Scientific & Policy Officer - General (1618)

Do you want to create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe all animals deserve kindness and respect. We work for the benefit of every animal – as well as pets, that includes farmed animals, wildlife, and animals used in science. Choose a career with us and make a difference for every kind.

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Animals in Science Department (ASD) and to play a key role in supporting and implementing the Society's work regarding animals used in research, testing and education. 

As Scientific and Policy Officer, your role will support the department with respect to furthering the implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement of animal experiments; the principal goal, Reduction and Refinement) and promoting robust ethical review of animal use, so this really is a key role within the team.

This is a hybrid working role, which will entail mainly home working with occasional travel to the Southern Regional Centre, Horsham or our London Hub, Blackfriars, as required. Also travel to external meetings, some of which would include overnight stays (UK/international).

• Permanent Contract
• Working hours: 35 hours - Monday - Friday. 

It's important to us that you feel part of our team from the start. We like to keep in touch with regular check-ins and team meetings. There's always a teammate around for support or a quick chat.

Are you ready to join our movement?

It's an exciting time to join us in the decade of our bicentenary as we focus on our Strategy to 2030. The RSPCA works 365 days a year, rescuing all animals of all types from abuse, neglect, and injury. 

Here's some of the key work you'll be doing: 

• Monitor, share and analyse policies, reports, news and announcements (including answers to Parliamentary Questions) from relevant bodies (such as the European Commission, Home Office and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), proactively and on request, in order to help maintain the Animals in Science Department's knowledge base.
• Search for articles, research papers and general information relevant to the Department's work, to support the work of the scientific staff and maintain the Department's knowledge base regarding research animal welfare and use, ethics and the 3Rs.
• Undertake additional supporting tasks as required, such as helping to organise meetings; laying out and formatting publications; developing guidance and tools to enable further implementation of the 3Rs and robust ethical review of animal use, writing up meeting reports for publication.
• Work closely with the Digital Media team, providing and updating content for the RSPCA website relevant to the Society's work to help laboratory animals.
• Help produce content (eg. articles, infographics) for the public, members of animal ethics committees and other stakeholders, to inform these audiences of issues relating to animal research and testing and of the RSPCA's work in this area.
• Help promote the RSPCA's work for lab animals using a variety of communication channels including social media.
• To represent the RSPCA at relevant forums and give presentations at relevant meetings or workshops, internally and externally.

We think this is a great role and to add value we are seeking a match of these skills, but don't worry if you don't tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you.

• MSc in a relevant subject or relevant BSc plus equivalent relevant experience.
• Awareness and understanding of the debate around animal experiments and the range of perspectives involved
• Ability to identify animal welfare and ethical issues. 
• Good oral and written communication skills, with proven ability to be able to communicate complex scientific information to a broad range of audiences. 
• Experience of completing critical reviews of scientific literature and presenting summarised results.
• Excellent attention to detail. 
• Competent IT skills. 
• A proven ability to use initiative, be self-organised and able to work independently.
• Excellent researching and information-processing skills.
• Good interpersonal and influencing skills, as this is a sensitive area.

If you have a positive can-do approach to daily tasks and thrive in an inclusive people orientated environment then we'd love to hear from you! 

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

Interviews will take place on the 12th of November.  

We are really lucky that some of our roles attract a high level of interest and for this reason we review applications as they are received, unfortunately on some occasions this means roles may close earlier than advertised; so early submissions are highly recommended.  We are unable to accept applications past the close date.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We recognise that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to achieving our core mission. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA.

Should you need any support with your application or interview process please contact resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk

Our mission is to ensure animals have a good life by rescuing and caring for those in need, by advocating on behalf of all animals and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect