Oxygen Conservation
Ecology Intern, Scotland: The evidence behind the restoration
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About the Role
This is your chance to gather the evidence that shapes the future of some of Scotland's most remarkable landscapes. Everything we restore, we restore on the strength of what the data tells us, and you will be the person out there supporting its collection.
As our Ecology Intern, you'll support work across our Scottish estates, helping with field surveys, recording habitat condition, and turning that raw field data into the evidence base shaping how we restore these landscapes. Working closely with specialist consultants, and our environment and estate teams, you’ll see first-hand how this evidence feeds into management plans, funding applications and the natural capital products those landscapes generate.
We have so much exciting work ahead that we would love you to start with us in early 2027, right at the beginning of the survey season.
About You
Environment
- A love for the natural world and rural environment, and a commitment to its ecological restoration.
- Strong knowledge of UK habitats and species legislation, particularly upland and peatland systems. This could be gained through an ecology, environmental science or related background, academic, practical, or a mix of both.
- Familiar with, or quick to learn, standard survey methods and condition assessment.
Impact
- Disciplined with data, because great records are what make great decisions about how we restore these landscapes.
- Able to turn field notes into clear findings and communicate them well, so your colleagues can act on what you have seen.
- A love for survey work and for spending hours out on the estates, immersed in the species and habitats you are recording.
Adventure
- Excited by the opportunity to spend long days out on Scottish hill ground, in every kind of weather Scotland has to offer.
- Committed to staying safe and well in remote terrain, and physically ready for the days the work asks for.
- A driving licence is essential given the location of our estates.
Together
- Able to collaborate seamlessly across a range of stakeholders, including estate teams, contractors, regulators and external ecologists.
- Generous with what you discover, sharing your findings with the estate teams so everyone learns from the ground up.
- And let's be honest, you have to be really kind too. Sharing snacks on long journeys or a packed lunch in the driving rain is mandatory!
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We believe in recruiting exceptional people and creating opportunities that allow you to do incredible things. You don't need to tick every box above, and you don't need to look or sound a certain way to belong here. We are committed to building a genuinely diverse team drawn from across the country, with a wide range of lived and learnt experiences. It doesn't matter what point in your career you are at, what school you went to, or whether you have a degree or not. We want amazing people with a desire to make a difference.
Key Responsibilities
- Ecological Survey: Plan and deliver habitat and species surveys across our Scottish estates, to consistent and defensible standards.
- Habitat Monitoring: Record habitat condition and change over time, building the baseline against which restoration is measured.
- Data Management: Turn field records into clean, structured datasets that others can use with confidence.
- Evidence and Reporting: Translate survey and monitoring data into the evidence that informs management plans, funding applications and natural capital products.
- Conservation Delivery: Support practical restoration work on the ground alongside the estate teams.
- Working with Specialists: Coordinate with external stakeholders and partners working on our Scottish landscapes.
About Us
We're building the UK's first genuine Natural Capital portfolio: acquiring large landscapes, restoring them at scale, and proving that nature recovery can create real, investable value.
Across our 12 estates, that means using restoration to create premium natural capital products like carbon credits, biodiversity units, and nature credits while also exploring regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and ecotourism experiences (you can check them out at Oxygen Escapes).
In just five years, we've grown to managing over 50,000 acres and a valuation of hundreds of millions of pounds. By 2030, our ambition is to have 250,000 acres under restoration while to connect helping millions more acres for nature.
Our mission is simple: prove that restoring ecosystems can not only deliver transformative environmental and social impact, but also financial returns.
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Our work hasn't gone unnoticed. In 2022, we were named Start-Up of the Year at the Business Leader South West Awards, followed by Team of the Year at the 2023 Edie Awards and our nature funding agreement with Triodos won ESG Deal of the Year at the 2024 Insider South West Dealmakers Awards. Our founder and CEO, Dr Rich Stockdale, is featured in the ENDS Power List as one of the top 100 UK environmental professionals driving significant impact.
Key Information
- Term and Start Date: A fixed term (3-month) opportunity starting January 2027. The January start is critical to align with the survey season.
- Location: Our Scottish estates, with some remote working
- Salary: £26,500 pro rata
- Closing Date: Monday 2nd November
- Support: Travel and subsistence costs covered during your internship
Our Recruitment Process
We believe in keeping you informed every step of the way. Here's what to expect if you apply:
- Confirmation of Receipt: Once you press submit, you should immediately receive an email to say we’ve got your application! If you don’t receive this, please pop a quick message to our lovely people inbox (people@oxygenconservation.com) and we’ll check you’re on the system!
- Application review: Once applications close, we'll take around 2 weeks to carefully review every application.
- Virtual interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a one-hour virtual interview with some of our team. Those unsuccessful will be informed.
- Intern Dinner and Day: If your interview is successful, you'll be invited to our Intern Dinner (evening) and Intern Day (the following day), where you'll meet the whole team. All travel, accommodation and food are covered by Oxygen Conservation.
- Offers: Internship offers are made following the Intern Day.
Please note: Attending the Intern Dinner and Day is essential to be offered an internship. It's the one time we bring the whole team together, and we can't repeat it.
Once you've applied, we'll email you the exact dates for each stage so you can plan ahead. We're often oversubscribed, so thank you for your patience while we work through applications.
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