Do you want to play a crucial role in supporting the RSPB’s work to protect special places for wildlife and engage and empower more people to protect sites that are important to them?

What’s the role about?

We are looking for someone passionate about saving nature to join our UK Nature Protection team at a time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities for environmental protection.

We need someone with good knowledge of the UK planning system and proven project management skills to help us find new ways to engage more people to save special places and threatened species.

The role will include working with teams at our UK HQ and across all four UK countries to develop and deliver a new, accessible and engaging package of resources to help empower the public to get involved in local planning issues. Delivery of this important piece of work will involve building effective internal relationships across several UK HQ, country, and area teams. You will require strong project management skills to ensure effective input and joint working with colleagues in multiple disciplines via workshops, informal discussions and establishment of a cross-team project steering group.

In addition, you will also play a key role in assisting colleagues to increase and deepen our relationships with volunteers and partner organisations to support individuals and communities to protect their local wildlife, through trialing new approaches and sharing best practices across the organisation. This will include working with other NGOs involved in empowering individuals and communities to take action to build a picture of alternative ways of working.

You will help recruit and be responsible for the management of a small team of skilled volunteers to support the delivery of this area of work in the four UK countries. You will provide appropriate guidance and encouragement to these volunteers to help them make an effective and valuable contribution.

What we need from you?

For this 12-month post, you will need the following:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant discipline e.g. Environmental or Planning

Knowledge

Essential:

• Knowledge and understanding of planning legislation, policy and practice in the UK
• Proven project management skills
• Excellent communication and writing skills, with the ability to write reports, guides and resources to support others with planning issues
• Initiative and judgment to resolve problems independently and ability to find creative solutions
• Experience working in a cross-organisational multi-disciplinary team to develop and deliver shared vision, objectives and outcomes
• A good track record of consistently delivering results on time, creating the energy and urgency to motivate others to contribute as required
• Experience of working with volunteers

Although not essential, you will ideally also have:

Knowledge

Desirable:

• Good knowledge of environmental and nature conservation issues; and
• Knowledge of the RSPB’s planning work.

We can be flexible on location within the UK.

This post could be suitable as a secondment opportunity.

For all application enquiries please contact - Marian.bicknell@rspb.org.uk

For all role enquiries please contact - carrie.marchbank@rspb.org.uk

Please note that you will be required to complete an online application form only.

Before applying for this role we would encourage you to read through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of the advert.