About the job

Job summary

Passionate about making a difference and playing your part in tackling the climate and nature crisis?  Forest Research (FR) is all about giving top quality evidence and advice to policymakers and practitioners to make a positive impact on the ground. Internationally recognised, we need people who have the skills and passion to work on excellent science and provide practical solutions for nature.

We’re small enough that your voice is heard, yet large enough, as part of the Forestry Commission, that we have everything on hand to get the job done, as well as a variety of career pathways.  Our staff are dedicated to their work and sharing it with others to bring positive change for our planet.  And you will find us a flexible and inclusive employer, so you can have a work life balance that is tailor-made to your circumstances.   Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.  To find out more about FR, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk.

The postholder will be a member of the Society and Environment Research Group (SERG). Members of the group are based at Alice Holt Lodge near Farnham, at the Northern Research Station near Edinburgh, and at the Forestry Commission national office in Bristol.  SERG scientists are involved in interdisciplinary research with colleagues across FR, and with universities and other research institutes.

Job description

SERG is a dynamic, agile group of twenty social scientists focusing on four broad thematic work areas: 

• Well-being and woodlands
• Land manager behaviours in relation to trees and woodlands
• Social dimensions of forest disturbances including tree health
• Social dimensions of wildlife management and reintroduction

Cross-cutting issues include climate change, urban forestry and project, programme and policy evaluation.

The group delivers evidence direct to policy and other research commissioners, presents at national and international conferences, as well as publishing in a range of high impact journals.

Person specification

SERG is seeking to appoint a Senior Social Scientist to undertake and support the group’s research across a portfolio of projects.  The post holder will carry out social science research across the core themes outlined above, with a particular emphasis on assessing the impact and outcomes of policies, projects and actions related to forest and woodland management.

Key Work Areas:  

• Contribute to the management and development of SERG, through the active supervision of multiple research projects in the group’s portfolio, including leading multiple projects, organising staff and tasks within projects.  This includes:

• Work with the senior members of SERG to develop the strategic direction of the group and provide leadership in aligning its activities with the wider organisational priorities of FR
• Drive forward business development opportunities that fit with the groups key areas of research to ensure long term sustainability
• Working with the FR Business Development team and Head of SERG, and leading on proposal writing and bid development for new research projects and scientific collaborations
• In close collaboration with the senior members of the group contribute to budgeting of the group’s finances, including the production and management of quarterly forecasts, across the multiple projects the team is involved with
• Line manage, and empower staff to effectively carry out their roles, and develop their full potential in support of their own, and the wider goals of SERG, and FR
• Work closely with existing networks of stakeholders and customers, to understand customers research needs and policy priorities, and to represent the work and capability of SERG and to develop new networks
• Lead on the production of outputs such as academic papers, technical reports, research summaries, website and social media content 
• Work with the Communications and Marketing Team to actively promote the research of SERG amongst stakeholders and wider audiences

Essential Criteria: 

• PhD qualification with substantial social science content within an environmental setting or equivalent experience
• Track record of leading multiple social science and interdisciplinary research projects of different sizes, including multiple partners, with evidence of significant project management skills including staff management, allocation of resources, strong planning and organisational skills, and an understanding of the complexities associated with driving applied social science with policy makers.
• Experience of staff management including supporting and developing staff, dealing with, and resolving difficult staff situations.
• Demonstrable ability and experience in social science research drawing on relevant theories, identifying the most appropriate methods to be used to gather evidence, and experience in collection and analysis of data and the production of suitable high-quality outputs.
• Track record, ability and experience of using appropriate IT including data collection packages, data analysis packages, collaboration platforms, and other research support tools and supporting staff to use such tools.
• Demonstrable ability to develop new ideas, relationships and partnerships that meet the needs of organisations, and that support long term planning.
• The post holder will need to be able to travel across the UK to attend meetings, conferences, and undertake fieldwork

Desirable Criteria:

• A substantial understanding, and experience of applying social science theories and approaches and relating these to forestry and woodland issues or the wider environment.
• Substantial experience of managing evaluations and assessments of the outcomes and impacts of interventions, projects, programmes and policies.
• Substantial knowledge and experience of working with land managers (including e.g. farmers, foresters, small woodland managers, land agents, local authorities, conservation and heritage organisations, National Parks and AONBs), and businesses servicing the woodland and forestry sector, (e.g. plant and tree nurseries and producers, plant and tree retailers, arboriculturalists and contractors, timber processing businesses).
• Knowledge and experience of working with stakeholder organisations and agencies active in the development of strategic approaches to forest and woodland governance and management, (e.g. Forestry Commission, Defra, Scottish Forestry, NRW, Natural England, RHS, HTA, ICF, NFU, BALI, Woodland Trust, ConFor, Arboricultural Association)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,311, Forestry Commission - Forest Research contributes £9,684 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Sift & Interview:  Sift will take place on Tuesday 16th April 2024.  Interviews are planned to take place on Friday 3rd May Candidates selected for interview will be required to prepare a short presentation.  Full details will be advised on confirmation of interview If a large volume of applications are received, then we will sift on Experience/Technical Expertise and the Lead Behaviour,Seeing the Big Picture.  However, candidates will be expected to answer questions on all behaviours at the interview stage. Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Forest Research which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.