Group Director of Strategy (REF – 1589942) Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 Closing Date for applications: 23.59, Sunday 22nd July 2018 Candidate Information Pack Move your mouse pointer over the buttons below and click for more information This is an interactive document and is best viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download. To print this document, click here. Welcome Why join Defra? Clare Moriarty Clare is the Permanent Secretary for Defra, a role she has held since August 2015. As well as leading the Department, The decisions you take over the next two to she is closely involved in developing the Civil Service three years in this role will shape policy across Leadership Academy and is the Permanent Secretary Diversity Champion for Faith and Belief. Clare speaks and Defra’s sectors for a generation blogs regularly about leadership and inclusion. We are looking for an exceptional person to will be critical for protecting our landscapes writing skills, and the ability to cut through join our leadership team as Defra’s Group and species, and also for preserving complex processes to make things happen. Director of Strategy. their beauty for future generations. We Above all, you will be keen to use your will strengthen our rural economy and energy and determination to leave our At Defra we have a special mission coastal communities. We will take action environment in a better state than we to protect the natural assets that are to clean the air, purify our waters, develop inherited it. fundamental to our survival and success: environmental land management schemes, we cannot have a healthy economy, a Defra Group is committed to promoting take back control of our fisheries and healthy society or healthy individuals equality and valuing diversity. Having a improve recycling. unless we have a healthy environment. diverse senior team is important to us. We are looking for an inspiring leader to We are committed to ensuring that every This is an exciting time to join Defra. Over develop and implement Defra’s strategy and talented, committed and hard-working the next few years, our goal is to deliver a organisational design for outside the EU. person has the opportunity to rise to Green Brexit. Defra is the department most You will be an independent minded thinker, the top, whatever their background and affected by the UK’s departure from the EU. with significant experience working inside whoever they are. Whether you are coming We have a rare chance to reshape policies and/or outside Government, keen to work from industry, a think tank, a Government on everything from agriculture and fisheries with Ministers and other senior leaders department, an NGO or another sector, we to environmental governance. This year we in a high pressured environment, good at would be delighted to hear from you. have published our 25 Year Environment problem solving, adept at summarising Plan, which sets out our ambitions and the Clare ideas and issues clearly, with excellent steps to deliver these. The actions we take Contact Us Welcome About Clare Moriarty – Permanent Secretary, Defra I spent the first 20 years of my career in about the people’ and I constantly approach commits serious time to ensuring that we and around the Department of Health, change from the perspective of how it feels work well together as a team, with weekly working on everything from infertility to for the people affected by it. I’ve thought ‘check-ins’ and regular offsite workshops NHS foundation trusts, and including three a lot about leadership over the years. I set facilitated by our OD team. That’s put us in years as Principal Private Secretary to the out my approach in an essay that won the the best shape to cope with the challenges Secretary of State for Health. Secondments Ashridge/Guardian Public prize in 2009 ahead for the Defra group. to the NHS, and to the UCL School of Public and continue to develop my thinking as my Outside work I sing and make the most of Policy, provided invaluable insight into what experience of leadership grows. time with my teenage kids. I enjoy pulling it was like being on the receiving end of Over the last three years I’ve consistently up weeds in the garden and walking the policies made by central Government. encouraged people in Defra, and more dog, and – when I get the opportunity – Since then I’ve had experience of several widely across the Civil Service, to make climbing mountains. Since joining Defra I’m different Departments, in roles ranging connections and to share more of developing distinct naturalist tendencies and from Constitution Director in the Ministry themselves with their colleagues – for have become a keen orchid spotter. of Justice to Director General for Rail in the example talking about one thing we do Department for Transport. I moved to Defra outside work. I’ve found that talking about in 2015 as Permanent Secretary and have showing vulnerability, or challenging well- hugely enjoyed leading a Department with a meaning encouragement that women should vitally important agenda and now a central ‘be more confident’, strikes a chord with role in EU exit. many people. #Bringyourselftowork is now part of my ‘brand’. Going right back to my early days in the Department of Health, the jobs I’ve done I’m a big advocate of organisational have often been about change and I’ve development (OD) and have enlisted the become increasingly interested in how we support of OD experts to help my teams manage change. My firm belief is that ‘it’s all grow. The Defra group Executive Committee Contact Us The Department Background to Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Our vision is to create a Underpinning these is our delivery Some examples of our work include: objective, which describes the high level of • the delivery of domestic and service and value for money we will strive great place for living. international commitments on issues for, and two organisational objectives, We have developed a set of seven strategic such as air quality; which explain how we will organise priorities for the next five years covering our ourselves to deliver: • building our international trading policy outcomes and corporate objectives. relationships in the agriculture and • Excellent delivery, to time and budget and There are four impact objectives, which food sectors; with outstanding value for money; explain our ambitious long-term aims, and • working with key stakeholders to develop the positive differences we will make to the • An organisation continually striving to our evidence portfolio focusing on data- UK by 2020: be the best, focussed on outcomes and driven decision making and ensuring constantly challenging itself; • A cleaner, healthier environment which it aligns with the changing landscape. benefits people and the economy; • An inclusive, professional workforce where Increasing the availability, coherence and leaders recognise the contribution of productive use of open data. This includes • A world-leading food and farming industry; people and build capacity to deliver better the development and use of data science • A thriving rural economy, contributing to business outcomes. capabilities and increased use of earth national prosperity and wellbeing; observation. Defra has taken a lead across We offer an inclusive culture which government in implementing an open data • A nation protected against natural threats embraces and supports our colleagues programme – marked by the release of and hazards, with strong response and to achieve and sustain increased levels over 13,000 new open datasets; recovery capabilities. of employee wellbeing, engagement and productivity. Contact Us The Department Background to Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs • working with rural interests, local Useful information authorities and with other government Creating a great place for living: Defra’s Civil Service Leadership Statement departments to improve the opportunities strategy to 2020 for people and businesses in rural areas; https://www.gov.uk/government/ https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/civil-service-leadership- • protecting our country from natural publications/defras-strategy-to-2020- statement/civil-service-leadership-statement hazards and threats, including flooding creating-a-great-place-for-living and animal and plant diseases, for Civil Service Reform example investing £2.5 billion over the Defra Single Departmental Plan (SDP) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ next 6 years to improve flood protection 2015 - 2020 government/uploads/system/uploads/ and better protect over 300,000 homes. https://www.gov.uk/government/ attachment_data/file/305148/Civil-Service- publications/defra-single-departmental- Reform-Plan-final.pdf plan-2015-to-2020/single-departmental- Civil Service Diversity and plan-2015-to-2020 Inclusion Strategy Department for Environment, Food & https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ Rural Affairs – website government/uploads/system/uploads/ https://www.gov.uk/government/ attachment_data/file/658488/Strategy_v10_ organisations/department-for-environment- FINAL_WEB6_TEST_021117.pdf food-rural-affairs Defra 25 Year Environment Plan Click the image to hear from our https://www.gov.uk/government/ leadership team. publications/25-year-environment-plan Contact Us The Department The role of the Civil Service Commission What is the role of the Civil The Civil Service Commission has three primary functions: • to provide assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on Service Commission in the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s relation to recruitment into Recruitment Principles. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a the Civil Service? Commissioner chairing the selection panel • to hear and determine appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity – and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer.