Higher Specialist - ( Ref : 6883 )

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 be 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.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

To make decisions and provide expert advice to support internal and external customers in their specific area of specialism that contributes to the successful achievement of Natural England environmental outcomes. Advise on the development and implementation of Natural England-wide strategy/programme(s) in a specific natural science, social science, or economic area specialism. To plan and carry our research and evidence gathering specific to their area of expertise, both within NE and with partners.

This role has no direct reports.

Specialists work across the organisation, applying their specialist skills and knowledge to support a wide range of work areas and inform Natural England’s decisions and advice.

Responsible for procurement and financial management of projects and research.

Specialists work closely with other organisations, such as Defra, other Government Departments, and external partners on new research to improve the necessary evidence base and to develop guidance on the inclusion of specialist outputs in policy and practice. Will play an active role in internal and external networks, representing Natural England as needed.

• Under direction of a Senior/Principal Specialist make a significant contribution in own area of specialism to the development and/or delivery of Natural England-wide or regional/area: strategy, programme, or evidence base.
• Utilise and deploy resources allocated to managing small projects or, in some cases, research in own area (which may include responsibility for research grants/funds).
• Provide training and coaching to other staff both within own area and across Natural England.
• Advise on the development of fundamental Natural England programme(s) or provide advice in a highly specialised environmental, social or economic area, often building on existing guidance or thinking.
• Ensure Natural England’s evidence standards are adhered to.
• Resolve problems which may involve considering existing guidance or precedent, testing options, the application of judgement and interpretation when making recommendations or determining appropriate advice.
• Play an active role in internal networks/communities to exchange information and ideas in specific specialist area.
• Work with external stakeholders to influence wider evidence base development and/or policy agendas in area of specialism towards the direction of outcomes sought by Natural England
• Providing specialist advice and guidance to colleagues on data governance, management and intellectual property.
• Supporting legal and ethical use of data and information across NE and with external partners through application and management of data licensing and partnership agreements.
• Supporting the development and upholding best practice, standards and processes for data management in Natural England and the NCEA.
• Working closely with colleagues in NE Data Services to ensure consistent practice and lead continuous improvements across the organisation.
• Contribute to improving quality of and access to evidence through development of guidance and tools for effective data management and licensing.
• Collaborating with NCEA partners including DEFRA, to ensure NCEA data is accessible across the programme for maximum impact and to deliver NCEA objectives.

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 stakeholders
• Knowledge of sharing biological data using the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• Previous experience of monitoring and research & development programmes would be advantageous
• Experience of providing specialist technical advice to colleagues, partners, and stakeholders
• Ability to analyse information and identify themes
• Experience 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.

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