Are you looking for an opportunity to get into nature conservation, or looking for a career change from traditional ecological consultancy work?

We are looking for early career ecologists to work as a Nature Recovery Assistant within our Wild Solutions team. We are keen to meet individuals who are passionate about supporting on the delivery of genuine nature recovery projects, with a willingness to learn and develop into a valued member of our advice team.

In this role, you will support our team of Nature Recovery Advisors on a wide range of projects, including landscape-scale nature recovery projects working with corporate clients and public sector bodies. You will support the team to undertake habitat and species surveys and provide advice to organisations and individuals on habitat restoration and enhancement. You will also support the team to deliver on landscape-scale nature restoration projects. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a team where the workload is highly variable and gives the opportunity to develop your career in the ecological and conservation sector.

To be successful you will need:

• A willingness to learn and develop within the role.
• Knowledge of the ecology and natural history of the British Isles including knowledge of some species/species groups and of a range of habitats and their importance
• An ability to communicate with and work alongside a variety of individuals outside of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

Responsibilities

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Assisting the Nature Recovery Advisors in the organisation and undertaking of ecological survey work
  You will support the NRA team in their duties including preparation for surveys, maintenance, and collection of survey equipment.
• Support the NRA team on project work Including good time management and organisation to meet agreed deadlines, attending project meetings, and contributing to group discussions.
• Support in the collation, analysis and interpretation of ecological survey data and reporting Ensuring that data and records are managed appropriately. Assisting with analysis and interpretation of ecological survey data to contribute towards habitat restoration recommendations, supporting the production of high-quality ecological reports

About you

This role might be right for you if:

• You have some experience undertaking ecological surveys (botanical or species surveys) in a professional context.
• You are a good written and verbal communicator and confident in speaking to a wide range of people.
• You are passionate about nature recovery in the UK and have a good knowledge of the main challenges to nature and are open to innovative ways of achieving landscape-scale restoration.

We are happy to talk flexible working!

This role will be based at our office in Middleton although a balance of home and office working will 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 Thursday 8th June 2023

To apply, please outline in your personal statement in your application how you meet the criteria identified in the Person Specification and Job Description document.

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 [email protected] 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.

Our Charity is growing, we currently employ 80 people and, crucially, we are supported by over 500 volunteers. We have three delivery teams; Wilder Landscapes, Wilder Communities, and Income Generation, supported by the Finance and Resources team. Each team has a Department Lead who reports to the Chief Executive who is responsible for the operations of the Trust and who, in turn, reports to the Board of Trustees which governs the organisation.

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 are proudly a Disability Confident Commitment employer. The scheme is helping us recruit and retain great people to meet our workforce needs. As a member of the scheme, we interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role. You can request this and adjustments including accessible formats of this vacancy by emailing [email protected]”