Location
Manchester, with hub offices near London, Birmingham, Manchester or Exeter. The role requires working at a National Trust location for 40-60% of your working week and occasional travel for stakeholder engagement and collaboration, including some travel to Exeter.

Hours
Full Time (37.5 hours per week) for 24 months, with flexibility to work part time (up to 3 years).

Salary
£36,621 per annum

About the Role
We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Nature Towns and Cities team, helping to mobilise investment into urban nature. This role aims to unlock wide societal benefits by improving health, building climate resilience and reducing carbon through green interventions. You will shape and deliver a research programme that builds investor confidence in the health and climate benefits of nature, supporting increased cross-sector investment.

This position is hosted by the National Trust and delivered in partnership with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Net Positive Health and Climate Solutions (Net+ Centre). The role is fixed term until September 2029, with options for full or part-time working. You will work across the National Trust and the Net+ Centre in a collaborative, innovative environment that values learning and new ideas.

Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition led by the National Trust, Natural England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, aiming to help millions more people access nature close to home in greener, healthier towns and cities. Over the next decade, the programme aims to unlock £1bn of investment into urban greening and improve access to quality green space for 5 million people. Your work will play an important role in achieving these goals.

You will lead the development of new approaches to funding and finance for urban nature, focusing on the links between climate, health and resilience. This includes exploring how investment decisions are made, identifying barriers and opportunities, and designing practical, scalable solutions to increase investment.

Working with a wide range of partners, you will gather insights, test ideas and help create a clear, evidence-based roadmap for growing investment over the next decade. Collaboration across disciplines will be key, bringing together perspectives from research, policy and practice.

Experience
Postdoctoral research experience in relevant fields such as social sciences, economics, policy, systems change or finance. Experience related to funding, investment or social impact is particularly valued.

About you
You bring a creative and collaborative approach to problem solving, strong communication skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences, and experience working across teams and building partnerships. You are committed to inclusive and equitable ways of working.

Qualifications
A PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant field. Knowledge of nature finance, climate resilience, health, urban nature or related areas is essential.

Additional Requirements
Eligibility to work in the UK. This is a fixed term role with full-time hours (37.5 hours per week) for 24 months, with part-time options available up to 3 years.

Benefits
- Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
- Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
- Rental deposit loan scheme
- Season ticket loan
- EV car lease scheme (for eligible roles)
- Perks at work discounts including gym memberships, shopping and cinema discounts
- Holiday allowance up to 32 days plus holiday purchase scheme
- Flexible working whenever possible
- Employee assistance programme
- Free parking at most Trust places