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Job description

Principal Scientific Officers are responsible as Heads of Branch, leading teams with a broad range of scientific skills. Principal Scientific Officers will have leadership and people management responsibilities of multi-disciplinary teams and their respective workloads. Principal Scientific Officers are members of the Senior Management Teams and are typically answerable to Directors or Deputy Directors. Please see employer website for full job details & person specification.

Responsibilities

• Principal Scientific Officers are responsible as Heads of Branch, leading teams with a broad range of scientific skills. Principal Scientific Officers will have leadership and people management responsibilities of multi-disciplinary teams
• and their respective workloads. Principal Scientific Officers are members of the Senior Management Teams and are typically answerable to Directors or Deputy Directors.
• Typical generic responsibilities and duties at Principal Scientific Officer level are to lead teams of multidisciplinary scientists in:
• Setting business objectives for the Branch under their responsibility to ensure Departmental and Ministerial priorities are delivered;
• Leading teams on the development and delivery of science and evidence programmes;
• The provisions of technically robust scientific advice;
• Regulatory measures to protect the environment within the context of sustainable development and meeting environmental quality objectives set out in the legislation.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Applicants must have, by the closing date for applications: 1(a) A degree in a relevant scientific discipline (specified for each area below). Please refer to the CIB.
• AND 1(b) At least 5 years’ post qualification experience at a professional level in a relevant environmental management field. Please refer to the CIB.
• AND 1(c) At least 3 years' post qualification experience managing multi-disciplinary teams to deliver environmental outcomes in association with a range of external/internal stakeholders. Please refer to the CIB.
• OR 2(a) An HNC/HND in a relevant scientific discipline (specified for each area below). Please refer to the CIB.
• AND 2(b) At least 7 years’ post qualification experience at a professional level in a relevant environmental management field. Please refer to the CIB.
• AND 2(c) At least 5 years’ post qualification experience managing multi-disciplinary teams to deliver environmental outcomes in association with a range of external/internal stakeholders. Please refer to the CIB.

Desirable Skills

• In addition, applicants should be aware that after an eligibility sift, should it be necessary to shortlist candidates to go forward to interview, the following shortlisting criteria will be used in the order listed:
• The depth and breadth of the information provided by candidates in response to 1(b) or 2(b) and then, if necessary, 1(c) and 2(c).

Further Information

Location: Lisburn or Belfast or at another DAERA location within Northern Ireland. NICS Application form only, Vacancy closing date Friday 14th November 2025 at 12 noon. All applications from Protestants, young people (people under the age of 35), people with a disability and people from minority ethnic communities are particularly welcomed for this post. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is an Equal Opportunities Employer. DAERA relies on science to help achieve its strategic outcomes. Science is used to inform policy development, meet statutory obligations, measure outcomes, provide advice and information, manage risks to society and support rural areas. Science evidence will be critically important in informing DAERA’s response to key strategic challenges, including transition from the EU, climate change and sustainable economic growth, and will be essential to finding the right solutions to deliver the net zero requirements, while also protecting and enhancing air and water quality and biodiversity. DAERA’s Key Priorities, in the 2024-2025 Business Plan, recognises championing and investing in science, innovation and knowledge transfer, as the means of addressing the climate challenge and unlocking new economic opportunities, as a key enabler to delivering on all of DAERA’s Key Priorities.