Higher Data Scientist - ( Ref : 6768 )

Job Summary

This position is based Nationally

Job Description

Data Science Services (DSS) is part of the Analysis Directorate. We are a large, national team and have broad skills including data science, analysis and statistics. We are passionate about quality technical delivery and continuous improvement, using novel data science approaches to help everyone understand nature recovery.

This role will primarily oversee a variety of small teams and programmes / projects to manage, process, and analyse non-spatial data to create quality reproducible products that inform evidence-led advice and decision making within NE and partner organisations. The holder of this post will design and oversee the delivery of robust data processing flows and complex data analysis, communicate methods and outputs effectively to various stakeholders, and implement data standards and quality assurance on a range of projects using both marine and terrestrial data.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Support Senior and Higher Data Scientists and Specialists in establishing and prioritising business and functional requirements for protected sites data and information and ensuring Natural England’s non-spatial evidence can meet these requirements.
• Lead, manage and monitor delivery of specific evidence projects.
• Effectively engage with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide technical non-spatial (and potentially spatial) data management advice, analysis and expertise for relevant projects – e.g. Conservation Advice.
• Work with colleagues to ensure data and information are managed appropriately and made available and accessible to staff across Natural England, and external stakeholders, including through analysis and interpretation.
• Ensure that the data are collected, collated and stored to adhere to relevant data standards.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience designing, maintaining and querying relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MS Access) and managing large, multiformat datasets.
• Experience maintaining data processing, transformation or ETL workflows to support operational evidence products.
• Experience writing and maintaining SQL queries for data extraction, transformation and validation.
• Experience applying data validation, quality assurance and quality control procedures.
• Knowledge of designated sites and features.
• Experience of project management, with ability to plan and deliver interdependent tasks to schedule.
• Familiarity with data standards such as INSPIRE and data management principles, such as QFAIR.
• Experience working with data and metadata processes, procedures and workflows.
• Experience with VBA or other scripting languages for automation.
• Familiarity with reference management software – e.g. EndNote.

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

Please note: Licensed visa sponsoring organisations are employers authorised by the government to recruit and sponsor overseas workers, enabling them to obtain the appropriate visa to work legally in the country. Natural England is NOT a licensed sponsorship employer.

As part of the Natural England’s application process, candidates are asked to confirm their right to work and remain in the UK. If a candidate says that they meet these requirements, ID is checked, a provisional offer of permanent employment is made and pre-employment eligibility checks commence. Only after these checks are candidates given firm offers of employment.

Natural England is unable to employ individuals who cannot provide the required evidence of their right to work.

How To Apply

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. Please be aware that we reserve the right for roles that receive a high volume of applications to initially sift applications for one competence only.

• Technical Skills and Knowledge
• Work Delivery
• Personal Effectiveness

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking.

Competencies

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Experience designing, maintaining and querying relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MS Access) and managing large, multiformat datasets. (Essential)
• Experience maintaining data processing, transformation or ETL workflows to support operational evidence products. (Essential)
• Experience writing and maintaining SQL queries for data extraction, transformation and validation. (Essential)
• Experience applying data validation, quality assurance and quality control procedures. (Essential)
• Knowledge of designated sites and features. (Desirable)
• Experience of project management, with ability to plan and deliver interdependent tasks to schedule. (Desirable)
• Familiarity with data standards such as INSPIRE and data management principles, such as QFAIR. (Desirable)
• Experience working with data and metadata processes, procedures and workflows. (Desirable)
• Experience with VBA or other scripting languages for automation. (Desirable)
• Familiarity with reference management software - e.g. EndNote. (Desirable)

Work Delivery

• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance and comply with delegations, policies and procedures. (Practitioner)
• Manage and delivery your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)

Personal Effectiveness

• Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and the organisation you represent and inspire others to act. (Practitioner)
• Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together. (Basic)
• Apply new technology to improve the way we deliver our work. (Practitioner)