Field Ecologist (Botanist)

Join us as a Field Ecologist (Botanist) and make an invaluable contribution to our Food Safety & Biosecurity!

At Fera, we’re making the world a better, healthier and safer place. We’re a joint venture partnership between Bridgepoint and Defra and we’re working proactively to protect the world we live in and the food we eat. Our teams are investigating plant and bee health, crop protection and sustainable agriculture. Join us and discover better as you deliver world-class science for the future.

We’re seeking Field Ecologists looking for a career contributing to environmental research with a focus on plant identification/ecology. You will have the opportunity to work within a vibrant interdisciplinary community of engaged researchers tackling some of the most urgent and exciting interlinked global environmental challenges. Sitting within our Land Use and sustainability team you will contribute to the delivery of natural capital projects for key public and private sector stakeholders and have exposure to our innovative response to the rapidly changing policy developments in environmental land management, tree health, food safety and biosecurity.

What you'll be doing:

• Undertake field ecological evaluation and research involving sampling and identification of plants/habitats.
• Deliver complex field surveys as part of a large team maintaining the highest standards of data collection. Depending on your experience, you may be involved in managing large and complex field surveys delivered by a network of regionally based surveyors.
• Liaise with landowners/managers.
• Contribute to the analysis and evaluation of research and interpretation of data, including working with inter-disciplinary teams to agree interpretations and derivations of key metrics.
• Contribute to the development of methods and proposals in response to customer needs.
• Contribute to the delivery of research projects in the Land Use & Sustainability team.
• Apply a range of research techniques to gather relevant information, including data analysis, document analysis and surveys.

Contribute to publishing research findings.

The above duties will differ depending on your areas of expertise.

Candidates should be aware that this role can require travel which necessitates staying away from home overnight between Monday and Friday, potentially for consecutive weeks through the peak survey window. Candidates must hold a valid driving license.

What we're looking for:

• Preferably, you will be a graduate or have equivalent experience with expertise in botanical identification and habitat surveying
• Expertise in complex survey delivery and experience of organising and managing survey teams
• A collaborator with the ability to work alone or as part of a team
• Flexibility to travel to meet survey requirements
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to follow complex protocols.
• Experience in contributing to the design, development and implementation of quantitative/qualitative methodologies and mixed methods research
• A clear and concise approach to conducting analysis.
• Demonstratable expertise in plant identification and UK habitat surveying (e.g. UKHab) (other groups in addition would be advantageous, e.g. invertebrates, pests and diseases)
• A good working knowledge and understanding of ecology which informs the ability to make judgements about the impact of management on habitats/features and the importance of habitat and its condition for other species
• An understanding of how interventions impact on farmers and farm management