The Defra Group uses the same grading system as the rest of the Civil Service. Here is how it breaks down for different roles. Please note that grades and salaries are different for appointments outside of the Civil Service part of the Defra group. Check each job advert for full details.
Administrative Assistants/Administrative Officers (AA/AO)
AA national minimum salary: £23,286 / AO national minimum salary: ££23,811. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
Typically, AAs and AOs work in a supporting administrative role with no line management responsibilities, and within a team structure. While AAs are entry level positions, both roles are also offered as apprentice opportunities.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Administrator, Office Administrator, Sales Administrator and Executive Assistant.
Executive Officer (EO)
EO national minimum salary: £27,470. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
Working across the full range of policy and corporate service areas, EOs are involved in problem solving, business planning and policymaking, at the very highest levels of government. EOs usually work within a supportive team structure, under the direction of relevant team leaders. They can also hold individual responsibility for pieces of work within a programme or project.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Supervisor, Senior Administrator and Office Manager.
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
HEO national minimum salary: £32,136. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
HEOs work across the full range of policy and corporate service areas. They make significant contributions toward decision-making at the very highest levels of government in areas such as business planning or policy implementation. Working within a supportive team structure, under the direction of relevant team leaders, HEOs can also hold individual responsibility for specialised pieces of work within a programme or project.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Supervisor, Team Leader, Senior Advisor and Office Manager.
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
SEO national minimum salary: £39,439. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
Interacting with businesses or governments at a very senior level, SEOs work across the full range of policy and corporate service areas, often dealing with diverse issues. SEOs contribute significantly to high level decision-making for business planning, policy implementation and strategy development. They will often manage teams and their workloads, and delegate tasks.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Senior Team Leader, Junior Manager and Senior Supervisor.
Grade 7 (G7)
G7 national minimum salary: £52,120. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
Responsible for setting priorities, agreeing targets and allocating responsibilities to their team, G7s are accountable for outcomes in their policy area. They develop deep specialisms on key aspects of their policy or sector, and take on highly complex work. In addition, G7s devise new means of managing and implementing policy, within set budgets and tight timescales. They use strong influencing skills to broker solutions across organisational boundaries.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Manager, Deputy Operations Manager and Deputy Head of Department or Area.
Grade 6 (G6)
G6 national minimum salary: £62,605. Salary may vary depending on location and further details can be found on the Civil Service jobs advert.
With significant line management responsibilities for large teams headed by several G7s, G6s typically lead several complex work streams, often with stakeholders in several interdependent departmental functions. G6s may also be specialists in a particular area. Typically, they report into senior civil servants and have exposure to executive committees, Director Generals and Ministers.
Equivalent job titles outside the Defra Group include Operations Manager, Senior Manager and Head of Department or Area.
