Could you lead a team to help conserve the rarest and most endangered species in north-west Wales?

The Lleyn peninsula and Isle of Anglesey has many special habitats, including wet grassland, lowland heath, soft cliffs, sand dunes and fens, but some of their most important species, such as curlew, chough, spotted rockrose and large mason bee, are declining and at risk of extinction.

We are looking for a highly motivated nature conservationist to engage with project partners, land managers and local people to secure a long-term future for these species in Wales as part of Natur am Byth.

What’s the role about?

Natur am Byth unites nine environmental charities and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to deliver the country’s largest natural heritage and people engagement programme to save species from extinction and connect people to nature. Please click this link for more information.

We are looking for a passionate individual with project management experience and strong communication skills who can galvanise RSPB staff, project partners, farmers, and local communities to implement immediate conservation interventions for the target species at a local and landscape scale and develop strategies to improve their conservation status in Wales.

You will manage a team comprising a full-time project officer, a part-time people engagement officer and a seasonal conservation monitoring officer to deliver a 4-year programme of practical conservation management, ecological monitoring, and people engagement activities. Your team will work closely with stakeholders to finalise and implement conservation interventions and a monitoring programme for each target species.

Throughout the project, your team will organise people engagement and volunteer events to raise the profile of target species and involve local people in the conservation of special habitats found on their doorstep. You will also be the main point of contact with central programme staff and other place-based projects to deliver collaborative elements of the Natur am Byth scheme.

What we need from you

Essential skills, knowledge and experience

• Interest in ecology, and a passion for sustainable land management.
• Application of conservation interventions, including procurement and management of contractors.
• Experience of project management, including the timely completion of activities and events, managing budgets against forecast, reporting progress, and putting in place appropriate contingency actions to mitigate against any risks.
• Working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders in the conservation sector.
• Line management of staff and/or volunteers.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational), including an ability to speak confidently and clearly to a variety of different audiences.
• Competent IT user, including core Microsoft Office programmes.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Proven track record in developing strong working relationships with farmers, landowners and their representatives.
• Knowledge and/or experience of conservation grazing.
• Spoken and/or written Welsh language.
• Competent GIS user.

Please note that the successful candidate will live within a reasonable travelling distance of Lleyn and Anglesey. It is an essential requirement that you can travel independently to sites where public transport may not be available. Expenses will be paid for costs in excess of normal travel.

This is a full-time role at 37.5 hours per week on a fixed-term contract for 3 years and 5 months. 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 on 18th October. For further information, please contact jack.slattery@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.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

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