Senior Specialist - Terrestrial Ornithology - ( Ref : 6595 )

As a Senior Specialist with the Birds team you will proactively lead and provide national expertise on the conservation and management of birds in England. We work across the organisation and with external partners and government departments. We are looking for an experienced communicator with an understanding of how evidence is best developed and applied for positive outcomes for nature and for people.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Building, analysing and applying the avian evidence base to inform support and advice, identifying any risks associated with the evidence, including identifying emerging issues and opportunities.
• Engaging and contributing to the teams work around the species recovery and reintroduction agenda.
• Prioritising monitoring and research for birds; secure funding, design and manage projects (both internally and with partners/contractors) and follow procurement procedures.
• Building ornithological capability within the organisation and team, including playing a role in internal networks.
• Representing Natural England as an expert and build relationships with key experts, stakeholders and academic institutions.
• Taking commissions from across the organisation for specialist ornithological advice, ensuring the needs of birds are fully considered and that evidence is quality assured. This will include planning casework/NSIPs and protected site work.

The ideal candidate will preferably be qualified to at least BSc level in an ecological discipline or can demonstrate equivalent experience.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• An excellent knowledge of bird species and ecology, including conservation status, drivers of population change, survey techniques and relevant data analysis. (Essential)
• A clear understanding of the ornithological science and evidence base.
• Experience in analysing and interpreting data relating to birds and how to apply the evidence to provide ornithological advice and identify evidence gaps (Essential)
• Knowledge of policies, legislative frameworks, and drivers for the terrestrial environment, combined with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in ornithological field. (Essential)

Personal Effectiveness

• Test and challenge others in a constructive and evidence-based way providing scientific scrutiny, challenge and assurance to casework and other delivery that is practical and, where appropriate, cross-disciplinary (Expert)
• Research, produce and contribute to specialist products such as articles, think pieces, peer reviewed papers, reports and conference presentations for general and technical readerships, both internal and external (Expert)

Putting People at the Heart

• Build relationships and effective networks both externally and internally to bring in fresh perspectives, approaches and evidence to raise the profile of both your individual specialist work and that of the organisation you represent (Expert)
• Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you represent (Practitioner)

Work Delivery

• Identify and apply the most appropriate data and methodologies for your analysis, utilising reproducible analytical pipelines and data science approaches where appropriate (Practitioner)
• Identify priority evidence needs and seek ways to meet them (e.g. through funding or partnerships) (Practitioner).

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview. If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview.