Deputy Director Resilience, Assurance and Performance, HAYS

Deputy Director Resilience, Assurance and Performance

The Environment Agency exists to protect and enhance our natural world, creating healthier places for people and wildlife while supporting sustainable development for generations to come. Since 1996, the EA has grown into a nationwide organisation of more than 12,000 dedicated professionals, with a head office in Bristol and teams based across England, all working together to safeguard the environment.

We are now looking for a leader who can help drive one of our most vital national services. The Deputy Director Resilience, Assurance and Performance will provide strategic leadership for a 40‑strong team, aligning national and government priorities and ensuring resilience is embedded across the organisation.

• The post holder provides strategic leadership for a 40‑strong team, driving alignment with organisational and government priorities.
• They lead the Anticipate, Assess, Validation and Assurance elements of the IEM Framework, influencing decision‑making and funding allocation.
• Through governance oversight, strategic portfolio management and workforce planning, they ensure resilience is embedded across the organisation.
• The role champions innovation, secures resources and builds strategic partnerships to deliver sustainable, future‑ready incident management capability.

• Provide senior leadership for Incident Management Resilience and Operational Risk (IMORR), ensuring planning frameworks align with organisational priorities and national policy, shape resilience policy and embed best practice.
• Lead work to build sustainable funding models for incident management, influencing government departments, developing business cases and managing bids for future spending reviews, exploring commercial opportunities that support innovation and value for money.
• Act as strategic lead for the ‘Anticipate’ and ‘Assess’ elements of the IEM Framework, working with hazard specialists, government bodies, Local Resilience Forums and environmental partners to identify emerging threats and guide national risk assessments.
• Oversee workforce and succession planning for the full Incident Management service, developing pipelines of skilled professionals and future leaders, shaping development pathways, apprenticeships and graduate programmes.
• Provide governance and assurance across major Incident Management programmes, ensuring transparency, accountability and disciplined delivery of high‑impact change initiatives.

• Proven track record of strategic leadership across large, dispersed teams.
• Experience delivering complex programmes and embedding new ways of working.
• Strong project and programme appraisal, assurance and delivery capability.
• High‑level stakeholder engagement and influencing experience across government and partners.
• Excellent communication skills, including briefing both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Proven ability to balance competing priorities and deliver through others.
• Significant experience leading organisational change and fostering inclusive, high‑performing teams.
• Politically astute, with experience navigating complex environments.

In addition, you will provide strategic leadership to approximately 40 full‑time equivalent specialists, including emergency planning professionals.

For further information please contact Andrew Timlin – or Owen Quant –

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share. If you are applying from the Civil Service, please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed.

Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.