Founded in 1958, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) has a more important role to play today than ever before. Antarctica holds the key to understanding the Earth’s climate, so developing our scientific understanding of the continent is an urgent priority. Yet, Antarctica is too remote and inaccessible for any individual nation to unlock its secrets alone. SCAR is the leading global organisation driving international research and collaboration in and around Antarctica and delivers vital policy advice to decision makers within the Antarctic Treaty System and beyond.
The SCAR Secretariat play a crucial role in enabling SCAR to fulfil its mission. Headed by SCAR’s Executive Director, the 5-person Secretariat team is based at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, U.K.
SCAR is an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council (ISC) and currently includes 46 member countries and 9 scientific unions. SCAR is a Company limited by Guarantee and registered as a charity in the United Kingdom. The Directors of the Charity are the President and Vice-Presidents. More information on SCAR is available on our website, at www.scar.org.
The Role
As Science and Operations Officer (maternity cover), you will play a key role in supporting a vibrant international network of people involved in Antarctic research. Your work will be varied, supporting the Executive Director with a wide range of tasks including: assisting with coordinating the activities of SCAR’s groups (whose work spans a range of topics across the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities), coordinating the SCAR community’s input into international projects, supporting SCAR to maintain links with international partners and reviewing and documenting internal processes. You will also be expected to provide some direct support to the Executive Director and other team members as required to assist with workflow management.
The successful candidate will have experience of project management, stakeholder engagement (ideally in a science discipline), and of supporting the internal operations of a complex organisation, as well as a passion to support vital work in an important area of environmental research. They must also be educated to master’s or PhD level or have equivalent, relevant work experience. Essential and desirable criteria are listed over the page.
The successful candidate is expected to take up the post as soon as possible after the interview. You must already have a valid visa to work in the UK to apply for this position.
It is preferred that candidates are physically present in the SPRI offices for at least 40% of each working week. However, there is scope for adjustment depending on individual circumstances.
More info: https://scar.org/scar-news/scar-secretariat-vacancy-science-and-operations-officer-maternity-cover