Site Manager - High Fen Wildland

Job Description

Job Snapshot:

We are looking for a person to manage our lowland peat site, High Fen Wildland in Methwold Hythe, Thetford, Norfolk, providing site and communities coordination as we develop our project plans. This is an exciting opportunity for someone to join the Nattergal team, take a lead at High Fen in its early stages and play an integral role in the successful delivery of the project aims.

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Nattergal is a leading nature restoration company building inspiring rewilding projects across the UK and beyond, creating stories of hope for nature and the future. Through joining the company, you will be embedded in this innovative, inspiring organisation and will play an integral part of developing and delivering exemplar site-level processes that really add value to nature. 

We are aiming to build a team and culture that recognises and values different backgrounds, mindsets, skills, and experience and would welcome applications from such.

The ideal candidate will live within driving distance of the Wildland, as the role will be predominantly site based. They will need to be a great project and supplier manager, with the ability to smoothly coordinate activities on site, including Health and Safety processes and visitor management. They will be hands-on – getting their waders on to check dip well water levels one morning, then fixing a fence in the afternoon. They will also be a fantastic communicator – giving site tours to local groups one day and presenting the project at a local landowner’s meeting the next.

Reporting to the Head of Operations, and with support from the wider Nattergal team, the successful candidate will deliver:

Site Management:

Developing and delivering yearly site budgets, including utilities.

Management of activities at the High Fen Wildland – including booking in, meeting on site and providing orientation tours to partners, suppliers and investors. This will include water, carbon and biodiversity surveyors, academic researchers, investors, and team visits as required. There will also be tradespersons to co-ordinate as the site develops.

Building management – including main site house and farm buildings.

To be the main contact point for all the above and related site activity, including engaging with local suppliers to provide services.

To eventually include the management of ongoing data collection for ecological and hydrological monitoring – potentially undertaking some regular biodiversity surveys (as per skills and development ambitions).

General maintenance jobs – e.g. mowing the garden, fixing gates and fence upkeep.

Manage the site Health and Safety requirements for all the above and lead on site security.

Community Coordination:

To provide a focal contact point to the local community, to be a ‘friendly face’ for High Fen.

To engage directly with local stakeholders – including visits to local farmers and other interested parties in the community for coffee meetings to explain the project.

To engage with local community groups, schools, and council/local authority as needed.

To coordinate, community engagement and volunteer activities as needed.

To manage the project-level Facebook group and contribute to Nattergal level social media regarding on site activities, including visual media of wildlife.

Benefits

Salary: £27,500 - £35,000 per annum, depending on experience

Annual Leave: 25 days + 8 bank holiday

Pension Information: Company Pension Scheme

Additional Information

If you wish to apply for this role, please submit a CV and short Covering Letter explaining your motivation for applying and briefly addressing the essential criteria for the role (up to 500 words) via the Change Agents UK Careers Page. We also ask you to complete an optional Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring form; this does not form any part of the selection process but is used to help us monitor the effectiveness of our policy. See full Job Description for links and more information. If you have any difficulties with your application or the external links don't work please contact applications@changeagents.org.uk

Essential Skills

A passion for nature recovery and biodiversity conservation.

Project Management experience, preferably in a land management related organisation (e.g. conservation charity, farming).

Experience within the nature conservation / land management industry.

Excellent communication skills including verbal and visual presentations.

A proactive self-starter with excellent organisational skills.

Good problem-solving skills.

A practical person who is happy to take on physical tasks and work outside in all weathers.

Good experience using Microsoft suite of programmes - Word, Outlook, Excel.

Commutable distance from the site.

Full UK driving licence.

Desired Skills

Degree / qualifications in a land management or natural science-based discipline

Experience within wetland creation and management

Health and Safety qualifications (full training will be given)

Adaptive to changing requirements and the excitement of working in a fast moving start up.

About Company

Nattergal Ltd

Nattergal is a nature restoration company with a mission to “deliver nature recovery at scale to provide vital benefits for society and sustainable financial returns”. Nattergal aims to restore degraded ecosystems at scale, initially through the purchase of ecologically degraded and unproductive land with limited employment.

The company aims to return ecosystems to nature in perpetuity, thereby increasing biodiversity, sequestering carbon, and providing a local nature-based economy. The initial focus is on lowland reversion projects in England, replicating the successes delivered at our partner organisation Knepp, now one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the UK. For more info please see: https://www.nattergal.co.uk/

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