Join the Marine & Coastal Science Community Steering Group
There is an exciting opportunity to join the Marine & Coastal Science Community Steering Group. Four positions are now open to expressions of interest, so if you’re interested, keep reading!
Our Communities are groups of members brought together around a shared professional interest, goal, or challenge. Communities are an integral part of the IES ecosystem, providing thought leadership for their area of focus, and a forum for members to network, collaborate and shape their field. At the IES we know that our members are the experts. Communities are a key tool for directly engaging with our members, channelling their expertise into a unified voice, and informing the development of tailored resources. Being member-led, they provide members with the agency to set their own priorities and develop associated workplans aligned with their needs and interests. Steering Groups take a leading role in their Community, working collaboratively with IES staff to deliver an annual Community workplan.
Benefits of joining the Marine & Coastal Science Community Steering Group
- Help shape the IES’s work in your specialism and develop tailored resources
- Engage with fellow environmental professionals and expand your network in the sector
- Build on your leadership skills and support your continuing professional development
- Deepen your connection with the IES and gain opportunities to engage with the wider sector through partnerships with external organisations
- Play a key and rewarding role in supporting the IES to work with speed, vision and expertise to solve the world’s most pressing environmental challenges
- Have a say in the direction of the Community
Who can express interest?
Current IES professional members (Associate, Full Member or Fellow) and those interested in applying for professional IES membership can express interest.
If you are a non-member any offer of a place on the steering committee will be conditional and contingent on you being an IES Associate, Full Member, or Fellow by 1st July 2026. Find out more about joining the IES and membership requirements.
We will be appointing up to four members this year to bring our Steering Group to full size. Our goal is to represent a range of sectors and backgrounds across the environmental sciences, so regardless of your professional background, we would love to hear from you. We are, however, particularly interested in expressions of interest from those working in industry and government or regulatory bodies, as we currently lack representation from these sectors.
The IES is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which reflects the diversity that exists within society, enabling us to deliver outputs that reflect the diverse needs of our members. In recruiting for these roles, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, educational background, national origin, religion and beliefs.
What is involved?
Each Steering Group meets four times per year (once per quarter). Meetings are typically 1 hour long and are held virtually. In-person meetings may be organised from time to time, depending on member interest.
At Steering Group meetings and via email, the work you will be involved with includes:
- Supporting the delivery of the Community's annual workplan
- Helping shape Community activities such as webinars and our quarterly newsletter
- Being an ambassador for the Community and sharing Community outputs
- Engaging with IES staff and partners on areas related to Community activities
- Providing feedback for relevant publications, events and policy outputs as appropriate
- Terms on the Committee last two years, and ordinary members can have two concurrent terms. If in the Chair position, terms of office are three years, with two potential concurrent terms. Our current Chair is Sian Davies-Vollum, who is serving her first term.
Express interest in a position
If you would like to express your interest in joining the Steering Group, please send the following information to Amy Bond (communities@the-ies.org):
- Your CV
- A short statement (max 500 words) covering why you want to join the Steering Group, your expertise and what you will contribute to the group
This information will be used to process your expression of interest and will be shared with the Chair of the Steering Group, as well as other members of the Steering Group and IES staff team as needed.
The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 30th March, 9am BST. Terms on the committee will start from 1st July 2026.
If you have any questions about the application process, would like to have an informal conversation about the roles, or you anticipate needing reasonable adjustments to apply for this role, please email Amy Bond (communities@the-ies.org). Alternatively, you can call the IES office on +44 (0)20 3862 7484.
The Institution of Environmental Sciences is committed to fostering an inclusive culture for our staff and volunteers, which reflects the diversity that exists within society, enabling us to deliver outputs that reflect the diverse needs of our members. After completing your expression of interest, we also request that you fill out our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Monitoring form. We collect this data to monitor the effectiveness of our advertising and recruitment strategies, ensuring they are open to all sections of the community. It is anonymous and held separately from your expression of interest.
Header image credit: © Hanna Tor via Adobe Stock
