Marine Ornithology Senior Specialist

**Reference number**:
182543

**Salary**:
£32,438

**Grade**:
Senior Executive Officer

Senior Specialist

**Contract type**:
Permanent

**Type of role**:
Operational Delivery

**Working pattern**:
Full-time, Job share, Part-time

**Number of posts**:
1

Location

East Midlands (region), East of England (region), London (region), North East (region), North West (region), South East (region), South West (region), West Midlands (region), Yorkshire and the Humber (region)

About the job

**Summary**:
This position is based Nationally

**Job description**:
Natural England’s specialist services and programmes (SSP) team is a national team covering natural sciences, social sciences, and economics, including natural capital. Through our integrated business planning programme, we deploy specialist capability to support Natural England’s programmes and projects and provide advice to support delivery, particularly on complex, high-risk issues.

There is a strong opportunity to play a leading role in working across natural England’s sustainable development agenda to both shape decisions and future reforms.

Our Chief Scientist Directorate is a great place to work with some of the country’s leading environmental scientists and we offer strong support for flexible working and for personal development

Job description

This Senior Specialist role will operate across Natural England’s Sustainable Development programme to provide specialist advice and analysis for regulatory casework, consultations, and strategic solutions.

Key tasks
- Providing expert ornithological advice in relation to nationally significant marine infrastructure casework (offshore wind developments); including helping to develop strategic solutions to common issues.
- Maintaining an understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in Natural England’s evidence base related to ornithological interests and the potential impacts of activities on those interests.
- Identify strategic research and development marine ornithological needs alongside the reactive evidence needs to support advice to marine ornithology casework.
- Utilising the evidence to help other bodies deliver their role and responsibilities including the Marine Management Organisation and Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
- Working in collaboration with other bodies to expand the evidence base. Liaising with other key external stakeholders, including researchers, learned societies, NGOs and other statutory agencies to develop and share evidence and guidance.
- Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of the protection afforded to birds and bird habitats resulting from national and international legislation and accompanying regulations/statutory instruments.
- Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of marine designation and interactions with / impacts of marine operations.
- Leading any agreed evidence projects whilst ensuring delivery to time, cost and quality (through peer-review where appropriate).
- Maintaining a network of external partners and experts (e.g. industry bodies, Royal Society of the Protection of Birds, British Trust for Ornithology, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Marine Management Organisation, JNCC and research institutes).
- Ensuring a high level of mutual technical support (e.g. data sharing, collaboration to meet shared evidence needs, supporting partners with peer reviews) with internal and external colleagues.
- Representing Natural England externally as a recognised expert in ornithology, including at Public Inquiries.

Competencies

Competence 1 - Professional competency

Detail

Science and Technical

Description
- Be educated to degree level in a relevant science, with proven knowledge and experience of bird species and ecology. Applicants that do not hold a relevant degree should specify experience and outputs that demonstrate that they have an equivalent level of knowledge.
- Have strong analytical skills (qualitative and quantitative) and knowledge of approaches used to collate best evidence to advise on impacts to marine and coastal birds e.g modelling, data analysis and survey techniques.
- An excellent understanding of the evidence base in relation marine and coastal ornithology, and how that evidence needs to be applied.
- Knowledge of policies, legislative frameworks and drivers for the marine environment combined with a detailed understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the marine field

Competence 2 - Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description
- Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Expert)

Competence 3 - Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description
- 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)
- Train, coach and mentor others to increase their capability to deliver the S