Senior Marine Mammal Specialist

Post Title: Senior Marine Mammal Specialist
Team: Marine Species Team
Ref No: 2026001
Grade: S (SEO)
Type of appointment: 2 Year Fixed-term
Location: Peterborough or Aberdeen

This post will have a base in either Peterborough or Aberdeen.

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.

Who are JNCC?

Since 1991, JNCC has been the UK’s statutory, independent advisor on the natural environment—supporting environmental ambitions across all four UK Governments and internationally. We sit uniquely at the intersection of science, policy, and practical delivery, enabling better decisions for nature, people, and the economy.

What We Do

We provide robust, impartial, and actionable advice on issues affecting the UK’s terrestrial and marine environment. Our work helps governments and industry manage natural resources sustainably, reduce risk, and meet environmental obligations at national, European, and global scales.

Why We’re Trusted

JNCC is led by the Joint Committee, bringing together expertise from:

• Nature conservation bodies in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and
• Independent experts appointed by the Secretary of State for Defra under an independent Chair. This governance model ensures our advice is evidence-driven, authoritative, and aligned across the UK.

Our People

With around 300 specialists based in Peterborough and Aberdeen, we provide:

• Cutting-edge scientific and technical expertise
• Deep understanding of environmental policy and regulation
• Extensive experience working with governments, regulators, and the private sector

Our teams support sectors including offshore energy, marine planning, biodiversity conservation, nature recovery, climate resilience, and more.

Why JNCC?

We’re small enough (c.300 staff) that your voice is heard by everyone in the organisation, 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. This post may also be suitable for job share.

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:

The Marine Species Team provides expert advice on conservation of marine species in UK, European and international waters, with a focus on marine mammals, turtles, birds, fish and elasmobranchs. Our marine mammal work is highly varied and involves the delivery of species monitoring initiatives; conservation status assessment and reporting; interpretation of evidence to provide advice on protected areas management and marine mammal conservation more widely. This involves active engagement/collaboration with a variety of stakeholder groups including government(s), NGOs and academia nationally and internationally. The team plays a significant role in identifying and reducing evidence gaps, as well as in helping to shape marine mammal conservation policy.

For the role of Senior Marine Mammal Specialist, we are looking for individuals with a skillset complimentary to our primary work areas. As a small team, the post-holder will be expected to work closely with colleagues to ensure delivery of routine work but also to help identify opportunities for new areas of work in line with JNCC’s corporate strategy and identified priorities.

The post will sit in JNCC’s Marine Species Team but the postholder will work closely with colleagues across the organisation. They will also routinely work with partners in the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, regulatory agencies, Defra and the Devolved Administrations. There is an expectation that the postholder will work with national and international marine species experts as well as relevant research and policy groups to develop scientific advice to inform policy.

Post Duties:

The postholder will carry out a range of functions such as:

1. Delivering technical advice to policy colleagues on pressures and impacts on marine mammals in UK waters.
2. Undertaking marine mammal conservation status assessments e.g. UK Marine Strategy and OSPAR.
3. Contributing JNCC technical marine mammal expertise and represent UK interests in national and international forums such as OSPAR, ICES and ASCOBANS.
4. Providing advice to regulators on the management of marine mammals in UK Marine Protected Areas and the wider seas.
5. Strengthening JNCC’s strategic role in evidence gathering and co-ordination of evidence programmes e.g. multinational SCANS survey programme.
6. Providing support and secretariat function to UK strandings and bycatch initiatives e.g. SMASS, CSIP, BMP.
7. Contributing to setting the strategic direction of the team and in the identification of opportunities and development of bids for funded income.
8. Effectively representing JNCC with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.
9. Working with specialists from other teams within JNCC to support project planning and delivery.

The post-holder may be required to carry out other work to support JNCC’s marine programmes as necessary.

Technical:

To be a successful candidate you will be/have:

• Minimum of four years evidenced relevant academic or practical marine mammal work experience relevant to the job description.
• Proven understanding of the relevant legal frameworks for conservation of marine mammals in the UK and abroad.
• Experience drafting technical documentation for non-technical audiences.

Experience (Responsibilities)

To be a successful candidate you will have:

• Experience of strategic and innovative thinking and work/resource planning
• Experience in project development, design and management
• Experience of data analysis, interpretation and communication
• Experience in producing peer reviewed material (publications/reports etc)
• Proven track record of effective engagement with partners and/or stakeholders

Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

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 Seeing the Big Picture

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 on Sunday, 22 March 2026

The anticipated interview date is week commencing Monday, 13 April 2026