Peatland ACTION Monitoring Officer

at  NatureScot

Job title: 1012-375 Peatland ACTION – Monitoring Officer (maternity cover) | Grade: D | Hours: 35 | Vacancy type: Temporary, ending 31 October 2025 | Salary: £38,242 | Location: Flexible (Home and hybrid working will be considered) | Closing date: 05 June 2024 | Internal Interviews: 11 June 2024 | External Interviews: 20 June 2024

SKILLS REQUIRED (PLEASE ADDRESS THESE IN YOUR SUPPORTING STATEMENT):

• Degree level qualification in environmental sciences, ecology, conservation or equivalent.
• Good understanding of upland management and peatland ecology, hydrology, and restoration techniques.
• Experience of using field-based and desktop GIS tools to support mapping, field survey and data collection, preferably QGIS.
• Strong organisational and project management skills including contract management.
• Good analytical and critical thinking skills with experience in making evidence-based decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to explain scientific concepts simply to a non-technical audience.
• Good interpersonal skills to support collaborative working with remotely based colleagues and various external stakeholders.

JOB PURPOSE SUMMARY

We are looking for a skilled and motivated person to join the Data & Evidence Team as a Peatland ACTION Monitoring Officer on a temporary basis to cover maternity leave. You will work closely with another Monitoring Officer in the Team, as well as others in Peatland ACTION, wider NatureScot, Scottish Government and external organisations. We are looking for someone who is open to challenges, adaptable, enjoys supportive and collaborative working and able to work independently.
You will ensure the ongoing delivery of the Peatland ACTION Monitoring Strategy in order to assess and improve the effectiveness of our peatland restoration and help evidence the range of benefits arising from restoration activity through data review and analysis work. You will evaluate peatland restoration outcomes through monitoring led by NatureScot Peatland ACTION, collaboration with other organisations and funding of external projects. The post covers the whole of Scotland and includes some fieldwork, often in remote locations, requiring the ability to travel independently and occasional overnight stays.
A key component of NatureScot Peatland ACTION monitoring is continuing to build up a Restoration Monitoring Network we initiated in 2023 and involves repeatable, long-term, field-based monitoring across a representative sample of sites. Sites are monitored before and after restoration using vegetation surveys, assessment of restoration features, fixed point photography and area-level assessments. Surveys are mainly conducted by contracted ecologists managed via a framework agreement, but some fieldwork is required to provide training and/or complete surveys. We also manage contracts to maintain hydrological monitoring equipment within an extensive network of water level loggers and a more recent project on the Isle of Lewis .
Collaboration with external organisations and funding of external projects is an integral part of our Strategy and has allowed us to support more in-depth evaluation of specific restoration techniques, water quality monitoring, greenhouse gas emission monitoring, and development of remote sensing tools for peatland monitoring. You will build collaborative relationships to develop monitoring projects, assess applications for monitoring funding and communicate effectively across a range of organisations to ensure coordinated peatland monitoring and research.

THE MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE:

• Ongoing delivery of the Peatland ACTION Monitoring Strategy in order to assess and improve the effectiveness of our peatland restoration.
• Continuing implementation of the Peatland ACTION Restoration Monitoring Network, including site identification, liaison with site contacts, monitoring design, fieldwork and arranging surveys using contracted ecologists.
• Maintenance of a network of automated water levels loggers at peatland sites across Scotland, using contracted hydrologists and other suppliers.
• Management of peatland monitoring data including quality assurance, processing, storage, analysis and publication.
• Procurement and contract management of external suppliers used to deliver peatland monitoring activities.
• Support and assess applications for monitoring funding from external organisations, including development of collaborative projects. Review and share outputs from collaborative and funded monitoring projects.
• Liaise with Peatland ACTION delivery partners, Scottish Government and other external organisations to ensure coordinated peatland monitoring and research.
• Provide advice, respond to data requests and summarise evidence on peatland restoration monitoring and outcomes for NatureScot, Peatland ACTION, Scottish Government and other stakeholders.
• Support and/or lead analysis of existing datasets to draw conclusions and key messages for use in stakeholder communications.
• Continual review and improvement of monitoring activities and processes, including monitoring design, protocols, data management and use of novel techniques.