Public Engagement and Events Coordinator

British Geological Survey

Public Engagement and Events Coordinator

Grade: UKRI Pay Band C
Salary: £29,923 per annum
A great benefits package is offered including an outstanding pension scheme (with an extremely generous employer contribution – on average 27% of your pay), 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Contract Type: Permanent
Full-time – 37 hours a week (Hybrid working options are available with regular on-site attendance and some remote working, in line with the BGS policy) 
Location: BGS headquarters in Keyworth in Nottingham
Closing date: 9 March 2025 

About the role
Reporting to the Public Engagement Manager (London) and working alongside the Public Engagement Co-ordinator in London and wider communications and engagement team, this role supports the delivery and implementation of PE projects across BGS, as part of its enhanced profile as a key strategic pillar of the new BGS strategy.

The role assists and leads (as necessary) in the planning, coordination and evaluation of BGS’s attendance at key events as well as assisting the wider BGS public engagement team to deliver the BGS Public Engagement Strategy. 

The role will have a strong internally facing profile, providing a point of contact for BGS teams at head office and championing PE across key projects. The post holder will encourage staff to take part in PE opportunities and foster strong, reciprocal working relationships with key science and operations teams in BGS, helping the PE team to embed good PE practice into all aspects of BGS work. This may include offering advice and PE skills training sessions. The role will also represent BGS externally at PE events, conferences and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing opportunities; this may include science festivals, music festivals, or school events, and will require some weekend and evening work throughout the year.

The post holder will manage the PE team’s kit inventory, organise loans to internal and external partners, and monitor associated policies and procedures. They will also be responsible for monitoring educational resource and material created by BGS; they will help identify key areas for resource creation by monitoring BGS’ science outputs and identifying curriculum areas that BGS can support. They will be required to assist the PE Manager in the development of such resources and keep a schedule for reviewing material published on Discovering Geology. 
 
About you 
This role is suited to someone looking to develop a career in public engagement and science communication. You may be a geoscience graduate, other graduate, events professional or another background with relevant skills and experience . The role is based at our head office in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, where the majority of our public engagement equipment and exhibits are kept. The role is quite active, requiring the ability to move and set up equipment or festival stands (with appropriate training, assistance and safeguards in place). 
 
You will be an organised, proactive and diligent team player with excellent attention to detail; clear communication in written and face to face formats is essential. You should be comfortable directing teams to deliver high quality public engagement events, and with advising scientists on best approaches to public engagement, with supervision and support from the wider PE team. You should be comfortable seeking feedback and input from colleagues and prepared to work collaboratively to ensure our output is innovative and high quality.
 
You will work as part of a public engagement team of 3, sitting in a wider communications and customer service team of 20+ people. You should be comfortable working and communicating with colleagues both in person and online, with teams based across the UK. Public engagement is a strategic pillar for BGS, meaning the role is extremely varied and valued; one week may involve writing equipment manuals, preparing risk assessments, organising equipment loans to schools and attending a music festival to talk to the public at the weekend!
 
The role requires flexibility, with hours worked in the office, at home, and away at external events. You should be prepared to travel for up to a week at a time, with lieu time accrued.
 
Please note – you will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during your employment.

The specific essential and desirable skills criteria for this post will be assessed at Shortlist (S) stage, interview (I) stage, or both (S&I).
 
Essential

• Experience of, or demonstratable understanding of, co-ordinating events involving internal and external stakeholders (S&I)
• Understanding of science communication and public engagement practice and principles (S&I)
• Demonstrable ability in MS office suite including Teams, Sharepoint, Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, Forms (S&I)
• Proven experience of successfully working towards shared goals or projects within a team (S&I)
• Excellent organisational and self-management skills; able to meet deadlines, take initiative, work proactively and unsupervised. Able to effectively communicate information to relevant stakeholders (S&I)
• Prepared to travel to other BGS sites within the UK for public engagement events and participate in occasional out of hours work as required (S&I)
• You will be committed to a diverse and inclusive approach to work in the geosciences (S&I)

Desirable

• An interest or qualification in geology or geology-related discipline (S&I)
• Experience in a public engagement with science or science education role (S)
• Demonstrable interest in own learning and continuous professional development (S&I)

About us
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an applied geoscience research centre that belongs to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is affiliated to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is a world leading geological survey whose core mission is to advise government of science related to the subsurface and to undertake applied research to solve earth and environmental issues, both in the UK and globally. It is funded directly by UKRI, as well as through research grants and private sector contracts.
 
We strive to promote equality and diversity across our organisation in order to continuously improve our scientific and organisational efficiency.  As such, we aim to have a workforce with employees from all backgrounds with people who are passionate about earth science and who share our dedication to work for the good of the environment and the benefit of society. BGS became a signatory of the Technician Commitment in July 2022. 
 
How to apply
Applicants are required to include a CV and covering letter outlining their suitability for the role. We would stress the importance of this paperwork in our selection process.
 
A well thought through application providing evidence and examples of how you meet the advertised essential and desirable criteria for the post will be considered far more favourably than a generic covering letter and CV.
 
If you experience any issues applying for this role, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org.
 
Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday 20 March 2025 in Keyworth, Nottingham.