Senior Statistician

Senior Statistician - Environmental Research & Biodiversity Monitoring

Location:

England, UK

Contract:

6 months initially

Sector:
Public Sector

Working Arrangement:
Remote

We are seeking an experienced Senior Statistician to support a major public sector environmental research programme focused on understanding long-term changes in biodiversity across a network of monitoring sites in England.

This is an opportunity to contribute to important environmental research, applying advanced statistical methods to complex ecological datasets to help identify trends, understand the drivers of biodiversity change, and inform future monitoring strategies.

Working with scientific researchers, environmental specialists and public sector stakeholders, you will provide statistical expertise across data analysis, research design and the development of robust, evidence-based recommendations.

• Lead the statistical analysis of long-term ecological and environmental datasets to identify trends, relationships and potential drivers of biodiversity change.
• Investigate the effects of multiple environmental pressures, including climate change and air pollution, on ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Apply appropriate statistical methods to assess relationships between environmental variables and ecological outcomes, accounting for uncertainty and limitations in the data.
• Review existing monitoring and survey methodologies, identifying opportunities to improve statistical power, efficiency and the quality of research outputs.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of future survey and monitoring designs, retaining established methodologies where appropriate.
• Evaluate alternative analytical approaches and recommend suitable statistical techniques based on the research objectives and available data.
• Work collaboratively with researchers, environmental specialists, academic partners and public sector stakeholders.
• Produce clear statistical reports, technical documentation and research outputs, communicating complex findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage analytical deliverables effectively, ensuring work is completed to agreed deadlines and quality standards.

• A degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Ecology, Environmental Science or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Strong experience applying statistical methods to complex datasets, ideally within environmental, ecological or scientific research.
• Practical experience using statistical software such as R, Python or SPSS.
• Strong understanding of statistical modelling, multivariate analysis, statistical inference, parametric and non-parametric methods, and uncertainty quantification.
• Experience with experimental design, survey design or the evaluation of monitoring methodologies.
• Ability to interpret complex data, identify meaningful patterns and communicate findings clearly.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work within agreed timescales.

• Experience in ecological statistics, biodiversity research, environmental monitoring or conservation science.
• Experience analysing longitudinal or long-term environmental datasets.
• Knowledge of the relationships between environmental pressures and changes in ecosystems.
• Experience contributing to scientific publications, technical reports or research papers.
• Experience working with public sector organisations, research institutions or academic partners.

This role offers the opportunity to apply advanced statistical expertise to a significant environmental research programme, helping strengthen the evidence base used to understand biodiversity