Both posts will have an office base in Peterborough.

Under current circumstances we can be flexible around remote working options until such time that we are able to return to office locations.

The successful candidate would then be expected to be able to work from Peterborough for the first six months of their employment. Flexible and remote working options can then be considered after this period.

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. These posts 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 Backgrounds

The Marine Monitoring and Evidence Team and Marine Ecosystems Team at JNCC work very closely together to develop marine evidence products (focussed on habitat mapping, understanding of pressures on marine systems, condition monitoring of marine ecosystems and management of MPA and wider marine datasets) to produce high quality advice to the UK Government, the Devolved Administrations, the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, international organisations and others.

Specifically, work of the Marine Monitoring and Evidence Team covers a range of topics including:

• Organising offshore seabed surveys to gather additional information to support designation, monitoring and assessment of offshore marine protected areas;
• Development of standards, guidelines and methods at a UK and international level for matters such as data management and marine survey;
• Coordination of the UK Marine Monitoring Programme working under the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS) with other UKMMAS partners through the Healthy and Biologically Diverse Seas Evidence Group (HBDSEG);
• Provision of expert advice to national fora, including the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee, the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy and the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; and,
• Provision of expert advice to international fora, including the European Environment Agency (such as for the EUNIS habitat classification), the OSPAR Commission (e.g. Biodiversity Committee), and via ICES (e.g. through Working Groups on Marine Habitat Mapping and Deep-Water Ecology).

Work of the Marine Ecosystems Team is similarly broad in scope, and includes:

• Delivering advice on the designation, management, monitoring and assessment of offshore MPAs in UK waters, as well as providing advice on best practices around MPAs through a range of international fora such as OSPAR and the Convention on Biological Diversity;
• Developing and implementing new tools, metrics, indicators and methods to improve our understanding of the condition of marine ecosystems;
• Exploring the role of marine natural capital in supporting environmental decision making; and
• Providing advice to Governments in their response to reporting requirements under a range of Multilateral Environmental Agreements such as the OSPAR Convention and under the UK Marine Strategy.

Post Duties

There are two posts being advertised as part of this recruitment round and they will be interviewed for at the same time. The behaviours required for both posts are the same, but the post responsibilities, technical background and experience requirements are different.

In completing the application form, you must provide clear evidence against each of the technical and experience aspects of ONE of the posts outlined below. As stated the behavioural requirements for both posts are the same – with the lead behaviour being Changing and Improving

Marine Monitoring Manager (12 month appointment with the possibility of extension)

The post holder will work under the guidance of JNCC’s Marine Monitoring and Evidence Team Leaders, and work with a range of other specialists, both within JNCC and in other organisations. The main duties of the post are:

• Work collaboratively to ensure that existing UK habitats monitoring programmes, including those outside the nature conservation sector, are fit for current and future purposes. Evaluate the potential of programmes to deliver against a range of biodiversity obligations. Includes analysing overlaps and gaps between habitats and species of interest, considering sampling methods and data standards.
• Maintain and develop partnerships with other organisations, including industry, academia and Governments to deliver habitats monitoring and assessment requirements, liaising across JNCC marine teams.
• Work closely with the JNCC Marine Ecosystems team to ensure compatibility of habitats monitoring work with the development and operationalisation of habitats indicators at various spatial scales.
• Support the ambitions of the North East Atlantic Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) Scheme by promoting quality standards for benthic data collection and analysis.
• Support JNCC’s national and international monitoring work, for example under the UK Environment Bill and the International Oslo Paris (OSPAR) Convention.
• Line-manage and supervise a small team to deliver the work described above.
• Contribute to the writing of bids for future project opportunities related to marine biodiversity monitoring.
• Manage other projects and contracts necessary to support JNCC and its marine monitoring and evidence work.

Most of the work will be office based, but there may be opportunities to participate in field surveys at sea (for up to several weeks at a time). The post-holder will be required to work with colleagues in JNCC’s Peterborough and Aberdeen offices, and may also be required to attend meetings in UK and overseas, involving overnight stays away from home.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will be:

• Qualified to degree or equivalent qualification and relevant recent practical work experience that provides technical understanding of the marine biodiversity in UK waters, including knowledge of relevant scientific and survey techniques for benthic habitats and knowledge of the UK and European marine habitat classifications.

Experience

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Experience in marine environmental monitoring using a variety of sampling and data interpretation techniques, including knowledge and experience of assessing how marine activities may affect marine biodiversity.
• Sound understanding of relevant quality assurance and quality control procedures.
• Good understanding of data management principles and practice, including metadata creation and management.
• Verifiable experience in the use of standard office software, databases, GIS and statistical packages, to manipulate, interrogate and interpret spatial datasets, including experience of integrating and analysing different types of data from multiple sources.

Senior Marine Ecosystems Advisor (6 months maternity cover with possibility of extension)

The post holder will work under the guidance of JNCC’s Marine Ecosystems Team Leaders, and work with a range of other specialists, both within JNCC and in other organisations. The main duties of the post are:

• Providing specialist oversight for enquiries and activities pertaining to a sub-set of the 56 MPAs currently designated in UK offshore waters, helping to ensure they are ecologically coherent and well-managed and working with a network of wider offshore MPA managers within JNCC.
• Leading the exploration of funding opportunities with Governments and other sectors to help build our knowledge base around the impacts of climate change on marine systems and how MPAs as nature-based solutions might best function in practice.
• Leading specialist advisory work on European Marine Sites, ensuring post EU-Exit responsibilities on JNCC are enacted in a satisfactory manner.
• Providing support for our contribution to Super Year 2021 events, including the CoP15 on the Convention on Biological Diversity and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, as well as the CoP26 UNFCCC event around oceans and climate change.

• Manage other projects and contracts necessary to support JNCC and its marine monitoring and evidence work.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will be:

Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the following knowledge, experience and behaviours.

Experience

The key role of the successful post-holder will be to support and lead elements of the MPA-related work undertaken by JNCC both domestically (within the UK) but also internationally (as part of our wider advice function). You will work closely with an established group of project managers and team leaders within JNCC to ensure we meet our ambitious objectives.

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• A broad knowledge base around UK and international policy and European legislation concerning marine conservation.
• A comprehensive understanding of the UK’s work and progress on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• A sound understanding of the role of marine ecosystems in supporting adaptation and resilience to marine climate change, as well as the impacts of climate change on their function and the ecosystem services they provide to society.
• Sound experience of managing complex projects to a successful outcome.

Behaviours (same for both posts)

•   Changing and Improving (lead behaviour for both posts)
•   Communicating and Influencing
•   Seeing the Big Picture
•   Making Effective Decisions
•   Leadership

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 Changing and Improving

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 these posts is 09:00 on Monday, 01 March 2021

The anticipated interview date is Tuesday, 16 March 2021 and Thursday, 18 March 2021