Marine Survey Ecologist
| Posting date: | 07 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £32,025 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 July 2025 |
| Location: | Peterborough, Eastern England |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | JNCC Support Co |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 202531 |
Summary
JNCC are looking for a Marine Survey Ecologist to join the Marine Monitoring Team and support the planning and delivery of our offshore UK marine surveys and associated projects. Using your knowledge of marine biodiversity and offshore benthic surveys, you will help develop, plan and implement surveys and manage delivery of survey data analyses and reports for marine monitoring of offshore UK waters. You will also lead the development of standards, guidelines and methods at a UK and international level for matters such as data management and marine survey techniques.
You will work under the guidance of JNCC’s Marine Monitoring Manager and Marine Monitoring Team Leaders. Working with a range of other specialists, both within JNCC and in other organisations, including with colleagues in the country nature conservation bodies (NatureScot, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland) and other public bodies (e.g. CEFAS, The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, MMO, Environment Agency).
Post Duties
•Prepare objectives and specifications for offshore MPA and wider environment surveys and lead in the development of survey designs, including consideration of experimental design, statistical power, appropriate sampling techniques and value for money;
•Liaise with partner organisations to manage survey delivery, including participating in offshore seabed surveys with partner organisations;
•Contribute to quality assurance of survey deliverables including proper use of taxonomic nomenclature, appropriate statistical analyses, and validity of any conclusions drawn;
•Management of JNCCs pool of personal protective equipment and survey equipment
•Manage contracts including procurement (specification, tendering and letting contracts, with support from our procurement specialists).
•Define the methods, standards, quality control procedures and sampling strategies needed to deliver monitoring for benthic habitats; and ensure that all collated information and data are archived/stored appropriately.
•Produce monitoring reports arising from our MPA monitoring programme by undertaking multivariate statistical analysis of trends and reporting the findings;
•Contributing to the improvement of the Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and Ireland and the marine part of the European habitat classification system, EUNIS.
•Disseminate information on JNCC’s marine work, including preparation of peer reviewed papers and reports, updates to the relevant pages of JNCC’s website, and presentations at conferences and meetings.
•Provide specialist scientific and policy advice to internal and external customers.
•Provide a secretariat role for internal and external working groups.
•Organise events such as meetings, workshops and webinars for internal or external participants; includes planning, logistics, facilitation, notes and reporting.
•Support to the team and organisation as needed, including planning, administration, project and task management, reporting, development of funding proposals and activities to further team cohesion.
Technical
To be a successful candidate you will be/have:
•Knowledge and understanding of the marine biodiversity in UK waters, including knowledge of the UK and European marine habitat classifications.
•Knowledge of planning and undertaking seabed monitoring surveys with experience working at sea on research vessels. This includes using a variety of techniques, such as seabed imagery, grab and core sampling, and acoustic survey.
•Knowledge of seabed data interpretation techniques across a variety of data types, such as seabed images, grab and core samples, and acoustic data.
•Understanding of data management principles and practice, including quality assurance and quality control procedures for marine biodiversity data.
•Verifiable experience in the use of standard office software, databases, GIS and statistical packages, to manipulate, interrogate and interpret spatial datasets, including experience of integrating and analysing different types of data from multiple sources.
Experience (Responsibilities)
To be a successful candidate you will have:
•Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the following knowledge, experience and behaviours
Behaviours
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
You will work under the guidance of JNCC’s Marine Monitoring Manager and Marine Monitoring Team Leaders. Working with a range of other specialists, both within JNCC and in other organisations, including with colleagues in the country nature conservation bodies (NatureScot, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland) and other public bodies (e.g. CEFAS, The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, MMO, Environment Agency).
Post Duties
•Prepare objectives and specifications for offshore MPA and wider environment surveys and lead in the development of survey designs, including consideration of experimental design, statistical power, appropriate sampling techniques and value for money;
•Liaise with partner organisations to manage survey delivery, including participating in offshore seabed surveys with partner organisations;
•Contribute to quality assurance of survey deliverables including proper use of taxonomic nomenclature, appropriate statistical analyses, and validity of any conclusions drawn;
•Management of JNCCs pool of personal protective equipment and survey equipment
•Manage contracts including procurement (specification, tendering and letting contracts, with support from our procurement specialists).
•Define the methods, standards, quality control procedures and sampling strategies needed to deliver monitoring for benthic habitats; and ensure that all collated information and data are archived/stored appropriately.
•Produce monitoring reports arising from our MPA monitoring programme by undertaking multivariate statistical analysis of trends and reporting the findings;
•Contributing to the improvement of the Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and Ireland and the marine part of the European habitat classification system, EUNIS.
•Disseminate information on JNCC’s marine work, including preparation of peer reviewed papers and reports, updates to the relevant pages of JNCC’s website, and presentations at conferences and meetings.
•Provide specialist scientific and policy advice to internal and external customers.
•Provide a secretariat role for internal and external working groups.
•Organise events such as meetings, workshops and webinars for internal or external participants; includes planning, logistics, facilitation, notes and reporting.
•Support to the team and organisation as needed, including planning, administration, project and task management, reporting, development of funding proposals and activities to further team cohesion.
Technical
To be a successful candidate you will be/have:
•Knowledge and understanding of the marine biodiversity in UK waters, including knowledge of the UK and European marine habitat classifications.
•Knowledge of planning and undertaking seabed monitoring surveys with experience working at sea on research vessels. This includes using a variety of techniques, such as seabed imagery, grab and core sampling, and acoustic survey.
•Knowledge of seabed data interpretation techniques across a variety of data types, such as seabed images, grab and core samples, and acoustic data.
•Understanding of data management principles and practice, including quality assurance and quality control procedures for marine biodiversity data.
•Verifiable experience in the use of standard office software, databases, GIS and statistical packages, to manipulate, interrogate and interpret spatial datasets, including experience of integrating and analysing different types of data from multiple sources.
Experience (Responsibilities)
To be a successful candidate you will have:
•Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject and/or relevant recent practical work experience that provides the following knowledge, experience and behaviours
Behaviours
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
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