Conservation Officer - The Wash & North Norfolk Coast (Fixed-Term)

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity available to support our work protecting The Wash and North Norfolk Coast. The Wash is the most important estuary for birds in the UK, with over 400,000 individuals wintering and important numbers of breeding birds. The North Norfolk Coast’s grazing marshes, beaches and intertidal habitats are also important for many priority species, notably little terns, Sandwich terns, ringed plovers and breeding waders.

These sites are facing many pressures, such as large-scale developments, recreational pressures and coastal changes linked to climate change. We are working with partners and communities to protect the habitats and wildlife of these highly protected sites and are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated individual to support our work to tackle these challenges.

If you are interested in making a significant contribution to the conservation of one of the UK’s best coastal and wetland landscapes this may be the role for you!

What's the role about?

The Conservation Officer will be part of the Norfolk and Lincolnshire Conservation Team, working closely with our Lincolnshire Wash and North-West Norfolk reserves. RSPB Snettisham is world-renowned for its wader spectacles, where thousands of birds roost at high tide. Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore are fantastic for waders and other wetland and coastal species year-round. Exciting habitat works at Titchwell and Freiston Shore will enable these reserves to support more birds, improve breeding success and help prepare for new colonists. This role will look to build the reserves successes into the wider landscape.

The successful candidate will preferably be based close to The Wash and North Norfolk Coast where we have offices at Frampton Marsh and Titchwell, with home-working possible for some of the time. Relationship building is an important element of the role, so the ability to travel for face-to-face meetings will be essential. Given the remote locations and limited public transport, the ability to drive is essential.

The role will primarily focus on The Wash, but support some wider work along the North Norfolk Coast. The role will involve:

• Protecting The Wash and North Norfolk Coast from damaging development – working with partners to challenge inappropriate development, but also seek opportunities to create new habitat and boost the natural capital of The Wash and North Norfolk Coast. A key area of work will be supporting our advocacy and campaigning around The Wash barrage.
• Collation of information to better understand the current status of species across The Wash and North Norfolk Coast, notably saltmarsh breeding redshanks – Working with our Conservation Science team and Natural England to review the latest data on saltmarsh breeding redshanks. There is also work needed to develop our understanding of disturbance across The Wash and its impact on breeding and wintering birds. Developing an action plan with a clear position on the state of The Wash birds and essential actions needed to make a difference will be a key output for this role.
• Build and nurture relationships with a range of stakeholders – work closely with partners across a range of sectors to develop support for our work to protect and enhance The Wash and North Norfolk Coast’s habitats and wildlife.

The RSPB has been working around The Wash and North Norfolk Coast for decades. There is huge potential to further develop opportunities to work with people of all ages and abilities. Volunteers can help with surveys and community engagement, as well as support engagement with planning and writing communication material. The Conservation Officer will seek opportunities to diversify how people engage with our work and ensure that it is as inclusive as possible.

The work outlined is important for delivering the objectives of the RSPB’s Priority Landscape for The Wash and North Norfolk Coast. Priority Landscapes are the RSPB’s approach to delivering conservation at scale and provide a focus to direct our resources where they will have the greatest impact. The delivery of this work is a priority both locally and nationally for the RSPB.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

1. Degree or equivalent relevant work experience
2. Sufficient knowledge of species and habitats within The Wash and North Norfolk Coast and the range of delivery mechanisms for protecting and enhancing them to enable recommendation to senior staff of appropriate responses and interventions
3. Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species or habitats.
4. Ability to work effectively as a team player both internally and externally to develop productive partnerships
5. Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational), including ability to confidently advocating a position to landowners and managers, local politicians, members and volunteers who have different views.
6. Ability to rapidly analyse significant quantities of information, prioritise and balance a diverse workload often to tight deadlines
7. Competent user of core MS Office programmes
8. Able to drive in the UK

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

9. Experience of negotiating with the public or private sector, to deliver biodiversity benefits, through both regulatory and voluntary means, especially planning casework.
10. Effective project management skills.
11. Specialist conservation knowledge of habitats, species and environmental processes relevant to The Wash and North Norfolk Coast.

This is a Fixed-Term role for 37.5 hours per week until mid May 2023. 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 16th December 2022. For further information please contact philip.pearson@rspb.org.uk.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The RSPB is a licenced sponsor. This role is eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship.

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