Senior Air Pollution Adviser - 2026026

Job summary

Post background:

Air pollution remains one of the most significant pressures on biodiversity, impacting species health, ecosystem function and the resilience of habitats across the UK. Alongside its well-established effects on human health, tackling air pollution is increasingly recognised as central to delivering nature recovery and meeting wider environmental ambitions, including net zero and sustainable land use.

JNCC plays a unique role at the interface between science and policy, providing independent, evidence-based advice to governments across the UK. Within this, the Environmental Pollution Team leads on understanding and addressing the impacts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and ammonia on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and on developing the tools, evidence and approaches needed to support policy and decision-making.

This role offers an opportunity to apply and develop specialist air pollution expertise in a highly applied, policy-relevant context. The postholder will contribute to a diverse and high-profile portfolio, including UK-wide advisory work, development of tools and services (such as the UK Air Pollution Assessment Service), and collaboration with partners across the four countries. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, the Senior Adviser will help ensure JNCC continues to provide robust, joined-up advice at a time of increasing demand and scrutiny.

Job description

Post Duties:

The Senior Air Pollution Adviser acts as a recognised technical authority on air pollution impacts on ecosystems, shaping how evidence is applied in UK decision-making and advisory contexts. The post holder will:

• Identify emerging risks, evidence gaps and opportunities, helping to shape the future direction of JNCC’s air pollution work

• Build strong partnerships and influence through advice, working with governments, agencies and the research community to ensure robust, joined-up approaches

• Provide expert, policy-relevant advice on air pollution impacts on biodiversity, translating complex evidence into clear guidance for governments and stakeholders across the UK

• Support and mentor others, contributing to high-quality, consistent technical advice across the team

The post holder will lead key areas of JNCC’s air pollution evidence work, including coordination of the Inter-agency Air Pollution Group (IAPG) and alignment of approaches across the country nature conservation bodies. Specific examples include:

• Develop and apply decision-making frameworks and thresholds (e.g. critical loads/levels and emerging approaches) to support consistent, transparent advice

• Shape and deliver strategic evidence products, such as a project to develop Nitrogen Futures advice for timelines past 2030, ensuring outputs meet evolving policy and advisory needs

• Lead the scientific development of tools and services, including new features for the UK Air Pollution Assessment Service (UK APAS), working closely with modelling and product teams as well as external users

Person specification

Please use the STAR technique where applicable.

• Situation - the situation you had to deal with
• Task - the task you were given to do
• Action - the action you took
• Result - what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Strong understanding of air pollution impacts on ecosystems including pathways, exposure, & effects on habitats & species & how this evidence is applied in practice. Typically this involves a relevant higher degree and/or commensurate experience.
• Strong understanding of how air pollution evidence is used in decision-making frameworks including approaches such as critical loads/levels, thresholds, scenario analysis or risk-based assessment.
• Broad understanding of the UK air pollution policy & delivery landscape including the roles of UK Governments, regulators & country nature conservation bodies, & how evidence feeds into advisory & decision-making processes.
• Delivered authoritative, evidence-based advice in applied settings to produce clear, actionable outputs for policy, regulatory, or operational audiences, including responding to complex or time-sensitive requests.
• Led or coordinated work across organisational boundaries, working with multiple partners to align approaches, agree outputs, or deliver shared priorities.
• Developed or shaped applied tools, frameworks, or strategic evidence products by contributing to or leading the development of assessments, thresholds, models, scenario analyses, or high-impact evidence outputs.
• Identified & driven improvements in evidence, approaches or work programmes by recognising gaps or emerging issues & taking initiative to develop new approaches, update existing frameworks, or shape future priorities.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,525, Joint Nature Conservation Committee contributes £12,029 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).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

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.In the event that we receive a large volume of applications we reserve the right to conduct the sift based on the Lead Behaviour of Communicating and Influencing.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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.

Attachments

2026026 - Senior Air Pollution Adviser JD Opens in new window (pdf, 222kB)