International Biodiversity & Climate Scientist

International Biodiversity & Climate Scientist

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £47,557 to £52,010 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: London

Working pattern: On-site

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 16 Sept 2026

Closing date: 28 Sept 2026

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Summary

n Defra, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly affect people's lives. We are responsible for England's environment, countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have a lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. Defra is also an important international Department, and we leverage our domestic expertise and learning to drive transformational and systemic change globally. Over the next four years, the International Biodiversity and Climate Directorate will continue work to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework and its vision to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

International Biodiversity & Climate (IBC) uses a range of skills and levers to deliver our shared aim of halting and reversing global biodiversity loss by 2030 and the plans beyond that. This includes policy development and implementation, preparing legislation, Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme delivery, international negotiations, evidence and analysis, and engagement with national and international partners. Our work will enable you to develop a wide range of skills, with a particular emphasis on working collaboratively, influencing others and thinking creatively.

In IBC's International Science, Evidence and Analysis Division, you will lead scientific input on high-profile policy priorities at the intersection of nature, resilience, risk and security. This is a technically demanding role that requires strong scientific judgement, confidence working with uncertainty, and the ability to translate complex environmental evidence into clear, practical advice.

You will support priority work on nature security, environmental crime, sustainable agriculture, and evidence needs linked to future G7 and G20 priorities. This includes helping to build on the UK's Nature security assessment on global ecosystems and exploring how environmental crime and wider pressures on nature (such as land and sea-use change, invasive non-native species and over-exploitation) affect ecosystem degradation, resilience and security. Across these areas, you will bring together emerging evidence and analysis to shape policy choices and programme design.

Apply for this job

#s1-Gen

n Defra, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly affect people's lives. We are responsible for England's environment, countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have a lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. Defra is also an important international Department, and we leverage our domestic expertise and learning to drive transformational and systemic change globally. Over the next four years, the International Biodiversity and Climate Directorate will continue work to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework and its vision to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

International Biodiversity & Climate (IBC) uses a range of skills and levers to deliver our shared aim of halting and reversing global biodiversity loss by 2030 and the plans beyond that. This includes policy development and implementation, preparing legislation, Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme delivery, international negotiations, evidence and analysis, and engagement with national and international partners. Our work will enable you to develop a wide range of skills, with a particular emphasis on working collaboratively, influencing others and thinking creatively.

In IBC's International Science, Evidence and Analysis Division, you will lead scientific input on high-profile policy priorities at the intersection of nature, resilience, risk and security. This is a technically demanding role that requires strong scientific judgement, confidence working with uncertainty, and the ability to translate complex environmental evidence into clear, practical advice.

You will support priority work on nature security, environmental crime, sustainable agriculture, and evidence needs linked to future G7 and G20 priorities. This includes helping to build on the UK's Nature security assessment on global ecosystems and exploring how environmental crime and wider pressures on nature (such as land and sea-use change, invasive non-native species and over-exploitation) affect ecosystem degradation, resilience and security. Across these areas, you will bring together emerging evidence and analysis to shape policy choices and programme design.