Head of Science & Research

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer.
Hours: 3 days per week (Monday is a requirement, other days to be agreed).
Duration: Fixed term contract: 2 years (23rd November 2026 to 22nd November 2028) with an option to extend after 1 year.
Location: Flexible – can be home based.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a successful charity developing a growing Science and Research portfolio. This post forms part of the Senior Management Team reporting direct to the Chief Executive Officer & Trustees and is steered by a Research Advisory Board who support the ongoing development of research activity and a portfolio that aligns with the Froglife Strategy. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of duties within the organisation, including Strategic Development, Human Resources, Research and Government Policy.

The main focus of the role will be:

• management and successful completion of three Natural England research projects worth over £400,000 (on common toad, adder and grass snake),
• co-supervision of four PhD projects (with the University of Reading and Herriot-Watt University) and one Masters (Hartpury University) on reptile and amphibian conservation, common toad life cycle, impact of pollutants on amphibians, grass snake habitat management and toad patrol ‘life cycles’.
• coordination of volunteer and undergraduate research activity (currently common toads, great-crested newt ponds and data collection systems).

The post involves co-ordinating analysis of Toads on Roads data and other Froglife projects to ensure data is collected in an appropriate way, managing Froglife’s data sharing process, the Froglife Dragon Finder App and the linking of Froglife data with the National Biodiversity Network.

The postholder will be responsible for oversight of some areas of activity by the Wildlife and Countryside Link (currently Invasive Species, Planning and Land Use, Wildlife Crime groups) and working to ensure Conservation Evidence principles are applied across the organisation.

Essential Criteria

Applicants will be expected to meet the following essential criteria:

• Hold a postgraduate qualification
• Experience of managing projects and project budgets
• Experience of managing individuals and teams
• Knowledge of the UK’s reptiles and amphibians
• Ability to travel to remote locations in the UK to assist with fieldwork around ponds or other habitats
• Understanding of the legislation surrounding UK reptiles and amphibians

Desirable Criteria

Applications will be strengthened by the following desirable criteria:

• Experience of using EXCEL spreadsheets and databases for managing data
• Experience of delivery at conferences or workshops
• Knowledge and use of statistics packages such as R
• Knowledge and use of QGIS
• Experience of surveys of UK reptiles and/or amphibians

Please visit our website for the Job Description and Person Specification, and to apply.

Interview date: 24th September 2026 in Brighton
Start date: 23rd November 2026

We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including under-represented groups and we are happy to discuss flexible working options.