Senior Earth Observation Analyst

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature.

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes:

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive.
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change.
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods.
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing

We are the Government’s Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england.

The NCEA is a transformative programme to understand the extent, condition and change over time of environmental assets across England's land and water environments, supporting the government’s ambition to improve the environment within a generation. Data will come from Earth Observation, professional field data collection, citizen science and partner data sets. 

This role sits within Project NE1 - Mapping & Earth Observation - Living England. Living England, a satellite-derived probability map of ecosystem and habitat extent, has been developed to address this gap but the current version requires further development (Phase IV) to improve its overall accuracy as well as the accuracy for certain key habitat types where confidence is currently particularly low.

As an Earth Observation Analyst Senior Adviser, your duties will include the acquisition and analysis of Earth Observation data to meet the needs of Natural England’s NCEA projects. You will apply your knowledge of different techniques and data to environmental problems, using a combination of in-house technical work and contract management. And provide functional management to the technical and surveyor roles delivering geospatial and fieldwork elements of the project.

Key tasks;

• Apply Earth Observation data, tools and techniques to develop models and mapped outputs in support of Natural England NCEA needs.
• Design, let and manage contracts/partnership projects, to deliver Earth Observation models and outputs.
• Validate outputs quantitatively to understand model quality.
• Work with others to collate and prepare existing survey data, from a variety of sources, for use as training and validation data.
• Develop and present/promote communications materials arising from the Earth observation modelling work

Further information

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing.

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us.

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events.

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated.

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan.

Contact and additional information

Ruth Crundwell Team Leader

Ruth.Crundwell@naturalengland.org.uk