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Title

International Biodiversity Support Officer

Posted
Reference   (Please mention Stopdodo/Environment Jobs in your application)
Sectors Terrestrial / Aquatic Ecology & Conservation
Location Scotland (East) - UK
Town/City Peterborough or Aberdeen.
Salary (Minimum)
0
Salary (Maximum)
0
Type Fixed Term and Permanent Roles
Status Full Time
Level Mid Level
Deadline 16/10/2022
Company Name Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Contact Name
Telephone 01733 562626
Email recruitment@jncc.gov.uk
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
Location: This post will have a base in either Aberdeen or Peterborough. 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 or at external meetings or events 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

Summary

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 advisers 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. 

Post Background

JNCC’s International Implementation Team is seeking a biodiversity or environmental professional to support the delivery of a range of conservation and biodiversity projects. The International Biodiversity Officer will support the implementation of work packages and the development of funding bids. Ideal candidates should be detail orientated with a good knowledge of biodiversity, nature-based solutions and climate resilience. You will need to be a confident communicator, able to work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders from a diversity of cultures and fields.

IIT has long established partnerships with the UK’s Overseas Territories (OTs) and has more recently developed partnerships in South America and Southern Africa. The strategic objective of these partnerships is to provide technical assistance and build capacity in partner Territories, countries and organisations enabling them to manage biodiversity, understand and respond to climate change impacts and build more secure food supplies.

The team implements a wide variety of projects on the ground with local partners in marine, terrestrial and coastal environments, maximising access to data, skills transfer through training and optimising land/marine management to protect and enhance biodiversity, maximising recognition of the economic and social value of biodiversity at national and community levels.

Current/planned projects include:

•    Implementation of coral reef action plans with the OTs, including response plans for stony coral tissue loss disease.

•    Natural capital valuations and development of asset registers and indicators to inform to inform nature conservation investment and decision-making

•    Ridge to reef land use modelling and planning decision support tools to aid biodiversity conservation.

•    Nature-based solutions to mitigate hurricane and other disaster-related risks in the OTs.

•    Post-Covid ‘green recovery’ and sustainable livelihoods initiatives with the OTs. 

•    Advice to Defra and FCDO on high-impact investment strategies for nature-based solutions in the OTs and ODA-eligible countries.

•    ‘Whole island’ landscape scale planning in Overseas Territories to support biodiversity conservation.

•    Developing landscape scale decision support tools in Latin America to support agricultural production and land restoration programmes.

The work of the team supports and advises UK policy and departments in respect of the Overseas Territories and use of Official Development Assistance in the Territories and Latin America.

Job description

The main focus of the post will be to provide project support across the team and across a wide variety of projects, including the following:

•    Scientific projects: Support the team in harnessing the best science for impact through research and analysis, for example, collating and reviewing information from a range of different sources including scientific literature, undertaking quality assurance and critical review of outputs, and contributing to GIS and environmental modelling projects.

•    Partner engagement: Support the team in fostering productive and collaborative partnerships with our wide range of stakeholders, including organising and facilitating workshops and meetings, maintaining oversight of scheduling, supporting international logistics, taking minutes, answering internal and external queries and supporting project reporting.

•    Website and communications: Support the team to maintain and develop materials for the JNCC website and internal and external communications. Contribute to the production, publication and subsequent communications of project outputs and reports, raising the profile of JNCC’s work nationally and internationally. 

•    Data management: Supporting the establishment of data sharing agreements, managing third party data holdings, complying with internal data management protocols, quality checking and metadata cataloguing of incoming and existing datasets. 

Responsibilities

Please demonstrate in your statement of suitability your reasons for applying. You will then be asked later in this application to provide a short statement against how you meet each of the technical and experience requirements

Behaviours

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

  • Delivering at Pace
  • Working Together
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

  • Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the following knowledge, experience and behaviours.
  • A broad understanding of marine and/or terrestrial nature conservation work in the UK, our Overseas Territories and/or internationally.
  • Knowledge of marine and/or terrestrial activities, their pressures and impacts upon marine habitats and species and a broad understanding of management of human activities that affect habitats and species.
  • Excellent communication and writing skills with an ability to synthesise and communicate complex technical information to an audience of varying levels of technical understanding and ability;
  • Excellent organisational and team-working skills with experience developing a logical approach to work delivery.
  • Experience managing website content and experience using GIS to map, manipulate and interpret datasets (ArcGIS or QGIS).
  • Ability to use standard MS Office 365 software, including Excel
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 supports flexible working hours and practices to help employees strike a good balance between work life and personal life.

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 complete a statement of suitability. In your statement, show how you’re suitable for the role. Make your statement no longer than 1000 words.

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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
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.
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