GES Summer JD 2027 - DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 

LOCATION: Defra has hub offices in Newcastle, York, London and Bristol.  

SALARY: London £30,886. National £27,001.  

Grade: AO. 

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

Economists at Defra help define and structure complex policy issues, ensuring that economic evidence and analysis play a central role in decision-making. They use the best available data and research to inform outcomes and work closely with professionals across a range of disciplines, including policy, science, statistics, operational research and social research. 

For more information about the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, please visit our website. 

Defra offers summer placement opportunities across a variety of policy areas, including: 

• Environmental Quality – supporting the development of policies and approaches that address activities affecting environmental outcomes, including air quality improvement measures, regulation of chemicals and pesticides, and waste management policy. 

• Farming and Countryside – contributing to the development of future UK agricultural policy. This work is undertaken within multidisciplinary teams alongside statisticians, natural and social scientists, and operational researchers, playing a key role in the policy-making process. 

• Floods and Water – helping to shape water environment regulation, economic regulation of the water utility sector, ongoing market reform, and the assessment of costs, benefits and incentives associated with flood risk management. 

• Marine and Fisheries – supporting the development of fisheries policy outside the EU framework and contributing to initiatives aimed at the sustainable management of the marine environment. 

• Natural Environment, Trees and Landscapes – developing policies that maximise the environmental benefits of land use management, including carbon storage, air and water quality improvements, flood mitigation, nature conservation, and rural economic growth. 

• International Biodiversity and Climate – working on areas such as international biodiversity and environmental agreements, international strategy and Official Development Assistance (ODA) management, and domestic and EU wildlife policy, including the ivory ban and Overseas Territories issues. 

Placement students may have the opportunity to undertake a broad range of activities, including carrying out and advising on analysis, synthesising evidence, engaging with stakeholders, reporting findings, and applying advanced modelling techniques to support policy development and decision-making. 

Placement Offer 
All candidates will be offered a role based on merit. Location preference will be taken into consideration but is not guaranteed. 

Please note that for candidates who wish to be based in London, candidates are required to have a UK footprint of 3 years and no period longer than 3 months outside of the UK in order to obtain the necessary get security clearance. 

Security 
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check and complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks before they start work. Read more information about pre-employment checks. 

If a member of staff needs access to sensitive information or assets, they will need to undergo a more extensive security check. This is called National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance. 

NSV involves a range of background checks. The nature of these checks depends on what level of security clearance a member of staff needs. NSV is designed to confirm how suitable the member of staff is to hold a certain level of vetting. 

The type of security clearance needed depends on: 

•         your job or role 

•         your location (the building you work in) 

Please note, those who wish to be based in London will be required to complete National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level. 

Nationality requirements 
This job is broadly open to the following groups: 

•         UK nationals 

•         nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK 

•         nationals of the Republic of Ireland 

•         nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) 

•         relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service 

•         relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service 

•         certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals 

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)