Conservation Evidence and Insight Manager

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is one of the UK’s fastest growing nature conservation organisations and seeks to appoint a Conservation Evidence and Insight Manager
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Transforming ecological data into powerful insights, the Conservation Evidence and Insight Manager will oversee and support a range of projects supporting our ambition to achieve 30% of positively managed land a sea for nature across Yorkshire, in line with our blueprint for nature recovery – Bringing Yorkshire’s Nature Back.

Data and evidence are fundamental to effective nature recovery. It ensures that conservation actions are targeted, effective, and responsive to changing conditions. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust uses an evidence‑informed approach allowing us to make better decisions and demonstrate real outcomes for nature. Requiring excellent knowledge of data collection and analysis, GIS and remote sensing, project design, reporting and data management, the Conservation Evidence and Insight Manager will act as the bridge between ecology, technology and policy, ensuring robust data collection, analysis and management, while driving decision making and inspiring change.

• Lead the integration of scientific evidence into conservation planning, project design, and policy development work to align with our ambitions to become a ‘Conservation Evidence Champion
• Provide strategic technical input into conservation strategies, funding proposals, and programme evaluations.
• Lead the periodic review of our State of Yorkshire’s Nature/Bringing Yorkshire’s Nature Back work to provide relevant updates and monitor progress toward nature recovery goals.
• Work closely with conservation practitioners, ecologists, and external partners including academic institutions and NGOs (e.g. LNRS monitoring and delivery, supporting blueprint delivery across a range of organisations, as appropriate).
• Working with colleagues across the Trust, to develop the intelligence (data and insights) capability for the Trust to engage in nature finance, environmental markets, etc. opportunities.
• Ensure the Trust keeps up to date with recent research methods and findings, sharing and integrating relevant information across the Trust’s work.
• Lead on the conservation use cases and evidence requirements for emerging technologies such as AI, drones, remote sensing, cameras, acoustics and eDNA.
• Work in partnership with Digital Transformation and IT on conservation‑related architecture, cyber security, data protection, procurement, integration and responsible technology governance.

• Ensure the Trust’s conservation activities are in alignment with and delivering to its Organisational Strategy and Blueprint for nature’s recovery.
• Work with Operational teams to design practical and usable monitoring and data capture processes, to support effective management, which contributes to our strategic goals.
• Build the Trust’s evidence‑led credibility and collaborate with RSWT, researchers, applied scientists, and academic partners to co‑develop original research and deliver conservation outcomes.
• Lead delivery, providing both strategic oversight and technical guidance, of key research and evidence projects including ecological and spatial models to support conservation planning and decision‑making.
• Provide quality assurance of the interpretation of modelling outputs to inform conservation strategies, landscape planning, and species recovery initiatives.
• Manage projects to ensure they meet deadlines and objectives and are delivered within budget.

• Lead the conservation requirements for data platforms and services to enable our nature recovery ambitions across the Trust, and where appropriate offering external knowledge services.
• Establish clear conservation data standards, ownership, quality controls and stewardship responsibilities across Nature Recovery.
• Work with Digital Transformation and IT to ensure conservation‑related data systems are secure, integrated, supportable and aligned with the Trust’s digital architecture.
• Ensure conservation data is trusted, maintained…