NCEA Higher Officer Project Support - Access Permissions and Historic Environment Records - ( Ref : 6626 )

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

The England Ecosystem Survey (EES) is Natural England’s largest ever field survey project – an ambitious and high-profile initiative to collect ecosystem data from a wide range of habitats across England. It is a cornerstone project within the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme; led by Defra, and part of the government’s major projects portfolio.

The EES project is using professional survey as a tool to provide high quality data to assess the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural capital assets within England’s habitats and landscapes. It will address existing data gaps, including soils.

This varied and often fast paced role will provide project support to the wider EES project team by assisting colleagues with logistics and survey equipment, procurement, access permissions, data analysis, GI desk studies and mapping, historic environment consultation, and the design and implementation of vegetation, landscape, and soils surveys.

The role will involve some travel at times throughout the year with potential overnight stays.

Job description

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Liaise with stakeholders (e.g. Access Permissions contractor, large landowners) to acquire permission for EES – includes carrying out work such as meeting with stakeholders, ringing landowners, sending thank you letters and completing paperwork such as licences, access forms, etc.
• Manage, maintain and analyse Access Permissions data (e.g. records of permissions, contact details, etc).
• Deal with access queries from landowners, surveyors and other EES stakeholders.
• Write/update Access Permission documents – e.g. letters to landowners, information sheets, etc.
• Create and update GIS layers and make maps using GIS.

Whilst the work in this role will ostensibly be related to Access Permissions and Historic Environment Records, the successful candidate will be required to show flexibility in managing and adapting to other work should team priorities or resources change.

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical Skills & Knowledge

Description

• Good communication skills – ability to engage with colleagues, external stakeholders and landowners. (Essential)
  • Excellent organisation skills – ability to organise your work and to meet deadlines. (Essential)
  • Good knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office apps, especially Excel. (Essential)
  • Data management skills – including experience of managing/manipulating datasets in Excel and GIS. (Essential)
  • Experience of data protection legislation and regulations – e.g. GDPR etc. (Essential)
  • GIS skills – especially good experience with and knowledge of ArcGIS Pro. (Essential)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Practitioner)
  • Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Basic)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures. (Practitioner)
  • Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

• Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and Natural England. (Practitioner)
  • Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,240, Natural England contributes £9,339 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please refer to Job Description

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Jules Cockcroft
• Email : jules.cockcroft@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07825 898077

Recruitment team

• Email : defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6626-6626-NCEA-Higher-Officer-Project-Support-Access-Permissions-and-Historic-Environment-Records/en-GB

Attachments

DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v2.9 Opens in new window (docx, 548kB)