Social Science Governance Specialist

The RSPB Centre for Conservation Science is seeking a talented Conservation Social Scientist to join our People Conservation Science team.

Reporting to Dr Natasha Constant, Principal Conservation Scientist, the post will support the Gola Programme in Sierra Leone and Liberia, working closely with RSPB colleagues, the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) and the Gola Rainforest Company (GRC).

Location: Home-based, Flexible in UK + Several extended international trips
Terms: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week, 15-month fixed-term (with estimated January 2027 start date)

The Gola Programme is a partnership between CSSL, GRC, SCNL, the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia, local communities and the RSPB. The programme aims to conserve this globally important forest landscape while supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, water security and sustainable livelihoods.

Funded through the EU NaturAfrica Project, this role will lead social science research on community forestry governance in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The research will assess governance systems from community and stakeholder perspectives, identifying opportunities to strengthen participation, transparency and benefit-sharing arrangements. Findings will inform future evaluation of conservation, social and equity outcomes within community forestry models and support evidence-based conservation practice.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct a review of academic and grey literature on community forestry governance in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
• Design and deliver mixed-method social science research, including stakeholder mapping, participatory rural appraisal, focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
• Train and support local field teams and partner organisations.
• Undertake 8-10 weeks of fieldwork in Sierra Leone and Liberia to investigate governance, participation, decision-making, compliance and benefit-sharing processes.
• Co-organise and facilitate two multi-stakeholder workshops involving conservation organisations, government agencies and policymakers.
• Analyse qualitative data using NVivo and produce high-quality reports, recommendations and academic outputs.
• Work collaboratively with local partners to strengthen evidence-based conservation and community forestry practice.

Essential Experience

• Conducting social science fieldwork in international and remote settings, ideally within Africa and/or tropical forest landscapes.
• Organising and facilitating international multi-stakeholder workshops.
• Experience working collaboratively with NGOs, academic institutions, government agencies and local communities.
• Delivering training, mentoring or capacity-building activities.
• Applying rigorous research methods, including research design, data collection, data management and analysis to produce high-quality evidence and outputs.
• Collecting, coding and analysing qualitative data using NVivo.
• Qualitative and participatory research methods, including stakeholder analysis, interviews, focus groups and participatory rural appraisal.

Other Essentials

• Building effective working relationships across different cultures and stakeholder groups.
• Excellent report-writing skills and the ability to translate findings into practical recommendations for policy and practice.
• Ability and willingness to undertake fieldwork within Sierra Leone and Liberia for an extended period (8-10 weeks).
• Strong research design, data management and analytical skills.
• Proven scientific background (e.g., a PhD or equivalent experience managing a research project) in a relevant subject (e.g., human geography, anthropology, sociology, development studies) or topic (e.g., governance or institutional analysis related to conservation, forestry, land governance or rural development.

Closing: Monday, November 30th

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

No agencies please. 

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