Scientific and Policy Officer

Location: Hybrid - You will work from home and will be required to attend a team meeting in the Horsham hub once a month. The role also requires travel to London on an adhoc basis for meetings. You will be required to travel to sites and farms for visits, so a full UK Driving License is required for this role. As a Scientific Officer you'll have a specific focus on poultry and will assist the continued development of the RSPCA's welfare standards for these species, used within the Society's farm assurance scheme (RSPCA Assured) and beyond. The post entails a further general advisory, advocacy and communication role regarding welfare issues for the species concerned. The RSPCA's Farm Animals Department is responsible for promoting by all practical means the highest standards in farm animal welfare. This includes improving attitudes towards animals, strengthening the laws in relation to farm animals, improving their implementation, developing the RSPCA welfare standards for specific species and progressing the Department's work on Welfare Outcome Assessment. We're looking for a Scientific and Policy Officer with a proven commitment to animal welfare, who is an analytical thinker with the ability to work independently. Our recruitment journey - key dates for you to note: Here's what the process looks like, no surprises, just a friendly guide:

• Application
You'll be asked to answer a few questions to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential. Don't worry if you don't tick every box - what really matters is what you can bring to the role and the team.
• Panel Interview
If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with the Hiring Manager. This is a chance to:
• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• We encourage you to ask questions about the role, the team, and the impact you could make. Interviews are a two-way conversation, and we recognise that any career move needs to feel right for you as well as for us.
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting
If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you. We think this role is going to be popular and are expecting to attract high interest, so we strongly encourage early applications to avoid missing out. The deadline for applications will be the 3rd of June. What a day might look like for you
• Contributing to the development of the RSPCA welfare standards for the relevant species, including liaison with, and provision of scientific/technical advice and support to, the RSPCA Assured scheme and its members.
• Provision of scientific and technical input into specific projects, reports and campaigns, both externally and within the RSPCA.
• Liaison with the farming and food industries, scientific research sector, UK and overseas governmental and non-governmental bodies.
• Representation of the Society externally, including in the media.
  
  A Masters degree in a relevant scientific subject (animal/agriculture/welfare science) or a bachelor's degree plus relevant equivalent experience.
• Good level of animal production and welfare knowledge (particularly poultry).
• Experience of preparing and delivering (verbally and written) presentations/reports to varied audiences.
• Well-developed analytical skills combined with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex scientific information to a broad range of audiences.
• Excellent attention to detail.