Job Description

Post Title: Technical Project Manager

Team: Digital and Data Solutions

Ref No: 202347

Grade: S (SEO)

Type of appointment: Fixed-term (1 year)

Location: Peterborough or Aberdeen

Salary: £36,669                                       

A Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) up to £5,000 per annum, pro rata, may be agreed. This allowance is discretionary and will depend on candidate's qualifications and experience.

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, generous leave arrangements, flexi-time 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:

We offer a generous annual leave allowance of 25 days per year, rising to 30 days per year after 5 years’ service. In addition, all staff receive 12 days public and privilege leave. Part-time staff will receive this on a pro rata basis.                  

Short Summary: Post background

Are you passionate about delivering great digital projects? The Digital and Data Solutions Team at JNCC works across the organisation to deliver creative and innovative solutions which support biodiversity and nature conservation.

In this role, you will deliver project management across the science and business teams, helping colleagues turn their digital aspirations into real-life solutions. To do this, we deliver projects in an agile way and take a user centred approach to ensure the products we create are fit for purpose. We also collaborate with science and business teams to support them in delivering robust technical solutions that meet Government delivery standards.

You could be managing the delivery of satellite data processed on a supercomputer; developing systems to manage species and habitat information or evaluating business systems to help the organisation work more efficiently. Within the Digital and Data Solutions (DDS) team are IT and Information Management specialists, data engineers and software developers, but you’ll also work with marine, terrestrial and air quality experts across the organisation and beyond on projects that deliver conservation advice and evidence to governments and specialists in the UK, Overseas Territories and elsewhere.

You don’t need to be a conservation scientist but will be keen to build a broad understanding of JNCC’s work and be able to integrate technical delivery with the broader business.

The successful candidate must be a good communicator with strong project management and technical skills. We are also keen to hear from you if you are an early career project manager or are keen to sidestep into a project management role from a job utilising similar skills. Scripting and programming experience would be an advantage. An interest in nature conservation would help to put your work in context but is not a necessity.

You will work alongside three other Technical Project Managers and liaise closely with project leads across JNCC’s other teams.

Job Description: Post Duties S (SEO) grade

The main duties of the Technical Project Manager post are to: 

·       Support and advise staff across the organisation to identify and develop appropriate digital solutions for particular pieces of work, including through user requirements’ gathering, business analysis, contractor evaluation, and technical liaison with in house and external delivery teams.

·       Manage all aspects of a broad range of projects, from conception to successful delivery, both internally and through external contracts, often at short notice, or to meet deadlines.

·       Guide digital projects through spend controls, service assessments and project governance as necessary.

·       Undertake day-to-day management of project teams, encouraging best practice in data management, data security, accessibility, solution design, agile ways of working, measuring performance and the development of a broad range of technical skills.

·       Oversee the technical support for ongoing work such as European reporting (Bern Convention).

·       Maintain a broad understanding of JNCC’s work, including keeping up to date with the adoption of new approaches, priorities, and technologies.

·       Maintain an overview of existing and emerging methods and digital technologies to be able to provide the best advice for digital delivery.

·       Support colleagues within JNCC more broadly where technical expertise is required, coaching and sharing knowledge where appropriate.

·       Liaise between internal/external project partners and the team.  

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will be/have:

·       A good understanding of the use of data, data management and the data lifecycle from discovery to archive. Any experience of working with spatial data would be advantage.

·       A good understanding of web technologies, software/systems development, and the use of data analytics.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Experience in project management for digital project scoping and delivery including Agile methodologies and user centred design. 

• Experience in business analysis principles and techniques, with particular reference to effective liaison between technical experts and customers to define, prioritise and articulate requirements as technical specifications.

• Experience of contractor and contract management and processes; including writing an invitation to tender, evaluating tenders and managing an effective delivery.

• Experience of managing a project budget within financial systems.

• Demonstrable ability to create and apply innovative technical or digital solutions to support specific areas of business.
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Behaviours

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, 11 June 2023

The anticipated interview date is during the week commencing Monday, 19 June 2023

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