Assistant Reserves Officer (Solent)

Salary: GBP20,500 - GBP23,500 depending on skills and experience

Location: Curdridge, Hampshire SO32 2DP

Full Time - 35 hours per week

Permanent Contract

Closing date: 07 January 2024

Interviews: Week commencing 15 January 2024

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a grassroots movement working for nature s recovery and to bring people closer to nature.

Our vision for a wilder future is beautiful and vital!

Our future has to be wilder!

We are seeking an Assistant Reserves Officer (Solent) to join our cause.

As part of the Solent Estates team, you will be playing a key role in nature's recovery. You will be helping to manage a range of nature reserves along Hampshire's South coast, focusing primarily on wader and wildfowl conservation. Working as part of a small team, you will be responsible for delivering practical land management covering nine nature reserves including two flagship sites, Farlington Marsh and Swanwick Lakes.

You will help to manage nationally important and highly designated sites such as Farlington Marsh, as well as our other sites comprising of chalk streams, grasslands, flood meadows, lakes, and woodlands. We routinely survey for butterflies, river flies, breeding waders and overwintering wildfowl, as well as other occasional biological and infrastructure surveys. This role requires a high level of practical competency, a broad understanding of ecology and habitats and good IT skills for routine admin

The successful candidate will assist the Reserves Officer with day-to-day estate management and biological surveying. You will be responsible for leading volunteers on a varied and practical work programme whilst ensuring their welfare. This post is physically demanding and requires flexible working and occasional on-call hours. Experience with power tools, farm machinery and habitat management is essential. Good coastal bird identification is beneficial to the role but not essential. A full UK driving licence is required.

The full job description and recruitment pack are available on our website, but in summary, the following is required:

Experience

Estates maintenance and practical experience.

Experience working with volunteers and leading groups on practical tasks.

Managing habitats for wildlife conservation.

Knowledge

Educated to at least tertiary level or equivalent.

Willing to undertake training for use of power tools and herbicides.

Knowledge of British habitats and species.

Qualifications & Skills

Right to work in the UK.

Higher level qualification in countryside, conservation or environmental subject.

Ability to assess risk and safe ways of working.

Personal Qualities

Polite manner and confident communicator.

Willingness to work unsociable hours, including weekend and evening work.

Enthusiasm for nature conservation.

Wild About Inclusion!

As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.

To apply for the role, please complete the online application form. In the supporting information section, you ll need to demonstrate, with detailed examples, how you meet the job requirements using the attached Recruitment Pack.