Overview

Conservation Scientist – Kazakhstan
Reference: NOV20217078
Location: Flexible in UK
Salary: £27,574.00 – £30,590.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days Annual Leave (pro-rata)
This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 12 months

We also welcome applications from qualified candidates seeking a part-time position. The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

The RSPB Centre for Conservation Science provides high-quality ecological evidence to ensure the effectiveness of landscape-scale conservation in various sites of international conservation importance. One of these sites is the Kazakh steppe, including the range of the critically endangered Saiga Antelope. The RSPB has recently started a new project with our country BirdLife partner ACBK and the Kazakhstan government to establish a new 457,000 ha State Nature Reserve in the region.

We seek a Conservation Scientist for 12 months to join this collaboration and develop a multi-taxa monitoring plan to measure the impact and effectiveness of the new protected area on biodiversity and land cover. The successful candidate will join our dynamic and enthusiastic International Conservation Science team.

What’s the role about?

You will work in collaboration with your RSPB scientific and conservation management colleagues, BirdLife Kazakhstan and other partners to design a comprehensive monitoring programme for the proposed protected area (PA). You will work with stakeholders to identify criteria to indicate PA effective conservation, develop indicators to effectively measure these criteria with your colleagues, design effective protocol for monitoring indicators, including field protocol (if necessary), analytical methods and power analysis to ensure that protocol are sufficiently sensitive to detect outcomes of conservation concern.

There will also be the opportunity to work with colleagues on analyses of existing data to explore one or more research questions of interest to the successful candidate.

This role is UK based, but will require regular travel to Kazakhstan to visit partners and field sites, including trips to remote areas in the field. Location within the UK is flexible, but you will be expected to travel occasionally to RSPB offices in Cambridge or Sandy.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

A PhD or equivalent experience in ecology or a related subject. This would include: experience of leading one or more research projects; managing the project from study design to completion in a timely manner including working under pressure to deadline; track record of scientific publication in internationally recognised journals.

Broad knowledge of a range of techniques that could be used for biodiversity and land cover monitoring, eg use of remotely sensed data for land cover change; survey techniques for a range of taxa (eg camera trap protocol, eDNA surveys, transect surveys).

Familiarity with approaches to monitoring the effectiveness of protected areas, eg KBA monitoring.

A demonstrable methodical and rigorous approach to project and study design, data collection, data management and analysis of large and complex datasets, ensuring data and results pass international peer-reviewed standards of scrutiny and audit.

Experience in the use of data analysis software, eg R, in order to analyse large datasets that vary over space and time.

Knowledge of international conservation issues and practice, particularly those affecting Asian steppic habitats.

Culturally adept, tactful and able to communicate and collaborate effectively with a broad range of scientific and lay stakeholders.

Willingness to travel regularly to Kazakhstan and to work in remote conditions in the field for short periods of time.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

Ecological fieldwork in Kazakhstan or elsewhere in the region, particularly in steppic habitats.

Ability to train and coach others in data collection techniques in sometimes difficult conditions.

Closing date: 23:59, 05 December 2021
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from mid-December 2021.

To Apply and for More Information:

If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website. 

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 the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

No agencies please.