Overview

South Devon (Full Time)

Please submit a CV and covering letter to Robbie Phillips on robbiephillipsecology@gmail.com by 10th November.

• Type of appointment: Starting in January/February 2024 or soon after, for at least 12 months, with potential for further permanent employment.
• Reporting to: Estate owners
• Location: Buckfastleigh, Devon
• Hours of work: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week over 5 days, with flexible working required at times including limited weekends, and overtime in lieu.
• Salary: £20,500-£22,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience
• Free accommodation provided on site in self-contained studio apartment with utilities included. (On-site living a requirement of the job)
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays rising to 28 days
• Closing date for applications: 10th November 2023. Interviews Late November 2023
• Full driving licence with access to your own car
• We encourage you to apply even if you only have some of the desired skills as support in developing these and training can be provided.

We are seeking a self-motivated early career ecologist to deliver on site monitoring, day to day habitat and land management and site visitor engagement on a small estate managed using a nature first approach in South Devon.

This job is available as a career developing opportunity, including for new graduates with all encouraged to apply regardless of their past experience. During the role you will have some guidance and support to develop skills required to deliver the varied work that the role entails.

The estate is managed for wildlife with 60% woodland 40% meadows and other habitat with grazing cattle present year round. Year round monitoring is conducted with a key focus on birds, including a long term monitoring project on breeding Pied Flycatchers from April-July each year, when nest box monitoring will dominate workload.

We are looking for a general ecologist, with good to excellent bird knowledge to conduct ecological surveys throughout the year. Key work will also include day to day estate management, dealing with contractors, site visitors, maintenance, stock checks and moves, habitat creation and grant applications and delivery. Work will include both outside and indoors with a rough 80/20 split in summer and 50/50 split in winter.

The individual will need to co-ordinate and conduct a range of fieldwork activities predominantly on site, though off site working includes supporting RSPB conservation monitoring in spring, whilst balancing this with requirements on the estate on a day to day basis.

Flexibility of working is key and ability to react to deal with issues in a timely manner.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities (Estate tasks – A list of jobs currently undertaken by our estate ecologist in no particular order including but are not limited to): You are not expected to be able to undertake all of these tasks to start with and you will acquire more as your skills and experience grow.

1. Working in the field to gather ecological data:
   o   a) Nest box surveys, catching of adults and ringing of chicks (Pied flycatchers) April-July on estate and surrounding woodland
   o   b) Breeding bird surveys
   o   c) Observations and surveys of other species groups
   o   d) Ensuring high standards of data collection, collation and storage
2. Estate maintenance, practical skills and habitat management:
   o   a) Managing habitats for wildlife including support with scrub management, path cutting, hay cuts and invasive species removal
   o   b) Day to day maintenance of estate including limited fences, tracks and woodlands, with contractor support available
   o   c) Coordinating work on site between contractors, yourself and additional on-site land workers
   o   d) Conducting winter supplementary feeding for farmland birds
3. Engagement:
   o   a) Showing visitors and individuals around the site and talking about the range of projects taking place
   o   b) Organise and lead open day events in conjunction with owners, on a limited number of days a year
   o   c) Working with other landowners and inspiring change towards nature friendly farming practices
4. Offsite responsibilities:
   o   a) Management of contractors at off site land holdings on Dartmoor
   o   b) Off site nest box surveys and ecological surveys
5. New projects:
   o   a) Developing new monitoring projects on site in conjunction with owners
   o   b) Support in delivery of new offsite projects including ones on meadows and wood creation, and swifts in churches.
6. Report writing and data entry during wet periods:
   o   a) Entry of all monitoring data on breeding birds, nest boxes, and other taxa
   o   b) Yearly reports on breeding birds, nest boxes and other species groups
7. Assisting with other estate administration and events
   o   a) Submission of funding reports and claims
   o   b) Assisting with off-site events and evening talks with AV equipment and venue set up
   o   Managing stewardship

Person specification

Essential

• A BSc in a relevant biological discipline
• Full driving licence and your own vehicle (Manual preferred)
• Practical ornithological skills, e.g. competent bird ID
• Good organisational, communication and interpersonal skills e.g., co-ordinating fieldwork schedule, handling personal data, communicating work with estate owners
• Experience using and attention to detail required to maintain scientific datasets e.g. in Microsoft Excel, Word
• Good communication skills for report writing
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and workload priorities in a dynamic working estate, with flexibility to adapt and change plans often
• Willingness to undertake a range of tasks even those they may not at first be familiar with
• Ability to conduct hands-on land management and physical labour tasks
• Willing to live on site in provided accommodation and provide full time cover on site including weekends if owners away
• Physically fit and able to walk longer distances over steep and uneven terrain in spring
• Confident with lone working on the private site

Preferable

• A BTO ringing licence, C permit or above with endorsement for pulli in boxes and adults or very near to obtaining one (Highly desirable) Applicants may apply if they are at the point of or very near to obtaining a C Permit, but do not currently hold one. If you have no experience you may be considered but must be willing to learn, and conduct box checks, with training provided for bird handling under licence
• Practical experience in habitat management for wildlife including use of light machinery such as brush cutter and strimmers for land management tasks
• Experience of communicating with farmers and landowners, polite manner and confident communicator
• Experience with managing stock (cattle and sheep), though you will not be responsible for stock for other than welfare, field moves and checks on site

Desirable additions

• A MSc in a relevant biological discipline.
• Have experience managing and motivating small teams including volunteers
• A basic understanding of modern farming and wildlife, particularly with regard to agri-environment schemes including CS and SFI.
• Willingness to work some unsociable hours including evening and weekends occasionally
• Happy around dogs
• Invertebrate ID skills including moths
• Skills/experience in written communication (reports or otherwise)
• Experience of small tractor driving and basic machinery maintenance
• Experience with managing social media platforms including YouTube
• Experience of filmmaking for events and talks for social media channels
• Additional licences not required but desirable: Dormouse, Bats
• Certificate of competency for brush cutter, chain saw and tractor

Our vision

• To use the site as a demonstration and engagement location for a range of conservation interventions on farmland, inspiring other to take a nature first and nature rich approach to land management
• To maintain the estate to a high level throughout the year
• To further develop habitats and deliver new projects that help towards species recovery on site

How to apply

Please submit a CV and covering letter to Robbie Phillips on robbiephillipsecology@gmail.com by 10th November.