George - Support Adviser

Who are you, and what is your job title and organisation?

I am George Lloyd; I graduated in 2021 with an integrated masters in biology - now I work in the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire area team as a Natural England adviser.

What does your job involve?

Natural England is the government's adviser for the natural environment in England. I work on protected natural areas such as SSSI’s (Special Sites of Scientific Interest) ensuring that all activities and management enhance the conservation value and ecosystem services provided - for example increasing biodiversity and carbon storage and providing wellbeing benefits for people.

How did you find your role, and why did you decide to apply?

I found my role via LinkedIn and applied because the job role sounded interesting and quite wide ranging. There also looked like there was a lot of upskilling and opportunities to move to other teams depending on skills and interest.

How does your role enable you to have a positive impact on the world by supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals?

Most obviously my work addresses SDG13: Climate Action and SDG15: Life On Land by enhancing and protecting valuable natural areas. For example, part of my work involves delivering the government's targets for tree planting, ensuring that trees are planted in the right place to deliver maximum carbon storage, biodiversity and wellbeing benefits. A lot of work also goes into providing and boosting access and community involvement in nature which addresses target SDG3: Good Health and Well-Being.

What do you enjoy about your role?

I enjoy the diversity of different work that comes in and working with lots of different stakeholders across Yorkshire. I also appreciate the amount of training I can get and how much I learn every month.

What’s the most challenging part of your role?

The diversity and quantity of work can also be a challenge to keep on top of it. Making decisions based on a wide range of evidence and balancing different viewpoints in order to deliver the best outcome for a range of different stakeholders is definitely a challenge!

What skills/experience are useful in your current role?

Critical thinking and the ability to see the wider picture whilst balancing lots of sometimes opposing viewpoints is a useful skill to develop. An understanding of natural systems and ecosystems is also important. Teamworking is also essential to get the best outcomes for nature.

What advice would you give to students who are considering a positive impact career?

Try and find an organisation who you genuinely believe are making the world a better place - work is much easier when you understand the purpose. Try and also find a place that is keen to train you up and develop you as a person; somewhere like Natural England is great for this.