Science and Policy Liaison – Wales

Job Description

Post Title: Science and Policy
Liaison – Wales

Team: Nature Conservation Policy & Advice

Ref No: 2023118

Grade: S (SEO)

Type of appointment: Permanent (or 1-2 year
secondment)

Location: Cardiff or Peterborough or potentially other location in
Wales

Salary: £38,320

This is a permanent position. However, we would support applications from staff
currently working for NRW who would like to take the post based on a fixed-term secondment. As
a permanent position or as a secondment opportunity, the post offers a chance to gain skills in
areas such as: building relationships, chairing meetings, organising events and workshops,
engaging with senior staff and Executive Leaders.

JNCC has adopted a hybrid working approach, allowing colleagues to benefit from time in
the office, with the flexibility also to work from home. Employees are expected to work from
our office base for 1 – 2 days a month as a minimum, this will vary by team and the exact
balance will depend on the nature of your role. We can provide more details at the interview
and offer stages.

Who are JNCC?

Established in 1991, we’re the UK’s statutory advisor on issues affecting the natural
environment across the UK and internationally. Our primary role is advising all four
Governments of the UK. We also work with private sector organisations to support decision
making on the sustainable use of marine waters and natural resources around the UK. JNCC is led
by the Joint Committee, which brings together members from the nature conservation bodies for
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and independent members appointed by the
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under an independent Chair.
Support is provided to the Committee by approx. 300 people who bring together scientific and
technical expertise, extensive knowledge of policy at global, European and national levels, and
skills in working with other organisations. Staff are based in two main offices in Peterborough
and Aberdeen.

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.

Hours of work: Full-time

Normal minimum hours of attendance for the post are 36 hours per week over a 5-day period,
Monday to Friday.

Flexi time is available. This post may also be suitable for job share.

Annual Leave:

The annual leave allowance is 25 days per year, rising to 30 days per year after 5 years’
service. There are also 12 days public and privilege leave. Part-time staff will receive this
on a pro rata basis.

Post background

In its unique UK role, JNCC works collaboratively with the four countries of the UK to support
nature recovery. This requires a strong understanding of the developing policies and delivery
mechanisms in the four countries, as well as internationally, to ensure JNCC’s evidence and
advice evolves to meet the needs of each country.

JNCC is looking to appoint a Science and Policy Liaison Officer for Wales, to help shape and
prioritise its activities. The post is a focal point for relationships between JNCC and Welsh
bodies, primarily Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). The post holder will
enable engaging conversations and influence relevant science and strategic topics. They will
facilitate continued JNCC joint working with Welsh Government and NRW and ensure that JNCC’s
work meets Welsh requirements for a robust evidence base in the context of natural resource
management.

The post holder will be a part of the Nature Conservation Policy and Advice Team at JNCC and
will work with teams across the organisation. Specifically, they will be part of a small and
collaborative project team, comprising staff holding similar liaison roles covering Northern
Ireland, Scotland and England. With strong links to the JNCC Executive Leadership Team, their
work builds on the networks and working groups that already exist between JNCC and country
partners, with the aim of identifying new opportunities and enhancing collaborations where
JNCC’s skills and expertise can support the countries in delivering their priorities. Together
they provide a co-ordinated UK overview and a hub for information exchange.

The portfolio of this role is broad, requiring day-to-day engagement across a range of work
areas and interacting with staff, from project level through to strategic-level interactions
with senior managers, executive and non-executive leaders. We are looking for someone to join
our team who thrives in a fast paced and often reactive environment, who has a passion for
building relationships and engaging with partners, who is confident in posing challenges and
asking questions to fully understand requirements and perspectives, who brings good
organisation and communication skills and an understanding of how scientific evidence and
analysis supports the policy development cycle.

This is a critical time and new opportunities are arising as Welsh Government drives forward
its policy and legislative agenda to achieve transformational change to address the
inextricably linked emergencies of climate change and biodiversity loss. Help JNCC’s science
and evidence be at the heart of this.

Post Duties

The post holder will be at the forefront of promoting JNCC’s capabilities in Wales and
identifying opportunities for collaborative working with Welsh Government and NRW. They will
liaise with individuals to develop a better understanding of their priorities, spotting
opportunities and connections, conveying the work of JNCC, ensuring JNCC’s skills, experience
and outputs are exploited to maximum effect, and generally building and maintaining
relationships.

The main duties of the post are to:

• Maintain, and further develop where beneficial, the strong working relationships between
  JNCC and Welsh bodies (principally Welsh Government and NRW). This will involve, but is not
  limited to, building and managing relationships with key individuals; becoming established as a
  key and trusted point of contact for developing relationships and helping to establish
  collaboration where there is no pre-existing JNCC contact point; ensuring communications and
  information flows between JNCC and Welsh Government and NRW are effective and resilient;
  representing JNCC in various country and UK-level fora;
• Provide briefings to senior staff and Executive Leaders and advise on key areas for their
  consideration in meetings with partners.
• Maintain Welsh Government and NRW’s awareness of JNCC’s work and its strengths. Increase
  their understanding of the context of JNCC’s work in terms of the position of the work in
  Northern Ireland, Scotland and England, and the benefits it brings or could bring to Wales.
• Maintain an overview of joint working and collaboration between JNCC and Wales. Identify
  where JNCC might add value and make relevant teams in Welsh Government and NRW aware of the
  opportunity. Support JNCC teams in tailoring and promoting their work to meet Wales’s needs.
  Facilitate the establishment of projects funded directly by Welsh Government through a Section
  83 agreement.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Wales’s environmental policy, including
  implementation, with an emphasis on proposed changes or new developments; show where JNCC’s
  work contributes to both the Welsh Government’s and NRW’s priorities, identifying where
  developing policies and plans provide drivers for the provision of JNCC’s evidence and advice.
• Communicate effectively within JNCC. Make information on Wales-related policies available
  in a clear and simple format, and brief and advise JNCC Executive Leadership Team and team
  leaders.
• Support the NCPA Team’s wider work on UK co-ordination and engagement. For example, this
  may include managing secretariat services for joint UK groups, supporting implementation across
  the UK of the Global Biodiversity Framework and helping make links between Welsh bodies and
  organisations on topics of common interest.
• Play an active part in JNCC’s Engagement, Legislation and Policy project in JNCC’s Nature
  Conservation Policy and Advice Team, in order to collaborate with colleagues in similar roles
  in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England, to strengthen JNCC’s joint working and information
  flows within the four countries of the UK.

The post holder will be line managed from JNCC’s Nature Conservation Policy and Advice Team and
will receive support from NRW and Welsh Government colleagues. You will be expected to work
independently as well as part of a team. You will be self-motivated with excellent
communication, planning and organisation skills with the ability to manage a busy workload and
respond quickly to a range of tasks. Depending on the needs of the team, there may be a
requirement to line manage other staff or interns.

Technical

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• A degree, or equivalent experience, in a relevant subject such as natural sciences or
  natural resource management.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Good knowledge of the role and remit of JNCC in relation to other organisations, in
  particular the country nature conservation bodies, UK Government departments and Devolved
  Administrations.
• Good understanding of environmental policy and legislation and an ability to analyse and
  brief on the content and implications of new and emerging policy. Specifically, this should
  include good knowledge of Welsh policy, or an ability to build on a strong UK overview and
  quickly develop an understanding of the Welsh context.
• Good general knowledge of ecology and nature conservation in the UK, with an ability to
  lead and facilitate technical discussions towards understanding science and evidence needs to
  support policy development.
• Excellent communication skills and demonstrable experience of conveying detailed and
  complex information to a range of audiences using a range of media. For example, this could
  include, written briefings, webinars, web content, newsletters and more formal papers for
  senior management groups.
• Experience of managing relationships of engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and
  partners, determining their priorities and working collaboratively, including experience of
  organising and facilitating workshops and other engagement events.
• Welsh language skills are highly desirable at least to the level of being able to pronounce
  Welsh place names and personal names, and the ability to understand and use basic phrases of
  Welsh – such as for opening and closing meetings.

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service

In the event that we receive a large volume of applications we reserve the right to conduct the
sift based on the Lead Behaviour of Communicating and Influencing

Please see the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

Nationality requirements 

This job is broadly open to the following groups: 

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply
  for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the
  Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

JNCC do not provide sponsorship.

Closing date and interview date

The closing date for this post is 23:55 on Sunday, 14 January 2024

The anticipated interview date is week commencing Monday, 29 January 2024