Senior Botanist - Tropical America

ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY: Internal & External candidates can apply

HOURS OF WORK: Full Time

JOB STATUS: Fixed-Term Appointment to September 2014

SALARY PER ANNUM: £32,429 - £39,177 per annum (depending on experience)

DIRECTORATE: Herbarium, Library, Art & Archives

LOCATION: RBG Kew

JOB DETAILS:

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Kew) is the world-leader in plant diversity science, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major visitor attraction that shows the importance of plants in all our lives. Kew’s mission is to inspire and deliver science-based plant conservation worldwide, enhancing the quality of life. 

The post is based in the Tropical America Regional Team in Kew’s Herbarium. As well as delivering taxonomic outputs and plant identification resources, and taking responsibility for naming and curating part of the collection, the team is engaged in a number of field-based projects in Latin America (primarily Brazil, Peru, Bolivia). These include vegetation survey, inventory, and support for in situ conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity.

We are looking for an accomplished Botanist to deliver RBG Kew’s mission in this area. This will be achieved through high-quality scientific research, project management/delivery and related administrative and communication activities, necessary for the successful delivery of Kew’s programme of science-based conservation in Tropical America. You will primarily work within the team’s current activities and responsibilities, and are likely to be engaged in fieldwork. However, you will also collaborate with the cross-departmental Tropical America Science Team and other teams, lending services and expertise, as required.

This post carries an expectation of high standards of professional conduct and scientific rigour, contributing to the maintenance of Kew’s reputation in these fields of work and, when possible, to the generation of financial resources in support of its activities. Your primary task is to deliver science-based activities and outcomes according to schedule and expected standards, contributing to successful accomplishment of the Tropical America programme, including revenue-generating activities with the Kew Innovations Unit as appropriate.

You will have a Postgraduate (PhD/MSc) qualification in botany or other relevant discipline, or equivalent experience and expertise, combined with sound knowledge of tropical plant families and an understanding of plant taxonomy.

Experience of vegetation survey work and understanding of Neotropical vegetation is also essential, together with proven experience of writing clear technical reports and scientific publications in English. Your significant experience of tropical fieldwork and sound understanding of issues relating to in situ conservation in the tropics is essential to your success, as is proven experience of project management and the ability to communicate effectively in Spanish or Portuguese.

Benefits include 30 days holiday per year, a choice of defined benefit or stakeholder pension, a flexible benefits scheme as well as a great working environment.