Job Description
Job Title : Conservation Research Manager
Contract : Permanent, minimum of three days a week up to five
Salary : £38,000 - £45,000 pro rata
Responsible to: Chief Executive
Annual Leave : 23 days pa (pro rata) + 3 taken between Christmas & New Year
Location : London (hybrid office and home-based work)
Includes some UK and occasional international travel
Closing date : Sunday 21 January 2024 5.00 pm
Interview : First two weeks of February 2024
Start date : Likely from 1 April 2024
To apply for the role please email your CV together with a supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) to nida.al-fulaij@ptes.org by the closing date above. Please include a telephone number, and any dates when you are not available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.
About People’s Trust for Endangered Species
The alarming rate of loss of species and habitats can be stopped. For over 45 years we’ve improved the outlook of endangered species in Britain and throughout the world.
Grounded in science, our approach is to invest in research and test the best ways to protect endangered species in their natural habitats. Then we put what works into action, creating vibrant wildlife havens.
Through our programme of research grants we support conservation work throughout the world. Recent projects funded range from protecting areas for snow leopards in Mongolia to restoring slow loris habitat in Indonesia. We also carry out our own work, which focuses particularly on British mammals. Current priority species are hedgehogs, dormice, water voles and invertebrates and our priority habitats are orchards, woodlands, hedgerows, wood pasture and parkland.
The team is relatively small, meaning the successful individual will have a high degree of accountability, able to take responsibility, and to apply a practical, focused mindset. The work will range from bigger picture, strategic thinking through to practical project management such as grant administration, budgeting and progress evaluation, requiring good attention to detail. The individual will help review the grant-making strategy periodically and will foster relationships with other funders, grantees and experts leading to long-term impact.
We have 22 staff, five trustees and thousands of volunteers helping us.
Job purpose: To manage and administer the PTES’ research grants programme and help support PTES’ priority species and habitat work.
Job description
Management of the PTES research grants programme
- Manage PTES’ grant schemes (Conservation Partnerships, Conservation Insight Grants, UK species conservation internships, UK mammal research and ad hoc commissioned research).
- Collate and comment on applications with the Chief Executive prior to circulation to the trustees.
- Communicate appropriately with all applicants including before, during and after application, and ongoing liaison with successful applicants.
- Maintain an accurate grants database that records the grant award process, timing and submissions and reports, and financial management.
- Carry out due-diligence where necessary with new grantees, following up with referees and IUCN SSC specialists.
- Authorise payments in a timely manner, to an agreed payment schedule, keeping accurate records of forward commitments.
- Ensure that grant holders complete the appropriate initial admin, communicate effectively throughout their project and submit high quality, timely reports, with feedback where necessary.
- Encourage and assist publication of research in appropriate journals.
- Advise on the efficiency of the grants schemes, where appropriate instituting reviews in liaison with the Chief Executive and the trustees.
- Maintaining safeguards against fraudulent applications, reporting etc by project leaders or anyone associated with projects supported.
- Engage and work collaboratively with other funders to maintain safeguards.
- Engage and work collaboratively with other funders to identify opportunities to support project leaders collectively and target funds more efficiently.
- Manage a Conservation Standards training programme for project leaders and other team members to support sound delivery of their project objectives.
- Work with the Conservation Evidence team in Cambridge to support delivery of evidence-based conservation.
- Work with Conservation Connect team to maintain and deliver a platform that support project leaders profile their achievements and seek other opportunities.
- Devise appropriate procedures to manage commissioned research along similar lines to other programmes, including discussing research needs with colleagues working on PTES priority species and habitats, recommending work to be commissioned to trustees, drafting research specifications, eliciting, processing and awarding bids from applicants, monitoring progress, and disseminating findings to colleagues and externally as appropriate.
Research support
- Assist the audit process annually and liaise with staff dealing with finances.
- Communicate practical conservation outcomes of research projects to appropriate quarters, drafting occasional publications, leaflets or online materials, and disseminating, and drafting copy for the PTES website on active and recent projects.
- Alert the PR consultant to significant results or news from PTES-related research projects and act as a spokesperson when appropriate.
- Maintain contact with past and present project leaders and interns through regular communication, creating an alumnae of PTES-related conservation researchers.
- Liaise with the editor and other staff involved in the production of PTES’ magazine, in particular contributing content ideas and writing occasional articles usually arising from the grant projects.
- Represent PTES at discussions with third parties to disseminate conservation research findings, and to identify priority areas for future funding, for example with other funding bodies, NGOs, government conservation agencies.
- Contribute to events at which PTES research is discussed such as conferences.
- Attend meetings of the trustees where grant applications are being considered, subject to the approval of the Chair.
Priority species work
- Where necessary assist the Chief Executive in policy work that supports PTES’ priority species and habitats work, particularly in concert with WCL.
- Where necessary assist the Chief Executive in identifying and contributing to development areas that support priority species work (including the development of national conservation strategies, reintroduction work and monitoring programmes).
- Support the MP Species Champions programme when needed.
Other tasks
- Attend occasional external promotional events.
- Help with other tasks as advised by the Chief Executive.
Person specification - knowledge, experience and key skills
- University degree or equivalent in conservation-related field, ideally at Masters or PhD level
- Experience of using and managing online and Access databases
- Interest in and passion for ecology and the conservation of British wildlife
- Sound understanding of the IUCN, its commissions, particularly the Species Survival Commission, and how the Red List and associated Green Status processes function
- Good knowledge of UK wildlife legislation and nature policy including some understanding of different approaches to land management such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies, Biodiversity Net Gain and environmental land management schemes
- Familiarity with global and national biodiversity targets
- Good record of building trust-based relationships, with strong interpersonal skills, able to influence others and work collaboratively
- Excellent organisational skills with ability to work on own initiative, multitask and manage conflicting priorities
- Ability to manage tasks ranging from bigger picture, strategic thinking through to practical project management such as grant administration, budgeting and progress evaluation
- Ability to work with consistent accuracy and attention to detail with excellent numeracy and analysis skills
- Strong written and face-to-face interpersonal skills and ability to communicate confidently
- Experience of productive interaction with the media
