SEPA - Chief Scientific Advisor

About SEPA

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is Scotland’s principal environmental regulator, playing a leading role in addressing the climate and nature crises. With a visionary statutory purpose to protect and improve the environment while supporting health, wellbeing, and sustainable economic growth, SEPA works at the forefront of Scotland’s environmental future. The agency collaborates with the public, communities, industries, and government bodies to innovate and deliver a stronger, fairer, and more sustainable nation.

SEPA’s strategic priorities—Net Zero, Climate Resilience, Water Environment, Resource Efficiency, Business Environmental Performance and Transformation —guide the organisation’s mission to deliver maximum environmental benefit while creating value for people and the economy.

The organisation protects, supports and promotes the environment across Scotland by being purposeful, professional and passionate about what they do.

Job Purpose

The Chief Scientific Advisor sits within the Data, Evidence and Innovation Portfolio, reporting into the COO, Alex Flucker. The role provides strategic scientific leadership for SEPA, ensuring that environmental analysis, evidence, and insights are robust, credible, and central to regulatory decision-making. It directs environmental monitoring, modelling, and assessment activities, oversees State of the Environment reporting, and leads SEPA’s scientific research agenda. It champions innovation in data and technology, fosters partnerships with academic and research institutions, and ensures SEPA remains a trusted authority on environmental science and resilience in the face of climate change and emerging environmental challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic scientific leadership across SEPA, ensuring environmental analysis and insights are robust, credible, and underpin sound regulatory decisions.
• Lead the provision of high-quality scientific evidence to inform the development and review of regulatory frameworks and policy.
• Oversee SEPA’s State of the Environment Reporting, ensuring outputs are scientifically credible, accessible, and valuable to the public, government, and stakeholders.
• Direct environmental monitoring, modelling, and assessment activities, including data and modelling support for pollution incidents and environmental stress events.
• Lead SEPA’s scientific research agenda, fostering innovation and partnerships with academic and research institutions, and applying cutting-edge science, technology, and methods.
• Provide strategic leadership for SEPA’s environmental data strategy, championing innovation in analytics, GIS, AI, IoT, and satellite/sensor technologies.

Person Specification

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Deep understanding of environmental science and data-driven policy development, supported by experience at a senior strategic level.
• Ability to set long-term direction and deliver organisational priorities through effective leadership.
• Proven record of introducing innovative strategies that achieve significant organisational improvements.
• Skilled in influencing and negotiating with senior stakeholders, including government, academia, and industry, and representing the organisation nationally and internationally.
• Strong decision-making capability, able to manage complex issues and provide evidence-based advice under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills to present complex scientific and strategic information clearly to varied audiences.
• Experience in leading cross-functional groups and building collaborative partnerships.
• Competence in identifying organisational risks and developing strategies to address them.

Personal Attributes

• Committed to environmental protection and sustainability.
• Adaptable and resilient, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Able to inspire and empower teams while maintaining high standards of accountability.