Non Executive Directorships

Chair of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)

Location: East of England

Date Posted: 09/10/2023

Closing Date: 20/11/2023

£40059 per annum – Adhoc – 3 years

About the role

Introduction

JNCC is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. As a public body, we also work with business and society

Introduction from the Secretary of State

Dear Candidate

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Independent Member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). JNCC is the only statutory nature advisor to all four countries of the UK, the UK Government, and our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

JNCC has been a vital and trusted statutory advisor on nature conservation and recovery for over thirty years, helping to deliver our collective efforts for nature. Beyond the extensive scientific advice JNCC has provided domestically, JNCC plays a critical role internationally. At CBD COP15 JNCC supported the UK to secure agreement for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). The agreement has been described as the ‘Paris moment for nature’ – its goals and targets stretch across many policy areas, recognising how connected nature is to every aspect of our society and setting the foundation for urgent action to solve the biodiversity crisis.

The UK relies on the collective, ambitious effort of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It is our unique arrangement of devolved environmental policy and local delivery, which enables each country to prioritise based on the knowledge of their own natural environment and stakeholders, while benefitting from the collective UK strength and expertise. This is where JNCC is so critical to our efforts, having a pivotal role helping to agree how the KMGBF commitments will be delivered across the UK. JNCC’s scientific evidence, advice, co-ordination and convening power is helping us accelerate urgent areas, such as creating an effective network of protected areas and assessing our economy’s impacts on biodiversity internationally, all while providing opportunities to share our knowledge and learn from each other.

I truly welcome JNCC’s new vision – thriving nature for a sustainable future. JNCC’s mission to turn science into action for nature, people and planet captures the unique value that JNCC contributes to our goals. It is JNCC’s ambition for nature recovery, operating holistically at multiple political and geographical scales, with interdisciplinary science at the heart of the strategy, that sets JNCC on the right course for success. I am looking for three Independent Members for the Committee who are passionate about the environment, can drive implementation of JNCC’s strategic priorities, capitalise on new opportunities and drive innovation. Inclusion is one of JNCC’s core values and I particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups to ensure membership of the Committee is reflective of our diverse society.

If you have the passion, skills and experience to help deliver JNCC’s vision, we very much look forward to hearing from you.

TRUDY HARRISON MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Environment)

Role description

Independent members of the Joint Committee contribute to the Committee’s work in providing UK Government and the Devolved Administrations, with effective support for their evidence needs and policies for nature conservation across the UK and internationally. Independent members need to understand the natural environment and its vital importance to everyone including its contribution to improving outcomes for the economy and for society on a sustainable basis. This will include an understanding on the latest thinking and implementation around natural capital, ecosystem services and natural resource management.

Independent members need to promote a positive and constructive relationship with a wide range of stakeholders including Defra, Devolved Administrations, the UK Country Nature Conservation Bodies, and other public bodies operating in the environmental field, including other Government Departments and international institutions. The JNCC has a key role in working with the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and with a wide range of non-government organisations and other interest groups both within the UK and internationally.

The JNCC was established in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006) as a non-departmental public body. Independent members are expected to take a full and active role in the governance of JNCC, appropriate to a non-executive board. This involves providing support to the Chair of the JNCC in holding the executive to account for achieving work programmes agreed in annual business plans and delivering good value for money. Independent members will also assist the Chair in overseeing the executive’s delivery of the 2016 JNCC Review in effecting operational changes to the way JNCC delivers advice and evidence to customers. A part of this work will involve independent members being able to identify new opportunities for JNCC to diversify its income while continuing to deliver on its core evidence and advisory functions for the UK Government and Devolved Administrations.

Independent members provide a valuable source of expertise to ensure that the scientific methods and approaches underpinning JNCC’s advice and evidence are robust and appropriate for the needs of customers. Members also take a longer-term strategic view to position the organisation to make optimal use of modern technological, computational, and scientific advances including the social sciences. Given the breadth of JNCC’s work in the terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, these include but are not restricted to advances in data and IT, modelling and statistics, earth observation and remote sensing. An understanding on the latest thinking and implementation around natural capital, ecosystem services and natural resource management is important.

The JNCC is accountable to the four government administrations in the UK. It is important for independent members, together with country conservation body representatives, to develop an understanding of legislative and policy approaches used across the UK.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate all the following essential criteria:

1. Extensive knowledge and expertise in a field relevant to the work of JNCC such as international or domestic strategy, policy, interdisciplinary environmental sciences or operations and the ability to relate this to the wider social and economic context and to the ambitions of the four governments of the UK, our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

2. The ability to provide strategic leadership of a complex organisation in a devolved context. This includes providing impartial advice, support and constructive challenge; steering implementation of Together for Nature, including extending funding opportunities; and visibly leading and representing an organisation, clearly communicating JNCC’s vision – our mission, strategic priorities and values.

3. The ability to provide strong engagement, partnership, and relationship management, building productive and collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of senior stakeholders and partners across the UK, our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and internationally.

4. The ability to build an inclusive team culture, create consensus on strategic direction and develop practical solutions between the Committee and the Executive to deliver strategic priorities, aligned to values of inclusion, collaboration and innovation, to ensure JNCC’s evidence and advice drives nature recovery domestically and internationally.

The successful candidate must abide by the Nolan principles of public service and the 12 Principles of Governance for all Public Body NEDs and the Code of Conduct for Board members.

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