Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in driving and overseeing a significant and complex work programme across the RSPB’s largest reserve.

Senior Site Manager – Forsinard Flows Reserve
Reference: SEP20228336
Location: Forsinard Flows, Caithness & Sutherland
Salary: £38,000.00 – £42,156.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days Annual Leave

We are looking for an organised, dynamic and passionate person to lead the team and work programme delivery on the RSPB’s largest nature reserve, Forsinard Flows. This is an exciting and varied role that presents a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference for nature, at scale!

To make a success of this opportunity, you will be a capable manager with the ability to work well with a broad range of contacts, both within the RSPB and beyond. You will be able to apply your strong programme and people management skills in a pragmatic and focused way, to enable the reserve team to deliver the best possible outcomes for our priority habitats and species.

What’s the role about?
The reserve is at the heart of the Flow Country, the world’s largest and most intact blanket bog. It hosts internationally important populations of many species, such as common scoter, greenshank, dunlin, golden plover and hen harrier. The 21,000+ha reserve also has areas of montane, woodland, farmland and aquatic habitats important for a wide range of key species. We have a significant programme of peatland restoration underway, removing inappropriate forestry, blocking drained and eroded open hill ground and managing herbivore impact through stock grazing and deer management. We are working at scale and are at the forefront of innovating techniques for restoration, so spend a significant amount of time hosting visits to the reserve.

We have a field centre that can accommodate up to five residential volunteers and 16 guests, such as staff, contractors, scientists or students. It also houses an education room and a lab for scientists undertaking work as part of the extensive collaborative approach to peatland science in the Flows.

Management on the reserve is often multi-layered and complex, so good project management skills twinned with forward thinking, and a keen willingness to solve practical problems will be required.

The successful candidate will have an important external role, building positive relationships with key partners and stakeholders, such as the Northern Deer Management Group, so that RSPB’s policies and messages are understood and furthered within relevant partnerships and fora.

As well as the key elements of reserve management (budgeting/financial management, H&S, compliance, project management, management planning, reporting and public relations) our immediate areas of focus are the expansion of our peatland restoration projects to include work verified under the IUCN Peatland Code and the development of a three-year overall peatland restoration programme.

You will also supervise the management of three satellite reserves – Broubster Leans, Dunnet Head and Eilean Hoan – giving the postholder the ability to save nature across the whole of Caithness and Sutherland.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Effective project and budget management skills
  • Ability to prioritise work programmes
  • Strong team management experience
  • Knowledge of the wildlife and habitats of the area
  • Ability to work effectively as a team or Partnership member
  • Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational) –including an ability to speak in public to a variety of audiences to share best practice and advocate positions to landowners and managers, local politicians, members and volunteers who have differing views.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species or habitats, especially in peatlands
  • Knowledge of upland management, especially in relation to deer
  • Understanding of the importance of the cultural heritage of the Highlands

Additional Information
This is a Permanent, Full-Time role for 37.5 hours per week.

Closing date: Wednesday 19th October 2022
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on 3rd November 2022, at Forsinard Field Centre.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to making our organisation diverse and inclusive, and as such are keen to encourage applications from people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities.

This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

No agencies please.