<< Back

This job listing is no longer active.
Please use our Environment Jobs Search to find current vacancies.

Title

Data Support Officer 202269 (Peterborough/Aberdeen)

Posted
Reference   (Please mention Stopdodo/Environment Jobs in your application)
Sectors Business, Support & Other
Location Scotland (East) - UK
Town/City Peterborough
Salary (Minimum)
0
Salary (Maximum)
0
Type Fixed Term and Permanent Roles
Status Full Time
Level First Level
Deadline 24/07/2022
Company Name Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Contact Name
Telephone 01733 562626
Email recruitment@jncc.gov.uk
Website Further Details / Applications
Joint Nature Conservation Committee logo
Directory Entry : The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. Originally established under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. For Careers with the JNCC visit the Civil Service Career Portal.
Also Listing:
Description
Whilst this role will be contractually based in a JNCC workplace/office (Peterborough/Aberdeen) and the successful candidates are required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, JNCC will be adopting a more flexible approach to working options. More detail can be provided at the interview and offer stages.

Summary

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 and our friendly team will assist you in your role. You will benefit from our supportive workplace culture, excellent holiday and pension benefits, as well as an exciting job in a unique environment.

Post background

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 the provision of biodiversity related evidence.

Access to good evidence to underpin biodiversity and nature conservation advice has become increasingly important as the demands and pressures on the environment rise. Evidence activities relating to biodiversity and nature conservation, such as data collection, dissemination, analysis, and reporting, are all critical elements of JNCC’s core functions.

The Data Support Officer will work in the Digital and Data Solutions team. This technical team provides support and creates innovative solutions to all digital, data and IT-related work as well as providing information management advice and guidance to teams across JNCC. The Digital and Data Solutions team leads both internal and external projects across the full range of JNCC’s work. The post holder will join the data engineering section of the team working across an interesting range of projects developing routines and solutions. Projects include processing of Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 (Earth Observation) data (which supports the Simple Analysis Ready Data (ARD) Service), data analysis to support Biodiversity Indicators work and collaborating to create repeatable data collation and validation routines to supply key datasets for a range of both internal and external science projects and corporate reporting.

Job description

Post Duties

The main duties of the Data Support Officer post are:

• Technical support and automation: Support JNCC’s teams through the management of data and databases. Provide innovative technical mechanisms and processes to support internal and external dataflows and reporting.

• Testing and quality assurance: Test newly created functionality against success criteria and user stories to approve build quality. Assist in quality assuring and management of ‘production’ level analytical scripts and promoting good practice in script creation and versioning.

• Investigations: Undertake short investigations to aid team analysis work from literature, stakeholders, active projects and other sources. To summarise and communicate the results for either internal or external audiences.

• 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.

• Data Management: Ensure that the evidence base of the team is well managed, with appropriate version control and archiving, properly described, and that priority elements are published externally in line with JNCC’s Information Management policies.

• Meeting & Workshop support: Support preparation, delivery and reporting from workshops and meetings. Includes the development of meeting and workshop materials (e.g.: briefs, agendas, speaker briefs, exercises) through drafting, collation and editing, note taking, and preparation of post meeting/workshop outputs.

Responsibilities

You will be asked later in this application to provide a short statement (covering letter) against how you meet each of the technical and experience requirements and your reasons for applying.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Working Together
  • Changing and Improving
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

  • Ability to write R, Python, or a similar scripting language to manipulate and analyse data and automate processes, including robust testing of outputs and quality control checks on code produced in the team and elsewhere in JNCC
  • Ability to use relational databases, writing SQL queries to manipulate and extract data from large and complex datasets
  • A relevant degree or equivalent qualification
  • Relevant experience in management, manipulation and analysis of large or complex data for environmental applications including the creation of metadata, audit trails, version control and establish processes/rules for changing and archiving them (note that
  • Experience or aptitude for working with spatial data including establishment of links to databases
  • Experience of, or aptitude for writing user requirements and testing functionality against user stories or success criteria
  • Experience of, or aptitude to use source-control, package management, multiple computer operating systems or working on remote cloud computing platforms
  • Ecological knowledge would be useful.
Hybrid Working (occasional travel) + 25 Days Leave + 12 Public & Privilege days + Civil Service Pension.

Equality and diversity

JNCC is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected and see this as a good place to work. JNCC has a responsibility to ensure that we have an inclusive culture where discrimination, harassment, bullying and prejudice will not be tolerated. Our selection process is determined on fair and open competition and regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership.

Continuous professional development (CPD)

Employees are encouraged to keep developing skills and professional knowledge.
JNCC has made available, and encourages employees to use, on average, five working days per annum for CPD activities with access to related funding

Leave entitlement

JNCC annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum. After five years’ service, leave entitlement increases to 30 days per annum.
In addition to annual leave, JNCC offers 12 public and privilege days per annum, three of which are explicitly reserved for office closure between Christmas and New Year.

Work/life balance

JNCC will be adopting a more flexible approach to working options and, once we are able to return to working in our office locations, our people will have more flexibility about where they choose to work. The expectation is that we will be expected to work from our office base for 1 – 2 days a month as a minimum. We can provide more details at the interview and offer stages.

Our policies are family-friendly and include flexi-time, flexible working patterns, compressed hours and dispersed working. JNCC also offers paid maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, over and above the minimum statutory entitlements. Some work/life balance benefits are available following a minimum length of service.

Any move from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Civil Service Pension

Employees will have the opportunity to join Civil Service pension arrangements, which include a valuable range of benefits. JNCC makes a significant contribution to the cost of employee pensions.

Employee Assistance Programme

JNCC provides employees with a free and confidential support service which gives unlimited access to information, advice and emotional support to help employees prepare for and manage all of life's ups and downs, events and challenges.

Trade Union

JNCC has entered into a partnership agreement with its recognised Trade Unions: Prospect and PCS, which employees are able to join and be involved with.

Salary sacrifice schemes

Employee Discount Scheme

Civil Service Sports Club

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
As part of the application process you will be asked to submit a CV, Your CV should be no longer than 2 pages . You will also be asked to provide a short statement of suitability (covering letter).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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
Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name :Recruitment Team
  • Email :recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Recruitment team :

  • Email :recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Further information

Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@jncc.gov.uk in the first instance.

Add to My Account
<< Back