Conservation Officer

Introduction 

Are you passionate about providing a future for Wales's wildlife? Do you have a clear understanding of the challenges facing our upland wildlife? Are you a passionate conservationist who wants to have landscape scale impact? If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for you to conserve species and habitats across the moorlands and mountains of North Wales by joining our team as our North Wales Moors Conservation Officer. Immerse yourself in one of Britain’s most iconic landscapes and be part of a fantastic and dedicated team.

What's the role about? 

In your role you will be responsible for developing and delivering RSPB’s North Wales Moors Priority Landscape Plan, to both lead and support the conservation of the many species and habitats of international importance across this upland landscape, so ensuring delivery of the relevant outcomes of RSPB’s Saving Nature Strategy in this region. We need an effective, organised and experienced team builder who can line manage and develop the North Wales Moors conservation team, delivering a work programme focused on our priority upland species such as curlew and black grouse and our internationally important upland habitats such as the extensive blanket bogs of the Berwyn, Migneint and Hiraethog moorlands. 

This will be achieved by using detailed knowledge and experience of the appropriate conservation toolkit to ensure we achieve our objectives. This will include species recovery work, key species monitoring, peatland restoration, land management advice, overseeing conservation projects and engagement in upland land use policy.

This post will have a key role in managing programmes, projects and associated budgets across the priority landscape working with RSPB colleagues. This includes projects led by RSPB in the landscape, such as the Curlew LIFE Project, the Berwyn Black Grouse Project and those where delivery is achieved across wider partnerships, such as our peatland restoration programme on the Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt Special Area of Conservation. You will be a passionate, knowledgeable, and influential advocate with other key stakeholders to deliver ambitious targets for key upland, peatland & farmland species and habitats through dynamic and effective partnership working, ensuring RSPB’s policies and messages are understood and furthered within relevant landscape partnerships and fora. As lead Conservation Officer for the priority landscape, you will contribute expertise to the wider landscape team, monitoring and reporting on the work plan and development of new work plans and/or project ideas, supporting our fundraising team to develop funding applications for a sustained project pipeline. You will also be expected to contribute experience to RSPB’s policy and advocacy work and contribute to the delivery of our communications objectives, through communicating our conservation messages in various ways.

This is a fantastic opportunity to play your part in being at the forefront of delivering RSPB Cymru's conservation work within an area of Wales that is incredibly rich in biodiversity and wild, iconic moorland landscapes - if that sounds like the job for you, we would love to hear from you.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience: 

• Sound understanding of upland, farmland, woodland and forestry ecology and conservation; land use and management; relevant policy and legislation, to enable recommendation to senior staff of appropriate responses and interventions.
• Sufficient knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms for upland habitat/species conservation work to enable recommendation to senior staff of appropriate responses and interventions.
• Ability to work effectively as a team builder and player both internally and in external partnerships.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) - including an ability to speak confidently and cogently in public to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to rapidly analyse significant quantities of information, to prioritise and balance a diverse workload often to tight deadlines.
• Competent user of core MS Office programmes. 
• Experience of negotiating with and influencing the public or private sector, to deliver biodiversity benefits, through both regulatory and voluntary means.
• Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species or habitats.
• Experience of managing staff and setting clear and consistent work priorities. 
• Experience of productive partnership working. 

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• An ability to speak the Welsh language.
• Competency in use of GIS.
• Confident advocating a position to landowners and managers, local politicians, members and volunteers who have different views.
• Experience of public engagement work.
• Effective project management skills.
• An understanding of key upland species conservation, particularly curlew and black grouse.
• Understanding of the concept of landscape scale conservation and the pressures on land use in upland Wales. 

This is a Permanent role for 37.5 hours per week. The postholder will need to be North Wales based and have access to a vehicle (though we will try and provide a hire vehicle, TBC). The post is a combination of home-working and site/location based work. Some office facilities will be available at the new office working location for North Wales staff, at Gaerwen, Anglesey. Please note that the Bangor Office is now permanently closed. 

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from late October/Early November. For further information please contact [email protected].

As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.