Job Description

Post Title: Evidence Impact Specialist

Team: Ecosystem Analysis

Ref No: 202381

Grade: S (SEO)

Type of appointment: Permanent

Location: Peterborough or Aberdeen

Salary: £36,669                                    

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

JNCC has adopted a hybrid working approach, allowing colleagues to benefit from time in the office, with the flexibility also to work from home. Employees are expected to work from our office base for 1 – 2 days a month as a minimum, this will vary by team and the exact balance will depend on the nature of your role. We can provide more details at the interview and offer stages.

Who are JNCC?

Established in 1991, we’re the UK’s statutory advisor on issues affecting the natural environment across the UK and internationally. Our primary role is advising all four Governments of the UK. We also work with private sector organisations to support decision making on the sustainable use of marine waters and natural resources around the UK. We work at the science-policy interface, meaning our evidence-based advice, data and tools can have substantial nature positive impacts across the UK and beyond.

JNCC is led by the Joint Committee, which brings together members from the nature conservation bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and independent members appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under an independent Chair. Support is provided to the Committee by approx. 290 people who bring together scientific and technical expertise, extensive knowledge of policy at global, European and national levels, and skills in working with other organisations. Staff are based in two main offices in Peterborough and Aberdeen.

Why JNCC?

We’re small enough (c.290 staff) that your voice is heard by everyone including the CEO, but big enough that we have all the skills, resources and people you’ll need to get the job done. All our staff are passionate about conservation and making a difference to the world we live in. We have a very flexible, inclusive and welcoming organisational culture. Our Executive Management provides employees with the freedom and tools you will need, and our friendly team will assist you in your role. 

JNCC is committed to maintaining employee health and wellbeing, whether it is physically, emotionally, financially or socially, and offers a range of benefits to support employees in this. Such benefits include the option to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme, professional and personal development opportunities as well as an exciting job in a unique environment. 

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.                  

Short Summary: Post background

JNCC has a pivotal role working with the four countries of the UK to understand the different approaches, share experiences across the countries and ensure best use is made of JNCC’s evidence sources as we strive to meet the Nature Positive 2030 vision. We are looking for an additional senior member of the Ecosystems Analysis Team to help investigate where new technologies and approaches can help provide the evidence required to meet this vision.

JNCC’s Ecosystems Analysis Team brings together three elements:

• A set of long-term partnerships with organisations undertaking structured and unstructured species surveys using networks of volunteers to enable assessment of change in biodiversity.
• An analysis and modelling capability producing rapidly deployable models. These include a range of models focussed on predicting outcomes from changing land uses and environmental pressures, as well as supporting spatial targeting of nature positive actions.
• An earth observation data processing and analytical capability which is migrating from an initial focus on spatial mapping of habitats to detecting condition and change within spatial frameworks of habitats.

Your role would need to work alongside all three elements in order to devise and lead the delivery of novel evidence products that provide strategic or actionable evidence for the management of biodiversity at UK and country levels.  You will have ability to interact with domain experts in technologies such as Earth Observation and molecular tools as well as policy customers.

You will be able to devise and implement strategies for bringing new technologies and approaches into standard operation for biodiversity measurement.  This will require you to build relationships with academic partners and more broadly.

The post-holder will:

• Lead on building relationships with key government and agency stakeholders to help scope new evidence needs and integrate current evidence products into regular usage by these stakeholders.
• Manage a range of evidence projects, particularly those in which new technologies are being used to enhance or replace existing data sources.
• Be able to work alongside staff with strong technical capabilities, and act as an advocate for their work.  This may also include line management of some staff.

Job Description: Post Duties

• To liaise with a range of stakeholders, with an emphasis on UK and devolved government policy officials and staff working within Country Nature Conservation Bodies, in order to understand their priorities for evidence, the opportunities to integrate with their plans, and to establish the fit of JNCC delivered evidence to their needs.

• To devise and lead the delivery of evidence projects, focussing on those that bring new technologies and approaches into standard operation.
• To contribute to the running of JNCC’s business through taking responsibility for any of:

                             i.         line managing and developing staff members,

                            ii.         running team or project co-ordination activities, or

                          iii.         helping deliver activities to develop technical/science skills more widely.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will be/have:

• A logical analytical approach?to?understand complex scientific or societal issues and to identify the data and models (including those derived from earth observation) likely to help inform them.

• General knowledge of the UK's habitats and the ecology of a wide range of taxa.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Experience in how technologies can be used to provide evidence on biodiversity or other aspects of the physical or natural environment.

• Experience of analysing remote sensed data (optical, radar, Lidar)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Changing and improving
• Delivering at Pace

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 Seeing the Big Picture

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

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) 
• 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 

Closing date and interview date

The closing date for this post is 23:55 on Sunday, 03 September 2023

The anticipated interview date is week commencing Monday, 18 September 2023

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