Full-Time (37.5 hours) or Part-Time, please specify in your application.

* WRT would prefer to find the right person for the post and provide any additional support and mentoring they require to develop in this role. We would encourage applications from people with a range of experience. – Please specify whether you are applying for a Grade 2 or Grade 3 post. Some background and experience of working in arboriculture is essential for this role.

The Westcountry Rivers Trust is an environmental charity that works across the South West to improve our rivers for the benefit of all.  We work with domestic and international grants, Water Company funded initiatives and government funding to deliver change both in our rivers and on the land that they flow through. We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join our Operational team.  This is a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to work for WRT, a dynamic and aspirational organisation at the forefront of environmental thinking and practical conservation in the UK today. 

This role will provide support on a range of Trust work across multiple teams, ensuring the delivery of positive environmental outputs on projects. This will include but not be limited to surveys, monitoring, engagement activities, on-site delivery and reporting tasks.

This role will support with a mixture of site-based delivery opportunities on a range of WRT projects. The successful applicant will be a motivated, enthusiastic, team player who will be reliable and show initiative. This role is a mixture of site and desk based however the majority of the successful applicants time will be spent undertaking project delivery on site. 

Based within the Operations Team, this role will support all of the teams at WRT with the delivery of various catchment management outputs such as but not limited to, habitat creation and restoration opportunities, monitoring, natural flood management, arboricultural work and community engagement. Your role will be predominantly site-based working at various locations on our catchments throughout the South West, supporting on the delivery of on array of project outputs for the Trust. You will be responsible for working within, and on occasion, leading a team of operatives to deliver a range of work safely and professionally on WRT sites.  Reporting to the Operations Supervisor you will develop your knowledge and experience of working in the environmental conservation sector with a focus on enhancing freshwater environments. You will be encouraged to develop your mentoring and management skills and have experience of working in one or more of the following; river restoration, fisheries, arboriculture/forestry, ecology or construction and  land management. 

Some background and experience of working in arboriculture is essential for this role, and any machinery based qualifications such as operating excavators or similar machinery would be beneficial. If you have any previous experience of working in Natural Flood Management or with Nature Based Solutions including the creation of ponds, leaky dams, bunds or other floodplain features please identify this in your application.

Job Description:

The Project Officer role will report into the Operations Supervisor.

Responsibilities:

·       Supporting/leading a team on site to safely deliver Trust work.

·       Ensuring a high level of Health & Safety standards are maintained.

·       Maintaining Trust equipment, machinery and tools. 

·       Engaging with the public, volunteers, landowners and other stakeholders.

·       Developing junior members of staff and apprentices.

·       Delivering toolbox talks and other training to team members. 

·       Obtaining high quality monitoring and evidence for project reporting.

·       Drafting and writing project reports.

Person specification.

     Knowledge and Experience 

·       Experience of working outdoors in aquatic environments and remote locations.

·       Maintaining arboricultural equipment such as chainsaws, brush cutters and other hand tools.

·       Good understanding of industry Health and Safety standards and codes of practice.

·       Previous experience of carrying out work with chainsaws and other hand tools and plant machinery.

·       Experience of using various software from the MS Office suite.

·       Qualifications and/or experience of operating plant machinery such as excavators or similar. (D)

·       Experience of delivering tree planting, NFM and habitat management schemes. (D)

·       Previous experience of supervising a team. (D)

·       Electrofishing and other fisheries and ecological monitoring and survey experience. (D)

·       A background in river restoration, fisheries, arboriculture/forestry, ecology or construction. (D)

Skills and Competencies

·       Ability to plan and manage workloads including suitable delegation and supervision of tasks.

·       Supervision of small-scale projects and outputs.

·       Good communication skills. 

·       Able to use various online mapping software to check for TPO’s, statutory land uses and priority habitats and protected species.

·       Some of our commercial clients may require you to undertake a medical exam including drug and alcohol tests from time to time prior to carrying out work on their sites.

·       Experience of mentoring and training others. (D)

·        

Qualifications/Membership 

·       Minimum of Level 3 qualification or similar in relevant subject, or degree level qualification in an Environmental/Ecological background or similar. 

·       FAW+F

·       Working to attain professional membership of industry organisation.

·       Arboricultural qualifications:

o   NPTC 201, 202, 203, (E) 206, 306, 308 (D)

o   NPTC 301, 302, 307, 309 (D)

o   MEWP(D)

·       Machinery based qualifications. (D)

·       Electrofishing Trained, Electrofishing Team Leader Trained (D)

·       Qualification and experience of using plant machinery (D)

·       Traffic management qualification. (D)

·       B+E towing (D)

·       LISS/CSCS card (D)

The above are Essential criteria unless indicated as Desirable (D)

This role will require regular travel to sites throughout the South West which on occasion will be in remote locations. WRT will make any reasonable accommodations for anyone with a disability, please get in touch.

To apply:  Submit your CV and a one page covering letter clearly marked as applying for the job of Project Officer/Operations Team Role using the following link:  https://hr.breathehr.com/v/operation-team-project-officer-arb-30773

Submission by: 5pm Sunday 13th August 2023

 

Interviews: To be held on Thursday 24th August 2023.