, national security policy, or emergency response.

Additional Notes

• Locations: Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, or York; Civil Servants are expected to spend at least 60% of working time in an organisation workplace.
• Permanent contract; flexible working, full-time, job share, and part-time arrangements available.
• Benefits include Civil Service Pension with 28.97% employer contribution, learning and development tailored to the role, and a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• Selection uses Success Profiles; assessment includes Behaviours and Experience, a 750-word personal statement, and an interview with presentation.
• Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration Skilled Worker License sponsor; the role cannot be carried out from an overseas location.
• Open to UK nationals, Republic of Ireland nationals, qualifying Commonwealth nationals, EU/EEA nationals with settled status, and other groups; see Civil Service nationality rules.

How to Apply

Apply through Civil Service Jobs by 11:55 pm on Friday 19 June 2026. The application includes a name-blind anonymous CV and a 750-word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the essential skills and experience.

For job-specific questions, contact Josh Raine at Josh.Raine1@defra.gov.uk; recruitment queries to defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.