Sso Trees Scientific Advisor

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 267920**Salary**:

- £37,295 - £44,724- National £37,295 - £41,425 / London £40,262 - £44,724. For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer- Senior Scientific Officer**Contract type**:

- Fixed Term
- Loan
- Secondment**Length of employment**:

- 2 Years**Business area**:

- DEFRA - ERM - Natural Environment, Trees & Landscapes**Type of role**:

- Science**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, YorkAbout the job

**Job summary**:
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

The Natural Environment, Trees & Landscape Directorate (NETL) delivers on the ambition for the environment to be a healthy and a beautiful place to live, work and enjoy. We are a diverse, multi-site team leading the delivery and policy thinking across a wide range of issues. Our teams deal with a vast range of issues affecting this country’s natural environment. NETL has an inclusive approach to work that recognises the skills, endeavour, needs and wellbeing of all our staff.

**Job description**:
The Trees, Woodlands and Forestry Team within NETL is looking for a Senior Scientific Officer to join the evidence team to support the delivery of trees, woodlands and forestry policy. This is an exciting time, as we are working to support the delivery of the England Trees Action Plan and England's contribution to the Government's ambitious target to increase tree and woodland cover to deliver multiple benefits including net zero and biodiversity. Policy priorities include putting tree planting on the trajectory required to meet targets, making trees and woodlands part of the green economy, protecting and improving our trees and woods and connecting people with our trees and woods - as detailed in the England Trees Action Plan.

The Trees evidence team oversee the delivery of the R&D programme including defining our research questions, management of R&D projects, and coordinating internal and external research projects. We think strategically about the direction of the R&D Programme and undertake procurement, evidence dissemination and the management of an external scientific advisory group (the Trees and Woodlands Science Advisory Group).

The role will focus on providing scientific advice to ensure that government policy supports delivering improvements to the treescape in England in line with commitments in the England Tree Action Plan. This will include work on woodland creation, trees outside of woodlands, and managing trees in a resilient way for the various benefits they can deliver including biodiversity and carbon. As a Trees Scientific Advisor, you will work alongside colleagues in an interdisciplinary evidence teams including statisticians, social researchers, economists and operational researchers, reporting to the Lead Scientist in Trees. As a part of the evidence and analysis team you’ll be working very closely with policy colleagues to deliver a broad programme of R&D. You will be responsible for leading high-profile research projects, working closely across professions and across complex policy areas. This role offers a strong community of scientists and analysts across Defra Group and training to develop your skills and career.

**Person specification**:
**Key responsibilities include but are not limited to**:

- Designing, procuring and managing research projects to address evidence gaps.
- Evidence input into policy making, delivering robust scientific advice by drawing on a range of sources.
- Actively engaging policy and delivery colleagues and establishing positive relationships.
- Developing a strong understanding of the relevant evidence base and policy drivers.
- Developing a strong network of contacts and communicating evidence needs across Defra, the Arm’s Length Bodies and the scientific community to inform our approach and align evidence work and identify opportunities for collaboration.
- Communicating and disseminating complex scientific reports and information for a range of audiences.

**Essential criteria**
- Delivering high quality analysis at pace -able to make quick, effective decisions/resolve complex problems even when data is limited/ambiguous and provide well targeted analysis.
- Drafting technical reports, advice papers and analytical notes to a high standard and clearly communicating complex concepts to non-experts.
- Working and collaborating in a multidisciplinary team to deliver analytical outpu