Biodiversity Researcher

Job Description

You will contribute to evaluating and synthesising ecological evidence using the Conservation Evidence methodology, coordinating expert input, and refining scoring systems that underpin the biodiversity assessment tool used on the Cool Farm Platform.

This role sits at the intersection of applied ecology, biodiversity science, stakeholder engagement, and environmental impact assessment.

The ideal candidate will have a background in biodiversity, agroecology, or conservation science, with a strong foundation in evidence synthesis or quantitative analysis. Experience working with biodiversity or agricultural datasets is highly valued. You will have strong analytical skills and be confident in handling, interpreting, and clearly presenting ecological data and scoring logic in a concise and accurate way.

You will report to Cool Farm's Head of Science and Methods and be supported by the full Cool Farm secretariat.

If you have a background in science, are smart, fun, love numbers, have outstanding attention to detail and organisational skills and a solid work ethic we would love to hear from you.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate biodiversity scoring activities using the Conservation Evidence approach described in Crowther et al (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111897
  
• Organise and facilitate expert elicitation panels for tropical species groups
  
• Synthesise and evaluate ecological research on the impacts of farm management practices on biodiversity
  
• Lead integration of the tropical-specific metrics into the existing Cool Farm Biodiversity framework
  
• Collaborate with the Cool Farm modelling and product teams to ensure successful delivery
  
• Prepare plain-language summaries and technical documentation for transparency and future use
  
• Managing projects and supporting/leading working groups associated with new model development
  
• Supporting our team with technical and project management queries
  
• Contributing to testing and providing recommendations on new features for our online tool
  
• Support Cool Farms Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Essential Criteria:

• Experience in biodiversity, conservation, agroecology, or a closely related discipline
  
• Familiarity with evidence synthesis methods (e.g. systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or expert elicitation)
  
• Strong analytical and research skills
  
• Excellent written communication, with an ability to clearly summarise scientific evidence
  
• Highly organised, self-motivated, and able to coordinate tasks independently
  
• Experience with farm-scale biodiversity metrics or agri-environment assessments
  
• Proficient in Excel, with the ability to create worked examples for testing model logic and outputs (e.g. for use in developer unit tests)
  
• Be extremely attentive to detail and rigorous
  
• Strongly motivated, self-starter willing to take the initiative to ensure that solutions are delivered on time.
  
• Experience working with multi-stakeholder or international teams
  
• Fluent in English
  
• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK, with appropriate visa or immigration status if required
  
• Coding or data handling skills (e.g. Python, R, or spreadsheets)

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

The Cool Farm Alliance is dedicated to fostering a culture of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We believe that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences enrich our workplace and drive innovation. We seek candidates from all backgrounds and believe that diversity fuels innovation and that every team member's contribution is essential to our success. Our workplace fosters inclusion, open dialogue, and equal opportunities for all team members. 

We are on a journey to dismantle bias and barriers to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to thrive within our organisation. Join us, to create a diverse and inclusive workplace where every voice is valued and respected. The Cool Farm Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

We are aware that women and people from different backgrounds will often only apply for jobs where they meet 100% of the listed qualifications (Source: Harvard Business Review). If this is the role for you and you meet many, but not all, of our asks we still want to hear from you.

We actively invite applications from individuals represented by the criteria for broader participation outlined below, reflecting our dedication to enhancing diversity and inclusion and expanding opportunities in sustainability and environmental technical careers.

• Individuals from ethnic groups that are underrepresented.
  
• Individuals with care experience.
  
• Individuals who have been recognised as refugees in the UK.
  
• Individuals estranged from both of their primary caregivers (for example, both parents or carers).
  
• Individuals who were eligible for the 16-19 Bursary/Pupil Premium and/or those who received Free School Meals.
  
• Young carers, who are the main caregiver for a parent or sibling.
  
• Individuals who have faced disruptions in their education due to factors such as health issues, family circumstances, or homelessness.

As this role can be fully remote, the position can be adapted to your requirements for example allowing flexible hours, or to be fully based working from home. We aim to create flexibility in the role to suit our colleagues' needs.

Application Process: 

• Interested candidates should continue with this application form. Deadline is 8AM GMT, 12th Jan 2026
  
• Two people will read the applications and the first page of the application will be hidden from those selecting candidates for interview
  
• We aim for the interviews to happen 29th and 30th January
  
• Interviews will be virtual and approximately 1 hour long. We will send the main questions before the interview so candidates can prepare• Once the candidates have been shortlisted a test will be provided, and candidates given 4 hours to complete

We are striving to make this application process as accessible as possible. In the interest of accommodating diverse backgrounds and abilities, if you require any accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Additionally, as we would like to assess your writing skills, this application is written-based.

For more information about Cool Farm, please see our website (https://coolfarm.org/) or contact us megan.mckerchar@coolfarm.org

Join us in making a difference in the world of sustainable farming!