Part-time Science Engagement Fellowship – Energy

Background

The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) is offering a unique opportunity for a highly motivated PhD student or postdoctoral researcher to engage with the RMetS' Science Engagement activities and work with our team under a 2-year part-time Fellowship programme. Applicants are welcome from a variety of meteorological backgrounds, however this position will have a focus on the energy sector.

The overarching purpose of the part-time Fellowship programme is to support the RMetS to deliver some of its strategic objectives through interdisciplinary activities and the communication of the science to a broad audience. Ongoing priorities for the Society include building engagement with the energy and insurance sectors, and improving support for youth and early career individuals who are considering, or currently working in, a career related to weather and climate.

Our part-time Fellowship programme is embedded across the Society, with the potential to influence ongoing activities and deliver new initiatives in events, partnerships and publishing, whilst supporting growth in membership and accreditation.

The RMetS is the UK’s Professional and Learned Society for weather and climate and its mission is to advance the understanding of weather and climate and its application for the benefit of all. The RMetS plays a key role as the custodian of both the science and the profession of meteorology in the UK and has an important role to play internationally as one of the world’s largest meteorological societies.

Role

To help steer and build the Society’s engagement with the energy sector, an RMetS Energy Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed in 2022. The Energy SIG aims to sustain, encourage and progress engagement between meteorology and the energy sector, with expert members from academia, industry and regulators.

The energy Science Engagement Fellow has a key role in managing, developing and promoting the RMetS Energy SIG and its deliverables to build the Society’s engagement with the energy sector.

This exciting role enables the successful applicant to engage with non-academic stakeholders to build multidisciplinary partnerships, develop engagement skills and experiences, enhance their profile with stakeholders and leading academics, and grow their research impact. 

The position will work closely with the Science Engagement Committee, Science Engagement Manager and the other part-time Science Engagement Fellow on sector engagement initiatives, as well as other activities that are part of the RMetS’ Science Engagement Strategy.

Responsibilities

• Provide expertise and guidance to the Society on the UK energy sector in relation to weather and climate. Identify the sector’s needs and how best RMetS can provide support now and in the future. 
• Project manage and develop the RMetS Energy SIG and its deliverables. This could involve producing and commissioning content such as blog posts, events, briefing papers and peer-reviewed journal content, for specialists and non-specialists, with guidance from SIG members.
• Project manage and author the annual ‘RMetS State of the Climate for the UK Energy Sector’ report, working with any sponsors to deliver agreed outcomes over the next year.
• Proactively represent and promote the RMetS and the Energy SIG at sector relevant events and meetings, whilst identifying new opportunities.
• Lead on programme development for the Energy SIG’s annual seasonal forecasting webinar in Autumn, and the joint energy/insurance event with the RMetS Insurance SIG in 2026.
• Support the RMetS partnerships team with ongoing and new partnership opportunities within the energy sector.
• Support the delivery of other science engagement activities within the Society’s Science Engagement Strategy, such as events, career resources and briefing papers.
• Work with and support as required the other part-time Science Engagement Fellows, including the Fellow responsible for the RMetS Insurance SIG.

Essential criteria you will need to demonstrate

The successful candidate will have:

• A good knowledge of the science of weather and climate, and its applications to the energy sector, as well as a passion for the subject;
• Knowledge of the UK’s energy sector and the role of key stakeholders;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience of meeting and working with people from a range of backgrounds and disciplines;
• Ability to communicate complex concepts in a way that is appropriate to the target audience;
• Confidence to represent the Energy SIG at external meetings and events;
• Well-developed organisational skills and the ability to establish and manage simultaneous projects;
• Ability to prioritise own workload as not continuously supervised;
• Ability to use standard software packages (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• All applicants are required to demonstrate the right to work in the UK.

Part-time Fellowship funding: £8,000 - £9,000 per annum, part-time (approx. 8 hours per week).

Application: To apply, please click the link and apply through CharityJobs, with a full CV and cover letter demonstrating your knowledge of and experience with the energy sector, how your skills align with the role, and your rationale for applying.

Closing Date: The deadline for applications is 18 April 2025, however, we will be reviewing applications as they are submitted. Interviews will take place during the last two weeks of April. 

Start date: June 2025.

Duration: Ideally 24 months, but a shorter duration would be considered.

Location: This will be a remote working role, with opportunities to visit Society headquarters and attend relevant RMetS events.

Support: The role will be supervised by the RMetS Science Engagement Manager. Expenses will be reimbursed in line with the RMetS' Expenses Policy.

The Royal Meteorological Society values diversity of background and perspective and is committed to treating all people equally and with respect irrespective of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We are particularly committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. As part of this commitment, we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role they have applied for and we will proactively consider all reasonable adjustments to facilitate employment with us. If you wish to apply under this scheme, please indicate this in your covering letter.