6883 - Higher Specialist - National

Natural England; National (WA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Natural England is seeking a collaborative Data Engagement & Analysis specialist to contribute to the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA). You will build partnerships with key stakeholders across NE, Defra Group and partner organisations, and provide expert advice to project staff while improving data ethics and governance.

You will work in a fast-paced environment, translating complex environmental concepts for diverse audiences and helping publish high-quality evidence products

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication across diverse audiences.
• Ability to work in a team and explain complex environmental concepts to non-specialists.
• Knowledge of sharing biological data using the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• Experience monitoring and R&D programmes is advantageous.
• Experience providing specialist technical advice to colleagues and stakeholders.
• Ability to analyse information and identify themes in fast-paced delivery environments.
• Clear language adapted to audience understanding.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders across NE, Defra Group and data providers.
• Advise project staff and enable the NCEA to publish high-quality evidence products.
• Support data ethics, governance, maturity, and data management within NCEA project work.
• Collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team of specialists and analysts.

Skills

Effective communication

Team collaboration

Stakeholder management

FAIR data principles

Data governance

Analytical thinking

Regulatory/public sector experience

Job description

Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental, social and economic actions critical to thriving nature.

• Recovering Nature– Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• Building Better Places– Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.
• Improving Health and Wellbeing– Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
• Delivering Security through Nature– Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water and clean air.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at:

Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK

The Role

The Team is responsible for delivering Natural England’s part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA).

The NCEA is a transformative programme to understand the extent, condition and change over time of environmental assets across England's land and water environments, supporting the government’s ambition to improve the environment within a generation. Data will come from Earth Observation, professional field data collection, citizen science and partner data sets.

Natural England’s NCEA is organised into projects:

• Mapping and Earth Observation – Spatial data and maps on natural capital to inform national and local decision making and delivery.
• England Peat Map – Mapping the extent and condition of England’s peatlands.
• Field data collection – Data on habitats, soils, landscapes and species to understand the condition of natural capital assets.
• Citizen Science – Working with citizens and community science to fill gaps, provide local and landscape scale information and engaging the public.
• Data Engagement and Analysis - Making NCEA, partner and volunteer data available for analysis, integration, and use. Producing high quality evidence products by analysing and integration NCEA data.

You will be helping to deliver this as a part of project 5, by building and maintaining partnerships with key stakeholders. Within Data Engagement & Analysis you will be working with a collaborative team of specialists and analysts who as part of project 5 advise and enable NCEA projects to share and publish their products. You will engage with teams across NE, Defra Group and biological recording infrastructure partners and data providers. Additionally, you will internally supporting and providing expert advice to project staff and solving problems for the NCEA to improve its data ethics, governance, maturity, and its management of data.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Effective communications skills (verbal and written) in communicating their specialism to diverse audiences (staff, scientific/technical groups, non-scientific).
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and to explain complex specific environmental, social, or economic specialism concepts in a meaningful way to others including non-specialist and scientific/technical groups.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues, partners, and stakeholdersKnowledge of sharing biological data using the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• Previous experience of monitoring and research & development programmes would be advantageousExperience of providing specialist technical advice to colleagues, partners, and stakeholdersAbility to analyse information and identify themesExperience of working in a fast-paced environment delivering work within deadlines and contributing to team targets.
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to use clear and appropriate language adapted to the audience.