Marine Support Officer x2 2023105 & 106

Why JNCC?

We’re small enough (c.300 staff) that your voice is heard by everyone including the CEO, but big enough that we have all the skills, resources and people you’ll need to get the job done. All our staff are passionate about conservation and making a difference to the world we live in. We have a very flexible, inclusive and welcoming organisational culture. Our Executive Management provides employees with the freedom and tools you will need, and our friendly team will assist you in your role. JNCC is committed to maintaining employee health and wellbeing, whether it is physically, emotionally, financially or socially, and offers a range of benefits to support employees in this. Such benefits include the option to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme, professional and personal development opportunities as well as an exciting job in a unique environment.

Short Summary

The Marine Support Officer will work in the Marine Evidence team and also provide support to the Marine Monitoring team.
These teams cover a range of activities including organising offshore seabed surveys, improving access to and managing marine biological and protected area data, understanding human impacts on the marine environment and providing expert advice to national and international fora. The teams interact with several other JNCC marine teams and work closely with the Data and Digital Solutions team to develop and improve data products. The post holder will work with these teams to improve data access and delivery.

The Marine Support Officer will provide scientific administration and technical support to the Marine Evidence and Marine Monitoring teams. This post will assist other Support Officers and the Data and Digital Solutions team to manage, manipulate and map a range of different temporal, spatial and tabular data. The main duties are set out below:

• Benthic survey data management – Assist with the management of marine data, including:

  Data management and metadata cataloguing of incoming datasets in accordance with the benthic survey data ingestion protocol;

  Assist with the ongoing organisation of third-party data, including ascertaining usage permissions;

  Assist with the external storage and publication of survey datasets (e.g. Data Archive Centres);

  Run periodic reports to summarise UK marine data, including the formation of maps using GIS applications;

• Offshore seabed survey support – Contribute to planning of MPA monitoring surveys including:

  Assist survey planning leads in developing plans for offshore MPA monitoring surveys with partners including Cefas and Marine Scotland Science by preparing and managing survey data packages for internal and external use;

  Support the provision of seabed samples (e.g. taxonomic reference collections, genomic and carbon sub-samples) to museums and other partners;

  Update offshore seabed survey webpages as and when required e.g. following surveys, report publication;

  Promote JNCC’s work by publicising reports and surveys and through presence at conferences etc.

• Other support work – Contribute to other aspects of the team’s work as required and to improve the team’s flexibility and resilience, including taking minutes and organising meetings.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• A degree or equivalent qualification and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the knowledge and experience described below.
• Ability to use standard office software (word, presentational software and the internet), in particular experience using spreadsheets to interrogate and manipulate data in a logical and methodical manner (preferably MS Office).
• Experience in managing and ensuring the quality assurance of large-scale datasets;
• Experience using GIS to map, manipulate and interpret datasets (preferably using ArcGIS or QGIS).Knowledge of the types of data from remote-sensing and in-situ marine sampling, including acoustic survey, remote video, grab sampling, diving, shore survey &
• Knowledge of quality assurance and quality control standards and procedures for marine survey and monitoring, and assessment/mapping data;

JNCC is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected and see this as a good place to work. JNCC has a responsibility to ensure that we have an inclusive culture where discrimination, harassment, bullying and prejudice will not be tolerated. Our selection process is determined on fair and open competition and regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership.

Continuous professional development (CPD)

Employees are encouraged to keep developing skills and professional knowledge.
JNCC has made available, and encourages employees to use, on average, five working days per annum for CPD activities with access to related funding

Leave entitlement

JNCC annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum. After five years’ service, leave entitlement increases to 30 days per annum.
In addition to annual leave, JNCC offers 12 public and privilege days per annum, three of which are explicitly reserved for office closure between Christmas and New Year.

Work/life balance

JNCC supports flexible working hours and practices to help employees strike a good balance between work life and personal life.

Our policies are family-friendly and include flexi-time, flexible working patterns, compressed hours and dispersed working. JNCC also offers paid maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, over and above the minimum statutory entitlements. Some work/life balance benefits are available following a minimum length of service.

Any move from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Civil Service Pension

Employees will have the opportunity to join Civil Service pension arrangements, which include a valuable range of benefits. JNCC makes a significant contribution to the cost of employee pensions.

Employee Assistance Programme

JNCC provides employees with a free and confidential support service which gives unlimited access to information, advice and emotional support to help employees prepare for and manage all of life’s ups and downs, events and challenges.

Trade Union

JNCC has entered into a partnership agreement with its recognised Trade Unions: Prospect and PCS, which employees are able to join and be involved with.

Salary sacrifice schemes

Employee Discount Scheme

Civil Service Sports Club

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment@jncc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@jncc.gov.uk