Project Officer

Role: Project Officer
Reports to: Business Development & Fundraising Manager
Location: St Albans/flexible
Deadline: 5th August 2024

To apply: Please send a one-page covering letter detailing your suitability
to the role and your most recent CV to [email protected].

If you would like to informally discuss the role or have any questions prior to application,
please do contact our Business Development Manager, Anne Weinhold at [email protected].

This vacancy may close early if we receive sufficient strong applications for the role.
Please submit an application as soon as possible if you are interested in applying.

Royal Entomological Society (RES) – Overview and Background:

Originally founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London, today the Royal
Entomological Society (RES) is devoted to the promotion and development of entomological
science. The Society supports international collaboration, research and publications in the
field of insect science.

Headquartered in St Albans, the Society maintains an entomological library, hosts an annual
conference, Ento, and convenes a number of special interest groups covering a range of
scientific fields. Through its outreach work and events, the Society looks to promote and
increase the public’s understanding of insect science. Working with partner organisations, the
Society organises the annual ‘Insect Week’.

Governed by elected members and fellows of the Society, sitting as a council and chaired by the
RES President, the organisation currently has a team of 18 paid staff that run the Society and
its day-to-day activities on behalf of the members. There are also a large number of volunteers
who support the Society’s operations.

The Society’s vision is to enrich the world with insect science.

Insect Welfare Research Society (IWRS)

The Insect Welfare Research Society is an international, academic-led research society. The
society aims to support 1) the global insect welfare research community and 2) the
incorporation of evidence-based information on insect welfare into policy and practice by
relevant stakeholders. The society also supports welfare research on understudied terrestrial
arthropods that are not insects (e.g., spiders and other arachnids, myriapods like millipedes,
etc.) and on understudied aquatic invertebrates (e.g., shrimp/prawns, horseshoe crabs, etc.).

Job Purpose:

This role is an exciting new role that will be jointly managed by the RES and IWRS.

The ethical treatment of insects in research is an issue of growing importance in the UK and
around the world. Consistent and practical application of the principles of ethical animal use
in entomology can help maintain public trust, promote transparency and reproducibility, and
support the development of a diverse entomological workforce.

However, the infrastructure in place for supporting the ethical use of research animals (Animal
Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies or AWERBs, the institutional ethics reporting bodies in the
UK) was largely designed for mammalian species in laboratory environments. Researchers working
on more phylogenetically distant species with unique physiology (such as fish, cephalopods,
reptiles, and insects) may find that this infrastructure does not support them as well in
engaging in consistent and practical ethical animal use. Similarly, many entomologists work in
field contexts that diverge significantly from more highly controlled laboratory conditions and
can present novel challenges in communicating experimental designs to AWERBs.

These issues, if not addressed, could make it more challenging for entomologists to promote
best welfare practices for their animals and/or complete their research in a timely manner.
This role will involve surveying entomologists, malacologists, herpetologists, and
ichthyologists in the UK, as well as AWERB committee members unfamiliar with insects, about
their experience with ethical animal use infrastructure for non-model species and in field
contexts. These data will be used to develop educational materials for entomologists and for
AWERB members on commonly identified challenges that could hamper the successful integration of
insects into ethical animal use infrastructure. The role will also involve running workshops at
Ento and the Insect Welfare and Ethics special interest group meetings.

Main Terms and Conditions

Contract: This is a 12-month fixed term contract, based on 0.8FTE (30 hours
per week).

Remuneration:

This salary is a Band 2 position on the RES salary scale. The salary of this role is £24,360
p.a. (pro rata of £30,450)

The salary scale is reviewed annually with both a cost-of-living and performance related pay
increase within the pay bands determined in the pay policy. Any pay awards are applied to
salaries at this point.

Hours of work: 

This is a full-time role based on 30 hours/4 days per week. The working pattern has flexibility
and can be discussed during the recruitment process. Please make any requests for flexible
working clear in a covering letter in your application.

Annual & Bank Holidays: The holiday year runs from 1 March to 28/29
February each year. You will have a prorated annual holiday entitlement of 25 days plus an
additional 8 Public/Bank holidays. Anyone joining part-way through a year will receive a
pro-rata entitlement for that year. In addition to the above, we recognise and reward staff
loyalty by awarding additional paid leave days, based on length of service, up to a maximum
cumulative total of 5 additional days paid leave (pro-rata for part time).

Pension: The post-holder will be eligible to join the RES Pension Scheme.

Additional Employee Benefits: These include a Health and Wellbeing and
Employee Assistance Programme offered to all members of the team. A cycle-to-work scheme is
available for all employees.

Probationary Period: This post has a 3-month probationary period, during which
your suitability for the post will be assessed.

The role is subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity: We pride ourselves on being a welcoming
and supportive organisation to all of our team and membership. All of our team are highly
valued and we will support everyone to carry out their role successfully. As a living wage
employer, we are committed to ensuring fair pay for all of our colleagues. We encourage staff
to be involved with the organisation and have a flexible approach to enable our staff to work
and achieve to the best of their ability. We will support individuals to develop in their roles
with access to annual reviews and training development.

Key Accountabilities

Science

• Survey entomologists in the UK currently subject to their institution’s AWERB, to ask about
  the major difficulties they experience with oversight of their research animals, focusing
  specifically on major knowledge gaps on the part of the committee and the resources that could
  support entomologists in their submissions.
• Survey fish, cephalopod, and reptile biologists who have also experienced these
  difficulties (as they work on non-standard ectothermic animals) and assess what has helped them
  succeed with their institution’s AWERB.
• Solicit feedback from the entomological community on AWERB protocols at the welfare and
  ethics SIG meeting and Ento 24.
• Develop a series of 10-20-minute videos for AWERB committee members on the following
  topics: an introduction to insect biology, recommended resources for AWERB’s overseeing insect
  research, and ‘top ten tips’ for AWERB members reading insect proposals (with a focus on
  filling in key knowledge gaps identified from the surveys) to be hosted on the IWRS and RES
  websites.
• Develop resources to help guide entomologists in successfully submitting AWERB protocols.
• Present the resources at Ento25 to facilitate their use by entomologists and AWERBs.

Other

• Comply with all relevant legislation and contribute to RES policies and procedures.
• Work closely with other staff to ensure effective teamwork and high standards of work
  including supporting the day-to-day operations at Mansion House, where applicable.
• Demonstrate commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusivity, ensuring RES has a
  welcoming and inclusive image that is shown through all work.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties consistent with the scope and nature of the role as
  requested by the RES CEO or Senior Leadership Team and/or IWRS managerial team. As part of a
  small team, it may include supporting other roles from time to time depending on priorities.

PROJECT OFFICER PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and Experience

• Previous experience in undertaking surveys/interviews
• Previous experience in undertaking presentations and workshops
• Educated to a degree level or equivalent (desirable)
• Experience of using Microsoft Office software (desirable)

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and an eye for detail
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and time management skills, working to conflicting
  deadlines
• An analytical and positive approach to problem solving
• Proactive approach to working and able to work on own initiative
• Demonstrable commitment to equality and diversity combined with the ability to generate
  trust and confidence, representing everyone in the entomological community
• Excellent interpersonal skills

Personal Qualities

• Strong commitment to the aims and objectives of the Society, including an interest in the
  natural world.
• A strong work ethic, trustworthy and reliable
• Compassionate attitude and understanding of the needs of people
• Positive can-do attitude
• Desire to enhance and develop skills and knowledge
• Recognition of the importance of personal responsibility for health and safety
• Commitment to values of openness, transparency and to working with integrity
• Drive and enthusiasm