Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location South East England About the job Job summary This position is based at Oxford, Reading, Wallingford Job description Summary This position is based at Aston Rowant NNR within the Chilterns National Landscape. The team Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment? If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature. The priority work Natural England is delivering includes: Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing We are the Governments advisor for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Governments 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment. Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england Benefits Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing. Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer. You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us. You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events. Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated. Were committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan. Locations Natural England is adopting hybrid working which means that our staff will work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographic area. Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office. View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations Job description This is an exciting opportunity to join Natural Englands National Nature Reserves (NNR) team in the Thames Solent team. NNRs play an increasingly important role as places where people can connect with nature and contribute to the recovery of nature in the surrounding landscape. Aston Rowant NNR is situated within the Chiltern Hills National Landscape. At 160 hectares it is one of the largest remaining areas of chalk grassland in Oxfordshire, consisting of extensive habitats of beech woodland and lowland scrub/grassland mosaic is home to a range of scarce bird species and invertebrates. The reserve is very popular, attracting large numbers of visitors. Managing high levels of recreational pressure and the annual threat of wildfires, is therefore a key part of this role, as is the ability to work collaboratively with local communities, visitors, volunteers and partners. Aston Rowant NNR sits within a wider landscape of the Chilterns Hills National Landscape and is a key site for the nature recovery network. Natural Englands nature recovery projects are focussing on promoting ever closer working with a diverse range of partners to achieve more for nature and for people. The job requires a combination of technical and practical land management knowledge and a developed understanding of the ecology and management of relevant habitats. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated, flexible, organised individual with a genuine interest and experience in: Partnership working Practical conservation management Providing a welcoming and rich visitor experience Using evidence to inform nature conservation management Maintaining the highest health and safety standards Team working Good governance, record management and information handling Role Description The successful candidates will contribute to the work of our team through covering tasks in the following areas: Deliver day-to-day site conservation management including practical habitat management and species/habitat monitoring. Livestock husbandry of Natural Englands own livestock. Build and maintain working relations with a range of stakeholders engaged in the day-to-day management of the reserves, including landowners, neighbours, partner organisations and community groups. Contribute to NNR management planning and maintain management records. Promote volunteering opportunities and build volunteer capacity to support NNR priorities. Monitor and manage visitor behaviour and patterns of use to support sustainable recreation. Implement Health & Safety standards fully for yourself and others, including visitors, volunteers and contractors. Procurement of goods and services including managing contracts. Support the wider team ambitions for NNRs to be at the heart of the Nature Recovery Network in the surrounding landscape. Additional information A Driving Licence is essential for this role. At Aston Rowant, some out of hours working is essential for weekend livestock husbandry, volunteer work party management and public engagement for which overtime payments or Time Off In Lieu is available. An allowance is also payable for any out-of-hours on-call cover. How to apply This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. STAR stands for: Situation Task Action Result We'll assess you against these competencies during the selection process: Technical Skills & Knowledge Creating Resilient Landscapes & Seas Putting People at the Heart of the Environment Working Safely A maximum of 250 words is allowed for your response to each competency. The Candidate Information Pack contains useful information to help you with the application read it before you begin. Please note that STAR format is not required for the Technical Skills and Knowledge competency. We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview. If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. Competencies Competence 1 Professional competency Detail Technical Skills and Knowledge (STAR format not needed for this competency) Description Qualification and/or relevant experience in countryside management, forestry, agriculture, landscape management or similar Essential Understanding of conservation principles and practice for lowland semi-natural habitats, particularly chalk grassland, scrub, wetland, and woodland Essential Understanding of livestock welfare codes and husbandry skills - Essential Experience of using land management machinery and equipment relevant to the role e.g. chainsaw, brush-cutter, knapsack sprayers, pedestrian mowers, off-road vehicles, trailers, Desirable Ecological field skills including the ability to identify key species on the Reserve; surveying and monitoring Desirable Competence 2 Professional competency Detail Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas - Practitioner Description Understand and apply appropriate management techniques to maintain or enhance the condition of sites Recognise, identify and interpret environmental features on NNRs Carry out and contribute to relevant monitoring work Competence 3 Professional competency Detail Putting People at the Heart of the Environment - Practitioner Description Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural Englands vision, mission and aims Understand the importance of people accessing and engaging with the natural environment, and how to balance their needs with nature conservation objectives Competence 4 Professional competency Detail Working Safely - Practitioner Description Understand the duty of care owed to all visitors, contractors or others on our NNRs, and adhere to appropriate legislation and Natural England policies and procedures Apply the principles of risk management and adopt safe working practices for yourself and the people you work with in everything you do. Person specification Please refer to Job Description Benefits Alongside your salary of £26,400, Natural England contributes £7,648 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27% Things you need to know Selection process details Please refer to Job Description Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Michelle Leek Email : michelle.p.leeknaturalengland.org.uk Telephone : 07979 706525 Recruitment team Email : defra-recruitment-enquiriesgov.sscl.com Further information https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england/about/complaints-procedure https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/tmpwid-ff3b_64706714-2755-4fc3-a01b-d4cb59312f63/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6010-6010-National-Nature-Reserve-Warden-Aston-Rowant-National-Nature-Reserve-NNR/en-GB Attachments DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v2.0 Opens in new window (docx, 1321kB) Apply at advertiser's site Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail