Marine Sites Science Officer in Cambridge

Application deadline: Friday 3 July 2026 – 23:59 BST

Location: The preferred location is Cambridge, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in office). We will consider applications from our other regional locations; salary and benefits will vary by location.

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Contract: Fixed term for 2 years with the possibility to extend.

Salary: £32,000 - £35,000 per annum depending on skills/experience, plus competitive 12% pension benefit

Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata in year 1, increasing by 1 day p/a to 28 days

We’re BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.

We are looking for a Marine Sites Science Officer to support the implementation and progression of BirdLife’s Marine Programme. In this role, you will be undertaking analysis of seabird tracking data to identify important areas that will be used to support decision making processes and conservation outcomes. You’ll be part of a collaborative team and enjoy working with others. You’ll develop innovative spatial analyses, manage projects relating to marine sites work, and contribute to the development of funding proposals.

How you will do this:

• Lead innovative analyses of seabird tracking, population and phenology data to identify globally important marine sites (IBAs and KBAs), including in the high seas.
• Turn complex data into impactful scientific papers, reports and policy outputs that influence conservation action.
• Drive the marine sites elements of the BirdLife Strategy, providing expert guidance to partners and advancing tools such as the Marine Megafauna Conservation Toolkit.
• Provide technical support across BirdLife International’s global Marine Programme.
• Build strategic collaborations with NGOs, universities, research institutes and agencies to strengthen marine conservation science and impact.
• Lead and coordinate projects, ensuring high-quality delivery, reporting and outcomes for funders and partners.
• Identify new funding opportunities and help shape compelling proposals to grow the Marine Programme’s science portfolio.
• Represent BirdLife within international technical forums and KBA Committee processes.
• Mentor and support interns, students and volunteers, helping to develop the next generation of conservation scientists.

Note that this position may require some international travel.

What we are looking for:

To be successful in this role you’ll need a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant scientific or environmental field, and a strong track record in analysing complex spatial and animal tracking datasets, ideally for seabirds. You will bring expertise in spatial and statistical analysis, R and ArcGIS, alongside a strong understanding of marine conservation and seabird ecology. The role requires excellent organisational, writing and communication skills, with experience publishing scientific research and developing funding proposals. You will thrive in a collaborative environment, combining scientific rigour with the ability to deliver impactful conservation outcomes.

Some of our UK benefits:

• A hybrid model of working on-site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work-life balance.
• A chance to work in the award-winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge-based conservation community on a ‘conservation campus.’
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high-quality, on-demand courses.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal (webinars, nutritional advice, 4-week programmes, financial wellbeing and more).

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We know that everyone’s needs are different. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, let us know, we’ll do our best to make it happen.

Please note: under the UK Government criteria this role will not be eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

Interviews: Interviews will be held during w/c 20 July.