About the job

Job summary

Want to work at the cutting edge of environmental science?  Passionate about making a difference and playing your part in tackling the climate and nature crisis?  Forest Research is all about giving top quality evidence and advice to policymakers and practitioners to make a positive impact on the ground. Internationally recognised, we need people who have the skills and passion to work on excellent science and provide practical solutions for nature.

We’re small enough that your voice is heard, yet large enough, as part of the Forestry Commission, that we have everything on hand to get the job done, as well as a variety of career pathways.  Our staff are dedicated to their work and sharing it with others to bring positive change for our planet.  And you will find us a flexible and inclusive employer, so you can have a work life balance that is tailor-made to your circumstances. So, whether it’s climate or carbon, pests or pathogens, behaviour or biodiversity that interests you, you can be assured of a warm welcome to the team. To find out more, visit forestresearch.gov.uk.

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) and Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programmes monitor woodland and trees within Great Britain.

The NFI provides an extensive and unique record of key information about our forests and woodlands. It does this by means of construction and regular maintenance and updating of a digital spatial map of British woodlands using information from aerial photography, remote sensing and administrative sources. This is enhanced with a large field survey operation with many thousands of individual survey sites covering a representative sample of woodlands across Great Britain.

The NCEA is a science innovation and transformation programme involving Defra group organisations, which spans across land and water environments. It has been set up to collect data on the extent, condition and change over time of England’s biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural capital assets now and into the future. The NCEA involves an extensive programme of assessments of woodland and trees outside of woodland (TOW) to augment and extend the data already gathered and reported upon by the NFI.

This role sits within the Inventory, Forecasting and Operational Support (IFOS) group who provide a range of mapping and spatial data services to stakeholders and customers. You will be part of a team that is responsible for the production and continual revision of highly accurate geospatial datasets.

Job description

Key Work Areas:

• Read and interpret visual imagery (e.g. aerial photography, satellite imagery) together with Ordnance Survey, historical and contemporary data used to identify changes in the canopy cover across Great Britain
• Read and interpret complex geospatial and non-geospatial data used to deliver various projects
• Digitise a wide range of geospatial data that involves excellent accuracy and data quality assurance at all times
• Produce reports to identify data anomalies using a variety of geospatial techniques.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Excellent GIS skills, a proven track record of accurate editing in ArcGIS software and the ability to interpret the above material and translate it into data that conforms with the National Forest Inventory mapping specifications
• Proven ability to interpret visual imagery (e.g. aerial photography, satellite imagery) and other complex geospatial and non-geospatial data used to deliver various projects
• Evidence of attention to detail and quality assurance when preparing geospatial datasets
• The ability to analyse data, use complex data, and work well under pressure, and taking initiative where appropriated.

Desirable Criteria

• Awareness and understanding of forestry or environment or land management
• Awareness and understanding of Earth Observation.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,941, Forestry Commission - Forest Research contributes £7,544 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Sift Date:  week beginning 3 June 2024

Interview Date: week beginning 17 June 2024

If we receive a large volume of applications, then we will sift on Experience/Technical Expertise and the Lead Behaviour, Delivering at Pace. However, candidates will be expected to answer questions on all behaviours listed at the interview stage.

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Forest Research which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.