Environment Group Executive Assistant

Job summary

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our work touches people’s everyday lives, from the food we eat and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

We are looking for Executive Assistants to support senior leaders in Defra’s Environment Group. You will work directly with Deputy Directors, helping them focus on the priorities, stay organised and deliver high-impact work on some of the UK’s most pressing environmental challenges and be part of a wider Business Support team.

Environment Group is a large and diverse part of Defra, with over 1,400 staff working across a wide range of policy and delivery areas. We lead work to protect and restore nature, improve air and water quality, tackle climate change and support sustainable economic growth.

You’ll be joining a collaborative and inclusive environment, working with colleagues across government and with external partners including businesses, Non-Government Organisations and local communities.

This is a varied and rewarding role at the heart of decision-making, where you’ll play a key role in supporting senior leaders and ensuring the smooth running of day-to-day directorate business.

Job description

As an Executive Assistant, you will manage competing priorities, coordinate activity and act as a key point of contact across the Directorate. This role offers excellent exposure to senior leaders and a unique insight into how environmental policy and programmes are delivered across government.

We are looking for individuals who are highly organised, take ownership of their work, and use initiative to identify opportunities and improve ways of working.

You will be an important member of the wider team, supporting colleagues and contributing to a positive, collaborative working environment. You’ll also be encouraged to take part in directorate and department-wide initiatives and uphold Civil Service values.

All of our teams work flexibly, and the successful candidates will need to adapt to changing priorities, including working across different teams or directorates as business needs require.

Whilst vacancies may exist across all Defra hub locations ( Bristol, London, Newcastle & York), appointments will be made in merit order. Successful candidates will then be allocated to a location based on business need and operational demand.

Defra is committed to your learning and development, and successful candidates may have the opportunity to undertake a recognised Executive Assistant or Business Administration apprenticeship programme alongside their role, subject to eligibility requirements.

Candidate Drop-In Session – Microsoft Teams

We are holding drop-in sessions to give you the opportunity to speak to colleagues from Environment Group, to find out more about our work and the recruitment process. Please note that if you join a session using your personal Microsoft Teams account, your name and email address may be visible to other attendees. To maintain privacy, we recommend signing out of your account and joining the session as a guest.

Please use the link next to the date you’re attending:

• Wednesday 2 September 2026: 12.30 -1:15pm Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/387244433443174?p=XuF6VoJS2otTzp18Z0
• Thursday 3 September 2026: 6.30 - 7.15pm Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32037574619343?p=IAMdwTLIsG9s6WGhti

Key responsibilities

• Manage busy and complex diaries, ensuring time is prioritised effectively
• Oversee inboxes, triaging and responding to correspondence on behalf of senior leaders
• Act as a key point of contact, confidently handling and directing queries
• Commission briefings and ensure Deputy Directors are fully prepared for meetings
• Coordinate meetings, agendas, papers and follow-up actions
• Track commissions and deadlines to support delivery across the team
• Arrange travel, logistics, and support events such as away days
• Build strong relationships across teams and provide flexible support where needed

This is not an exhaustive list but gives a strong indication of the role. There will be opportunities for successful candidates to work with directorate colleagues to shape their role and contribute to team and directorate-level initiatives.

Person specification

Your personal qualities are as important as your professional experience, and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are looking for proactive, enthusiastic people who can work confidently on their own initiative, communicate clearly, draw together information effectively, and are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to once-in-a-generation environmental change and improvement across the UK.

If you have the skills and qualities we are looking for, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Defra values a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve and is committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging, and is empowered to speak up and challenge openly at work.

We want everyone, whatever their background, to be able to contribute fully to our success.

Essential Criteria

The successful candidates will be able to demonstrate:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages effectively for different audiences.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities/tasks, work to tight deadlines, and remain calm under pressure.
• Ability to deliver a high standard of customer service to senior leaders and a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Sound judgement, tact and diplomacy in a variety of situations, including the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain trust at all levels.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Microsoft Teams.

Qualifications

A – C or equivalent in Maths and English

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,715, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes

£8,608 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A Personal Statement (max 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience evidence of your suitability for this role in reference to the essential criteria.
• You will also be asked to provide Behaviour Statements ( 250 words maximum per statement) for the Success Profiles Behaviour listed below:
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Behaviours

Sift

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement and 2 Behaviours , as listed in the advert.

Where a large number of applications are received, we may conduct an initial sift on the Personal Statement and the Lead Behaviour Delivering at Pace. If, following this stage, a high number of applications remain, a second sift may be carried out against a further behaviour Communicating and Influencing.

Sifting and Interview dates to be confirmed.

Interview

Candidates successful at sift stage will be invited to a video assessment/interview that will consist of Behaviour, Exprience and Strength questions.

Please note that interviews via video use Microsoft Teams and you will need to use your device to access the video link.

You will receive a link to join the interview at the appointed time through the email account you provide us with on your application.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer, or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to perform all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website .

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application,