Senior Conservation Officer - East Midlands
Reference: FEB20211077
Location: Flexible
Salary: £30,817.00 - £34,472.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days Annual Leave

We currently have a rare opportunity for a dynamic, driven and self-motivated individual to join our team to help shape the future of biodiversity across the RSPB’s East Midlands area. Leading a team of Conservation Officers and working with partners, the successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing delivery of the RSPB’s conservation goals and objectives within the priority landscapes of the Dark Peak in the Peak District National Park and across the world-famous Sherwood landscape. As part of a wider RSPB team, the successful candidate will play a key role in the RSPB’s activities within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

What is the role is about? 

Comprising seven separate counties, the East Midlands area stretches from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the south to Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the north. In addition to seven significant nature reserves, the East Midlands plays host to two Priority Landscapes; one covering the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park and the other stretching across the world-famous Sherwood landscape.

The future of our uplands is at a crossroads, with the need for change gathering profile and pace. Within the Dark Peak priority landscape, the successful candidate will be responsible for advocating the RSPB’s position on upland management for the joint benefit of biodiversity and wider society, with real changes seen as a result.

Surrounding one of the RSPB’s most recently developed nature reserves, the Sherwood priority landscape aims to increase habitat connectivity and quantity at a significant scale, in order that the remaining areas of ancient woodland, wood pasture and associated habitats can once again thrive.

To the south, the RSPB is proactively engaged with developments within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, where we and our partners are working to ensure government ambitions come at no cost to nature and that nature’s recovery is at the heart of any future developments.

Habitats within the East Midlands are extremely diverse with a diversity of wildlife to match. The upland moors and blanket bogs of the Peak District, the ancient woodlands and pastures of Sherwood and the wetlands of the Trent and Upper Thames all present complex challenges alongside a myriad of opportunities.

Supported by a team of two Conservation Officers and working alongside reserve staff, the successful candidate will be responsible for leading the delivery of conservation activities in our priority landscapes with urgency and conviction. Calling on previous experience, the successful candidate will develop a network of relationships and partnerships to further the RSPB’s aims in these areas.

This is a key leadership role. In addition to managing and leading the team of Conservation Officers, the successful candidate will be a key member of the East Midlands leadership team, working alongside Site Managers to set and develop strategic direction for the East Midlands as a whole.

The role will be key in ongoing efforts to protect nature, with the successful candidate adopting the lead position in the East Midlands team for identifying and assessing engagement with casework activities as they arise.

This is full-time home-based role for the successful candidate. However, you will be expected to attend regular meetings as required. We are flexible where within the East Midlands the candidate wishes to be based.

The East Midlands is a recently formed area within the RSPB England operation and already holds significantly important areas for nature. If you feel you have the skills, knowledge and experience to work with us to make further progress and to take future opportunities to save nature, we would welcome your application.

Essential skills, knowledge & experience:

• Degree level qualification in a relevant subject or ability to show equivalent work experience.
• Sufficient understanding of species and habitats, landscape scale conservation, land use and management, relevant policy and legislation of the region in which this role is based to advise staff on appropriate responses and interventions.
• Knowledge of the wildlife and habitats of the operational area of this role.
• Sufficient knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms for conservation work relevant to the operational area to advise staff on appropriate responses and interventions.
• Ability to form effective teams (both internal and partnership) and work effectively as a team player.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational) – including an ability to speak confidently and cogently in public to a variety of audiences.
• Confident advocating a position to landowners and managers, local politicians, members and volunteers who have different views.
• Ability to support and develop staff using a variety of management techniques.
• Ability to rapidly analyse significant quantities of information, prioritise and balance a diverse workload often to tight deadlines.
• Competent user of core MS Office programmes.
• Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species or habitats.
• Experience of managing staff or volunteers and setting clear work priorities.
• Experience of developing productive partnerships.
• Experience of negotiating with and influencing the public or private sector, to deliver biodiversity benefits, through both regulatory and voluntary means.

Expiry date: 23:59, 24 March 2021
Please note that we are actively recruiting for this position, and reserve the right to close the vacancy one sufficient applications have been received.
We are currently planning to conduct interviews on Tuesday 6th April 2021.

To Apply and For More Information:

If you would like to apply or find out more about this position, please click the 'More information about this vacancy' button. You will be directed to our website where you can complete your application.

No agencies please.