Overview

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation. One of JNCC’s key roles is provision of evidence on biodiversity and ecosystems.  We are committed to develop this evidence base further to support better the management of the natural environment. This includes bringing together datasets into a common analytical framework, using emerging techniques and computational capability.

The post will be part of the Ecosystems Analysis Team which brings together three elements:

  • A set of long term partnerships with bodies undertaking species surveillance through networks of volunteers
  • An analysis and modelling capability with a maturing set of rapidly deployable models. The initial focus has been on multi species distribution modelling to predict outcomes taking into account land use and climate.
  • An earth observation data processing and analytical capability which is migrating from an initial focus in spatial mapping of habitats to detecting change within spatial frameworks of habitats.

The team are focussing on helping deliver the evidence outcome of JNCC’s strategy which is designed to help JNCC’s stakeholders meet the challenges of managing the natural environment whist facing strong constraints on the resources available to provide the evidence needed.

The team works closely with JNCC’s more technical Digital and Data Solutions team to provide a service which helps our UK stakeholders apply earth observation across all aspects of environmental policy.

The team works with JNCC’s Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Team to deliver projects to support the management of natural capital in the British Overseas Territories several countries within South America.

The post will support projects across the team, or projects where the team is providing skills to other teams. There may also be an opportunity to work in other teams across JNCC to gain other skills and experience, if required.

Post Duties

The Ecosystems Support Officer will provide technical support to the Ecosystems Analysis Team.  The main duties of the post are:

  • Investigations: Undertake short investigations to aid team analysis work from literature, stakeholders, active projects and other sources to contribute.  To summarise and communicate the results for either internal or external audiences.
  • Meeting & Workshop support: Support preparation, delivery and reporting from workshops and meetings.  Includes the development of meeting and workshop materials (eg: briefs, agendas, speaker briefs, exercises) through drafting, collation and editing, note taking, and preparation of post meeting/workshop outputs.
  • Spatial data support; Manipulation of spatial data (earth observation, species samples, habitat maps, physical and human activities) using QGIS (or ArcGIS), earth observation data processing tools, and scripting tools to produce high quality and consistent inputs to analyses, or to prepare outputs for use by stakeholders.
  • Communications; To contribute to the production (drafting, editing, assembly) and dissemination of appropriate material through a range of on line and paper media, which communicates project objectives, outputs or practical tools to stakeholders, practitioners more generally, and which raises the profile of the work nationally and internationally.
  • Data Management; To work with JNCC’s Digital and Data Solutions Team to ensure that Ecosystems Analysis evidence base is properly described, and that priority elements are published externally.
  • Project Management: To contribute to the management of projects led by the team (eg: organising QA procedures) or to help the team manage externally delivered projects eg: through reviewing deliverables.

The post-holder may be required to attend meetings and other fora at various localities in the UK, involving overnight stays away from home.

Competencies

Specialist and Technical

Degree or equivalent qualification and relevant practical work experience that provides the following essential knowledge and experience 

  • A broad knowledge of UK ecosystem components (habitats and species) and how these relate to intrinsic values (ie: conservation status) and functions that can be linked to ecosystem services
  • Experience of using spreadsheets, simple relational databases and GIS to map, manipulate and interpret data sets (JNCC uses Excel , PostgreSQL, GeoServer, QGIS but transferable skills from other software meet the requirement eg: ArcGIS, MS Access)

Additional skills and experience that would be desirable are:

  • Knowledge of the types of data from field habitat sampling, field species sampling, satellite, airborne, and drone remote sensing.  Experience in collecting or processing any of these types of data.
  • Knowledge of quality assurance and quality control standards and procedures for survey or analytical work
  • A broad understanding of nature conservation work in the UK including overseas territories

Core Competencies

Changing and improving

  • Consider and suggest ideas for improvements, sharing this feedback with other in a constructive manner Essential
  • Understand and apply technology to achieve efficient and effective business and personal results Desirable

Making effective decisions

  • Monitor the storage of critical data and information to support decision making and conduct regular reviews to ensure it is stored accurately, confidentially (where necessary) and responsibly Essential

Leading and communicating

  • Express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, with sensitivity, and respect for others Essential
  • Confidently handle challenging conversations Desirable

Collaborating and partnering

  • Proactively seek information, resources, and support from others within and outside own immediate team in order to help achieve results Essential

Managing a quality service

  • Ensure that levels of service are maintained – flag up risk or concerns in order to meet customer requirements Essential.

Salary

£22,020 per annum

Hours of work

Normal hours of work for the post are 36 hours per week over a 5-day period, Monday to Friday.  Flexi time is available

Annual Leave Entitlement

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.  Staff appointed on a part time basis will receive this pro rata.

The closing date for this post is 09:00 on 23 July 2018

The anticipated interview date is during week commencing 06 August 2018