Senior Project Manager

Location

Whilst this role will be contractually based in a JNCC workplace/office (Aberdeen) and the successful candidate are required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, JNCC will be adopting a more flexible approach to working options. More detail can be provided at the interview and offer stages.

About the job

Job summary

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. 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 almost 270 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.270 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.  

Short Summary: 

The main focus of the post will be to provide non-technical project management expertise within the Marine Species Team, supporting primarily the Marine Ornithology Group in offshore industry evidence and advice provision.
   
JNCC has a statutory advisory role to support nature recovery in offshore waters, especially in relation to pressures from industries such as offshore wind development and oil & gas. We coordinate across the UK statutory nature conservation bodies to ensure that guidance for sustainable development is based on robust evidence and that new evidence requirements are identified.

To complement this role, we also collaborate with a range of organisations, government, non-government and private sector, to co-design and deliver evidence required to support sustainable use of marine resources. The Marine Ornithology Group has an important focus on producing evidence to increase the certainty with which we can assess the possible impacts of offshore industry on marine birds and support the design of mitigation and compensatory measures. Example projects include the Offshore Wind Strategic Monitoring & Research Forum, red-throated diver energetics research, projects on the relationship between seabirds and prey availability, and monitoring of distribution and behaviour of seabirds at sea. The post holder will become an integral part of our delivery team, working closely with the specialist advisers on projects, liaising with collaborators and leading development of new projects. They will also work closely with our Finance Team and Communications Team. We are looking for someone with strong project management skills, financial acumen, good relationship development and excellent communications skills, and a desire to innovate. 

While we are looking for someone with strength in project delivery and communication, knowledge of ecology and a passion for marine species conservation are desirable.

Job description

Post Duties

•    Provide the full range of project management needs for several multi-partner projects, including planning, risk management, procurement, and contract and financial management.

•    Engage with partners to ensure successful collaborations, and represent projects, the Team and JNCC at engagement events, including at conferences.

•    Work with specialists to develop new collaborations and projects, including development of bids for externally funded work.

•    As a member of the Team and project partnerships, proactively plan communication of our work, deliver high quality communications, and promote outcomes to a range of interested organisations.

•    Maintain an overview and audit of ongoing synthesis and research projects relevant to our Team’s remit, including within JNCC, the UK and Europe.

•    Inform our strategic approach to marine species evidence provision and engage with evidence priority assessments done by other organisations. 

Person specification

Please demonstrate in your statement of suitability your reasons for applying. You will then be asked later in this application to provide a short statement against how you meet each of the technical and experience requirements

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Accredited qualifications or equivalent training and experience in project management, including finances.
• Led or played a responsible role in managing the delivery of large, complex projects, including contract establishment, management of finances and quality assurance procedures.
• Worked in collaboration with scientific specialists to successfully develop new projects.
• Developed large bids for funding from external bodies.
• Led communication planning and delivery of outcomes of projects to varied audiences, including through website editing and social media.
• Supported development of strategic approaches to evidence collection and project development, including through research and maintenance of shared information resources.
• Knowledge of the marine environment and marine science, preferably including offshore industries.

Benefits

Hybrid Working (occasional travel) + 25 Days Leave + 12 Public & Privilege days + Civil Service Pension.

Equality and diversity

JNCC is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected and see this as a good place to work. JNCC has a responsibility to ensure that we have an inclusive culture where discrimination, harassment, bullying and prejudice will not be tolerated. Our selection process is determined on fair and open competition and regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership.

Continuous professional development (CPD)

Employees are encouraged to keep developing skills and professional knowledge.
JNCC has made available, and encourages employees to use, on average, five working days per annum for CPD activities with access to related funding

Leave entitlement

JNCC annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum. After five years’ service, leave entitlement increases to 30 days per annum.
In addition to annual leave, JNCC offers 12 public and privilege days per annum, three of which are explicitly reserved for office closure between Christmas and New Year.

Work/life balance

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.

Our policies are family-friendly and include flexi-time, flexible working patterns, compressed hours and dispersed working. JNCC also offers paid maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, over and above the minimum statutory entitlements. Some work/life balance benefits are available following a minimum length of service.

Any move from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Civil Service Pension

Employees will have the opportunity to join Civil Service pension arrangements, which include a valuable range of benefits. JNCC makes a significant contribution to the cost of employee pensions.

Employee Assistance Programme

JNCC provides employees with a free and confidential support service which gives unlimited access to information, advice and emotional support to help employees prepare for and manage all of life's ups and downs, events and challenges.

Trade Union

JNCC has entered into a partnership agreement with its recognised Trade Unions: Prospect and PCS, which employees are able to join and be involved with.

Salary sacrifice schemes

Employee Discount Scheme

Civil Service Sports Club

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a statement of suitability. In your statement, refer to the responsibilities and experience section of this advert to show how you’re suitable for the role. Make your statement no longer than 1250 words.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name :Recruitment Team
• Email :recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Recruitment team :

• Email :recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Further information

Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@jncc.gov.uk in the first instance.

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