Science and Policy Liaison - Wales

Post Title: Science and Policy Liaison – Wales
Team: Nature Conservation Policy & Advice
Ref No: 202539
Grade: S (SEO)
Type of appointment: Fixed-term (maternity cover)
Location: Cardiff or Peterborough (or potentially other location in Wales if a Welsh Government or NRW secondee)
Salary: £40,140

This is a fixed term position to backfill the role whilst the current post-holder is on maternity leave. The post holder would benefit from a good knowledge, preferably through direct experience, of the work and operation of JNCC, NRW and/or Welsh Government. As such we would also support applications from staff currently working for NRW or Welsh Government who would like to take the post on secondment (subject to agreement of their current employer). 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 one of our office bases for a few days a month as a minimum with attendance expected at regular face to face team meetings. Arrangements 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.

This post could be based at JNCC’s office at Quay House, Peterborough or from our new office space within the Welsh Government office in Cardiff. Other office locations across Wales may be possible for applicants joining on secondment from Welsh Government or NRW, subject to agreement from their current employer. In any case, the post-holder will be required to travel to Cardiff on from time to time to attend meetings and network. 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.

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 whilst the current post holder is on maternity leave. 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 Senior Leadership Team and Executive Committee, 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. The post holder will also lead projects, currently including a project to advise Welsh Government on biodiversity indicators. 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.

Job Description:

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.
• Manage projects to support JNCC’s work for Welsh Government or collaboration with NRW. This is likely to include managing a project to support the development of biodiversity indicators.
• Communicate effectively within JNCC. Make information on Wales-related policies available in a clear and simple format, and brief and advise JNCC Executive Committee and Senior 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.

Post Responsibilities:

Line Manager: No

Project Manager: Yes - depending on the need of the team

General User

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

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 Government.
• Good understanding of environmental policy and legislation and an ability to analyse and brief on the content and implications of new and emerging policy.
• 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 experience of conveying detailed information to a range of audiences using a range of media e.g. 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.
• Basic Welsh language skills are desirable to the level of being able to pronounce Welsh names and use basic phrases, such as for opening and closing meetings. Candidates without Welsh language skills should show a willingness to learn basic phrases.

Behaviours

• Communicating and influencing
• Working Together
• 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 Sunday, 31 August 2025.

The anticipated interview date is w/c Monday, 15 September 2025.