Help to safeguard the future of our soils and join the leading UK society for soil scientists.

The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is an established international membership organisation committed to the study of soil in its widest aspects. The Society brings together those working within academia, practitioners implementing soil science in industry and all those working with, or with an interest in soils. We promote research and education, both academically and in practice, and build collaborative partnerships to help safeguard our soil for the future.

We are looking for an ambitious, pro-active individual to join the operations team as we continue to lead the way in soil science at the forefront of the sector.

About the Role

Since the World Congress of Soil Science, which we hosted in Glasgow in 2022, the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is becoming increasingly recognised as the go-to organisation for evidence relating to soil.

This new post will deliver the Society’s activities around our policy work; producing draft guidance notes and consultation responses for our committees to comment on, working with policymakers and stakeholders to raise awareness of our members’ collective evidence-base and best practice knowledge.

You will work closely with the Executive Director to understand the Society’s priorities and support the delivery of our strategy by developing relevant guidance and policy projects, whilst horizon scanning to seek opportunities for the Society to have influence externally.

Your activities will make a demonstrable difference in raising awareness of the Society’s work amongst external stakeholders, leading to opportunities for collaboration and income generation.

There will be a requirement to coordinate work on behalf of the Society and to attend occasional conferences and events, throughout the year.

The role sits within the BSSS office in the School of Water, Energy and Environment.

About You

Educated to degree level or equivalent you will be an established Policy and Public Affairs professional, with good attention to detail, agile in approach with excellent communication and influencing skills.

Passionate about the natural environment you will place the Society at the centre of debate, advocating best practice around soil science and land use management across government departments and cross sector actors.

We are looking for someone with a proven track record of coordinating and delivering policy responses, working with internal and external stakeholders in the development of policy and projects, and raising awareness of an organisation’s profile with politicians, policymakers and opinion formers.

You must have the ability to assimilate complex policy topics quickly, a solid understanding of political and policy processes, and be an excellent communicator.

The ideal person will also have sound research and project management skills, along with experience working for a membership body, an established network and relevant knowledge of environment policy led issues.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) was founded in 1947 by eminent British soil scientists with the aims of advancing the study of soil; being open to membership from all those with an interest in the study and uses of soil; and issuing an annual publication.

Nowadays BSSS is an established international membership organisation and charity committed to the study of soil in its widest aspects. With over 900 members, it is funded primarily through income from publications and subscriptions. The Society acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas and provides a framework for representing the views of soil scientists to other organisations and decision-making bodies. It promotes research by organising several events and conferences each year and by the publication of its two scientific journals, the European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS), and Soil Use and Management (SUM), in partnership with Wiley. It promotes education through a number of initiatives aimed at schools, colleges and universities. The Society has a regular and varied programme of scientific conferences on a wide range of soil-related issues and hosted the World Congress of Soil Science in 2022, Glasgow on behalf of the International Union of Soil Sciences.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.