RSPB

Careers | RSPB

We are excited you have visited our Careers page. We are seeking talented individuals that are excellent in their field of expertise and are posed with all potential and skills necessary to help us meet future business challenges.

This position is no longer available
If you would like to apply to other positions at RSPB, please return to our Careers Page.
Position not right for you?
Share it with someone you know.

2 x Mountain Ranger - Fixed Term

Reference: APR20229168
Expiry date: 2022-05-20 22:59:00.000
Location: Abernethy
Salary: £21,622.00 - £23,987.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance and Annual Leave
Duration:Until end of September 2022
Attachments: CandidateGuidanceNotesNov21.pdf

Introduction
This is an exciting opportunity to help protect the wild and fragile Cairngorm Plateau, including Ben Macdui the UK’s second highest peak. This wild, arctic landscape is home to sensitive species such as dotterel and snow bunting and is under increasing pressure from the impacts of increasing numbers.

What's the role about?
This role involves being a friendly face and the eyes and ears on the ground, chatting to visitors and patrolling the plateau to ensure visitors are behaving responsibly within the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) and caring for the beautiful area they are visiting. Access to nature and wild places is vitally important for mental and physical wellbeing, but the challenge of looking after those places is increasing.

We are looking for 2 reliable, responsible Rangers with proven mountain experience and excellent people skills to patrol the plateau over the summer season. Working in all weathers, the main part of your role will be patrolling key footpaths, chatting to people and ensuring they are accessing and enjoying the nature reserve responsibly. Using strong communication skills, you will strive to ensure every visitor you meet feels welcome and understands what responsible access is and why it is so important. There will be a focus on preventing disturbance to vulnerable breeding birds.

You will be working with the Community Ranger and visitor team to ensure a comprehensive Ranger presence in the mountains and in the wider reserve at times of high fire risk. This role will involve regular weekend and evening working. The ideal candidates will be familiar with the mountain environment, have strong communication skills, be able to work independently and use their initiative - if that's you we'd love to hear from you!

Key work areas:

  • To regularly patrol the Cairngorm Plateau around the tops of Cairn Gorm, Ben Macdui and Bynack More as well as Loch A’an. When weather prevents access to the mountains, to patrol the wider reserve including areas like Ryvoan.
  • To engage with visitors about responsible access and SOAC to encourage everyone to enjoy the reserve responsibly and sustainably.
  • To work with the visitor experience team to co-ordinate an outstanding visitor experience on the reserve.
  • To engender respect for the natural world and educate visitors to these mountains about their rights to responsible access.
  • To monitor and record visitor behaviour and SOAC infringements to allow us to have a good picture of access issues in the mountains and feed into wider data within the Cairngorms National Park.

What we need from you:

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Excellent people and communication skills
  • Problem solving skills and ability to work using own initiative.
  • Experience in mountainous terrain and a good level of fitness for spending 5 days a week in the mountains.
  • Able to build and maintain strong working relationships.
  • Knowledge of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
  • Knowledge of the local area.
  • Full driving license or ability to access remote locations
  • Working knowledge of Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
  • Knowledge of Health & Safety in the workplace.
  • Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.

Desirable criteria:

  • Successful experience of working with a team of staff and/or volunteers.
  • Experience of analysing and interpreting data in a visitor experience environment.

There are two full-time 4-month roles available, subject to a successful funding application (decision due by the end of May). Accommodation will not be provided.

This is Fixed-Term role for 37.5 hours per week. 

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 26/5/2022. For further information please contact sarah.white@rspb.org.uk.

_________________________

As part of this application process you will be asked to 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.

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