Senior Evaluator for Environmental Land Management (Science, Monitoring and Evaluation)


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£44,052 to £52,010 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	17 Sept 2026
Closing date:	1 Oct 2026

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Summary

Environmental Land Management schemes are a core part of Defra’s Farming Directorate. They reward farmers and land managers for activities that deliver environmental benefits. ELM is a large and fast-paced area, bringing together policy, delivery and evidence teams to develop, monitor and evaluate the schemes.

We are recruiting a Senior Evaluator to join the Environmental Land Management Science, Monitoring and Evaluation team. The team is multi-disciplinary, with natural scientists, social scientists and analysts working together to understand how schemes are performing and how they can be improved. This role will strengthen our monitoring and evaluation capability, working closely with colleagues across the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes.

The team works at the intersection of government policy, land manager behaviour and environmental outcomes. We use a range of monitoring and evaluation approaches to assess scheme implementation, understand impacts on people and nature, and generate evidence to support policy development.

Staff are geographically dispersed and work in a mix of office and home-working arrangements. We use a range of digital tools to collaborate day to day across locations.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and capable Senior Evaluator with strong technical, communication and coordination skills. The post holder will lead and deliver monitoring and evaluation activity for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes.

The role will contribute to the assessment of environmental outcomes, scheme impacts, value for money and participant experience. The evidence generated will help Defra understand whether schemes are delivering their intended benefits and inform future policy development.

The post holder will work closely with analytical, policy and delivery teams, and engage effectively with external stakeholders where needed, to support high-quality scheme monitoring and evaluation.

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