Research Support Officer (Student Placement)
Role: Research Support Officer (Student Placement)
Location: Moira, Leicestershire, DE12 6BA
Salary range: £22,010
Hours: Full time 37 hours per week
The National Forest Company is offering a 12-month placement within our Operations Team to provide support to our research and evidence program.
The National Forest Company facilitates the creation and ongoing development of the National Forest – a 200 square mile area of the Midlands. The NFC is currently looking to better understand the impact of over 30 years of habitat restoration in the area through both direct data collection and analysis, and through research collaborations with external academics. Our internal evidence base spans not only our comprehensive mapping of forest creation, but also datasets linked to the societal and economic changes evident across the area. External collaborations also span the breadth of our work, with current projects including those looking at woodland resilience, monitoring wellbeing in natural spaces and understanding visitor behaviour.
The postholder will assist the Research & Evidence Manager to maintain and expand current datasets, as well as supporting the wider NFC team to communicate what these datasets mean for people, the environment and the economy. Given the breadth of data types, an understanding of working with spreadsheets is needed, and familiarity with spatial data is desirable. However, full training will be given on NFC-specific systems. In addition, the postholder will gain experience in the practical projects the NFC undertakes across the region, including tree planting, habitat creation/management, outdoor learning and sustainable tourism. This post would suit someone with an interest in understanding how varied and seemingly disparate data can be brought together to demonstrate the impact of long-term landscape restoration.
Applicants should send a CV and cover letter (of no more than 1000 words) detailing why they are suitable for the role to lwarren@nationalforest.org. Please reference CONFIDENTIAL – RSO 01/09/24 in the subject line.
Please also complete the Diversity monitoring form and return this with your application.