Director of Communications and Engagement - 2026050

The future is not yet written. The choices we make today will shape the future of the natural systems that sustain us all, from the air we breathe and the water we drink to our shared prosperity, resilience and wellbeing.

This is a rare opportunity to join an organisation with a proud heritage, a trusted reputation and an ambitious vision: Thriving nature for a sustainable future.

As the UK's statutory nature adviser, JNCC has spent more than 35 years providing the evidence, expertise and partnerships that help governments and society make better decisions for the natural world. Our science informs policy, supports international commitments and helps drive nature recovery across the UK, the UK Overseas Territories, and beyond. But evidence alone does not create change.

In a world of increasing complexity, misinformation and competing priorities, we need trusted voices that can communicate science with clarity, credibility and impact. We need to build understanding, inspire action and strengthen trust in the evidence that will help shape a more sustainable future. We also have a responsibility to

safeguard the nature data, knowledge and evidence that future generations will depend upon. That is why this role is so important.

As Director of Communications and Engagement, you will build on JNCC's strong reputation to help shape our next chapter. You will lead how we communicate our science, engage our stakeholders and strengthen our influence. Working alongside exceptional colleagues and partners, you will help turn evidence into action, build powerful relationships and ensure JNCC remains a trusted and influential voice for nature.

Together, we can build on JNCC's remarkable legacy, protect the knowledge that future generations will need, and help create a nature-positive future.

Why this role matters

This is not a conventional communications role. It is an opportunity to shape national conversations, connect evidence with action, and help ensure nature is recognised as fundamental to the UK's future prosperity, resilience and wellbeing. As a member of JNCC's senior leadership team, you will help position the organisation at the centre of some of the UK's most important environmental, economic and societal debates. You will ensure that robust scientific evidence informs decision-making and that JNCC's voice is heard where it matters most. If you want to help deliver JNCC's ambition to be a good ancestor, leaving a more resilient, equitable and nature-rich future for generations to come, we would love to hear from you.

Role Responsibilities

Leading the team and contributing across the organisation

• Lead a respected, high-performing communications and engagement function, strengthening capability, influence and strategic impact, supporting cross-organisation relationships, while managing resources, performance, budget and priorities.
• Contribute to an experienced senior leadership team, sharing responsibility fororganisationalperformance, culture and delivery of JNCC’sorganisational strategies

Strategic communications and external engagement

• Lead an integrated communications and external engagement strategy that strengthens JNCC’s role as the UK’s trusted, independent scientific adviser on nature and maximises its reach, influence and impact.
• Coordinate JNCC’s approach to stakeholder engagement, supporting senior leaders and colleagues to build influential relationships beyond the environmental sector, across government, business, academia and international partners.
• Develop clear, compelling communications – including social media – that translate complex evidence into accessible messages and show why nature matters to policy, economic resilience and national security.
• Act as a trusted adviser to the Executive Committee, Chief Executive and Chair, providing expert counsel, constructive challenge and sound judgement on communications, reputation and stakeholder engagement.

Organisational communications and engagement

• Build on the team’s strong foundations to deliver strategic internal communications that connect colleagues to JNCC’s vision, strategy, priorities and organisational change.
• Support the Chief Executive, Chair and Executive Committee in communicating strategic priorities, key messages and change.

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)

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process no later than 23:55 on Monday 31 August.

You will be asked to submit the following:

• A CV or equivalent biographical information (maximum two sides A4, minimum 12 font) setting out your career history and including details of any professional qualifications.
• Provide a summary of why you are interested in the role and how you meet the specification and essential criteria. This can be in a form that allows you most ably to present your interest and credentials, for example a short, bullet-point slide presentation (no more than 5 slides as a pdf only document), or supporting letter (no more than two A4 pages, minimum 12 font). Make sure you refer to the contents of this document and provide specific examples.
• Please attach the above items in one PDF document to your application.
• Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the Person Specification

How we decide whom to invite for interview

The panel will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification section.

A member of our HR team may arrange a call with you to confirm some elements of your application before completing the final sift.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview. Please complete the relevant parts in the application system if applying under this scheme.

Assessment

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in the following additional assessment:

Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) – an online presentation and question and answer session with a representative staff group from JNCC.

Final Panel

As part of the interview process you may be given the opportunity for an informal discussion with our Chief Executive. This would take place before the panel interview.

You will be asked to attend a panel interview at Quay House in Peterborough for an in-depth discussion of your experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification and the Civil Service Success Profiles.

You will be asked to deliver a presentation at interview. Full details will be provided to candidates selected to attend final interview.

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