Science Area Manager Biodiversity and Land Use in England

Location: Wallingford, Lancaster, Edinburgh or Bangor

Contract type: Permanent, full-time

Closing date: Friday, 23rd January 2026

Are you proactive, people-focused, and passionate about driving and shaping change? Do you thrive working independently, building strong relationships, and supporting talented scientists and senior leaders? If so, we want to hear from you! Our Associate Science Director, Hazel Jackson, is looking for a Science Area Manager to help steer and energise the Biodiversity & Land Use science area at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

We are looking for someone thoughtful, organised, and keen to learn about our science and the people behind it. A supportive, collaborative, and reflective mindset, combined with excellent communication, will help in building trust and supporting senior leaders. This role is open to being shaped and crafted to help how the science area is run and to work closely with Hazel as part of a supportive partnership.

• Proactively coordinate and manage the operations of the Biodiversity & Land Use science area in collaboration with the science support team.
• Provide insights, knowledge, and information to support the Science Area and the Associate Science Director.
• Contribute to business planning and reporting, and lead on reporting against strategic key performance indicators relevant to the Science Area or Associate Science Director.
• Utilize information from corporate systems to prepare reports, briefings, and analyses to inform decision‑making and priorities.
• Take responsibility for specific delegated corporate tasks and ensure their effective delivery, working with the Associate Science Director and the Science Directorate Business Manager to meet strategic and organisational needs.
• Understand the portfolio of science within Biodiversity & Land Use, its alignment with UKCEH’s science and strategy, and its position within the wider external landscape.
• Stay informed about relevant funders, funding sources, stakeholders, and partnership portfolios, and keep up to date with developments in the broader landscape.
• Manage and coordinate communications and networking to foster collaboration within and between Science Areas and disciplines.
• Collaborate with scientists and the Research Development Team to stay informed about key stakeholders and partnership portfolios, delivering and contributing to strategic engagement to advance UKCEH’s strategic ambitions.
• Line manage staff in the Science Area support team.

• A scientific degree or equivalent experience, and experience working in a similar role in a scientific research environment.
• A high‑level of expertise and understanding of the wider UK/International research landscape and ability to use this knowledge for organisational benefit.
• Experience building and managing effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders (UK and internationally).
• The ability to develop a high‑level understanding of systems and processes and translate this into strategic reports and analyses for various audiences.
• Demonstrated continuous improvement mindset.
• Evidence of delivering against multiple priorities across short‑term deliverables and long‑term objectives.

• 27 days annual leave (increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role‑dependent).
• Peer reward and recognition scheme.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• 24‑hour, 365‑day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more.

If this opportunity resonates with you and aligns with your personal career goals, we would love to receive your application. Please submit your CV along with a letter of interest outlining what inspires you about this role and what you feel you can bring to it. We want to get to know you—your passion, your motivations, and what excites you about being part of our science community.

Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role and it does not qualify for endorsement to support a Global Talent Visa application. If you are considering pursuing self‑sponsorship, please indicate this in your application so we can take it into account during the recruitment process.