About the job

Job summary

UK Hydrographic Office customers require us to provide professional advice and a range of Situational Awareness products providing information about the marine environment to assist in their planning. To support this, the Ocean Environment Team within the Scientific Analysis Group, acquires data from a variety of sources and analyses those data for subsequent use. Our Ocean Environment Technical Leads have the expertise necessary to advise on the use of this environmental data and provide an assessment of the environmental conditions likely to be encountered. This will be achieved through collaborations with external organisations and scientific communities.

We are in a position to be able to recruit 2 Ocean Environment Technical Leads to join and augment our Ocean Environment Team.

If successful, you will be the senior subject matter expert(s) for the Marine Environment within the UKHO and act as the technical advocate in this domain on behalf of the UKHO to external audiences in the military, academia, wider government and private industry. You will be responsible for the technical development of our Ocean Science disciplines, ensuring that the UKHO and Royal Navy can fully exploit a complex and rapidly advancing field.

Due to the nature of the work of the team, and the level of customer engagement and support provided to colleagues, on average 3 days a week working in the Taunton office would be the norm, although this can fluctuate depending on work in hand. 

Please note our Policy on informal hybrid working (arrangements available as agreed with the line manager) applies within the UK, and does not extend to working overseas.

Job description

Activities and responsibilities fall into the following key areas:

Build scientific capability and expertise across marine environmental disciplines within the UKHO:

• Drive forward the technical development of  specialist staff skills within the Ocean Environment Team - this includes technical specialists across Oceanography, Marine Biology, Geology, Acoustics and Data Analytics/Management.

Conduct research into:

• New marine environmental data acquisition (e.g. technology), processing (e.g. software) and analytical techniques (e.g. modelling)
• Marine environmental data sources and standards, assessing the relevance to UKHO strategy
• Complex technical issues relating to marine environmental data

Supervise Marine Environment related projects and programmes:

• Responsible for overseeing marine environmental data processing, validating and data-basing. Seeking continuous improvement of UKHO's Marine Environmental data deliverables and processing procedures by primary research advising on the best formats, systems and practices.
• Supporting the technical development of the Marine Environment databases and data management processes. 
• Providing technical leadership and representing UKHO interests on issues relating to emergent oceanographic data gathering technologies, e.g. the management and use of data collected using AUVs.
• Verification of Marine Environment outputs, including assessing and editing geospatial data and associated text/reports.

Engage externally with Marine Environment experts, data suppliers and potential partners/collaborators, and UKHO Customers, including the Royal Navy:

• Provide technical leadership to Royal Navy Hydrographic and Meteorological staff regarding appraisal and use of marine environmental data.
• Represent the Marine Environmental technical interests of the UKHO throughout the MOD (including Allied), Government and academic communities.

Person specification

Please note that we will only score against the sift and interview criteria and not the information given below.

We are looking for candidates with a postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience in a marine environmental discipline, or related discipline, who will be committed to utilising their expertise, currency and credibility to ensure we deliver high quality products and services to our defence users and allied partners.

To be successful in this technical leadership role, the post holder will have demonstrable experience in communicating with and influencing a wide variety of audiences, both nationally and internationally, whilst also able to coach, mentor and develop colleagues internally, to enable them to broaden their knowledge and skills.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,645, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £12,324 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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply:

Please input details of your anonymised CV demonstrating your relevant experience to the role by clicking "Apply Now" at the bottom of this page. (Your CV is for information purposes and will not be scored). You will also be asked to submit a Personal Statement of up to 1000 words on the Experience criteria shown below.

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications:     13/02/2024
• Shortlisting: week commencing:   19/02/2024
• Interviews: week commencing:     26/02/2024

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 

All applications are processed anonymously

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

Experience:-

Please submit a Personal Statement of up to 1000 words demonstrating how you meet the following criteria:

• Postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience in a marine environmental discipline, or related discipline.
• Experience of applying marine environmental science in an operational/business environment.
• Proven track record of working with large complex datasets.

In the event of a high volume of applications, the panel may undertake a pre sift of the criteria of: 

• Postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience in a marine environmental discipline, or related discipline.

Interview Criteria:

Experience:

Experience of applying marine environmental science in an operational/business environment (covered by Presentation)

Technical:

• Working with large complex datasets
• Computer programming skills

Civil Service Behaviours (Level 3):

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing (covered by Presentation)
• Developing Self and Others
• Working Together

See here for further information: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

 Process:  

• Single Stage Interview via TEAMS. You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted (see our Candidate Pack for further information)
• Interview will be with a panel of no more than 3 people and will last approximately 45 minutes.  During your interview you will be requested to give a 10 minute presentation based on the Experience and Behaviours criteria as indicated above.  The title of the presentation will be provided in the Invitation to Interview.

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms. 

Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

SC - Reserved

This is a Ministry of Defence reserved post and open to sole UK nationals only. Successful applicants will require a security clearance (SC) and therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 12 consecutive months within the last 5 years.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.