This is an outstanding opportunity to help ensure a better future for the UK's water environment. You will support the development and advocacy of RSPB policy on water and coastal policy issues and influence important debates and decisions across the UK.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, passionate and motivated person to fill this role which provides an opportunity to develop policy and advocacy skills and build expertise in a key area of policy. The location of the role is flexible, but will require regular visits to Sandy and London.

What's the role about?

Much of the UK's wildlife depends on wetland habitats, and poor water quality has a huge impact on nature. How we manage our water environment in the coming decades will play a central role in determining whether we can halt declines in nature and combat and adapt to climate change. This role will support the RSPB's water policy work, including efforts to improve water quality, secure more support for natural flood management and improve the resilience of our rivers and wetlands to climate change.

This role will allow the successful candidate to work across all these issues and more, working within a small team working on water policy within a larger team working on land use, climate and marine policy priorities.

The role will play a key role in supporting and delivering against our advocacy objectives in Westminster and Whitehall, and providing information, advice, and support to other staff internally on water policy issues, particularly colleagues based in policy teams across the UK. You will also support our work targeting arms-length bodies and the private sector.

The successful candidate will work with a wide range of policy staff across the UK and with colleagues in our Conservation Science, Communications and Campaigns, and Operations teams to ensure we have an impact

Essential skills, knowledge and expertise:

• Educated to degree level of equivalent or experience relevant to the role
• Able to analyse complex issues in a fast paced environment.
• Able to negotiate with and influence others e.g., professional, persuasive, engaging, confident
• Good written and verbal communication skills, and competent use of Microsoft office
• Strong time management and organisational skills 
• Able to prioritise effectively
• Able to manage projects effectively 

Desirable skills, knowledge and expertise:

• Practical experience of operating in policy role
• An understanding of environment policy
• An understanding of the role of public facing communications in supporting policy advocacy 

This role could be conducted flexibly and from a remote location.  However our preference would be for the successful person to be office based to begin with to learn from peers.

Travel to London and Sandy will occur on a regular basis, so you must be commutable distance from both and willing to travel when necessary.

How to complete the application

When completing your application, please give one example of how you meet each of the points in the 'Essential skills, knowledge and experience' section above. Each example should follow the Situation-Task-Action-Result structure, and describe what the situation was, what the task was, the action you took, and the end result. This will help make it clear how you meet the criteria for the role. If you meet any of the desirable criteria, then please do the same for these.

You will be required to only complete an online application form. We do not require a CV.

Before applying for this role we suggest reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.

Please note that we are actively recruiting for this role and reserve the right to close this vacancy once sufficient applications have been received.

For any queries about the role, please contact Thomas Lancaster (thomas.lancaster@rspb.org.uk)