Nature Protection Policy Officer (Fixed-Term)

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Nature Protection Policy Officer in Northern Ireland, to join our friendly and committed policy and advocacy team at a time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities for environmental protection.

What's the role about?

We are in a critical moment for nature, and the RSPB is campaigning to secure strong commitments to nature's recovery, and in Northern Ireland we will be seeking to secure and influence new legislation to ensure environmental protection is upheld following Brexit. We’re looking for someone who’s professional, passionate, proactive and engaging with a sound knowledge of the policy and legislation for protected areas, species and habitats, relevant UK/NI legislation, and biodiversity/species policy.

You should have the skills and personality to advocate for policy and legislation to champion the change nature needs to decision-makers, professional counterparts and the public, and develop and strengthen NI’s network of protected areas for wildlife to help us ensure that the best places for nature get the protection, management and monitoring that they need.

Key tasks

• Be responsible for site conservation policy in Northern Ireland, focusing on the identification of terrestrial and marine areas that should be protected through international, national and local site protection legislation, advocating their designation at the appropriate level, and the implementation of policies to secure their protection, appropriate management and monitoring.
• Supporting high level advocacy with local government and its statutory agency to influence the development of NI’s approach to protected areas in response to emerging national, UK and global commitments to increase and improve site protection over the next decade. This will include undertaking analysis of the current protected areas network, and standards of protection, monitoring and management, developing RSPB policy and advocating the need for change, and working with colleagues across the four different national legal, policy and political contexts in which the RSPB operates (i.e. in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales).
• Providing specialist advice in relation to complex casework.
• Providing specialist advice in relation to the interaction of site policy with other key policy areas.
• Working with colleagues ‘on the ground’ to support the delivery of protected areas work both on the RSPB estate and within our Priority Landscapes, and with other policy specialists (including RSPB colleagues and those in partner organisations) to ensure integration of sites policy within our wider work to tackle the nature and climate emergency and to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity.
• Work closely with Campaigning and Communications team to build public knowledge and support for policy asks.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or experience relevant to the role.
• Able to analyse complex issues in a fast paced environment.
• Able to negotiate with and influence others.
• Good written and verbal communication skills e.g. professional, persuasive, engaging, confident.
• Strong time management and organisational skills.
• Able to prioritise effectively.
• Able to manage projects effectively.
• Competent use of Microsoft Office

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Practical experience of operating in a policy and/or advocacy role.
• An understanding of environment/biodiversity in general and protected areas, species and habitats policy in particular.
• Working understanding of NI/UK/EU/global institutions relevant to environment/biodiversity in general and protected areas, species and habitats policy in particular.
• An understanding of the role of public facing communications/campaigns in supporting policy advocacy.

This is a Fixed-Term, Full-Time role for 37.5 hours per week until December 2024. 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 from 21st February 2023. For further information please contact michelle.hill@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.

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.