Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator and Science Communicator

Friends of the River Wye (FORW) are seeking an exceptional Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator and Science Communicator to help coordinate our network of citizen scientists and drive public awareness of the plight of the Rivers Wye and Lugg. This role will work at the intersection of citizen science, volunteer coordination, science communication, community mobilisation and partnership building - helping ensure local voices, and evidence guide the river back to health. A significant focus of this role will be on turning complex science and data into compelling narratives of the degradation and restoration of our beloved river. It will suit a passionate, environmentally committed and scientifically literate person who combines creativity with ecological understanding and is as comfortable on social media as they are in meeting with farmers in their kitchens.

If you think you can help bring together the power of people, data, and persistent, positive pressure to bring a river back to life, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

1. Community & Volunteer Engagement

● Work closely with volunteer citizen scientists, amplifying their findings, and strengthening local action on pollution.

● Maintain stocks of equipment and consumables required by citizen scientists, and arrangements for their distribution

● Recruit, train, organise and coordinate citizen scientists, including attending events, coordinating meet-ups and running training and feedback sessions - note these tend to be evening or weekend sessions to meet volunteer availability, so flexibility is needed.

● Coordinate with the existing citizen science management team and the board of Trustees, ensuring efforts are aligned with FORW’s strategic priorities.

1. Communications & Social Media Leadership

● Be highly active across social platforms - posting regular updates, replying to comments, mythbusting misinformation, and amplifying positive stories.

● Maintain a consistent, evidence-led voice for the Wye across channels.

● Grow the reach and engagement of FORW’s social media presence.

1. Science Interpretation & Public Education

● Translate complex scientific and regulatory information into clear, engaging, accurate explainers.

● Produce accessible analyses of water quality and related data, trends, and emerging issues.

● Use basic GIS and mapping tools (e.g. QGIS, Google Earth, Google Maps) to help visualise citizen science results and identify key locations for sampling and storytelling.

● Use simple data visualisation tools (e.g. Tableau, Flourish, Google Sheets) to present findings in a compelling and public-friendly way.

● Promote and interpret tools like Wye Viz, helping the public understand what the data means.

● Create regular high-quality videos, graphics, explainers, and other compelling content to explain what is happening to the Wye and what people can do to help.

● Work with community groups and other river-focused organisations to ensure aligned communication, shared messaging, and joint opportunities.

1. Farmer and Community Engagement & Positive Practice Amplification

● Build strong, trust-based relationships with community groups, farmers and farming groups to promote meaningful steps to reduce pollution.

● Showcase, celebrate, and elevate farmer voices engaged in genuine action.

Skills and experience

● Highly organised, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple strands of work.

● Confident working with diverse groups, including volunteers, farmers, community members, NGOs, and public bodies.

● Strong communicator across written, verbal, and digital channels.

● Proven experience in social media management, campaigning, or communications.

● Ability to interpret scientific or technical information and communicate it clearly to the public.

● Working knowledge of GIS or mapping tools to support spatial understanding of citizen science data and river pressures.

● Experience presenting data visually (e.g. dashboards, maps, charts) in ways that are accurate, accessible and engaging for a public audience.

● Strong analytical skills; experience working with large datasets.

● Science qualifications or background a strong positive.

● Experience producing videos, digital content, or graphic explainers.

● Understanding of environmental issues, water quality, and agriculture (highly desirable).

● Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evenings/weekends for events or reactive communications.

● Current drivers license and consistent access to a car (for transport around the large Wye catchment area).

● As a contracting role, the successful candidate will be expected to provide their own equipment (recent model laptop, mobile phone).

● Welsh language a strong positive.

This position will jointly report to the Chair of the FORW Trustees and the Programme Manager. Where appropriate, they will ensure Welsh translation is provided, and appropriate recognition of grants and sponsorship that have supported our work. A project associated with this role is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Type: 1-Year contract (2 days per week - flexible working hours)

Rate: £130 per day (contract rate)

Location: Flexible working, based within / across the Wye catchment