Higher Data Scientist - ( Ref : 6726 )

This position is based Nationally

Data Science Services (DSS) is part of the Analysis Directorate. We are a large, national team and have broad skills including data science, analysis and statistics. We are passionate about quality technical delivery and continuous improvement, using novel data science approaches to help everyone understand nature recovery. The roles would be initially based in our Marine or terrestrial geospatial analysis and data management team with potential to lead on data management projects, including standardisation, metadata and licensing.

Job description

• Lead and oversee standard data and spatial analyses, carry out standard and complex analyses, to meet the evidence needs of a variety of Natural England, Defra group and other stakeholders
• Ensure project data standards, processes and systems are followed to ensure outputs are high-quality and robust (including through good documentation and automation) so that customer decisions and advice can be based on sound evidence and outputs can be reproduced.
• For projects where the role is leading, liaise with project managers and teams to establish project planning and resourcing so that projects are delivered efficiently, with appropriate resource and capability, to a high standard, and progress, risks and issues can be monitored.
• People leadership skills / experience in either a functional or line management context (Essential)
• Experience of planning and leading the delivery of projects (Essential)
• Data analysis skills including:
• Data extraction/ingestion and preparation, exploratory data analysis, and data visualisation (Essential)
• Working with a range of large scale spatial and non-spatial data types in both structured and unstructured formats (Essential)
• Experience working with (preferably combining) a range of biological, geographical and social data (Essential)
• Experience of coding in Python, R and FME (Desirable)
• Experience in Machine Learning / Deep Learning applications (Desirable)
• Experience in GIS software (e.g. ArcPro, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, QGIS) (Essential)
• Knowledge of relevant data/metadata standards (Essential)
• Understanding of good practice, ethics, and quality assurance for data analysis (Essential)
• Working with databases, web-based applications, open-source software and APIs (Essential)
• Experience of a range of statistical techniques and applications (e.g. SAS, SPSS, R) for identifying relationships between data and for inference, parametric and non-parametric analysis and methods for quantifying uncertainty. (Essential)
• Experience in designing or contributing to digital tools such as data‑collection apps, dashboards, or field‑data interfaces (Desirable)

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical/specialist knowledge Presentation

Description

• Problem solving (Essential)
• Data analysis skills including:
• Data extraction/ingestion and preparation, exploratory data analysis, and data visualisation (Essential)
• Working with a range of spatial and non-spatial data types (Essential)
• Experience working with biological, geographical and social data (Essential)
• Experience in geospatial software (e.g. ArcPro, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, QGIS) (Essential)
• Knowledge of relevant data/metadata standards (Essential)
• Understanding of good practice, ethics, and quality assurance for data analysis (Essential)
• Experience of coding in R/Python, including use of GitHub for robust version control (Desirable)
• Working with databases, web-based applications and APIs (Desirable)
• Experience of a range of statistical techniques and applications. (Essential)
• Understanding of habitat data and classification approaches in a UK context (Desirable)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Work delivery

Description

• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance and comply with delegations, policies and procedures (Practitioner)
• Manage and delivery your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Practitioner)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and Natural England and inspire others to act (Practitioner)
• Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together (Practitioner)
• Apply new technology to improve the way we deliver our work (Practitioner)

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)

Please refer to Job Description

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