British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP)
Publicity and Communications Officer
Part time – Remote working. £21 per hour up to a maximum of £21,000 per annum.
The British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) seeks an outstanding individual to lead the policy and publicity activities of the society. BSPP is an active international society with more than 600 members worldwide. The society was founded in 1981 for study and advancement in plant pathology. We support our community in the UK and globally to engage in plant pathology education and research, to enable knowledge exchange and dissemination, and to enhance impact via policy influence and raising public awareness.
We are looking for an individual who is passionate about the protection of agricultural and natural plant environments through the advancement of plant pathology research and practice. The post-holder will be responsible for the design and coordination of publicity to improve the profile of BSPP and to communicate BSPP activities to its members and the public. It would also be desirable for the postholder to support the development of policy documents, by working with others and contributing to writing and dissemination.
The post-holder will work closely with BSPP board members, the Web Manager, Administrator, and Newsletter Editor. In addition, they will work with and utilise the society’s network of volunteer ‘BSPP Ambassadors’, appointed members who represent key organisations, institutions and regions that engage in plant pathology research or related activities. An important aspect of the role is to support and promote the society’s strong commitment to equity, equality, diversity and inclusion.
It is anticipated that the role will require about 2½ days a week on an ongoing basis (probably variable throughout the year). The role may expand beyond that, if successful, at the discretion of the BSPP Board. The hourly rate is £21.00/hour claimed via time sheets up to a maximum of £21,000 per year. The role will be home based, but will involve occasional travel. Reasonable additional expenses e.g. travel, printing etc. will also be reimbursed.
Not sure whether you have the right skills for the role? Let us decide. We know that many individuals with relevant skills choose not to put themselves forward for jobs or career development opportunities, particularly women and individuals from diverse backgrounds that are under-represented in science. We welcome applications from all individuals with a passion for promoting plant pathology and the work of BSPP and its members.
The closing date for applications is 28th July 2023.
Please email a copy of your CV and a cover letter to secretary@bspp.org.uk by the closing date.
For further information about the BSPP, please see https://www.bspp.org.uk/.
Informal enquires should be directed to stephen.parnell@warwick.ac.uk.
Job description and person specification
Job title : BSPP Publicity and Communications Officer
Location : Remote working
Working hours : Part-time (up to around 10 days’ per month), permanent, with flexible working arrangement
Salary : £ 21 per hour up to a maximum of £21,000 per annum.
BSPP Policy and Publicity Officer Role
We propose to appoint a part time Publicity and Communications Officer who has a solid background in plant pathology and communication and would be responsible for taking initiative for communicating publicity and developing outreach:
- Monitoring and drafting responses to the various approaches made to the society by other professional bodies and ensuring that the BSPP board discusses these issues and makes rapid decisions where necessary.
- Looking for opportunities to publicise plant pathology in reaction to hearings from other bodies and introducing these to the board.
- Liaising with major media outlets (press and broadcast) to inform of major events and developments in plant health, nationally and world-wide.
The main focus of the role will be communication to the bioscience community including: members, potential members, journal authors and readers, and the general public. The successful candidate will use their initiative to develop the role, so as to achieve the following aims:
- Improved communication with members, the broader plant pathology community internationally and the general public.
- Improved ‘cross-fertilisation’ of information between the BSPP and other organisations.
- Promotion of the subject of plant pathology.
Tasks/responsibilities:
- Ensuring the BSPP’s website communicates a positive and comprehensive picture of the Society, in liaison with the BSPP board members, Web Manager, and Administrator.
- Liaising with the Web Manager, Administrator, and Newsletter Editor to ensure that the media are up to date with items like BSPP meetings, grants, prize winners etc, as well as any broader news.
- Writing a blog and using Twitter to communicate the BSPP-mediated responses.
- Communicating via Twitter and other relevant social media to improve the profile of the BSPP and its journals, working in liaison with board members and editors as appropriate
- Communication with the three BSPP journals and Wiley to ensure that authors, readers, and journal editors are aware of the BSPP’s activities
- Communication with the three BSPP journals and Wiley to ensure that newsworthy journal articles are publicised to the science community, the media and/or the public in a timely and effective way.
- Communication with BSPP sister societies to ensure that they publicise the BSPP appropriately and that any relevant news from them is communicated to the BSPP members.
- Monitoring and analysing publicity outcomes
- Developing position statements for the BSPP on plant pathology related issues arising from Government policy, public interest or similar.
- Attend four BSPP board meetings when requested and present a report on activities.
Please note that these responsibilities may be adjusted from time to time according to the needs of the Society. The post-holder will be expected to be reasonably flexible in the tasks undertaken.
Key relationship:
The post-holder will work closely with the BSPP Board, particularly with BSPP Social Media and Promotions officer, Webmanager, Administrator, and Newsletter Editor
Person specification:
Education/qualifications
Essential:
- A BSc and/or MSc degree in relevant discipline related to Biology / Plant Science
Desirable:
- PhD in a relevant scientific discipline
Experience
Essential:
- Experience in using Microsoft Office and various social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and other relevant platform
- Experience with social media management tools.
- Ability to communicate science to a wider audience such as to the public, industry, policymakers
Desirable:
- Work experience in plant pathology and/or plant science research
- An understanding of how a learned society operates
- Awareness on how research funding bodies, policymaker operates
- Previous experience in science communication
- Contribution to policy development
Personal Qualities
Essential:
- Strong and proactive team player
- Critical thinking and clear record keeping
- Good level of autonomy, but willing to seek help and advice
