Senior International Biodiversity Adviser
| Posting date: | 18 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £40,140 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 16 August 2025 |
| Location: | Peterborough, Eastern England |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | JNCC Support Co |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 202532 |
Summary
This post will sit in the International Advice Team (IAT), one of a small number of teams within JNCC’s International Directorate. JNCC is the UK’s statutory advisor on the development and implementation of policies affecting nature internationally. We primarily advise the four Governments of the UK and the Governments of the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. This post will contribute to two key impact areas of JNCC’s International work:
i. Support the UK Government in negotiating ambitious and progressive global and regional multilateral environmental agreements (MEA) that use consensus to promote transformative action to achieve nature recovery. We advise the UK Government on an impactful and diverse portfolio of multilateral environmental agreements and engage with key multilateral organizations.
ii. Create innovative, transboundary evidence products for governments and administrations that provide interdisciplinary solutions that can be applied at different scales and across multiple policy areas, tackling the triple threat of biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change.
Post Duties
This post will lead the delivery of our advice to Defra on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Your main function will be to facilitate the four countries in their collective delivery of the UK’s obligations under CBD’s new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). JNCC has already facilitated the four countries to collectively produce the UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which was published earlier this year.
Your immediate priority will be to continue the co-ordination and delivery of the UK’s 7th National Report to CBD - one of JNCC’s critical milestones for FY25/26. This will report the progress being made by the UK on its 23 national targets set out in its NBSAP. You will support relationship management with and co-ordinate input from all four countries, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. You will manage the project, including ensuring on-time contributions from colleagues, financial tracking and reporting, wider stakeholder engagement activities, and science quality assurance in collaboration with Team Leaders.
You will also work closely with Defra’s CBD Team who form the UK delegation’s core negotiating team at CBD CoPs and at intervening meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). CoP17 will be held in Yerevan, Armenia in 2026. You will be expected to be part of the UK delegation at CoP17 and at some SBSTTA meetings in the run up to CoP17. You will provide expert advice on the UK’s negotiating positions and provide advice in ‘real-time’ during intergovernmental negotiations at CoP17.
To be successful in this role, you will need to have experience of participating in meetings and/or working groups of International Conventions, ideally CBD. You will need to demonstrate effective communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability, diplomacy and emotional intelligence in an international context.
To achieve this work, you will lead a small team of JNCC colleagues, delivering to a tight timescale, including line management of 2 project officers. You will need excellent project and people management skills. You will be expected to support line manages in delivery of high quality deliverables as well as development of their skills and behaviours in support of their career goals.
You will also contribute to other duties of the International Advice Team as required, including the development of new projects and specialist content areas where your expertise aligns with the organisation’s strategic priorities as set out in Together for Nature.
i. Support the UK Government in negotiating ambitious and progressive global and regional multilateral environmental agreements (MEA) that use consensus to promote transformative action to achieve nature recovery. We advise the UK Government on an impactful and diverse portfolio of multilateral environmental agreements and engage with key multilateral organizations.
ii. Create innovative, transboundary evidence products for governments and administrations that provide interdisciplinary solutions that can be applied at different scales and across multiple policy areas, tackling the triple threat of biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change.
Post Duties
This post will lead the delivery of our advice to Defra on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Your main function will be to facilitate the four countries in their collective delivery of the UK’s obligations under CBD’s new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). JNCC has already facilitated the four countries to collectively produce the UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which was published earlier this year.
Your immediate priority will be to continue the co-ordination and delivery of the UK’s 7th National Report to CBD - one of JNCC’s critical milestones for FY25/26. This will report the progress being made by the UK on its 23 national targets set out in its NBSAP. You will support relationship management with and co-ordinate input from all four countries, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. You will manage the project, including ensuring on-time contributions from colleagues, financial tracking and reporting, wider stakeholder engagement activities, and science quality assurance in collaboration with Team Leaders.
You will also work closely with Defra’s CBD Team who form the UK delegation’s core negotiating team at CBD CoPs and at intervening meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). CoP17 will be held in Yerevan, Armenia in 2026. You will be expected to be part of the UK delegation at CoP17 and at some SBSTTA meetings in the run up to CoP17. You will provide expert advice on the UK’s negotiating positions and provide advice in ‘real-time’ during intergovernmental negotiations at CoP17.
To be successful in this role, you will need to have experience of participating in meetings and/or working groups of International Conventions, ideally CBD. You will need to demonstrate effective communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability, diplomacy and emotional intelligence in an international context.
To achieve this work, you will lead a small team of JNCC colleagues, delivering to a tight timescale, including line management of 2 project officers. You will need excellent project and people management skills. You will be expected to support line manages in delivery of high quality deliverables as well as development of their skills and behaviours in support of their career goals.
You will also contribute to other duties of the International Advice Team as required, including the development of new projects and specialist content areas where your expertise aligns with the organisation’s strategic priorities as set out in Together for Nature.
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