AMS PSR

On behalf of Defra, we are looking for a Learning and Development Specialist Inside IR35 for a 3 month contract based Remotely (Occasional travel to Bristol for key meetings)

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. We have developed a set of three strategic objectives covering our policy outcomes and corporate objectives. These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all the important work we carry out.

Our objectives are:

• To pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future. 
• To lead the world in food, farming, and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production. 
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• To be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability.

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs www.gov.uk. 

25 Year Environment Plan - GOV.UK www.gov.uk.

Job Description: 

We are recruiting a Learning and Development Specialist to be part of a team at the heart of the organisation, responsible for ensuring that we have the right tools and enablers in place to build organisational capability.

This role is delivery focused, working in partnership with others to deliver outcomes that underpin delivery of our corporate strategy, EA2030 and beyond. You will be responsible for developing the tools, processes, and guidance that underpin how the Environment Agency defines, assesses, develops, and assures technical and professional capability. This includes translating high-level government capability management approaches into a practical methodology tailored to the Environment Agency's context as a public sector body and align with professional accreditation pathways.

This is a strategic and high-impact role that will help shape how the Environment Agency builds and sustains the skills and knowledge it needs now and into the future.

The Team: 

People and Inclusion is a delivery focused team within Strategy Transformation and Assurance, delivering effective services for our customers and people to enable more sustainable EA2030 outcomes.

This role is within the Leadership and Capability team focused on delivering the People Strategy. The role will be aligned to the work stream Professions and Technical Skills and part of the implementation of the Single Capability Framework.

The main duties and responsibilities of the Learning and Development Specialist would be to: 

• Design a comprehensive methodology for setting up professions and defining technical and professional capabilities and integrate leadership skills and behaviours into a Single Capability Framework.
• Develop a “how-to” guide for setting up professions and writing, assessing, and assuring professional competencies.
• Ensure alignment with Civil Service Professions, Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) standards/taxonomy, and industry best practices.
• Synthesise evidence from the last 12 months of organisational engagement to inform methodology development.
• Act as a trusted expert to stakeholders, building consensus and promoting consistent to promote adoption of the methodology.
• Lead the design of clear, future-proof competency frameworks across multiple professions with varying levels of technical and scientific complexity.
• Translate external frameworks (e.g. Civil Service Professions Frameworks, Professional Bodies Competency) into the Environment Agency’s organisational and technical context.
• Ensure consistency with industry standards and accreditation requirements (e.g. CIPD, CIWM, CIWEM, etc.).
• Define mechanisms for assessing capability at individual, team, and organisational levels, ensuring alignment with both professional standards and capability frameworks.
• Design and contribute to reporting and assurance processes that support performance management, workforce planning, and skills forecasting capturing insights across both professions and capabilities.
• Establish monitoring, assurance, and reporting mechanisms to evaluate the adoption, maturity, and impact of professions and capability development.
• Specify how capability and professions related data will be extracted, analysed, and used to inform assurance activities and strategic workforce planning.
• Support the upskilling of internal teams to embed the Single Capability Framework.
• Design and deliver training materials and resources to enable self-sufficiency post-contract.

Essential:

• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at all levels and secure alignment.
• Significant experience in designing technical and professional capability frameworks in large and complex organisations.
• Experience working in or with public sector organisations, ideally in technical or regulatory environments.
• Skilled in writing future-proof competency frameworks that reflect evolving industry standards and organisational strategy.
• Experience in developing criteria and processes for assessing, reporting, and assuring capability and development.
• Chartered status with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent.

Desirable:

• An experience of Civil Service Professions and the ability to translate the professional capability frameworks into the public sector and knowledge of capability management standards.
• Familiarity with ISO standards related to organisational capability and quality management.
• Experience in change management embedding new frameworks across diverse professional groups.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, Defra guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".