Head of Climate Resilience & Nature

Head of Climate Resilience & Nature

Your chance to lead on the establishment of a Nature & Biodiversity Task Force, ensuring nature recovery and biodiversity objectives are woven into the growth-enhancing activities of the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

Welcome to EMCCA EMCCA is the UK's first mayor-led combined county authority. The East Midlands is a great region. But it deserves to be better. Better connected, better funded and better prepared for a future of opportunity, growth, and hope. EMCCA will oversee devolved powers around transport, housing, skills and adult education, economic development, and net zero. We will conceive the strategies and create the connections that will empower local partners, people and businesses - maximising the impact of billions of pounds of funding. Together, our new EMCCA team can put the East Midlands on the map as a place to live, work and study.

Your role in elevating the East Midlands

You will lead on the establishment of the Task Force, its composition and work, supporting and promoting nature recovery and protecting and restoring biodiversity across the region. The Task Force will work with existing Local Nature Recovery Strategies and advise the Mayor and County Combined Authority on how to ensure that regional biodiversity goals are achieved effectively and efficiently.

It will be your responsibility to draw on comprehensive evidence to create a clear purpose and action plan, as well as providing oversight into the subsequent outputs and delivery of plan objectives. To succeed, you will need to establish and utilise key relationships and liaise with all the local authorities in the EMCCA region.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading on the continued development of the East Midlands Combined County Authority's Biodiversity Task Force, its strategy, composition and delivery objectives.
• Working with local, regional, and national partners to influence, shape and secure resources for the work of the Taskforce.
• Strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and project management to ensure nature and biodiversity objectives align with wider sustainability goals.
• Harnessing collaborative opportunities with partners to implement and deliver climate adaptation in the region, including sustainable growth and natural flood management.
• The provision of direct policy advice and a high degree of support to Senior Leadership and the EMCCA Board.
• Leading the development and implementation of region-wide biodiversity action plans.
• Responding to emerging biodiversity challenges and opportunities.
• Advocating for nature-based and nature-enhancing development and accessible green space.

Your profile:

• Relevant degree or equivalent experience.
• A proven track record of success in the leading the delivery of a nature-related strategy within the public, private or voluntary sector.
• A strong background in a relevant area of policy and practice and a detailed knowledge of related legislative and policy frameworks.
• Evidence of being able to lead largescale programmes of work at speed in challenging or complex stakeholder environments.
• Evidence of building strong, collaborative, and enduring cross-sector teams and partnerships.
• Excellent knowledge of nature and biodiversity policy, practice and financing issues.
• Evidence of sound financial management skills and commercial awareness with the ability to interpret and understand financial and budgetary information.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

NB - this is a politically restricted post as designated under the LGHA and any subsequent amendment.

For more details on EMCCA including our rewards and benefits, please visit:

Office location - all roles are based at NGEC, Saltergate, Chesterfield, S40 1UT unless stated otherwise.

Please note - at this time EMCCA cannot offer sponsorship.

Closing date: 14 th September 2025.