Scientist - Forest Ecology

The role will be based in Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH with blended working which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from the workplace. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job Summary

Want to work at the cutting edge of environmental science? 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. You will find us a flexible and inclusive employer, so you can have a work life balance that is tailor-made to your circumstances. So, whether it’s climate or carbon, pests or pathogens, behaviour or biodiversity that interests you, you can be assured of a warm welcome to the team.

The Centre for Forest Management leads FR's research into climate change, urban forests, silviculture, land use and ecosystem services, and the ways in which society values trees. Science Groups within the Centre focus strongly on interdisciplinary research, using the interactions between disciplines within FR to develop solutions to some of the many complex environmental problems facing those concerned with Britain’s trees woods and forests. Staff in the Centre work closely with colleagues in FR’s other thematic centres.

The forest ecology team, which the postholder will be part of, leads the forestry sector in applying molecular tools (DNA metabarcoding) as a direct measure of biodiversity. Forest diversification and tree functional trait effects on biodiversity and forest resilience are other key specialist research topic strengths. With robust national and international connections, the team is highly active in publishing across peer-reviewed, applied, and trade journals.

Job Description

This 1-year Forest Ecology position is available in the Centre for Forest Management with research focussed on improving our understanding of tree composition and management effects on biodiversity (and associated ecosystem services/disservices) in forestry and agroforestry settings. The successful applicant will support the delivery of a number of forest biodiversity research projects. A primary focus will be on a recently funded project involving the exploration of Food Forests as a viable concept, including in support of nature recovery and ecosystem service provisioning. The applicant will need to work collaboratively with Forest Research scientists across disciplines (social scientists, economists, landscape ecologists), engaging also with practitioners through field visits and interviews. They will also undertake data analysis, contribute to scientific outputs (i.e. including papers and reports) and outreach outputs (e.g. webpages, practitioner-targeted knowledge-transfer articles, posters, presentations at meetings). They will be expected to work as part of a team and at other times independently.

Key Work Areas:

• Contribute to field study sample design, study site selection and planning
• Carry out guided literature reviews on varied research topics aligned with research group expertise
• Liaise with colleagues and external project collaborators to develop realistic work schedules; carefully plan and monitor own time allocation on multiple projects.
• Analysis of quantitative and qualitative ecological datasets, applying R procedures and code
• Share and archive code and data responsibly for quality assurance purposes and to facilitate collaboration.
• Contribute to the production of written reports to research funders and peer-reviewed publications in collaboration with colleagues and project partners
• Work with other members of the forest ecology team and wider across FR in an interdisciplinary manner to identify and develop novel areas of research for future project proposals
• Undertake varied field-based biodiversity assessments (collecting data on multiple abiotic and biotic variables), site selection visits and lab-based processing of field samples, contributing to national and international standardised biomonitoring initiatives

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Honours degree or equivalent with substantial content of ecology; environmental science; forest science; physical science or biological sciences
• Experience of ecology field work, ecological sampling techniques, the measurement of physical variables
• Experience in analysing, modelling and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data sets with statistical packages
• Excellent organisational, sample/data handling and record keeping skills
• Evidence of excellent writing skills aimed at a range of audiences (e.g. general public, forest managers, fellow scientists)
• A full driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK. We will also consider any other proposals that would allow applicants to do the job by other means.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in collecting and analysing UK forest ecology data
• Experience in the identification of arthropods, fungi, soil invertebrates and/or mammal species
• Strong botanical identification skills
• Skilled in good laboratory practice with demonstrated experience of using microscopes, H&S processes
• Experience in forest science, forest ecology, agroforestry and/or restoration ecology
• Competent user of R or equivalent for statistical analyses of multivariate and ecological datasets
• Practiced with sample collection for DNA barcoding and/or metabarcoding analysis and related data interpretation
• Proficiency in the use of GIS systems for spatial analysis using both vector and raster data

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Delivering at Pace, Working Together.

Alongside your salary of £32,089, Forestry Commission - Forest Research contributes £9,296 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Your career

Excellent professional development opportunities which are tailored to your role, with paid professional membership subscriptions, mentoring, and Civil Service Learning available to all access to world class laboratory facilities, as well as state of the art buildings within forest or science park settings.

Your work/life balance

Flexible working options such as: up to two days flexi leave per month, blended working, part-time working, paid special leave, career breaks, and unpaid leave. Parents and carers will be supported to enable you to manage work and family responsibilities. A generous annual leave allowance of 25 days on entry increasing by 1 day each year to a maximum of 30 days (pro-rata for part-timers). Plus 2.5 days of additional leave and 8 days’ paid bank/public holidays.

Your wellbeing

A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment. A range of wellbeing benefits including Employee Assistance Programme 24/7. We want you to feel part of something bigger and we encourage a community feel in our workplaces, with everything from cookery competitions to Pilates and fell running, plus topical talks at Wellbeing Wednesdays and Feelgood Fridays. Paid volunteering leave of 3 days per year so you can give back to your community and charitable causes by sharing your skills and time.

Your Benefits

A highly competitive Civil Service Pension of 28.97% your salary. An employee benefits scheme offering discounts on groceries, gym memberships, holidays, days out, online retailers and high street shops. Cycle to Work scheme and Interest free loans. Free parking is offered on-site, alongside electric car charging ports. With maternity, adoption, and/or shared parental leave there’s the flexibility to have up to 26 weeks full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid leave. Paternity leave of up to two weeks is available with full pay.

Any move to Forest Research from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. Please apply at Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK, you will be asked to supply a CV - setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. We will use this information to assess your application against the essential criteria in the person specification.

Shortlist: The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the Essential Criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Sift will take place Monday 23 June 2025. Interviews are planned to take place week commencing 30 June 2025. If we receive a large volume of applications, then we will sift on CV and the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace. Candidates will be expected to answer questions on all behaviours listed 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.

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. If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.

Visa Sponsorship

FR Holds a Licence To Sponsor Skilled Workers Under The Home Office Points-based Immigration System. Candidates Wishing To Apply Should Note That The Likelihood Of Obtaining Sponsorship Would Depend On An Assessment Of This Role Against Defined Criteria, Which Include: Whether the Job role has been identified as being a Critical Role in FR, which has been identified in the Workforce Plan, and / or Whether the Job role is a known Capability gap, which has been identified in the Workforce Plan for the relevant Centre, and Evidence of significant recruitment challenges in filling the Job role previously. Skilled Worker sponsorship may be available, subject to an application and assessment process and the Home Office points-based system.

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 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), 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

Working for the Civil Service: The Civil Service Code 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. 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.

Contact point for applicants: Job Contact: Name: hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk Email: hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk Recruitment team Email: hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk