Job Description

Post Title: Ecosystems Analysis Co-Team Leader

Team: Ecosystem Analysis

Ref No: 202376

Grade: G7

Type of appointment: Permanent

Location: Peterborough or Aberdeen

Salary:£47,189                                       

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. 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 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

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 Team Leader to drive the dynamic and multi-disciplinary Ecosystems Analysis Team, enhance our core and emerging work areas, and engage and motivate our talented team.

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.

Working closely with two other Ecosystem Analysis Team leaders, you will lead the team’s delivery of innovative ways of measuring the trajectory of biodiversity at multiple scales and apply data and models that integrate biodiversity into the complex decision making in areas such as land management, sustainable production and overseas development projects. You will lead on work areas that span these elements and are cross-cutting, looking to drive data collection and analysis to best support evidence and decision-making for nature recovery.  A particular focus on leading some of the survey partnerships and the earth observation capability is likely but will be matched to the experience of the postholder.

You will build a good overview of the existing requirements and emerging opportunities, and lead JNCC’s investment in this area. You will be responsible for maintaining the relationships with JNCC’s partners and continue to evolve the team’s work to optimise its use across the nature conservation sector. You will also work closely with the four country governments and their agencies to ensure relevance of outputs to individual and cross-country needs and to maintain the funding to support the work.

The post holder will:

• Take the lead on delivery for key components of work but will work collaboratively with co-team leads to build, motivate, manage, and deploy the multi-disciplinary team needed to undertake this work.  Some focus on survey partnerships and earth observation is likely in the near term.
• Work within the UK programme board with other Team Leaders to develop JNCC’s strategy to support the four UK countries. This involves building an understanding of JNCC’s broader portfolio and supporting balancing resources across teams to strengthen the overall role of JNCC.

Job Description: Post Duties

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key policy and delivery customers within the country governments and their agencies to maintain support for JNCC’s work and identify priority areas for further engagement.
• Maintain relationships with surveillance partners and the CS community as a whole.
• Identify opportunities to evolve the implementation and use of data and models to assess change in biodiversity and drivers of this.
• Understand and evaluate the evidence and policy implications of new methods and models, and their potential for contributing to JNCC and customer priorities.
• Understanding emerging developments in earth observation to align policy needs to potential opportunities and applications.
• Maintain a broad overview and understanding of JNCC’s strategy and contribute to the evolution of this in response to customer needs and priorities.
• Work collaboratively with co-team leads to maintain vision for the team within the organisation’s strategy, ensuring a good fit with other teams within JNCC.
• Work collaboratively with co-team leads to manage and direct the team’s capacity and skills to meet customer needs, ensuring staff have manageable and fulfilling outcome-focused workloads and development of individuals.
• Ensure that the team operates within JNCC’s corporate policies and procedures including planning, progress reporting, risk management and quality assurance of outputs.
• Be an effective member of senior management teams and programme boards.

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.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Extensive experience in ecology, including the use and application of evidence in nature positive decision-making.
• A strong nderstanding of citizen science and volunteer recording of biodiversity including the use of new technologies in this field.
• Experience in how technologies (such as, but not limited to, earth observation) can be used to provide evidence on biodiversity or other aspects of the physical or natural environment.

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

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 Leadership

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

How to apply: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi