Overview

Want to help protect some of the most threatened reptiles on the planet? Passionate about island restoration and species conservation?

We currently have an exciting opportunity for someone to assist in the delivery, monitoring and reporting of one of RSPB’s partnership projects in the UK Overseas Territories.

Species Recovery Project Officer (Fixed-Term)
Reference: JAN20229611
Location: Flexible in UK
Salary: £22,986.00 – £25,500.00 Pro Rata
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days Annual Leave (pro-rata)
Duration: 16 months

As an effective communicator and report writer, you will be responsible for supporting the delivery of an incredibly exciting collaborative, partnership-based project to protect two incredibly important islands in the Cayman Islands, a UK Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. This is a UK-based fixed-term post until June 2023.

As the Species Recovery Project Officer, you will play an essential supporting role to the project team, working to protect some of the most pristine patches of natural habitat left in the Caribbean – and also the homes of the Critically Endangered Sister Islands rock iguana. This exciting post is funded through the Darwin Plus Initiative project: ‘Safeguarding Cayman’s Sister Islands from Invasive Species’. Invasive species pose a major, but largely unmanaged, threat on Cayman’s Sister Islands. Feral cat predation has resulted in catastrophic declines in native species while invasive green iguanas are spreading from Grand Cayman.

This project will strengthen Cayman’s biosecurity and implement invasive species management with local communities, building knowledge, capacity and support for effective and sustainable action. This project is a partnership between the RSPB, the Cayman Islands Government Department of Environment, Department of Agriculture and the University of Aberdeen.

The Species Recovery Project Officer will be responsible for the following work areas:

  • Help put in place the right governance structure to keep their projects on track
  • Undertake agreed activities in order to deliver the project outputs and objectives in accordance with the project plan
  • Work with staff, partners, external contractors and volunteers as necessary to ensure that actions are delivered to agreed standards of cost, quality and time
  • Produce relevant project documentation as directed by the project manager, including the Darwin 6-monthly and annual reports
  • Develop and deliver appropriate communication activities such as events, media interaction, briefings, talks and production of materials in association with communications colleagues to support the delivery of the project
  • Co-ordinate meetings and report to the project manager (and project board, if appropriate)
  • Ensure that risks and issues are highlighted to the project manager
  • Support the project manager in managing the project budget
  • Contribute to project reviews
  • Contribute to the handover to ‘business as usual’ at the end of the project, by conducting any follow-on actions as directed by the project manager

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • An understanding of conservation challenges on islands
  • Some knowledge of the theory and practice of project management
  • Competent IT user (e.g. MS packages, Outlook etc).
  • Skills relevant to the specific aims and objectives of the project.
  • The ability to communicate about the project in a passionate and credible manner.
  • An ability to produce clear written communications.
  • An ability to persuade and influence a wide range of people, both internally and externally.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to find creative solutions.
  • Able to work under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances.
  • Proven time management and organisational skills.
  • Attention to detail.
  • Report writing.
  • Working with project teams and stakeholders.
  • Ability to work well as part of a cross-functional project team.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Organising training events, workshops or facilitated discussions and meetings
  • Experience of working with contractors
  • Experience of producing written materials, newsletters and similar project related communications
  • Demonstrable experience of developing and working in partnerships to achieve shared outcomes

This is a Fixed-Term, Full-Time role for 16 months.

Closing date: 23:59, 06 February 2022
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 14th February 2022.

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.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.