Assistant Monitoring Officer (ELP) - (Fixed-Term)

Job Description

Introduction

Are you passionate about landscape-scale habitat restoration and helping to understand the environmental and societal benefits that result from such restoration? We are looking to recruit an Assistant Monitoring Officer for an exciting new landscape restoration project in eastern Cumbria funded by the Endangered Landscapes Programme and managed by RSPB, United Utilities, Lowther Estate and Natural England, which seeks to work collaboratively with local stakeholders to deliver nature recovery across the 33,000 ha project area.

What's the role about?

Landscape-scale habitat restoration is going to be crucial for mitigating the nature and climate emergencies, but knowledge of the precise nature of the benefits that flow from such activities is sometimes lacking. We are looking to fill a 4.5-year fixed-term contract Assistant Monitoring Officer, who will be responsible for working alongside the Project Scientist to deliver our ambitious monitoring plan. The post will contribute to the collection of data on a suite of indicators that monitor biodiversity and ecosystem service responses to habitat restoration, helping to build the evidence base on the impacts of restoration. This role would suit a talented field ecologist, with proven expertise in one or more of the focal taxa relevant to this project, who thrives working outdoors alone or in small teams in challenging conditions and is committed to the collection of excellent monitoring data to understand the impacts of restoration.

This post would be responsible for:

• Working collaboratively with project partners to help deliver the project monitoring plan.
• Collecting, sorting and identifying focal taxa to species.
• Quantifying aspects of woodland regeneration in long-term monitoring plots and measuring changes in herbivory pressure using camera traps.
• Deploying and managing a network of automated loggers to monitor water table levels and stream flow rates.
• Supporting data collection required by other elements of the project.
• Summarising monitoring data and carrying out other simple statistical analyses.
• Contributing to the production of reports and presentations.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• A degree in Ecology (or other relevant subject) or equivalent experience
• Specialist identification skills in one or more of the following species groups: plants, beetles, lepidoptera, birds.
• A strong understanding of upland ecology in the UK and key conservation issues.
• Experience of working in UK upland landscapes and of using sampling techniques relevant to the project, including plant quadrat sampling, moth trapping, bird surveying, camera trapping, or monitoring of water table levels or stream flow rates.
• An ability to be self-motivated, working alone or in small teams in challenging environments.
• Practical scientific skills of a standard that provides the highest quality data.
• A capacity to collect, collate and produce simple summaries of monitoring data.
• Strong communication skills that facilitate strong collaborative working within a multi-partner project.
• Ability to travel and work flexibly (working locations are not served by public transport).

This is a Fixed-Term Contract role for 4.5 years (til end of Sept 2027) Full-Time 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.

Whilst the role will mainly be conducted on site, some homeworking is possible.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from during the week beginning 23rd January 2023. For further information please contact steven.ewing@rspb.org.uk.

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As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

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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.