Senior Reserves Officer

Surrey Wildlife Trust is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, a grassroots movement working to protect and connect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature's recovery by 2030.

We are looking to recruit a full-time, permanent Senior Reserves Officer to an exciting new hybrid position.

This role will initially oversee our East Team and the incredible chalk grassland, wetland and woodland reserves providing maternity leave cover through to early summer 2026.

During this period, the postholder will also transition toward their permanent position overseeing our small, diverse collection of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) sites managed by SWT for Land Trust across the county.

This role is a rare mixture of an outdoors position, supporting the two Reserves Officers in site works, and a strategic position leading stakeholder engagement and management. As the role transitions into the full-time SANG coverage, the postholder will become increasingly involved in volunteer sessions and leading practical work-planning and delivery across our SANGs. To find out more, watch this video by our Director of Reserves Management youtu.be/s7VkpoeTfqw

Travel across parts of the county will be required, and a vehicle is provided for this purpose; a valid UK driver’s licence is essential. Flexible, hybrid working options are available as we operate a flexi policy and aim to provide a good work/life balance which can incorporate some home working whilst having an interesting and challenging working environment.

You must have previous experience of successfully working within the environmental sector matched with an out-going, personable and friendly approach, and the ability to work with a wide range of people and be confident in lone-working and leadership.

The East Team

Eastern Surrey holds a diverse range of sites and the postholder will lead conservation delivery across a number of reserves, including working with our SWT grazing team to help oversee conservation grazing on sites.

Working with the team of experienced Reserve Officers, you will drive plans forward by empowering the team, working with the wider SWT departments and our broader Reserves team, and develop an understanding of our sector-leading work on landscape-scale conservation.

Candidates will need to be practically skilled, experienced line managers, who can demonstrate logical thinking, project management skills, passion for the joy of nature, and determination to succeed. An understanding of agri-environment schemes and statutory designations is necessary (please refer to the job profile on our website for full experience criteria).

Our SANG sites

Our SANGs are a broad mix of habitats, all managed for recreation and public access as well as biodiversity, offering an important greenspace for public health and wellbeing. We are appointed as managing agents to these sites by the Land Trust, a charity working to improve the social and economic quality of people’s lives by creating sustainable, high-quality green spaces.

An interest in and experience of volunteer leadership is important, as this will form a key part of the role, and a creative flair for keeping tasks interesting for a wide-range of people would be useful. Tickets in use of brushcutters/strimmers, chainsaw qualifications, and ride-on mowers would be advantageous as would an understanding of SANGs.

We are committed to having an inclusive and diverse workplace and encourage applications from backgrounds which may be underrepresented in our sector, including people from minority ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. Please let us know if you require any adjustment to make our recruitment process more accessible.

‘Our vision for a wilder Surrey is a future with abundant wildlife and nature recovery networks rich in biodiversity.’ We will realise this vision by creating bigger, better and more joined up areas of land for biodiversity benefit through direct conservation land management and key relationship management.

Guided by a collaborative vision where we all play a part in connecting nature, we provide expert advice and guidance to landowners and managers, making sure the land we look after leads by example, while inspiring and educating people and organisations across the county on what they can do. By doing this we will create a Surrey that is full of diverse and abundant wildlife, where nature is at the heart of individual choices, corporate decisions, and local economic and policy making. One that helps tackle the ongoing climate emergency, while supporting the health and wellbeing of all who live here.