Data Analyst, Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) Project

Natural England is here to conserve and enhance the natural environment, for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people and the economic prosperity that it brings.

This role is based within the Thames Solent team, responsible for delivering environmental outcomes from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in the north to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the south, plus Berkshire, London and Surrey. The team uses a range of mechanisms including land management and planning advice, engagement with stakeholders and direct management of our own land, to achieve the protection and enhancement of biodiversity and landscapes within the patch.    

The Role

We are looking to fill a Data Analyst role within the Thames Solent team specifically to work within the Strategic Access Management & Monitoring (SAMM) Project.  This is an externally funded project working across the Thames Basin Heaths SPA in Berkshire, Hampshire & Surrey, and is one of the measures being used to mitigate against the impacts of housing development on the TBH SPA.  You will be responsible for overseeing the collection, management and analysis of a range of data relevant to the project and using it to help report progress against project objectives as well as inform project activities.  The data collected in house includes people counter data on the SPA and visitor survey data on the SPA and Strategic Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANGS) whilst bird monitoring data and academic research will be collated and analysed. You will be expected to be flexible, sometimes working outdoors.

Key tasks/principal accountabilities

• Analysis of survey data collected by the SAMM team – producing written reports including tabulated data, charts and diagrams using Microsoft Office and ArcView GIS to clearly show and compare categorical, ordinal and numerical data
• Organisation of data collection within team, including logistics, review of methodology, technical support using PC and mobile device apps and data storage.
• Ownership of all data collection equipment and software.
• Drawing conclusions on the results of survey data and suggesting further analysis work to be undertaken or improvements to methodology for the future.
• Drawing conclusions on the results of data to help focus the work of the SAMM team to ensure they are being as effective as possible.
• Organising/overseeing/supervising collection of data and relevant permissions from third parties such as university students or volunteers in order to produce collaborative reports.
• Presenting data to a range of audiences including project partners and partnership board.

Skills and knowledge

You will:

• have experience of gathering and processing environmental and/or social data and handling it responsibly. Have experience of interrogating, processing and presenting data and explaining its implications.
• have confident presentation skills and in order to present findings to a range of internal and external recipients, i.e., the partnership board and project partners, in order to maximise the impact of the data.
• have a good understanding of the importance of people accessing and engaging with the natural environment, and how to balance their needs with nature conservation objectives. Knowledge of heathland, urban environments, associated habitats and species and threats to the habitat would be an advantage.
• have experience of Excel and expert GIS skills which are essential for this role. This will include liaison with Data Services unit for download and upload of data layers. Experience of data use, metadata creation, permissions, restrictions on use, file backup, file naming protocols and storage/transfer are also essential. Previous experience of using Microsoft Power would be desirable.
• be able to commute to the Thames Basin Heaths daily and be willing to undertake some early morning, evening and weekend work.
• have a full UK driving licence.

• be self-motivated, enthusiastic with excellent organisational skills and used to working without direct supervision, having a confident and innovative approach to developing ideas and projects and have a very good personal performance record.

Key Capabilities

If you are successful we expect you to have a certain level of capability in a range of activities.  At the interview you will be asked questions related to your technical skills as well as to see how close you are to these levels in the following activities which are drawn from the skills framework for this role:

Work delivery – Practitioner

• Apply the relevant methodologies for collecting and collating data/evidence.
• Use relevant data/evidence to analyse and interpret trends, outcomes and issues.
• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures.
• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines.
• Interrogate, process and present data / evidence to enable further analysis
  

Personal effectiveness – Practitioner

• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience.
• Present your data/evidence in ways that meet people’s needs so they can understand its implications and use it effectively.
• Identify, suggest and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and Natural England.
• Be decisive, combine your professional judgement with evidence to inform your decision making.
• Apply new technology to improve the way you work.
  

Putting People at the Heart – Practitioner

• Collaborate, influence and build trusting relationships to achieve pragmatic outcomes.
• Communicate environmental and social data/evidence, its implications, and the messages from it, to a range of internal and external recipients in order to maximise the impact of that evidence.
• Produce evidence and analysis which enables others to deliver positive outcomes for the environment.
  

Technical knowledge

• Have demonstrable knowledge of the use and application of GIS in the workplace.
• Be familiar with data storage and transfer procedures, data use restrictions and permissions and use of metadata.
  • Be familiar with interrogating, processing and presenting data in different formats and explaining its implications: Have experience of producing reports using Microsoft Word, Excel, and ArcGIS and presenting these in Microsoft Powerpoint to a range of audiences.
  • Have experience of collection of data – methodologies, replication, comparability and validity of data sets.
  • Have excellent organisational skills – with experience of co-ordinating or managing projects.