The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) sits at the center of some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the UK today. From restoring nature and securing food systems, to strengthening resilience against environmental risks and enabling sustainable economic growth, Defra’s work underpins everyday life, national prosperity and national security.

As a science-led department with a growing and increasingly complex mission, Defra brings together policy, operational delivery and significant research capability. Its responsibilities span water, land, farming, biosecurity and trade, with outcomes that are both immediate and long term. With over 6,200 staff in the core department and a wider group of more than 34,000 across its agencies and public bodies, Defra operates at significant scale and impact.

Defra is accelerating its transformation into a digitally enabled organization - modernising corporate services, harnessing digital and data, and ensuring it is equipped to respond to a changing external environment shaped by climate volatility and geopolitical uncertainty.

We are now seeking an exceptional Director General, Group Chief Operating Officer to play a central role in this transformation. Reporting to the Permanent Secretary and serving as a key member of the Executive Committee, the Group COO will lead the delivery and modernisation of corporate services across the Defra Group, including digital and data, finance, HR, commercial and property.

This is a role of outstanding breadth and influence. The Group COO will operate across organisational boundaries, working closely with Defra Directors General and the Chief Executives of Defra’s arm's-length bodies to ensure that corporate services enable delivery at scale. They will lead major cross-government programmes, including Defra’s contribution to the Synergy shared services transformation, and oversee critical investments such as the National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge.

Central to the role is the need to act as a true digital enabler. The successful candidate will champion the use of digital, data and technology to transform how Defra operates - tackling legacy systems, embedding automation and artificial intelligence, and improving service quality, efficiency and user experience. This will require both strategic vision and practical delivery: the ability to invest wisely, modernise infrastructure, and build the organisational capability needed to sustain transformation.

The Group COO will also bring coherence across corporate functions, ensuring that finance, people, commercial and property strategies are aligned to Defra’s mission and support high-quality, customer-focused delivery. They will lead high-performing, inclusive teams, foster innovation and agility, and build strong, trusted relationships across government and with external partners.

This is a rare opportunity to take on a role of national significance - shaping the operational backbone of a major government department at a pivotal moment. The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with operational depth, political acuity with delivery focus, and the credibility to lead transformation across a complex system.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit roles.saxbam.com using reference OFRN. Alternatively email belinda.beck@saxbam.com. Applications should be received by 23.55 on Thursday 11^th June.