NCEA Higher Officer Protocols and Data Capture - ( Ref : 6617 )

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, historic environment consultation and Vegetation and Landscape and Soils survey design and implementation. The postholder will need to be flexible to respond to the changing needs of the work within the team.

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

Job description

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Provide professional operational advice to surveyors, offering clear and timely guidance to support effective and consistent field delivery, securing good quality data through accurate implementation of protocols.
• Undertake ongoing triage of surveyor feedback to identify issues that need immediate attention in-season whilst informing areas of improvement in future guidance and training materials.
• Support Quality Assurance including resurveys
• Support the science assurance and publication of vegetation and landscape survey field manual
• Support the maintenance, distribution and management of data collection technical equipment, iPads and Geodes, and provide technical support as well as training and guidance.

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

• Extensive field survey experience and sound knowledge of UK habitats and species (essential)
  • Proven plant identification skills, preferably FISC 4 or the equivalent (essential)
  • A degree in Ecology and/or conservation or equivalent qualification and relevant experience (essential)
  • Experience in the use, management and development of mobile field survey technology and data collection applications (essential)
  • Experience in science assurance and publication (desirable)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and Natural England and inspire others to act. (Practitioner)
  • Progress your personal development and take responsibility for keeping your knowledge and expertise current. (Practitioner)

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/6617-6617-NCEA-Higher-Officer-Protocols-and-Data-Capture/en-GB

Attachments

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