Could you join the IES Policy Committee?

Joseph Lewis

12 November 2024

Could you join the IES Policy Committee?

The IES External Policy Advisory Committee is now accepting expressions of interest to join the Committee in 2025. The Committee exists to help devise and develop IES policy influencing activities to maximise impact.

We are inviting expressions of interest from current and prospective IES members (Fellows, Full Members, or Associates) to join the Committee. Between one and five ordinary members of the Committee will be appointed, with the goal of representing a range of specialisms and professional backgrounds. The Committee also includes other representatives of IES governance, the Environmental Policy Implementation Community, and external advisors.

Four ordinary members of the Committee have terms expiring in April 2025, so we are now receiving expressions of interest for members to join (or re-join) the Committee. Terms will last for 2 years until April 2027 and may be subject to further renewal or extension of terms.

Benefits of joining the Committee

Helping to shape the IES’s voice in policy, as well as the priorities for our Policy Programme
Engaging in joint horizon scanning with other members and policy experts from across the sector as part of a small team of highly-skilled volunteers
Expanding your leadership and policy engagement skills and supporting your continuing professional development
Playing a key and rewarding role in supporting the IES's work to stand up for the voice of science, scientists, and the natural world
Deepening your connection to the IES and supporting us as a volunteer.

Who can express interest?

Places on the Committee are open exclusively to professional members of the IES (Fellows, Full Members or Associates).

Current IES members and those interested in applying for professional IES membership can express interest. If successful, your appointment would be conditional on being an Associate, Full Member, or Fellow of the IES at the end of April 2025. Find out more about joining the IES and membership requirements.

We will be appointing between one and five ordinary members of the Committee, alongside two existing ordinary members whose terms end in April 2026. Our goal is to represent a range of specialisms and backgrounds across the environmental sciences, so regardless of your professional background, we would love to hear from you.

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?

The Committee meets four times per year (once per quarter). Meetings are typically 1.5 hours long, held via Zoom. One meeting each year is held under hybrid arrangements, with the option to attend in-person at the IES offices in Shoreditch. The last meeting of each year is 2 hours long.

At Committee meetings and via email, the work you will be involved with includes:

Feeding into policy horizon scanning
Helping to set the provisional agenda and priorities for IES policy work annually through the construction of IES Policy Programmes
Reviewing policy documents produced by the IES, including policy guidance, consultation responses, and reports
Supporting the IES Council in increasing the impact of IES policy outputs
Reflecting on previous IES policy work and making recommendations for potential improvements
Supporting the representation of the voice of IES members in policymaking as a focus group and through other appropriate means
Supporting the promotion of ED&I

Terms on the Committee typically last 2 years, though the length of terms is subject to annual review as part of the Committee's Terms of Reference.

If you would like to express your interest in joining (or re-joining) the Committee, please get in touch. Please send the following information to Joseph Lewis (joseph@the-ies.org):

Your CV
A short statement (max 500 words) covering why you want to join the Committee and why you believe you should be appointed

This information will be used to process your expression of interest and will be shared with the Chair of the Policy Committee, as well as other members of the IES staff team.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 6th January 2025, 12 noon GMT. Ordinary members of the Committee will be appointed by the Committee Chair by the end of February 2025.

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 to your expression of interest.

If you have any questions about the application process, would like to have an informal conversation about the roles, or you anticipate needing any type of assistance to apply for this role, please email Joseph Lewis (joseph@the-ies.org). Alternatively, you can call the IES office on +44 (0)20 3862 7484.

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