Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Higher Scientific Officer - Monitoring
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Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
Job Summary
The Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes form a core part of Defra’s Farming Directorate through rewarding farmers and land managers for environmentally beneficial activities. There are three ELM schemes – the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery Scheme. The schemes collectively offer a mix of action-based payments and the opportunity to co-design long term, bespoke agreements to deliver landscape-scale land use change and habitat restoration.
ELM is a large and fast-paced division comprising policy, delivery and evidence teams working together to develop the new schemes. Staff are geographically dispersed with a mixture of office and home-working arrangements in place. A range of technologies are used to connect between members as part of our day to day working.
We have an exciting and challenging Higher Scientific Officer role within the ELM Science, Monitoring and Evaluation team. This team is multi-disciplinary, comprising of natural scientists, social scientists and analysts.
This role will complement, expand and develop the science and monitoring capacity, working closely with the existing teams on the policy development and improvement of the schemes.
Job Description
We are seeking an enthusiastic and capable Natural Scientist, with excellent technical ability, leadership potential, communication and co-ordination skills, to coordinate and deliver cross-cutting evaluation of our agri-environment delivery at a project and scheme level. This analysis will support the assessment of environmental outcomes, project deliverability and value for money, helping to ensure the schemes are delivering intended environmental benefits.
The roles will also include close collaboration with analytical, policy and delivery teams, as well as effective engagement with external stakeholders to support scheme delivery.
Person specification
The post holders will be responsible for conducting, coordinating and presenting analysis, reviewing monitoring and evaluation approaches, producing analytical products and technical documentation, negotiating long-term agreements, developing guidance, and delivering internal training. They will provide specialist advice on their areas of expertise, and environmental monitoring.
- Conduct, coordinate and present a cross-cutting evaluation of project/scheme deliverability, environmental benefits, monitoring and evaluation approaches, contribution to environmental targets, alignment to scheme objectives, and value for money.
- Develop and maintain up to date knowledge of environmental monitoring approaches across a range of asset-based indicators and apply this to the review of monitoring and evaluation plans and provision of expert advice to relevant policy and delivery teams to support scheme design and delivery decisions.
- Produce technical supporting documentation to formalise long-term project commitments and guide future implementation.
- Communicate effectively with external stakeholders to provide guidance and support, negotiate project implementation terms, and achieve favourable outcomes aligned with scheme objectives and environmental targets.
- Develop and produce analytical products for project and scheme evaluation.
- Develop guidance and deliver internal training on analytical assurance tasks.
- Work closely with economic, evaluation, social research, modelling, and policy colleagues on Landscape Recovery assurance and analysis. Provide expert advice on scheme monitoring.
- Promote and disseminate research/evidence and analysis to relevant policy and delivery teams and more widely within the Department and across government departments to ensure key learning feeds into ongoing and new policy development and products have maximum impact.
- Support the delivery of externally commissioned research projects to ensure robust, impactful designs that achieve value for money and provide insights that feed into scheme development.
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Essential Criteria
The following criteria apply:
- Hold a degree in a relevant scientific discipline or have equivalent workplace experience.
- Have specialist knowledge of monitoring in one of the following areas: trees and woodlands, soils, water quality, biodiversity, habitats, agricultural landscapes
- Have demonstratable knowledge of environmental monitoring methods including: earth observation, field survey, and modelling approaches.
- Have excellent analytical skills covering evidence synthesis, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data collection and analysis and interpreting data. Including experience delivering products using GIS software and dealing with large complex datasets.
- Have demonstratable knowledge of metrics and indicators relating to natural capital assets, outcome indicators, cross-cutting evaluation, and conceptual ecological models.
- Ability to manage a complex portfolio of work and manage your work flexibly to adapt as priorities change, often at short notice.
- Experience of partnership working, negotiating, and attention to detail to balance conflicting priorities or needs.
- Experience disseminating complex research findings to diverse and non-specialist audiences, using effective interpersonal, verbal, and written skills.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Salary
Alongside your salary of £34,765, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £10,071 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Application Process
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a 500 word personal statement, CV & behaviour statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to set out how you meet the skills and experience for the role.
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the 2 behaviours. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
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Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where we will assess you against the behaviours set out in the advert
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer, or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
The successful candidate is required to perform all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Merit Lists
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Higher Security Clearance
All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
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