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Principal Conservation Scientist - Flexible in UK

Reference: MAY20224135
Expiry date: 2022-06-12 22:59:00.000
Location: Flexible in UK
Salary: £42,768.00 - £44,372.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Annual Leave, Life Assurance
Attachments: CandidateGuidanceNotes2021.pdf

RSPB’s evidence-based conservation actions extend beyond the UK. As part of BirdLife International we work together for biodiversity across the world with a particular focus on UK Overseas Territories.

We have a vacancy for a Principal Conservation Scientist for our international species science to provide the science and evidence that underpins our conservation work. This post, which will be based in the UK (flexible but Cambridge or Edinburgh preferable), and provides an exciting opportunity for an experienced conservation scientist to provide scientific direction for our international species work. Joining the International Conservation Science team, the successful candidate will work closely with International Species recover and UK Overseas Territories colleagues. They will also make a full contribution to the work of the International Conservation Science team, the wider Conservation Science department, and RSPB’s international programmes and work with country partners and through BirdLife.

What's the role about?

Supported by and in discussion with the Head of International Conservation Science, and members of the International Conservation Science team, you will be responsible for scientific work programmes and conceiving, prioritising, designing, planning and fundraising for pipelines of innovative scientific projects that withstand external academic peer-review. You will line manage a small team of excellent scientists. Our international species science covers UKOT endemics, seabirds on UKOTs, invasive species eradication on islands, vultures, and species projects in focal countries. Your work will be guided by RSPBs international species priorities and be informed by discussions with RSPB’s UKOT and International species teams, in country partners, and other key stakeholders and collaborators. External relationships are important in international conservation and so you will be expected to identify, build, and maintain an effective profile and relationships with BirdLife International and partners and universities, governments, and funders, so that collaboration is facilitated and we influence funding, policy and management. You will be a core part of the International Conservation Science team and the wider Conservation Science department. The post will involve international travel in line with RSPB’s international travel policy. This is a new post. Flexible working/part time applications welcomed.

What we need form you

Essential:

  • Ph.D. or equivalent experience and proven extensive experience (e.g. managing multiple scientific research projects; managing budgets, staff, volunteers and students; communicating to various audiences, by writing reports, publishing peer-reviewed papers, giving lectures and working with the media)
  • Broad knowledge of conservation issues and practice, and conservation science, gained through experience of taking responsibility for the management of a range of scientific projects
  • Knowledge of how to provide strategic leadership and guidance
  • Specialist and up–to–date knowledge of how to apply complex statistical / computational procedures to enable innovative, robust analysis of data
  • Project design, to a robust scientific standard forecasting the necessary time scales, which could range from weeks to several years
  • Self-motivated and able to work efficiently under pressure to meet deadlines, with the autonomy to prioritise own working schedule. This necessitates the ability to plan and organise own work and to manage the work of managed staff
  • Collecting, curating and analysing large and complex data-sets that can pass international peer-reviewed standards of scrutiny and audit
  • Demonstrable outstanding track record of scientific publication in internationally recognised journals
  • Demonstrable experience of raising external funding for science projects

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of key legal and practical requirements for ensuring health and safety of staff and volunteers, sometimes in difficult field conditions, for instance cliff-nesting seabird colonies, tropical rainforests, working with the public, lone working
  • National/internationally-recognised expert or specialist
  • Broad and deep knowledge of UK and international species ecology to ensure correct methods can be chosen or devised from scratch to answer novel questions at both practical and analytical levels
  • Initiative and scientific horizon scanning to conceptualise and propose innovative projects to answer novel and important conservation questions using science
  • Practical scientific skills of a standard that ensures the safe and ethical collection of high quality data and the ability to respond appropriately to changing circumstances in the field
  • Ability to translate conservation science into conservation practice, through prescriptive writing and verbal coaching in the field
  • Ability to train and coach others in complex data collection techniques in sometimes difficult conditions in the UK or abroad
  • Novel advanced scientific techniques to be learned and applied as necessary

Additional Information

This is a Permanent role for 37.5 hours per week. 

Interviews for this position will be from 5th July. For further information please contact ConSciAdmin@rspb.org.uk.

As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by/exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.