NEWWildlife Ltd


Job description
Post: Reserves Officer – Rhydymwyn
Responsible to: Reserves Development Manager
Located at: Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve
Hours of work: Part time, 22.5 hours per week. Flexible overtime may be required.
Salary: £11,580 per annum
Status of Post: Permanent subject to funding
Context of post: NEWWildlife’s main conservation focus is the protection of a European Protected Species – the great crested newt. NEWW manages a number of sites, most of which are Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), for the conservation of the species. The charity owns 12 sites, and a further 3 are managed on behalf of their owners. This post will be responsible for managing one high profile site in particular, which is the Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve. The site is a former wartime factory with a mosaic of habitats and a rich diversity of species. It is owned by Defra, and hosts two main stakeholder groups which are the Rhydymwyn Valley History Society (RHVS) and the Friends of the Rhydymwyn Valley (FoRV). This post will be responsible for carrying out practical management at the reserve, as well as working with the stakeholder groups to deliver a range of tasks, events and activities at the site for the site owners, other organisations, members of the public and educational establishments. The post holder will be a dynamic, outgoing individual, with experience of habitat management, who is also an excellent communicator with proven people skills and able to establish good working relations with communities and individuals. This post involves working at the Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve 3 days a week, and there will be occasional requirements for some time to be worked flexibly at other NEWWildlife sites as required.
Duties: The main duties of the post are:
- Carry out practical habitat and estate management work, particularly at the Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve (RVNR) according to organisational work plans and site management plans.
- Carry out practical work on other NEWW sites as and when required, e.g. due to health and safety and/or manual handling requirements, during chainsaw work etc.
- In liaison with the Reserves Development Manager, draw up, deliver and review annual costed work programmes for the RVNR, and produce annual reports for these sites as required by NEWWildlife, Defra and others.
- Represent NEWWildlife at external meetings and produce reports for meetings as required.
- In liaison with the Reserves Development Manager, feed into the new RVNR Management Plan.
- Participate in great crested newt surveys.
- Carry out risk assessments and maintain records.
- Maintain tools, equipment and machinery associated with use at the RVNR.
- Carry out wildlife recording, and surveys and monitoring required for site management and other purposes. This includes undertaking species surveys, particularly for great crested newts, which involves working some unsociable hours during the survey season.
- Carry out regular habitat monitoring as required.
- Represent NEWWildlife when dealing with the stakeholder groups, site security, external organisations, and the local community and maintain excellent working relations with all.
- Develop and maintain good and effective working relations with the stakeholder groups.
- Liaise with the stakeholder groups to secure funding for collaborative on site projects, and contribute effectively to the partnership delivery of such projects.
- Promote the ecological and educational importance of the site.
- Ensure compliance with legal obligations e.g. health and safety, protected species, Listed Buildings.
- Maintain accurate financial and timesheet records as required by NEWWildlife, Defra, funding organisations and others.
- Support and help deliver the aims and objectives of NEWWildlife’s Business Plan.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and you may be required to perform any other duties reasonably associated with the role.

Acting Locally to Protect Green Spaces for Wildlife and People