Deputy Director of Science (Operations) - Candidate Brief - July 2021 - Veredus
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Deputy Director of Science (Operations) Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Contents
Welcome Letter 3
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
About RBG Kew 4
Manifesto for Change 4
RBG Kew’s Collections 4
Millennium Seedbank 5
Global Partnerships 5
Kew Science
About Kew Science 7
Scientific Priorities 7
Organisational Structure 9
Science Departments 9
Organisation Chart 9
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Job Purpose 10
Job Context 10
Job Description 12
Person Specification 13
The Recruitment Process 15
Terms & Conditions of Appointment 16
2 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Welcome Letter
Dear candidate for the role of Deputy Director of Science (Operations),
Science is at the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is through our science
that we are able to develop solutions to some of the world’s biggest and most acute
challenges: biodiversity loss, climate change and food insecurity.
This is a key strategic role to support us in maximising the quality and impact of
our science. The successful applicant will be responsible for the strategic leadership,
management and delivery of all science services, operations, finance and administration
in the Science Directorate. They will focus on optimising the interactions across science
that support the effective delivery of the Science Priorities and Initiatives, and will
cultivate a positive, collaborative, and innovative centre of excellence, that will
continuously strive to be inclusive and adaptable to changing scientific, social
and economic contexts.
We are looking for someone who is highly organised, effective, collaborative, proactive
and constructive. It may seem like a daunting task to oversee and manage the scientific
operations of such a complex organisation – comprising scientists who work in over
100 countries, extensive collections of plants, fungi, books and arts, state-of-the-art
laboratories, and much more. But you’ll be joined by wonderful and experienced
colleagues working in a friendly and dynamic environment of excellence and
mutual support.
I very much hope that you will be excited about the prospects of this unique position
in a world-leading scientific organisation, and I look forward to your application.
Best wishes,
Alex
Professor Alexandre Antonelli
Director of Science
3 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
About RBG Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) was founded in 1759, and from its beginnings
as a Georgian royal garden it has become a global centre for plant and fungal science,
tackling urgent environmental challenges. It has two main botanic garden sites: Kew Gardens
in south-west London, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Wakehurst in West
Sussex, which is home to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. We also have a permanent research
office in Madagascar, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
Manifesto for Change
Earth is the only planet in the universe we know for certain supports life. Yet life on Earth
is in crisis. Natural resources are being degraded at a rate unprecedented in human history.
As a result, we are living through an age of extinction.
We also face a climate emergency. Actions such as burning fossil fuels and clearing wild
lands have released greenhouse gases, disrupting natural climate patterns. In a vicious
cycle, damaged ecosystems are less able to absorb emissions and mitigate the worst
consequences of climate change.
The next decade will be critical if we are to reverse this environmental devastation. Humanity
stands at a crossroads. The future of our planet is in grave jeopardy. Action is needed now
to end biodiversity loss and repair our world.
The mission of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is to understand and protect
plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth. Our aspiration
is to end the extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued
by all and managed sustainably.
Further details can be found at: Manifesto for Change 2021–2030
Kew’s Collections
Spread over our two sites (Kew Gardens and Wakehurst), RBG Kew’s scientific collections
contain over 8.5 million items, representing over 95% of known flowering plant genera and
over 60% of known genera of fungi. They incorporate living and preserved material, seeds,
spores and DNA, and between them cover an extraordinary breadth of plant and fungal
diversity. These valuable collections are vital for research, and we are aiming to implement
a large-scale digitisation programme to capture and release the information they hold.
Currently, over 20% of the Science Collections are databased and around 10% have
been imaged.
Many of RBG Kew’s collections are unique, and together they provide an unrivalled record
of plant and fungal diversity in space and time. RBG Kew also has over 300 highly skilled
scientists, curators and technicians located in three purpose-built buildings: the Herbarium,
the Jodrell Laboratory (both located at Kew) and the Wellcome Trust Millennium Building
(located at Wakehurst). The combination of world class expertise and our collections
makes RBG Kew a truly global resource in plant and fungal knowledge. The core purpose
of RBG Kew science stems from a simple but often overlooked truth: all our lives depend
on plants.
4 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
RBG Kew’s collections include:
• More than seven million herbarium sheets, including 330,000 type specimens
that were used to describe new species.
• 1.25 million dried fungal specimens, the largest such collection in the world.
• Nearly 180,000 individual plants from over 30,000 taxa, including 1,300 threatened
species in our gardens.
• 50,000 samples of DNA from over 35,000 species of plants in our DNA bank.
• More than 2 billion seeds, from 36,000 species of plants in the Millennium
Seed Bank in Wakehurst.
Millennium Seed Bank
The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is the world’s largest ex situ wild plant
conservation programme. Through partnerships in more than 80 countries, we
focus on banking endangered, endemic and economically valuable species including
the wild relatives of crops. They can be used for research, innovation and as the ultimate
insurance against species extinction.
Global Partnerships
RBG Kew has an extensive international network of individual partners and consortia.
Our scientific activities and collaborations span more than 100 countries worldwide.
Much of the fieldwork and sharing of information that RBG Kew undertakes in order
to achieve its scientific objectives is dependent on working in partnership with key
organisations, individuals and communities in these countries. We also deliver an
extensive programme of training and capacity building. Our primary stakeholders are UK
and global scientific institutions, governments, research councils, industry, international
conservation and development agencies, and the public. RBG Kew is also an Executive
Non-Departmental Public Body part-funded by Defra (the UK government’s Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). As part of the Defra Network, RBG Kew plays
an active role in delivering the Department’s policy objectives.
Online access to RBG Kew’s rich scientific collections data is being increased rapidly
through our current Science Strategy initiatives, including Digitising the Collections and
the construction of a Plant and Fungal Tree of Life. The Plants of the World Online Portal
(www.plantsoftheworldonline. org) provides a single point of access for authoritative
information about plants, including names, descriptions and distributions. This will
ultimately lead to a resource that has global coverage. RBG Kew’s other major scientific
databases include the Herbarium Catalogue (http://apps.key.org/herbcat/navigator.do),
Seed Information Database (http://data.kew.org/sid/) and DNA Bank
(http://apps.kew.org/dnabank/search).
5 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations) 6 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Kew Science
About Kew Science
For more than 260 years, science has been at the heart of RBG Kew’s purpose. With
some 350 members of staff, Kew Science has an extensive research programme that
spans the study of genes through to ecosystems – from the analysis of genomes to the
discovery and identification of new species and the impact of climate change on the wild
relatives of crops. Our collections, our people and our partnerships enable us to make
an invaluable and highly relevant contribution to some of the biggest issues facing the
global population. Our Science Strategy 2021-2030 provides focus and clarity on RBG
Kew’s scientific priorities, while a major re-organisation of our scientific resources has
ensured a strong foundation from which to deliver our five strategic priorities.
Scientific Priorities
The world we live in is changing rapidly. The devastating and intertwined impacts of
biodiversity loss and climate change are already being felt, and we need to act now,
before it is too late. We at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have an ambitious plan
to help stop biodiversity loss and discover sustainable nature-based solutions to
some of our biggest global challenges.
Our five scientific priorities are:
• Ecosystem Stewardship
Ecosystem stewardship combines the in situ (on-site, in-country) protection of
biodiversity with its sustainable use. Good ecosystem stewardship generates
knowledge and practices that sustain, promote and restore natural and cultural
capital. RBG Kew’s unique contribution in this area includes the collection and
analysis of plant and fungal diversity data (from genes and species through to
whole ecosystems), enhanced by insights into evolutionary processes, ecological
interactions (including pollination systems and mycorrhizal fungi), diverse and
sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, ecological restoration and ecosystem
health and productivity.
• Unlocking Properties
Plants and fungi hold the key to addressing many of the challenges facing the
natural world. But there is still much we do not know about the properties that
have enabled them to survive in the environment. Understanding these traits,
how they have evolved and how they function, will enable us to better conserve
these species, both within and outside their natural range or habitat, and to
identify species and molecules we can use sustainably and equitably for the
benefit of humankind. RBG Kew’s collections, particularly the Seed Collection
at the Millennium Seed Bank and the Living Collections at Kew Gardens and
Wakehurst, provide a priceless reserve we can mine to drive this process of
discovery, taking into account access and benefit agreements associated with
the Nagoya Protocol, related legislation and best practice. The exploration of
biodiversity offers a wealth of opportunities for improving human health and
well-being, and may provide new solutions for sustainable development.
7 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
• Digital Revolution
RBG Kew holds a globally unique, substantial and growing collection of fungal
and plant data and databases that store information on specimens, names,
taxonomy, images, traits, distributions, phylogenies, phenology, germination
and conservation. Yet our collections still hold vast quantities of uncaptured
data from physical specimens, their labels and their DNA. The large-scale
digitisation of specimens and integration of systems will release this information,
helped by innovative new online tools for data retrieval, analysis
and visualisation. This digital revolution will facilitate more efficient curation
and management, while increasing the global value and use of the collections
by scientists and the wider public. Digitisation and digital innovation will allow
virtual repatriation of specimen images and data to countries of origin, while
unleashing new opportunities for large-scale data mining and analysis for
scientific discovery and innovation.
• Accelerated Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of naming, identifying and classifying living organisms. It
is the bedrock for the scientific study of life: any research involving living
organisms needs a taxonomic point of reference and it is therefore hugely
important to the global scientific community, yet in need of increased resources
and focus. Taxonomy has been the backbone of RBG Kew’s scientific research
throughout our history, and our collections and taxonomic experts are essential
to the processes of discovering, describing and conserving biodiversity. Drawing
on increased data availability and new tools and technologies, including
phylogenomics and machine learning, we will push the frontiers of taxonomic
research to accelerate the characterisation and identification of species in near
real-time and develop methods for speeding up the discovery of hidden diversity
in natural history collections. Our focus will be on taxonomic groups and regions
where progress is most needed, and our outputs will include monographs, online
tools and other resources tailored to the specific needs of our stakeholders.
• Enhanced Partnerships
RBG Kew’s scientists work with collaborators in over 400 institutions from more
than 100 countries across the globe – a network that we have built through our
worldwide portfolio of scientific and training activity. Structured partnerships,
focusing on impactful goals, are essential to the continued success of our
collecting, research and conservation activities. As we move forward with
our mission, cross-disciplinary partnerships, especially with academic and
commercial institutes that focus on the uses of biodiversity, will be essential
to increasing the understanding, appreciation and protection of biodiversity and
its useful properties. Priority 5 will weave through all of the other four Priorities,
because enhancing scientific and educational partnerships within the UK and
across the world will be essential to maximising real-world impact.
Further details can be found at: Scientific Priorities
8 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Directorate structure
Led by the Director of Science, Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Kew Science’s Directorate
comprises three departments.
• Research
• Partnerships
• Operations
Directorate Organisation Chart
9 Candidate Brief – July 2021
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Job Purpose
The Deputy Director of Science (Operations) is a newly created post within the Senior
Science team at Kew. The post will help deliver RBG Kew’s mission by:
Supporting the Director of Science in shaping and implementing the Science Strategy
with the Leadership Group.
Deputising for the Director of Science across all areas of science, specifically attending
Executive Board and Trustee meetings when the Director is unable to attend, handling
visitors and external events and championing Kew’s science.
Undertaking responsibility for strategic leadership, management and delivery of all
science services, operations, finance and administration in the Science Directorate,
as well as supporting the delivery of the Strategic Priorities and Initiatives – both long
and short term – through an effective relationship with the Director of Science and
fellow Deputy Directors.
Demonstrating a strong leadership presence, coordinating Science’s operational plan
and managing the science budget on behalf of the Director of Science.
Providing leadership to Science Operations. Ensuring Science Collections, Library
and Archives, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre Operations and Scientific Services
and Laboratories each realise their full potential to deliver excellence to their users and
are fully aligned to the needs of the Science Directorate and its stakeholders.
Job Context
The Director of Science is responsible for the overall vision, strategic direction,
leadership and management of the Science Directorate and is a member of RBG Kew’s
Executive Board. The role is supported by the Deputy Directors of Kew Science.
An overarching aim of the Deputy Directors of Science positions is to optimise the
interactions across science that support the effective delivery of the Science Priorities,
as well as to cultivate a positive, collaborative and innovative centre of excellence,
one that continuously strives to be inclusive and to adapt to changing scientific, social
and economic contexts. Deputy Directors deputise for the Director of Science, providing
leadership and management across Kew Science. Deputy Directors also represent
RBG Kew in external contexts, and represent the Science Directorate within Kew (e.g.,
chairing Programme Boards), where delegated by the Director of Science. Additionally,
Deputy Directors may lead their own research groups aligned to the Science Strategy,
contributing to Kew’s overall scientific outputs.
10 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
The Deputy Director of Science (Operations) is responsible for overseeing delivery of
all Science operations, services, finance and administration in the Science Directorate
through the leadership and management of all relevant areas.
The Deputy Director will lead resource and financial scenario planning for the Science
Directorate, managing a combination of short-term budget outturns and long-term needs
development by maintaining productive relationships with RBG Kew’s HR and Finance
departments, Kew Foundation, and external funding organisations such as UKRI.
Science Operations comprises four main areas:
Science Collections
Working with the Head of Science Collections to manager and develop for the future
RBG Kew’s Scientific Collections, including the preserved collections, seed collection,
laboratory-based collections and Fungarium as well as curation of accessioned materials
into the Herbarium and Fungarium.
Library and Archives
Working with the Head of Library and Archives to develop, catalogue and manage
the library collections to the benefit of all users and deploy a range of tailored digital
services to Kew Science.
KMCC Operations
Working with the KMCC Team Manager to ensure the Centre is better integrated in
Kew’s Science operations, compliant with both Kew policies and those applied locally
in Madagascar. Ensure KMCC operations within its available budget and meets the
needs of all the actively funded projects using its services.
Science Services & Laboratories
Working with the Head of Science Services & Laboratories to ensure that the collective
group of Kew Laboratories are efficiently maintained, managed within available budget,
operate safely and develop knowledge and new capabilities for future research needs
in plant and fungal sciences.
Working with the Head of Science Service & Laboratories to ensure administration
services provide tailored support meeting the needs of the Leadership Group and
the Priority Themes; develop and implement science conservation policies to ensure
adequate influence and support to UK Government policy decision making; tailor
science communications in support of the Kew Science Strategy and continue to
develop a research income plan for growth in funding.
11 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Job Description
Accountabilities
The Deputy Director of Science (Operations) will:
• Provide strategic leadership and management to all Science Operations
(Science Collections, Library and Archives, KMCC Services and Science Services
& Laboratories) ensuring the needs of users across Priority Themes are met to
a high standard.
• Deliver an inclusive culture of excellence, agile service delivery and performance
improvement for the Science Directorate, working closely with the Leadership
Group and Priority Leaders to develop new capabilities, enhance existing services
and plan future infrastructure requirements.
• Lead the development of the annual Science Operational Plan and the financial
and resource planning for the Science Directorate.
• Deputise for the Director of Science in all matters relating to Kew’s Operational
Plan and performance-reporting to the Executive Board, representing Science
on the Pay & Recruitment Steering Board and in matters of legal compliance,
including GDPR, CITES and CBD, and to take the lead in other areas as identified
by the Director of Science, including managing the support of strategic projects
as required.
Management of Resources
Financial Responsibilities
All staff are responsible for management of their own time and resources. In addition,
the Deputy Director of Science (Operations) will:
• Take responsibility for the Science Directorate budget (core and project in excess
of £20m per annum) and comply with Kew’s financial regulations.
• Manage and monitor, with agreed tolerances, financial resources allocated
to Science Operations to promote financial sustainability.
Management of People
• Support the Director of Science in the leadership and management of Kew
Science.
• Directly manage four team Heads in the areas of Science Collections, KMCC
Services, Library and Archives and Scientific Services and Laboratories.
• Directly and indirectly provide management and leadership to all staff within
Science Operations.
The above list of responsibilities is not exhaustive, and the jobholder may be required
to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of the role, as reasonable
requested by their line manager.
12 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Person Specification
It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement in your application,
you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following selection
criteria in PART ONE as far as you are able to. Candidates progressing to the longlisted
stage will also be assessed against the criteria in PART TWO.
PART ONE – Experience
Essential
• Substantial experience of operational leadership covering a wide portfolio of
scientific activity including research, collections, or other scientific operations
in organisations of comparable scale and complexity.
• Significant experience of financial governance; managing and developing complex
budgets and financial controls ideally within a grant funding environment, tracking
and establishing corrective measures as needed, and preparing detailed reporting
and forecasting.
• Substantial experience of successfully leading and managing multiple complex work
projects and developing governance frameworks.
• Substantial experience of successful operational and resource planning within a
complex organisation to build capacity and ensure smooth operation and delivery
of strategic goals.
• Experience of leading, inspiring and motivating a multi-disciplinary team including
through periods of significant organisational change.
• A successful track record of forging strong collaborative and productive relationships
with senior colleagues across a multidisciplinary organisation.
PART TWO – Job Specific Competencies
Essential
• Ability to set and communicate clear vision and expectations for the directorate,
departmental and individual performances, even where this may challenge the
status quo.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to lead, to manage change,
and to inspire and engage staff in the process.
13 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
• Highly influential communication and negotiation skills with both internal and
external stakeholders.
• A quick analytical mind with the ability to think laterally and creatively to resolve
problems and be able to identify the resourcing needs of a complex organisation
and determine clear and manageable delivery plans.
• Well versed in the use of IT with the ability to exchange information and data
between a variety of office, financial and other resource management software.
• Ability to create a collegiate atmosphere and willingness to take account of diverse
views, while accepting responsibility for decisions.
• Ability to demonstrate resilience and responsiveness when challenged.
• Commitment to nurturing talent, engendering a culture of inclusivity and promoting
opportunities for professional development.
Kew Competency Framework
Competency
Essential
Seeing the big picture ✓
Changing and improving
Making effective decisions ✓
Leading and communicating ✓
Collaborating and partnering ✓
Building capability for all
Achieving commercial outcomes
Delivering value for money
Managing a quality service ✓
Delivering at pace ✓
14 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
The Recruitment Process
An executive search exercise is being undertaken by RBG Kew’s executive search
partners Veredus.
Veredus will support RBG Kew in helping to identify the widest possible field of qualified
candidates and assisting in the assessment of candidates against the requirements for
the role.
To apply for this post, please submit the following documentation to us by no later than
9am BST on Monday 9th August 2021:
• A Curriculum Vitae setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and
achievements.
• A Supporting Statement (approx. two pages of A4) explaining how you consider
your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of our suitability
for the role, with particular reference to criteria in the person specification.
• A completed Diversity Monitoring Form and Candidate Supporting Information
Form. Forms can be downloaded from the Veredus job page.
Applications should be sent via Veredus website – www.veredus.co.uk, quoting
reference number 1175.
At Veredus, we take care to protect the privacy of our candidates and clients.
To read more about how we collect, store and share your data please read our
privacy notice which can be accessed here: https://www.veredus.co.uk/privacy-
and-cookies
Further Information
For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact our consultants at Veredus:
• Antony Harvey on 07716 226020
• James Greengrass on 020 7932 4286
Recruitment Timeline
Preliminary Interviews: w/c 16th August or w/c 23rd August 2021
Final Panel Interviews: w/c 13th September 2021
*Please note these dates are indicative only and may be subject to change.
The final appointment will be made subject to satisfactory references.
15 Candidate Brief – July 2021Deputy Director of Science (Operations)
Terms & Conditions of Employment
Along with a competitive salary (Equivalent to Civil Service SCS1), Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew offers a range of excellent benefits including an annual leave allowance of 30 days,
plus bank holidays, rising to a maximum of 33 days after 5 years’ service.
We are a family friendly employer and support our employees to achieve a healthy work-
life balance through a range of schemes designed to support wellbeing such as flexible
working, generous and comprehensive family friendly policies, employee assistance
programme, family pass, civil service sports club, and vodafone employee scheme.
Employees also have access to season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, eye care
scheme, and payroll giving.
RBG Kew offer a Group Personal Pension Scheme through Royal London, with an
employer contribution of 8% of salary. This is non-contributory unless you decide to
make a voluntary contribution as a % of salary. If you do decide to make a contribution,
RBG Kew will match your contribution up to a further 2%, making the total possible
employer contribution 10%.
We also offer free entry to a wide range of museums, galleries, gardens and attractions,
staff discount in our shops and restaurants, access to the excellent Edenred benefits
scheme and a beautiful working environment.
16 Candidate Brief – July 2021You can also read
