We have an exciting opportunity at Wallasea Island for someone looking to gain valuable experience at the start of their career, as a Seasonal Assistant Warden on a large nature reserve on the Essex coast. We are looking for an enthusiastic, resourceful and resilient person keen to take an early step in a career in conservation and join our team until October 2023. Wallasea Island is a 750ha reserve made up of intertidal habitats, lowland wet grassland and saline lagoons and offers a great opportunity to pick up vital skills to help enhance your career.

The successful applicant will undertake a range of habitat management and species monitoring activities. Ideally, you will have experience in monitoring birds and managing the habitats found at Wallasea Island, but this post will enhance and develop your skills and knowledge. Over the next year, the team will undertake various activities to enhance and improve the reserves ecological potential and are trialling some new technology to improve monitoring of both biological and physical features. 

Essential knowledge, skills, and experience:

• You will have knowledge and experience of practical habitat and estate management.
• You will have a proven track record of working of completing work alone and working within a varied team.
• Comfortable managing volunteers from a range of backgrounds
• Reasonable birdwatching knowledge and experience of biological surveys
• Full, manual driving licence that is valid in the UK

Desirable qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience:

• Lantra or equivalent qualification in using equipment such as brushcutter and tractor, PA1/6 pesticides.
• Knowledge of servicing and maintaining vehicles, machinery, tools and equipment to agreed standards.
• Experience of staff or volunteer recruitment and line management.
• Implementing and updating health and safety records and assessments.

Additional information:

• This role will involve lone working and working in remote locations.
• This role will require occasional weekend, early morning and evening working so will need someone who is able to be flexible.

This is a Fixed-Term role for 37.5 hours per week, for 8 months. 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 24/01/2023. For further information please contact rachel.fancy@rspb.org.uk  or simon.carpenter@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.