Marine Data Adviser

NatureScot; Inverness; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Annual leave 41.5 days

Flexi time

Hybrid working

Employee discounts

Wellbeing programme

Volunteer leave

Cycle to work

Learning and development

Job summary

NatureScot in Inverness is seeking a Marine Data Adviser to lead management and mobilisation of marine biodiversity data, collaborating with partner organisations to support PMFs and MPAs. The role focuses on data ingestion, metadata quality, and data use across NatureScot datasets.

You will engage with MIDMG, explore ML/AI opportunities, and contribute to QA and data standards while working in a flexible, hybrid environment with a 35-hour week.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of good practice in data management and related legislation (FOI/EIS, DP, re-use of public sector information).
• Proven desktop GIS skills with QGIS and/or ArcGIS Pro and marine data experience.
• Experience with scripting (Python or R) and interacting with SQLite/SQL databases.
• Familiarity with APIs and JSON data structures for data discovery.
• Understanding of MEDIN Discovery metadata and data standards.
• Awareness of machine learning/AI in data engineering and management.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate implementation of the Scottish Marine Biodiversity Data Review recommendations with diverse stakeholders.
• Lead ingestion of benthic data into Marine Recorder Online and collaborate with data managers.
• Custodian of NatureScot marine data holdings with emphasis on media and imagery assets.
• Ensure adequate metadata and data documentation across NatureScot datasets.
• Explore innovative practices using ML/AI in data management and engineering.

Skills

Data management principles

GIS skills

Python or R

SQL/relational databases

APIs/JSON

MEDIN data standards

Machine learning/AI awareness

Data quality control

Stakeholder collaboration

Project/workload planning

Tools

QGIS

ArcGIS Pro

SQLite

REST APIs

Job description

Job Title:1011-360Marine Data Adviser | Grade: D | Salary £41,567 | Location: Inverness preferred (other NatureScot locations and hybrid working considered) Vacancy type: Temporary until 31.03.2029 with possibility of extension | Hours: 35 hours | Closing date: Midnight 13 September 2026 | Candidate Interviews: 30 September 2026

Job Purpose Summary

NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. Our purpose is to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and to restore and regenerate biodiversity by 2045. We work with communities, partners and businesses to ensure that nature thrives and people flourish.

As pressures continue to grow, so does the need for evidence to underpin the complex decision‑making required to achieve government’s vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas, managed to meet the long‑term needs of people and nature. NatureScot has a key role to play in the development, interpretation and mobilisation of the evidence‑base that informs our statutory advice, including in relation to Priority Marine Features (PMFs) and the designation and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Focusing on the management and mobilisation of marine biodiversity data, the successful candidate will work closely within our team of existing marine specialists, and a range of partner organisations to help NatureScot deliver the transformation required to ensure a nature‑rich future with sustainable use of our seas and land.This post would suit someone with a background in data management with a good attention to detail and an affinity for marine nature conservation.

NatureScot collects and holds significant amounts of marine environmental data, and we also rely on data collected and held by others to carry out our work. We need to ensure that we can obtain the right data to support our business needs, that we collect it in the right way and that we manage and use it as effectively as possible.

There will be opportunities to inspire and engage with stakeholders to collectively influence and take forwards the marine biodiversity data management remit in Scotland, inputting to projects and partnerships aimed at developing knowledge and co‑operation in key areas within our remit. A detailed programme of work will be agreed at the outset of the post, and the post-holder will contribute to the wider work of the Activity Team.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Co-ordinate implementation of the recommendations of the Scottish Marine Biodiversity Data Review, leading stakeholders from the public sector, eNGOs, industry, community groups and academia.
• Lead the ingestion of benthic data outputs from: coastal community groups, and restoration and enhancement initiatives into Marine Recorder Online. This will involve collaborative working with individuals from these groups and initiatives as well as close working with the Marine Citizen Science Coordinator, Marine Recorder Online data managers and other NatureScot staff.
• Provide custodianship to NatureScot’s marine data holdings with a particular focus on rich media: imagery, outputs from passive acoustic monitoring and digital aerial surveys. This will involve close working with project leads, NatureScot’s Digital Asset Management System and external initiatives.
• Ensure marine datasets under NatureScot custodianship have adequate, well managed and published Discovery metadata, alongside additional NatureScot dataset documentation requirements. This will involve encouraging project leads, ensuring consistency across the suite of metadata we are responsible for, and generating metadata for data from community groups and restoration and enhancement initiatives.
• Consider and implement opportunities for adopting innovative practices leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence in the data engineering and management domain.
• Contribute to the Quality Assurance of data deliverables and the assignment of conservation status to records.
• Input to the development of, and ensure compliance with, MEDIN data standards (data guidelines and discovery metadata), through MEDIN’s Data Standards Working Group.
• Work collaboratively within NatureScot (Marine Information & Data Management Group (MIDMG)) to improve the management of NatureScot’s marine data. Develop and managelinks between this work and other strategic discussions/projects relevant to marine data management within NatureScot (e.g. the Information Management Strategy and GIS Transformation) and understand interoperability challenges between NatureScot corporate systems.
• Represent NatureScot at meetings of inter‑agency and similar external groups relevant to marine data management.
• Support Assessment and Reporting tasks.
• Service data supply requests.

Skills (Please refer to these in your Supporting Statement)

• A sound knowledge of the principles of good practice in data management with experience in their application. This is to include knowledge of: QFAIR principles; Freedom of Information and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations legislation; Re‑use of Public Sector Information legislation; Data Protection legislation; and Copyright legislation.
• Highly proficient desktop GIS skills with a proven track record of using QGIS and or ESRI ArcGIS Pro. This should be supported with industry experience of loading, transforming and analysing geospatial data; and working with varied coordinate systems, ideally in a marine context.
• Experience of working with scripting languages like Python or R; interacting with relational databases (e.g. SQLite) using SQL or similar; familiarity with APIs and constructing search criteria with JSON data structures within these APIs. An understanding of the opportunities for innovation that these skills bring.
• Understanding of MEDIN Discovery metadata and data standards.
• Knowledge of evolving machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies and their application in the data engineering and management domain.
• A strong background in data quality control, with a good attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills that can contribute to inspirational collaborative team working with external and internal stakeholders as well as customer orientated service provision.
• Ability to work both flexibly as part of a team and to work independently using own initiative to problem solve; seeking advice, securing additional resources and developing creative approaches when appropriate.
• Effective written and verbal communications, especially the ability to convey complex information clearly and confidently to a variety of audiences.
• Proven ability to plan and manage workloads, work to deadlines and adapt to changing priorities.
• An understanding of how data relating to the marine ecology, habitats and species of Scotland is managed.

Prerequisites Required

• Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK and resident in Scotland for the duration of the job contract.
• To undertake a Disclosure Scotland application.
• Although Gaelic language is not a prerequisite it is a desirable skill in support of our commitment to our Gaelic Language Plan.

Working for NatureScot - what we offer you

• NatureScot offers some great benefits to reward and support you whilst you are working for us. Our benefits package includes thecivil service pension scheme, a generous holiday leave allowance plus flexi time, and employee discount scheme. Visit the NatureScotwebsite for further details including below:
• We support flexible working for all roles, including part‑time, compressed hours, hybrid working and job share. All vacancies are considered suitable for flexible working unless there is a business reason not to. We encourage applicants to discuss potential flexible working arrangements with us.
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% (7.35% employee contributions) https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/memberhub/joining-the-pension-scheme/.
• 41.5 days of annual leave, including 5 fixed public holidays on St Andrews Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and 2nd January.
• Equivalent of 2 days paid volunteering leave.
• A focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme.
• Job satisfaction from contributing proactively to the twinned nature and climate crisis.
• Death in service benefits.
• Cycle to work and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
• Access to an employee discounts scheme.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

Application Process

Application is by CV and Supporting Statement. Please ensure you have attached these documents when submitting your application.

Before applying for this post;

• Internal applicants should read the Self Service Guide eRDMS A3155575
• External applicants should read the Online Job Application Guide

If you have previously applied for a vacancy with NatureScot you must remove the supporting statement from your profile, before uploading a new version.

Interviews

External candidates will be invited to interview if we are unable to recruit internally.

NatureScot’s Net Zero commitment

Whether working at home or in an office, or travelling to meetings and site visits, as a NatureScot you will contribute to our Net Zero plan, for example through positive carbon travel choices.

For information regarding the vacancy please contact:

Email:[e-mail]

For information regarding the recruitment process please contact:

[e-mail]

Nature is vital to all of us, so it is vital that we are an organisation for all of Scotland. The more diverse NatureScot is, the better we will be in connecting everyone with nature. We particularly encourage applications from people from Minority Ethnic (ME) backgrounds and people with a disability.