Spatial Data Analyst

Salary – £37,405 to £39,694
Hybrid 50/50
1 year Fixed Term Appointment and Full-Time (37 hours per week)

Closing date for applications, Friday, 27th Sept 2024. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

UKCEH is looking for an experienced Spatial Data Analyst to join our team of talented individuals, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.

Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:

27 days annual leave, plus 3 days for our Christmas closure

10% employer pension contribution

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to qualifying requirements)

24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues plus access to our trained Welfare Officers

Flexible working opportunities

...

You’ll be providing much needed additional support for the Catchment to Coast group, whose research monitors the countryside to predict and measure the impact of climate and land use change on our environment.

Your spatial data analysis expertise will be to primarily support the Environment and Rural affairs Monitoring and Modelling Programme (). The programme is one of the highest income projects in UKCEH’s science portfolio, encompassing three main components:-

annual national field survey of Wales

integrated land-use modelling platform

a series of rapid evidence provision

Your main focus will be to support the field teams and data analysts. Working together, you'll help us to deliver our integrated national survey of Wales, which the Welsh Government use to help develop future environmental policy.

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Managing, processing and analysing spatial data, including data collected by field surveyors and Earth Observation

Managing a breadth of baseline and newly collected data, including sensitive data from Welsh Government, and using UKCEH’s extensive datasets for the UK

Developing tools to automate data processing and analysis scripts, particularly for spatial data interrogation and analysis

Liaising with a broad range of stakeholders across UKCEH and project partners to manage land access permissions for surveyors

Liaising with scientists and project management staff to manage diverse data flows, data cataloguing, including documentation of metadata, and disseminating data on UKCEH’s

Contributing to reports and scientific papers

Additionally, you will support Soils and Land Use scientists on other projects and have the opportunity to further develop your technical skills.

Current research the team are working on include developing new indicators and tools to assess soil health across Europe; modelling trade-offs and co-benefits of Net Zero-based land management on ecosystem services in Sub-Saharan Africa; and monitoring changes in Britain’s peatlands.

For the role of Spatial Data Analyst, we’re looking for somebody who has:

A postgraduate degree (or equivalent experience) in GIS, physical or environmental sciences, maths or computer science

Proficiency in GIS software such as the ArcGIS platform or QGIS, including automation of key processing steps in a reproducible manner in Python

Experience in database management and RDBMS, particularly SQL and Oracle

Familiarity with version control, using GitHub, and maintaining effective audit trails

Experience managing personal and other sensitive data effectively in compliance with UK GDPR

A thorough approach to quality control and quality assurance

An aptitude for learning new technologies and techniques to improve capability in analysing, processing and disseminating environmental data

The ability to seek advice and guidance when solving problems

The ability to work independently and manage time effectively, with the ability to work to strict deadlines and show a flexible attitude to teamwork

The capability to contribute effectively to the team and support others

Effective verbal and written communication skills

Desirable skills:

A PhD in a relevant subject

Demonstrable experience in one or more of the following: remote sensing & Earth Observation; image analysis; machine learning; environmental modelling

Willingness to occasionally travel in the UK and internationally (up to a week at a time)

Welsh language fluency an advantage

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet.Apply now.

Please send us your CV, which highlights any relevant skills and experience, together with what excites you most about the role and working for UKCEH.

We welcome applications from international candidates; however, at present, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role.