Plant Health Research Support Officer

Government Recruitment Service; Preston; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident employer scheme

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service is seeking a Plant Health Research Support Officer in Preston to support the National Centre for Environmental Horticulture and Plant Health. The role is full-time and temporary, with a salary of £35,895 to £38,192 per year.

You will administer and deliver research activities within a national centre, collaborating with cross-sector partners to translate science into policy and practice.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating research portfolios and supporting delivery of funded projects.
• Ability to work with cross-agency partners, policy teams and research partners.
• Strong planning, organisation and written/verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Administer and deliver the NCEH research centre activities and portfolio.
• Develop and manage elements of the NCEH research portfolios, including commissioning and oversight.
• Ensure research outputs are delivered on time and of high quality, with appropriate dissemination.
• Manage the pipeline of project reports, journal articles and other outputs through Defra’s publication process.
• Collaborate with Defra policy teams, PHEA, economists, statisticians and social researchers to underpin plant health policy.
• Work with APHA, Forestry Commission, Forest Research, Kew, and other UK partners to share knowledge.
• Contribute to priority plant health work such as Xylella, ash dieback and oak decline strategies.
• Support other Defra plant health programmes and APHA activities as required.

Skills

Research management

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Do you want to help shape and deliver research that protects the UK’s plants, trees and horticulture from emerging threats?

Can you bring people, science and evidence together to support effective plant health decisions?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Plant Health Research Support officer to join our National Centre for Environmental Horticulture and Plant Health (NCEH). We have one mission, which is to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of everyone in society, the environment, and the economy. Every one of our employees is passionate about achieving this mission. Responding to the Government’s mission for kickstarting economic growth, this role has been created to capitalise on the UK’s excellence in plant science and translate this into commercial success for the environmental horticulture sector. This sector is facing a number of interrelated challenges including increasing pest and disease risks, reductions in pesticide use and the use of alternative growing media.

Your core activity will be to support the newly established National Centre for Environmental Horticulture and Plant Health and work alongside the NCEH Head of Centre. The NCEH research programme brings together long-term strategic research on emerging and future threats with more applied research on immediate risks. This research is developed with partners across the United Kingdom, the European Union and further afield.

The role involves a wide range of work including, but not limited to, the following:

• Support the NCEH Head of Centre in administering and delivering the NCEH, a virtual research centre led by the Royal Horticultural Society and APHA
• Develop and manage elements of the NCEH research portfolios, including commissioning, overseeing and assuring a small portfolio of high-quality research projects and related activities to deliver value for money and support plant health policy, decision making and knowledge exchange
• Ensure research projects and outputs are delivered and disseminated efficiently and on time, using scientific knowledge and wider programme management skills
• Manage the NCEH pipeline of project reports, journal articles and other outputs from submission to Defra through approval by Defra’s publication panel and publication, liaising with research partners, managing risk and preparing defensive lines for communications support
• Work with the Defra Plant Health Evidence and Analysis (PHEA) team, policy makers and specialists across evidence professions, including natural scientists, economists, statisticians and social researchers, to commission and assure the evidence underpinning plant health policy and risk-based decision making
• Collaborate with experts across the Defra network, including APHA, the Forestry Commission, Forest Research and RBG Kew, and with the wider UK academic sector
• Contribute to high-profile work on priority plant health threats, including Xylella, ash dieback, oak processionary moth and acute oak decline, supporting the GB Plant Biosecurity Strategy and the Tree Health Resilience Strategy
• Support other Defra group plant health programmes, including those within APHA, as required, such as the PHEA Future Proofing Plant Health programme, and contribute to essential APHA work when needed

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Plant Health Research Support Officer

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £35,895 to £38,192 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Preston

Job type: Temporary

Posting date: 22 Oct 2026

Closing date: 5 Nov 2026

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.