Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Species Recovery Officer
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Join us in helping to restore the fortunes of one of the UK’s most iconic species. We’re seeking two Project Officers to become part of our Landscape Recovery Team, leading the delivery of an ambitious water vole recovery initiative across Derbyshire. This is a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference to the future of a critically endangered species through practical conservation, partnership working, and landscape-scale recovery efforts. Working collaboratively with communities you'll secure a brighter future for water voles.
In this role, you’ll be part of a team to deliver a county wide mink trapping program, and a targeted habitat improvement program. Where appropriate this will be through a nature-led approach providing enhanced ecosystem services. You will work with stakeholders and funders to deliver and expand the project making it sustainable for the future.
To be successful you will be an organised approachable person who can work to tight deadlines. You will be able to speak to people and communicate the project vision to ensure maximum impact of the project.
Responsibilities
In this role, you'll be responsible for the on-the-ground delivery of the project. You will:
- Help to rapidly develop a strategic mink trapping plan for the whole catchment
- Develop a network of landowners and stakeholders who will be part of the project
- Develop a volunteer team to trap and humanely dispatch mink, monitor water vole numbers and deliver practical work
- Assist to create a habitat restoration plan for strategic locations in the catchment, and apply for relevant permissions
- Deliver training for volunteers
- Supervise contractors to deliver restoration works
- Deliver on the ground practical work where needed
About You
This role might be right for you if:
- You do not need a degree for this role, but have a basic level of understanding of species and ecology with a little industry experience
- You may be looking for your first role in conservation from a related countryside occupation
- You will work well with others across teams and be willing to adapt to varied situations
- You will have worked with volunteers and other stakeholders to deliver projects
- You will have excellent attention to detail and be able to work to very tight deadlines
- You will have a passion for wildlife and be able to communicate this to a wide and varied audience
- You must be willing to deliver or organise others to trap and remove invasive American Mink, a species directly responsible for the loss of Water Voles and all riparian species across the UK
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We are happy to talk flexible working!
This role will be based at our office in Middleton whilst with a very large amount of field work. A balance of home and office working will also be allowed. We are a local charity so applicants should be easily able to access our office and other locations around the county.
Interviews are planned for the 6th of August in person at our Middleton Office in Derbyshire.
For more information please refer to the job description and key terms attached. If you have any questions about the role which are not answered in the attached documents, or require adjustments to the application process, please either email recruitment@derbyshirewt.co.uk or call 01773 881188.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
We’re a small charity, with big ideas! We believe that everyone has their part to play in Nature’s recovery. We are the only organisation in Derbyshire working to protect and enhance wildlife and wild places throughout the county but through our work with businesses, other conservation charities, and the public we are mobilising others across the county and the rest of the UK to act for wildlife. As are a registered Charity, we are supported by 16,000 members and are part of a movement of 46 Trusts with a collective membership of over 800,000.
Our purpose is to achieve our vision of a Wilder Derbyshire by creating Nature Recovery Networks and reintroducing lost species. We aim to deliver our vision by leading Nature’s Recovery, inspiring people and communities to care and mobilising people to act. All our work is underpinned by our values.
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We’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and believe that everyone should have access to nature. We expect people to work harmoniously with each other and with volunteers, and to provide help and guidance to others when needed. As a small charity, our employees need to be willing to be flexible about working arrangements and willing to provide occasional cover for absent staff. We want people to develop professionally and personally while working with us and employees are encouraged to participate in the range of opportunities available to enable this.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is an equal opportunities employer that strives to be a diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone is valued. We welcome applications from eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
We recognise that our workforce needs to represent the communities and people we work with. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups within Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the wider charity and conservation sector, such as people from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds and those who identify as LGBTQ+.
We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may want to use it to help you format your CV, create responses to application questions or even help you prepare responses. AI can be a powerful enabler and we are open to you using it to apply for roles with us, but we ask you to ensure anything you submit truly represents your capabilities and viewpoint. We value honesty, integrity and creativity and want to understand what you will uniquely bring to our team.
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