Role: Chartership Officer
Reports to: Head of Fellowship Services
Direct reports: None
Salary: c. £55,000 – £60,000, commensurate with experience
Contract: Permanent, full time
Location: Hybrid, home based but periodic visits to the Society’s London office and other locations will be required
The Society is willing to consider a job-sharing or other flexible arrangement for this position
Purpose of the role
The Geological Society promotes and implements the adoption of professional standards in the geosciences principally by awarding Chartered status (CGeol and CSci), so demonstrating that an individual is regarded by his/her peers as competent to practice as a professional within their chosen field. While take-up of Chartership is strong and continues to increase in some sectors (e.g. ground engineering), there are clear opportunities to raise awareness and grow Chartership in other geoscience sectors (e.g. petroleum industry, academia, mining, renewables etc).
The Society’s Chartership Officer plays a pivotal role in promoting and developing Chartership, facilitating the accreditation process, and responding to enquiries.
Responsibilities
The Chartership Officer:
- Supports the process of application for Chartership by:
- Assisting applicants to ensure that their application demonstrates as clearly as possible that they have achieved the required level of competence
- Selecting Scrutineers and assisting them by screening applications prior to interview to ensure that they are adequately prepared, and providing advice concerning specific applications, and
- Providing advice on technical professional matters to applicants, Scrutineers, members of the Chartership Committee and Geological Society staff
- Manages the interview process and attends, in person or virtually, a sample of interviews conducted in each round (4 rounds per annum) ensuring their proper conduct and assisting all parties in matters concerning the decision-making process
- Organises and leads regular Scrutineers’ training events, assisted by the Vice-President Chartership
- Attends all meetings, in person or virtually, of the Professional & Chartership Committee
- Assists the Professional & Chartership Committee in maintaining the appropriate standard required for chartered status
- Works with other Officers and members of the Professional & Chartership Committee, including the Regional Group Chairs, to communicate the Chartership process to Fellows
- Works with the Membership Office in Burlington House to promote Chartership to Fellows, to academics, to employers and to others
- Works with the Director of Finance and Operations and Membership Office to develop Chartership promotion and growth strategies utilising the digital platforms GSL uses and the in-house and agency marketing capabilities
- Attends meetings with companies and Regional Groups and other events such as the Society’s Careers Days, to promote and develop the uptake of Chartership and professional competency registers
- Administers the Accreditation of in-house company training schemes
- Administers the Accreditation and endorsement of external training courses
- Works with the Membership Office to manage the Society’s CPD & Mentoring schemes
Person specification
Candidates for this role will be required to demonstrate a range of skills, competencies and abilities for the post. The successful candidate will be an earth sciences graduate who is committed to the Society’s objectives in service of science, the profession and society, and be able to show the following qualities and experience:
- Willingness to attend regional meetings and interview venues that may involve overnight stays away from home
- Commitment to the importance of Chartered status within the Profession, demonstrated (for example) by leadership experience at the interface between the Profession, other Professional bodies and non-geologists
- Tact, tenacity and a willingness to work in partnership with others
- Comfortable with technology, data and modern systems
Though not essential, Chartered Geologist or Chartered Scientist accreditation and experience of working as a Chartership scrutineer are highly desirable.
How to apply
To apply for this position, please forward a copy of your CV together with a cover letter to recruitment@geolsoc.org.uk. Please ensure that your cover letter fully addresses the appointment criteria in the person specification.
Please let us know if you will require any special provisions to be made should you be called for an interview.
As part of our inclusive recruitment initiative, we have introduced the concept of blind recruiting in order to evaluate applicants solely on their skills and experience. With this in mind, we encourage you to:
- Anonymise your application by stating only your initials in your CV and cover letter. State your initials only in the subject line when sending your application.
- Ensure that you have included your contact number, as well as dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the indicative timetable.
All applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
The Society is an equal opportunities employer. The post-holder will be expected to adhere to and support the Society’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
RECRUITMENT TIMETABLE
Closing date for applications: Tuesday 21 December 2021
Interviews: Mid-January 2022
Job starts: We hope to fill the role as early as possible
These dates may be subject to change
If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process please contact Farhana Begum, Farhana.Begum@geolsoc.org.uk. If you require further information or would like to discuss the role, please contact the Head of Fellowship Services, Mohammed.Jahangir@geolsoc.org.uk.
