This post will have a base in either Peterborough or Aberdeen.

Under current circumstances we can be flexible around remote working options until such time that we are able to return to office locations. JNCC will be adopting a more flexible approach to working options and, once we are able to return to working in our office locations, our people will have more flexibility about where they choose to work. The expectation is that we will be expected to work from our office base for 1 – 2 days a month as a minimum. We can provide more details at the interview and offer stages. The post-holder will be expected to travel to the office for key meetings and may be required to attend meetings at various localities in the UK involving overnight stays away from home.

Hours of work:                     Full-time

Normal minimum hours of attendance for the post are 36 hours per week over a 5-day period, Monday to Friday.

Flexi time is available. This post may also be suitable for job share.

Annual Leave:

The annual leave allowance is 25 days per year, rising to 30 days per year after 5 years service.  There are also 12 days public and privilege leave.  Part-time staff will receive this on a pro rata basis.The annual leave allowance is 25 days per year, rising to 30 days per year after 5 years’ service. There are also 12 days public and privilege leave. Part-time staff will receive this on a pro rata basis.                          

Post Background

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation. One of JNCC’s key roles is the provision of biodiversity related evidence.

Access to good evidence to underpin biodiversity and nature conservation advice has become increasingly important as the demands and pressures on the environment rise. Evidence activities relating to biodiversity and nature conservation, such as data collection, dissemination, analysis, and reporting, are all critical elements of JNCC’s core functions.

The Environmental Data Specialist will work in the Digital and Data Solutions team. This technical Team provides support and creates innovative solutions to all digital, data and IT related work as well as providing management advice and guidance to teams across JNCC. The Digital and Data Solutions team leads both internal and external projects across the full range of JNCC’s work.  The post holder will join the data engineering section of the team working across an interesting and varied range of projects from processing earth observation data on remote super computers, through data science and data visualisations using R or Python for the Marine Noise Register to database design and developing validation routines and tools to collate seabird data in the field. Depending on skills, the post holder will lead the GI strategy and the management of the UK protected areas databases, collating the latest version of site boundaries and protected features, publishing data externally and developing new workflows to international protected sites hubs. Within the teamlet there are lots of opportunities to work on projects of interest and collaborate with like-minded technicians. An interest in nature conservation and ecological knowledge would be helpful.

Post Duties

The main duties of the Environmental Data Specialist post are to:

• Lead on the management of the UK protected areas databases including data ingestion, manipulation, reporting and publishing tasks as required.
• Lead on the uptake and use of qGIS
• Perform a variety of analyses, working with JNCC colleagues with specialist skills as appropriate eg to support delivery of UK Biodiversity Indicators
• Work with other teams requiring technical solutions or data analytics across JNCC, to define requirements and plan and deliver innovative solutions
• Provide advice or practical design or production assistance in technical implementation, scripting, data management or processing and automation to support programmes across JNCC
• Lead role in QA and advice on management of ‘production’ level analytical scripts and promoting good practice in ‘source coding’ scripts
• Project management within the team, focussing on projects that will require some analytical input.
• As appropriate, line manage other staff within the team.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Ability to write R, Python, or a similar scripting language to manipulate and analyse data and automate processes, including robust testing of outputs and quality control checks on code produced in the team and elsewhere in JNCC.
• Ability to design and use relational databases, especially to write SQL queries to manipulate and extract data from large and complex datasets (preferably with experience using PostgreSQL).
• Ability to manipulate and analyse spatial data using GIS packages, including automation of functions and establishing links to databases and webservices. 

Experience

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• A relevant degree or equivalent qualification
• Relevant experience in management, manipulation and analysis of large or complex data for environmental applications including the creation of metadata, audit trails, version control and establish processes/rules for changing and archiving them (note that ecological knowledge would be helpful)
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

·         Experience or aptitude to manage small projects

·         Experience of, or aptitude to use source-control, package management, multiple computer operating systems or working on remote cloud computing platforms

·         Knowledge of applying analytical techniques to spatial problems, modelling or machine learning methods would be helpful

Behaviours

In the event that we receive a large volume of applications we reserve the right to conduct the sift based on the Lead Behaviour of Working Together

Please see the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Closing date and interview date

The closing date for this post is 23:55 on Tuesday, 02 November 2021

The anticipated interview date is week commencing Monday, 15 November 2021