How to apply for Science Communications Officer/Lead

About Welfare Footprint Institute

The Welfare Footprint Institute is a research organization that quantifies animal suffering using empirical models of time spent in negative and positive affective states. Its core contribution is the Welfare Footprint Framework (WFF), applied across aquatic animals, pigs, poultry, cattle, shrimp, and other species. The work sits at the intersection of animal welfare science, pain and affective neuroscience, ethology, veterinary medicine, and quantitative methods.

About the role

This role makes the Welfare Footprint Framework and the institute's research clear, accessible, and useful to researchers, educators, and practitioners. You will work with leadership to develop dissemination and teaching materials, including an online training course, practitioner certification materials, and a media kit. Scientific staff own scientific content, standards, and approval; you own how that content is explained, presented, published, and maintained.

A typical day

You might draft or revise a module for the online training course, then check with scientific staff on wording that affects accuracy. Later you could work on practitioner certification materials or the media kit, and coordinate with leadership on how content is published and maintained. The exact daily routine is not described in the job details, so ask about team structure and typical workflows in an interview.

Who Welfare Footprint Institute is looking for

• Either a strong scientific background with clear communication skills, or a strong science communication background with direct experience handling scientific content accurately.
• Able to produce accurate, engaging material for different audiences without losing scientific precision.
• Comfortable working with scientific staff on content that requires approval, and with leadership on dissemination strategy.
• Experienced in developing teaching or training materials, certification materials, or media kits.

Tips for this application

• Show that you understand the Welfare Footprint Framework specifically. Reference its purpose: quantifying time spent in negative and positive affective states.
• Provide a work sample that translates a complex scientific concept into plain language for a non-specialist audience, and explain the choices you made.
• Address the split in responsibilities directly: scientific staff own content and approval, you own explanation, presentation, publication, and maintenance.
• If you come from a science background, demonstrate communication output. If you come from communications, demonstrate direct experience handling scientific content accurately.
• Name the audiences you have written for before (researchers, educators, practitioners) and what formats you used (courses, certifications, media kits).

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain how you would make the Welfare Footprint Framework clear to researchers, educators, and practitioners without losing precision. Describe your experience building training or certification materials, or media kits. Show you can work within a review process where scientific staff approve content. Give one concrete example of turning complex scientific material into accessible material for a defined audience.

Research before applying

• Read the published work on the Welfare Footprint Framework, including how it models time in negative and positive affective states.
• Review the research programs listed: aquatic animals, pigs, poultry, cattle, shrimp, and other species.
• Look at any existing communications, training, or educational materials from the institute to see current gaps.
• Check the backgrounds of leadership and scientific staff to understand the review and approval process you would work within.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you explain the Welfare Footprint Framework to a practitioner who has no background in affective neuroscience?
• Describe a time you translated complex scientific content for a non-specialist audience. What did you change and why?
• How would you structure an online training course and practitioner certification materials for the WFF?
• How do you handle a situation where scientific staff and communications goals conflict on how to present a finding?
• What would you include in a media kit for a research organization working on animal welfare quantification?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing generic science communication copy that could apply to any research organization, without referencing the Welfare Footprint Framework or affective state modeling.
• Oversimplifying the science in a way that loses precision, since the role explicitly requires accuracy without losing scientific precision.
• Ignoring the approval structure. The role does not own scientific content; scientific staff do. Applications that imply otherwise miss the scope.