6445 - NCEA Senior Specialist - Soils
| Posting date: | 06 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £37,950 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 March 2026 |
| Location: | UK |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 4 days per week |
| Company: | Natural England |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 6445 |
Summary
The England Ecosystem Survey (EES) is Natural England’s largest ever field survey project – an ambitious and high-profile initiative to collect ecosystem data from a wide range of habitats across England. It is a cornerstone project within the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme; led by Defra, and part of the government’s major projects portfolio.
The EES project is using professional survey as a tool to provide high quality data to assess the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural capital assets within England’s habitats and landscapes. It will address existing data gaps, including soils.
Soil natural capital and soil health are a focus in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan (YEP) which presents the ambition that ‘by 2030 we want all of England’s soils to be managed sustainably, and we will use natural capital thinking to develop appropriate soil metrics and management approaches. England Ecosystem Survey will enable NE to assess and capture the condition of soils nationally and to determine progress against the 25 Year Environment Plan target to manage soils sustainably by 2030.
Job description
We are recruiting two Senior Specialist – Soils roles, each contributing to the development of EES national soil monitoring but with distinct areas of focus:
• Role 1 – Soil Data & Analyses - This role will focus on overseeing soil physicochemical analysis, managing soil datasets, working closely with analytical laboratories, and ensuring high quality, consistent analytical outputs across the programme.
• Role 2 – Field data and sample collection QA & Methodological Development - This role will lead on the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of soil monitoring data collection, development and refinement of methodologies, and ensuring reproducible, scientifically robust processes across survey and analytical workflows.
While each post has a primary theme, we can remain flexible in how these responsibilities are ultimately divided. We will shape the final distribution of duties around the strengths, experience and interests of the successful candidates to ensure we bring the best expertise into the team.
Both roles will provide leadership and technical expertise to support the delivery of the England Ecosystem Survey. Postholders will help ensure soil monitoring across England is evidence based, strategically aligned, and operationally deliverable.
We welcome applicants with:
• A degree level qualification in soil science or a closely related environmental discipline; or
• Equivalent applied professional experience.
Applicants without a degree must clearly demonstrate equivalent knowledge through experience and outputs.
• Provide technical leadership for NCEA soil monitoring, including specialist steer to externally commissioned work and ensuring scientific robustness and alignment with programme objectives.
• Support, guide and quality assure internal and external field staff undertaking soil sampling, soil classification and assessment surveys, providing practical advice, troubleshooting, and ensuring consistent field practice across sites.
• Lead the development, testing and continual improvement of soil monitoring protocols and field manuals, ensuring all methods are evidence based, operationally feasible and reflect emerging best practice.
• Design and deliver high quality training for internal and external surveyors covering soil sampling, assessment techniques and field data collection standards.
• Coordinate effectively across soil sampling, soil classification and vegetation teams, ensuring methodological alignment, compatible datasets and coherent workflows.
• Act as a key liaison with analytical laboratories, particularly around soil physicochemical analyses, ensuring analytical quality, consistency of methodology and strong collaboration with relevant soil specialists.
• Lead data management, data checking, cleaning and quality assurance processes for soil datasets, applying appropriate data standards and reproducible workflows.
• Maintain and develop strong links with soil specialists across NE, ALBs and academia, contributing to technical networks that support programme objectives and evidence development.
• Contribute to, and where appropriate lead, research activities to inform the development and refinement of future soil monitoring methods and indicators, keeping abreast of emerging science and identifying knowledge gaps.
• Identify and assess existing land management datasets to support soil monitoring, contextual analysis and interpretation, including exploring opportunities for alignment with EES datasets.
• Where capacity allows, contribute to gathering land management data at monitoring sites, recognising that this activity may be dependent on resources.
The EES project is using professional survey as a tool to provide high quality data to assess the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural capital assets within England’s habitats and landscapes. It will address existing data gaps, including soils.
Soil natural capital and soil health are a focus in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan (YEP) which presents the ambition that ‘by 2030 we want all of England’s soils to be managed sustainably, and we will use natural capital thinking to develop appropriate soil metrics and management approaches. England Ecosystem Survey will enable NE to assess and capture the condition of soils nationally and to determine progress against the 25 Year Environment Plan target to manage soils sustainably by 2030.
Job description
We are recruiting two Senior Specialist – Soils roles, each contributing to the development of EES national soil monitoring but with distinct areas of focus:
• Role 1 – Soil Data & Analyses - This role will focus on overseeing soil physicochemical analysis, managing soil datasets, working closely with analytical laboratories, and ensuring high quality, consistent analytical outputs across the programme.
• Role 2 – Field data and sample collection QA & Methodological Development - This role will lead on the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of soil monitoring data collection, development and refinement of methodologies, and ensuring reproducible, scientifically robust processes across survey and analytical workflows.
While each post has a primary theme, we can remain flexible in how these responsibilities are ultimately divided. We will shape the final distribution of duties around the strengths, experience and interests of the successful candidates to ensure we bring the best expertise into the team.
Both roles will provide leadership and technical expertise to support the delivery of the England Ecosystem Survey. Postholders will help ensure soil monitoring across England is evidence based, strategically aligned, and operationally deliverable.
We welcome applicants with:
• A degree level qualification in soil science or a closely related environmental discipline; or
• Equivalent applied professional experience.
Applicants without a degree must clearly demonstrate equivalent knowledge through experience and outputs.
• Provide technical leadership for NCEA soil monitoring, including specialist steer to externally commissioned work and ensuring scientific robustness and alignment with programme objectives.
• Support, guide and quality assure internal and external field staff undertaking soil sampling, soil classification and assessment surveys, providing practical advice, troubleshooting, and ensuring consistent field practice across sites.
• Lead the development, testing and continual improvement of soil monitoring protocols and field manuals, ensuring all methods are evidence based, operationally feasible and reflect emerging best practice.
• Design and deliver high quality training for internal and external surveyors covering soil sampling, assessment techniques and field data collection standards.
• Coordinate effectively across soil sampling, soil classification and vegetation teams, ensuring methodological alignment, compatible datasets and coherent workflows.
• Act as a key liaison with analytical laboratories, particularly around soil physicochemical analyses, ensuring analytical quality, consistency of methodology and strong collaboration with relevant soil specialists.
• Lead data management, data checking, cleaning and quality assurance processes for soil datasets, applying appropriate data standards and reproducible workflows.
• Maintain and develop strong links with soil specialists across NE, ALBs and academia, contributing to technical networks that support programme objectives and evidence development.
• Contribute to, and where appropriate lead, research activities to inform the development and refinement of future soil monitoring methods and indicators, keeping abreast of emerging science and identifying knowledge gaps.
• Identify and assess existing land management datasets to support soil monitoring, contextual analysis and interpretation, including exploring opportunities for alignment with EES datasets.
• Where capacity allows, contribute to gathering land management data at monitoring sites, recognising that this activity may be dependent on resources.