Higher Scientific Officer - Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Verified Company
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Description

Details:


Reference number:


Salary:

- £30,317 - £36,606
  • National: £30,317 £32,803, London: £33,827 £36,606 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading 'Salary'.
  • A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
    Job grade:
  • Higher Executive Officer
    Contract type:
  • Fixed Term
  • Loan
  • Secondment
    Length of employment:
  • 31 March 2025
    Business area:
  • DEFRA
  • Environment
  • Marine & Fisheries
    Type of role:
  • Science
    Working pattern:
  • Flexible working, Fulltime, Job share, Parttime
    Number of jobs available:
  • 1Contents
Location

About the job


Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

  • Bristol, London, NewcastleuponTyne, YorkAbout the job

Job summary:


The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy.

Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.


The objective of the Marine and Fisheries Directorate is to ensure our seas are cleaner, healthier, safer, more productive, and biologically diverse.

This means protecting and improving the marine environment, both in the UK and internationally, and managing our diverse range of fisheries sustainably.

Now that we have left the EU it provides the opportunity to improve how we manage our seas, whilst enabling marine, fisheries, and seafood businesses to thrive and develop.


We recruit by merit based on fair and open competition, we embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity, and we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills.

There is a disability confident scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.


We are inclusive:

Job description:

What will I be doing?

Are you a scientist with an interest in embedding scientific research into decision-making for large, cross-cutting policy areas?

The Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme is a £37.5m Defra flagship science programme. The mNCEA programme seeks to capture the different ways our coast and sea hold value, so that nature can be put at the heart of decision making, providing policy makers and external stakeholders (e.g. industry, academia, local government) with a powerful natural capital evidence base to make science-led decisions.

Ecosystem assessment tells us about the health of our natural environment and how this is changing over time, whereas natural capital approaches describe the environmental, social, and economic value our natural environment holds for people.

mNCEA has strong links to the ambitions set out in the 25 Year Environment plan and the recommendations of the Dasgupta Review into the Economics of Biodiversity.


The post holder will be responsible for the coordination of scientific projects focused on the delivery of specific policy areas utilising Natural Capital Approaches.

This will require someone to appreciate the policy landscape surrounding our priorities and who can become comfortable commissioning evidence to fill gaps.

Policy areas of focus might include Fisheries Management Plans, UK Marine Strategy, Marine Spatial Prioritisation, Highlight Protected Marine Areas and/or Marine Net Gain.


  • Some of the activity that this role will be delivering includes: _
  • Coordinating mNCEA scientific input into a core Marine and Fisheries policy area, which is an important, exciting and growing government priority
  • Supporting science colleagues in mNCEA team working on other projects and ensuring that projects are effectively joined up to support policy and programme ambitions
  • Ensuring integration between the science work happening within Defra, other government departments, arm's length bodies and other external delivery partners, maintaining join up and avoiding duplication
  • Translate evidence outputs for use by policy and comms colleagues, to support the embedding of natural capital evidence into policy design and creation of useful products for audiences within and outside of Defra
This list isn't exhaustive but provides an overview of the activities the role will carry out.


Person specification:


  • A degree (2:1 or higher, unless mitigating circumstances apply) in environmental/natural or social sciences; or equivalent experience in a relevant science role We would encourage graduates to inquire if they are unsure their degree fits into environmental/natural or social sciences
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to convey technical information to nonspecialists in a clear and concise manner
  • Ability to understand and interpret often complex data and evidence, and draw policyrelevant conclusions
  • A selfst
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