6393 - Senior Data Scientist – Geospatial Analysis and Modelling

The Team

We are Data Science Services (DSS). Our team is key to providing the best available evidence to underpin the work of Natural England and our partners in supporting thriving nature for people and planet.  We provide expert analytical and data management services and ensure access to evidence through online systems and scientific publications. 

 Purpose of Role  

To lead the development and delivery of robust analytical and data programmes and projects to increase efficiency and provide improved evidence to support the organisation’s strategic objectives. To apply specialist skills and domain expertise to identify opportunities for data science to improve the evidence base to support the organisation’s strategic objectives. To ensure quality and promote appropriate use of data and analysis (including uncertainty) to minimise risk and increase robustness of evidence underpinning advice, decision-making and delivery.

This role has an initial focus on assisting the organisation with the delivery of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB), and the forthcoming Nature Restoration Fund (NRF). The role will work with the project team to develop the national-scale geospatial analytical processes and support the digital systems that underpin the NRF. This involves being part of a multi-year, policy-driven and phased project,  that aims to pull together assessments of impact from development, interface with databases tracking the supply and demand of conservation measures and generate outputs that feed into an online tool for developers to use.

How to Apply

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.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process:

• Skills and Knowledge
• Personal Effectiveness.
• Work Delivery
• Putting People at the Heart.

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your doing so.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

Key tasks / principal accountabilities:

• Manage complex data and spatial analysis for high-priority projects in a fast-paced environment, meeting the evidence needs of Natural England, the Defra group, and other stakeholders.
• Put in place project data standards, processes, and systems, and exemplify a culture of quality, to ensure outputs are high-quality and robust (through good documentation and automation) so that customer decisions and advice can be based on quality evidence and outputs can be reproduced.
• Understand organisational objectives and engage with business planning processes to provide technical intel and assist with prioritisation and scoping of projects.
• Liaise with project leads, owners and teams to establish project planning and resourcing so that projects are delivered efficiently, with appropriate resource and capability, to a high standard, and progress, risks and issues can be monitored.
• Engage with customers and partners to identify and exploit opportunities for new or revised projects (inc. use of new technologies), or for developing projects to improve the evidence base, improve efficiency, build capability or generate funding.
• Build capability and develop others in the team and across NE (as appropriate) to enable effective analytical delivery and support resilience to absence and change.
• Liaise with relevant partners/authorities/professional networks to understand and interpret advice, standards, and best practice for relevant application in NE.

Katy McBean

katy.mcbean@naturalengland.org.uk

07823392441