Job Description:

The Marine Mapping Scientist will be part of 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). Marine habitat mapping data will be an essential component to develop this monitoring and surveillance programme, and the post-holder will support the programme through continued effort to improve the quality and coverage of the UK’s marine habitat mapping resource. The MESH project took significant steps in this direction, and the post-holder will continue with elements of this work. Additionally, the post-holder will maintain and promote products of the MESH project, and improve JNCC’s capacity for managing and disseminating OSPAR habitat mapping data. The post-holder will undertake a range of duties, including:

• Maintain and further develop our marine habitat mapping resources and their dissemination via webGIS systems and other portals. This will include:

 Collating existing habitat maps for UK waters which were not obtained by the MESH project

 Contributing to the conversion of habitat maps to a consistent classification scheme

 Assessing the quality of habitat maps

 Processing habitat maps for display on the MESH webGIS (www.searchmesh.net/webGIS)

 Maintaining and improving the MESH website including the MESH webGIS

• Develop partnerships with external organisations, including via MEDIN, to promote the preparation and acquisition of new quality assured marine habitat maps and associated data;

• Collate habitat distribution data for OSPAR threatened and/or declining habitats on behalf of the OSPAR Commission, and improve JNCC’s capacity for managing and disseminating these data;

• Contribute results of marine habitat 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;

• Manage contracts necessary to support JNCC’s Marine Habitat Mapping project.

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

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:

NB Application is via our application form only, available, with further details from our website www.jncc.gov.uk