Job Description:

The successful candidate will provide specialist marine ecological experience to the Mapping and Impacts section of the Marine Habitats Team. The post-holder will give significant support to a new Defra-funded partnership between JNCC and Natural England, which is developing a full programme of monitoring and surveillance in England (inshore waters to 12nm) and offshore waters (beyond 12nm). The spatial distribution of human activities, and the resulting pressures and impacts on the marine environment, will be a key component in developing a monitoring and surveillance programme. The post-holder will develop JNCC’s capacity to interpret these kinds of data, to manage existing holdings, and to specify future data requirements. Additionally, the work undertaken by the post-holder to develop national and European habitat classification schemes will ensure that monitoring and surveillance programmes are designed based on suitable classification units. The post-holder will undertake a range of duties, including:

• Develop tools and techniques for assessing the impact of human activities on marine habitats, and other applications which support protection and management of the marine environment;

• Contribute to development the national marine habitat classification, and incorporate these changes into the European habitat classification scheme, EUNIS;

• Provide advice to country agency staff, and those carrying out work on their behalf, on the use of the national and European marine habitat classifications, including the assignment of sample data to the classification and its interpretation in relation to impacts and trends;

• Contribute to work to assess the use of marine habitat classification schemes in modelling seabed habitats, leading to recommendations to improve modelling approaches and/or modify the national marine habitat classification;

• Contribute results of marine mapping to work on the Habitats Directive, OSPAR, Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Water Framework Directive;

• Provide advice on marine mapping in relation to supporting the conservation of marine habitats and species;

• Contribute to the effective dissemination of marine mapping information relevant to marine nature conservation to the UK Government, the Devolved Administrations, the country nature conservation agencies and others.

Additionally, the post-holder will contribute, as necessary, to other aspects of the Marine Habitats Team.

There may be opportunities to participate in field surveys, for which the appropriate health and safety qualifications and training (e.g. for offshore surveys) would be needed.

The majority of the work will be office based, but the post-holder will be required to attend meetings at various localities in the UK and in Europe, involving overnight stays away from home.

How to apply:

Applications are via our application form only, available, with further details from our website www.jncc.gov.uk