Powharnal Bird Surveyor - Fixed-Term
Location: Muirkirk
Salary: £23,401.00 - £25,122.00 Pro Rata
This is a 4.5 month fixed-term, full-time role for 37.5 hours per week. Ideally commencing in March 2025.
This seasonal opportunity will involve surveying breeding waders, raptors and black grouse at Powharnal which forms part of the Muirkirk Uplands SSSI in East Ayrshire.
What's the role about?
This role will include the monitoring, recording and reporting for priority species and habitats across the Powharnal Mitigation Area in Muirkirk. This will include conducting breeding wader surveys, black grouse lek surveys and raptor vantage point surveys using standardised methods. Survey work will require the successful candidate to cover large areas of ground on foot, while some surveys will include early morning starts. The majority of survey work will involve lone working (with "buddy system" arrangements in place) but black grouse surveys will involve a co-ordinated effort from regional colleagues.
The successful candidate will manage all relevant data to ensure it is stored and analysed appropriately to allow review of work programmes and future planning. This will also involve the completion of a survey report.
The Powharnal Mitigation Area is owned and managed by external partners to RSPB and the successful candidate will be required to help maintain and develop existing relationships through clear communication with these partners.
Essential skills, knowledge and experience:
1. Higher level qualification in a relevant subject or ability to show equivalent work experience e.g. agriculture practices.
2. Knowledge of bird and wildlife ecology, habitat requirements and identification to enable credibility in the role.
3. Knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms for conservation work relevant to the operational area of this role e.g. agri-environment schemes.
4. Organisational skills e.g. maintenance and analysis of datasets, and managing conflicting priorities.
5. Ability to work effectively as a team player both internally and externally.
6. Effective communication skills (verbal, written and presentational).
7. Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important (preferably upland) sites, species or habitats.
8. Experience of working with land managers e.g. farmers and estates.
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.
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 5th March 2025.
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