Contract: Full time, permanent
Salary: £40,000 depending on experience
Location: Atlantic Salmon Trust offices, The Walled Garden, Kilgraston, Bridge of Earn, Perth, PH2 9HN
Closing date: Midnight Sunday 21th April 2024
Interview Date: Monday 29th April 2024
Job Specification
Deliver Nature Positive changes to our freshwater environment in collaboration and with partners across the UK; creating a new Watershed Connections hub and developing and delivering landscape scale projects.
The Role
AST is the forefront of the provision of nature positive solutions that help fight climate change and deliver wider biodiversity gain in the most natural way. Working in partnership, Watershed Connections will work to deliver a ground breaking hub to support the scoping and development of projects as well as supporting local landowners, estates, NGOs and others to deliver changes required at an accelerated scale and pace.
Our rivers and their iconic species, such as wild Atlantic salmon, are now under threat from both the Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change crises, and we need to act now to restore natural processes in order to build the resilience required in order to overcome present and future threats.
We are looking for a dynamic individual to join our team to coordinate our work with partners, national and local NGOs, landowners, funders, agencies and local stakeholders and businesses to deliver the changes required at scale and at pace to ensure our catchments have cold, clean water and vibrant habitats.
General Duties
The role will work strategically to develop and implement the GIS based hub in collaboration with others and develop and deliver projects including the removal of instream barriers, riparian woodland replanting, structured buffer strips and other restoration schemes across the UK where applicable. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of scoping out large-scale restoration projects, bringing these schemes to life working with local partners including where applicable managing consultants and contractors throughout the delivery process.
Key Responsibilities
• Coordinating partnerships and projects including managing steering groups and funding partners,
• Bringing together key skills needed to deliver at scale and pace. These skills include:
• GIS specialists, geomorphologists, peatland and carbon auditors, woodland and woodland code, deer and other grazing management, ecological assessments, nature financing and other funding mechanisms, land and farming advisors, funding claims and administrations and project management.
• Supporting the scoping of nature positive interventions at a high level with the development of the Watershed Connections hub
• Supporting the development of catchment-wide audits of the health of river systems and associated land uses on GIS. Bringing together all existing sources of data as well as identifying areas which are missing.
• Identify the level of potential possible within the catchment to reverse biodiversity loss and build climate resilience.
• Supporting local NGOs and landowners to developing programmes of works across the river catchment to deliver that identified potential.
• Where applicable, scoping out and designing landscape-scale projects or programmes of work including landowner and regulatory engagements, which would include:
o In collaboration with others, applying to appropriate grant schemes including Woodland Grant Scheme, carbon brokering, AECS, Nature Restoration Fund, Water Environment Fund, private funders, etc.
o Supporting projects with due diligence including ensuring all consents are secured including designated site, CAR, planning etc.
o Drawing up tender documents and ensuring a transparent procurement process.
o Liaison with and overseeing delivery contractors, and ensuring quality control on site.
o Post-implementation monitoring and ensuring all conditions have been met.
• Preparing management plans for all projects and ensuring maintenance agreements are in place.
• Feeding into the Atlantic Salmon Trust research and monitoring plans.
The following are the criteria which are required for the delivery of the role and will be used to appraise applicants:
Essential Skills
• Strong interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills, comfortable with a range of different stakeholder groups including land managers, agencies, organisations, contractors and suppliers.
• Experience in large-scale project management and coordination with a proven ability to plan, report and work to deadlines.
• A good understanding of land management, farming and forestry practices, in particular for upland and riparian areas.
• Experience in coordinating and managing meetings
• Experience of creating and managing GIS datasets.
• An understanding of current funding mechanisms for ecological restoration projects and experience in preparing and submitting funding applications.
• A degree, or equivalent in a land management/ environmental management/ agriculture/ forestry/ nature conservation discipline.
• A full clean UK driving license.
Desirable Skills
• Experience of running meetings including secretariat skills
• Experience in working with communities and volunteers.
• Knowledge of river processes and regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of riparian woodland and upland restoration impacts on the wider ecology.
• Experience of creating and managing GIS datasets; - particularly ArcGIS.
• Knowledge of Scottish environmental legislation.
Experience
We welcome applications from diverse backgrounds that can demonstrate experience in:
• Project planning, management, co-ordination and output delivery.
• Co-ordinating programmes of work/projects involving a diverse range of stakeholders and communities and delivering stakeholder events.
• Partnership and collaborative working.
• The collection and analysis of data.
• Conference and other public presentations.
• Obtaining funding from both public and private finance sources.
Conditions of employment
The terms of employment will be detailed in a contract and accompanying staff handbook, along with this job description. The Trust operates a flexible 37.5 hour working week, which will on occasion require working evenings and weekends. The main place of work will be at the Atlantic Salmon Trust Offices at The Orchard House, The Walled Garden, Kilgraston, Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, PH2 9HN, but flexible working arrangements may be possible.
It should be noted that the postholder may be required to travel, work with partners or undertake field work across the UK As such they will need a driving licence as work locations will not be accessible by public transport. In addition, there may be a small amount of international travel. A vehicle for work purposes will be provided.
The Atlantic Salmon Trust operates a policy of continuous professional development and will help support the postholder’s career development.
How to apply
Interested applicants are invited to submit a CV and covering letter detailing why you are suitable for this post to recruitment@atlanticsalmontrust.org by midnight Sunday 21st April 2024
Interviews will take place at the Atlantic salmon Trust Offices at Kilgraston or online on Monday 29th April 2024
If you require further information on the role, please email alison@atlanticsalmontrust.org in the first instance.
About the Atlantic Salmon Trust
The Atlantic Salmon Trust is the UK’s leading salmon and sea trout conservation charity that seeks to improve the freshwater and marine populations of Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout from catchments flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. It is based in the UK but has a reach and reputation that extends around the fisheries world. Key to this is an evidence-based approach to informing management and the realisation that salmon are a key indicator of the wider health of our rivers and oceans
