Mink Control Project Officer

There are vacancies for Mink Control Project Officers(4 required) within the Strategic Control of Mink  in Northern Scotland Project.

These are 29 months fixed term positions commencing 01 April 2011.

The overall objective of the project will be to secure multiple adjacent river catchments as mink-free areas, thereby protecting nationally significant populations of water voles, salmonids, ground nesting birds and other aspects and species of native riparian biodiversity. This will be achieved through continued use of a co-operative community-based approach in five areas within the overall geographic scope of the project.

The principle objectives of the Mink Control Project are to:

• To eradicate breeding mink from an area extending from the mid-Tay to the South Esk, around the east coast to the River Nairn; with a belt reaching from Dornoch and Cromarty on the east to Ullapool on the west, preventing mink encroachment to the far north.
• To ensure the long term sustainability of mink control in the project areas through the coordinated and resourced transfer of responsibility for ongoing mink management to local organisations.
• To raise awareness of the benefits of the community-based and adaptive management approach to invasive non-native species management

Each of the four Mink Control Project Officers will be designated an area in which they will be responsible for recruiting and maintaining volunteer networks, coordinating the management of the network of rafts and traps, promoting awareness, building local capacity and monitoring the outcomes and impacts of the project. One officer will be located within each of the following LEADER areas: Highland, Cairngorms-Moray, Rural Aberdeenshire and Rural Tayside. Candidates should express if they have a preferred location in their applications.

To apply:

Please e-mail your CV & covering letter to Chris Horrill( RAFTS Project Development Manager)

chris@rafts.org.uk

The closing dates for applications is Sunday 06 February 2011.

Interviews will be held in Edinburgh on Tuesday 22 February, Wednesday 23 February & Thursday 24 February 2011.

The project is funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, Tubney Charitable Trust, Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Scottish Government and the European Community Cairngorms, Highland, Moray, Rural Aberdeenshire and Rural Tayside Local Action Groups LEADER 2007-2013 Programme. It is a partnership between the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), University of Aberdeen, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and several other organisations.