Post Title: Biodiversity Indicators Manager

Team: International Advice Team

Ref No: 202332

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. 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. 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. 

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

The post of Biodiversity Indicators Manager is now available within the International Advice Team (IAT). The post will manage the JNCC input to the review, development, co-ordination and annual publication of the UK biodiversity indicators.

The UK has used this set of 24 indicators to report on progress against the Aichi targets within the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 negotiated under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).  The UK Biodiversity Indicators formed a major part of the UK’s 6th National Report to the CBD in 2019.  The Aichi targets have recently been replaced by the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed at CBD CoP15 in December 2022.  The GBF lays out four goals and 23 targets that should be achieved by 2030; contributing towards the CBD vision for biodiversity by 2050.  One  of the main tasks of this post will be to work with Defra and other partners to adapt the UK Biodiversity Indicators, as necessary, to fit better with the new GBF. 

The UK biodiversity indicators have been developed co-operatively with input from government, statutory agencies and public bodies, non-governmental organisations, and academic institutes.  Much of the data collection and reporting is undertaken by non-governmental organisations.  The audience for indicators is extremely broad, from the general public to all parts of the private and public sectors.  The publication is overseen by government statisticians in Defra and is subject to review by the UK Statistics Authority and the Office for Statistics Regulation.  This post will coordinate the annual update and publication of the UK Biodiversity Indicators.  The latest version of the indicators - UK Biodiversity Indicators 2022, is expected to be updated in Autumn 2023, and this post will oversee JNCC’s work with Defra Statisticians to undertake the update.

JNCC are working closely with Defra Statisticians to review the UK biodiversity indicators.  The first stage of the review has recently been completed; it looked at the linkages between  the UK indicators and those used in other related policy areas (e.g. marine) and by the Devolved Administrations and their statutory nature conservation bodies.  This post will lead JNCC’s input to the second phase of the review, which will compare the existing indicators with those agreed at CBD CoP15 in the Monitoring Framework.  The review will determine if the indicators are still fit for purpose to measure progress against the the new GBF goals and targets. It will identify what gaps exist and propose the development of new indicators. JNCC’s partners will be invited to challenge these proposals at a series of bilaterals and workshops to be held in 2023/24.

A major focus of JNCC’s International Advice Team at present is supporting the UK and Devolved governments on the implementation of the new GBF.  The Team also provides advice to governments across the UK on a range of biodiversity-related Multi-lateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to which the UK is a Party.  In addition to CBD, these include the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), and the World Heritage Convention.  This is a fascinating time to be part of JNCC’s International Advice Team: the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) provides an unprecedented opportunity to advise on policy affecting the environment in the UK and internationally – the Team provides science-policy advice to Defra and the Devolved Administrations to achieve this aim.  This is also a vitally important decade to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Job Description:

The post of Biodiversity Indicators Manager will manage the review, co-ordination and annual publication of the UK biodiversity indicators. You will work closely with Defra Statisticians as well as colleagues within the International Advice Team and in other teams in JNCC.  You will also need to co-ordinate and manage input from indicator leads, who come from a range of government and non-government organisations. 

This post will require you to deliver a quality service. You will need a good understanding of what makes an effective indicator. You will need to ensure that the indicator outputs meet JNCCs quality assurance standards and the Code of Practice for Statistics . You will also need to be aware of the bigger picture to ensure that the UK’s biodiversity indicators meet the requirements of the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). You will benefit from an understanding of the global issues that are driving the goals and targets in the GBF. You will also need to be aware of parallel process in operation under other UK policies (e.g. Marine), within the UK’s Devolved Administrations and in the UK’s Overseas Territories. You will need to ensure all these outputs complement each other and do not duplicate or contradict each other.

Post Duties

• Manage / co-ordinate publication of the UK biodiversity indicators on the JNCC website on an annual basis, working closely with Defra Statistics and other stakeholders as necessary.
• Contribute to reviews of the UK Biodiversity Indicators, including the current review to determine if they are still fit for purpose to measure progress against the new GBF goals and targets.
• Work with partners to develop new indicators, where required to fill gaps in the UK’s suite of indicators, compared to those listed  in the new Monitoring Framework.
• Provide support to the JNCC Head of Profession on Statistics on the interpretation and implementation of the Code of Practice for Statistics, including though contribution to the work of the Defra Lead Statisticians network.
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant policy leads in Defra and in the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, including the provision of advice on country level indicators and their relationship(s) with UK biodiversity indicators as needed;
• Provide advice on the use of UK biodiversity indicators in other assessments including State of Nature reports, UK Sustainable Development Goal indicators, and for other UK and MEA reporting processes.
• Work with colleagues across JNCC to ensure that UK monitoring and information flows sufficiently reflect the requirements of the new GBF and of other MEAs.
• Support the UK’s reporting on the implementation of MEAs.
• Identify opportunities for streamlining information flows and reporting for multiple commitments arising from national and international legislation, agreements and policies.
• Develop and maintain relationships with colleagues in other JNCC teams and with technical specialists from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), NGOs and individuals involved in the collection and dissemination of information relevant to the development and implementation of biodiversity indicators.
• Undertake effective management and leadership of relevant staff, projects and budgets as required, including producing quarterly finance and performance reports to corporate timescales, ensuring project budgets are identified and spent effectively, and that contracts are managed to achieve good value for money, and look for opportunities to boost JNCC’s income.
• Contribute to other duties of the International Advice Team as required.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will:

·       Be knowledgeable about biodiversity, in the UK or internationally, the main threats and their drivers.

·       have proven experience of disseminating scientific information to inform policy direction or progress and preferably, some experience of the development, implementation, and publication of indicators.

·       have verifiable experience in the use of standard office software, databases, and statistical packages, to manipulate, interrogate and interpret datasets, preferably experience of analysing biodiversity/environmental monitoring data or other time-series data.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

·       A degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the required technical skills and behaviours.

·        an analytical and logical approach to problem-solving in order to make sound, reliable and consistent decisions and to justify them under scrutiny, sometimes at a governmental level.

·       an ability to engage with stakeholders and partners, determine their priorities and work collaboratively with them.

·       an ability to think strategically and deliver outcomes using good project management skills and other techniques, including risk management.

·       good team-working skills.

·       good communication skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information and communicate concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

Behaviours

•  Making Effective Decisions
•   Seeing the Big Picture
•   Communicating and influencing
•  Working Together

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 Making Effective Decisions

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 Monday, 24 April 2023

The anticipated interview date is week commencing Monday, 08 May 2023

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