We have an exciting opportunity at Wallasea Island for someone looking to gain valuable experience at the start of their career, as a Seasonal Assistant Warden on a large nature reserve on the Essex coast. We are looking for an enthusiastic, resourceful and resilient person keen to take an early step in a career in conservation and join our team until December 2024. Wallasea Island is a 750ha reserve made up of intertidal habitats, lowland wet grassland and saline lagoons and offers a great opportunity to pick up vital skills to help enhance your career.

The successful applicant will undertake a range of habitat management and species monitoring activities. Ideally, you will have experience in managing the habitats found at Wallasea Island, but this post will enhance and develop your skills and knowledge in areas such as water management and vegetation control. Over the next year, the team will undertake various activities to enhance and improve the reserves ecological potential and are trialling some new technology to improve management and monitoring of both biological and physical features.  

What we need from you:

 Essential knowledge, skills and experience include:

• Energy, adaptability and the desire to achieve.
• Comfortable managing volunteers from a range of backgrounds.
• Experience of estate management.
• Well organised approach to work including developing and effective prioritisation of workplans and workloads.
• The ability to work unsupervised, within a team or leading a team.
• Implementing and updating health and safety records and assessments.
• Experience in the safe operation and maintenance of machinery, tools and equipment.
• a full, manual driving licence that is valid in the UK .

Desirable qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience:

• Lantra or equivalent qualification in using equipment such as brushcutter and tractor.
• Knowledge of lowland wet grassland habitat management for breeding and wintering waders and wildfowl.
• Experience of working with contractors/graziers.
• Experience of use and maintenance of tools such as brushcutters.
• Knowledge of the requirements of agri-environment and cross-compliance regulations.
• Experience of biological monitoring.
• Knowledge of livestock management.

Additional information:

• This role will involve lone working and working in remote locations.
• This role will require occasional weekend, early morning and evening working so will need someone who is able to be flexible.

This is a fixed-term role until December 2024, full-time 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 on 29/04/2024. For further information please contact rachel.fancy@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.