Ranger Job Description

Ranger job description

JOB PURPOSE

To combine responsibilities on nature conservation, visitor services, learning and community engagement to help deliver the business plan for the property portfolio.

Overall, this will be in pursuit of the following outcomes for and with the natural heritage cared for by National Trust for Scotland:

• Habitats: Protect the landscapes in our care and associated marine habitats as part of ecologically healthy habitat networks where natural processes predominate and help combat climate change.
• Visitors and learning: Enable people to experience more heritage more often, get more out of it & put more back into it.
• Our voice: Use evidence and practise from our natural heritage properties to support our voice in national debates advocating for natural heritage.
• Communities: Work with communities living on or close to our land or with an interest in our land so that they collaborate with us to help achieve our natural heritage outcomes.
• Built heritage: Protect the built and archaeological heritage in our care and use them to help us explain the “habitats” outcome and achieve the “visitors” outcome.

THE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO

This post is based mainly on the St Kilda archipelagowhich lies 41 miles west of the Western Isles and consists of 4 small islands and numerous seas stacs. It is the UKs only mixed World Heritage Site, inscribed for both natural and cultural criteria. The old village area on the main island of Hirta is the base for staff and focus for visitors and researchers. There are four buildings offering accommodation, two public toilets, a museum, church, schoolroom and toolstore.

The Ranger will be part of the Western Isles team and the wider Islands team and may be required to undertake work on Mingulay, Pabbay, Berneray or in the Inverness office.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Combine responsibilities across the following areas of work with direct implementation yourself and by working with the Western Isles Manager to oversee the work of others such as contractors, volunteers, and colleagues:

• Visitor Services.
• Provide information to visitors to encourage more visitors and help people get more out of their engagement with natural heritage and give more back to it including “upselling” (e.g.: of membership) using face to face and other means of interaction such as social media.
• Community engagement.
• Communicate with partners, local stakeholders, local businesses, local / regional agencies and others to increase understanding of their and our aims and develop collaborative working to help deliver our priorities.
• Learning.
• Provide educational and other outreach activities on site or to the community local to the natural heritage and to communities of interest, including for volunteers.

• Nature conservation.
• Survey wildlife and habitats and feed this knowledge into management decisions, marketing of natural heritage, and further development of our voice.
• Maintain and manage habitats, wildlife, and countryside estate infrastructure at small, day to day scale (e.g.: paths, gates, signs, vegetation management) to achieve ecological, visitor services, and safety outcomes.
• Other responsibilities specific to the role.
• Maintain and manage visitor facilities including, accommodation, jetty, souvenir shop, toilets and interpretive board, ensuring that the property is presented to the standards expected by the Trust and for the maximum safety of and enjoyment by visitors
• Ensure that all activities undertaken are compliant with the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures including the safe system of work (SSOW), and environmental policy and practices.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential

We have a duty to provide a safe working environment and to look after the welfare of our staff. Given the remote location of St Kilda and other island properties and the limited medical facilities available a medical assessment will be carried out prior to employment. Some conditions may preclude your ability to take up this post.

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6/7 (e.g.: Scottish Vocational Qualification Level 3) qualification or equivalent experience in one or more of the following subject areas: heritage or cultural studies, visitor services, rural land management, nature conservation, environmental studies.

A full, clean driving licence for driving in the UK is essential.

Travel to and from St Kilda will be by helicopter and/or boat, the successful applicant must undertake and pass Helicopter Underwater Emergency Training.

Criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) checking and clearance essential for safeguarding of children/vulnerable adults.

Desirable

Graduate level qualification or equivalent experience.

Gaelic speaker

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of one or more of the following areas of work and the ability to apply knowledge from others across all of them: heritage or cultural studies, visitor services, rural land management, nature conservation, environmental studies, rural community development.
• Practical land management and maintenance of small-scale rural estates infrastructure.
• Interaction with a wide range of staff, volunteers, visitors, educational groups and other stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of Scottish habitats and species and of ecological survey and monitoring techniques.
• Working within a small team and lone working.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office.

Desirable

• Project management, involving several stake-holders and activities.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

Scale

The St Kilda archipelago lies 41 miles west of the Western Isles and consists of 4 small islands and numerous seas stacs, extending to approximately 850 ha. Archaeological evidence suggests that St Kilda has been occupied continuously for over 2000 years. The last native St Kildans left in 1930. In 1957 the islands were bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland and the whole archipelago was designated a National Nature Reserve. In the same year a military tracking station was established on the main island.

Today the islands are the UKs only mixed World Heritage Site, inscribed for both cultural and natural features, including the marine environment. St Kilda is also a National Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation. The majority of the built heritage is protected as a Scheduled Monument.

The National Trust for Scotland manages the islands in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, the MOD and Western Isles Council. The Trust currently employthree staff on island in the summer months and there are also a number of volunteers. QinetiQ staff operate the missile tracking station, teams of scientific researchers also stay on island; there are no permanent inhabitants.

St Kilda has a dramatic landscape with some of the highest seacliffs and stacs in Europe and is an area of outstanding natural beauty. These cliffs are the nesting area for the largest seabird colony in the north-east Atlantic, including major colonies of gannets, puffins, fulmar, guillemot, Leach’s and storm petrel. St Kilda is also home to the endemic St Kilda mouse and St Kilda wren as well as the only wild population of Soay sheep. The archaeological and built heritage is no less impressive, the main street of St Kilda is an iconic image of abandoned communities but the landscape is also noted for the density and preservation of the upstanding and archaeological remains. Volunteer work parties and specialist contractors carry out repair and maintenance on the built heritage. The Trust seeks to promote responsible access, as well as raising awareness to enable visitors to enjoy and fully appreciate the value of the islands. Around 5000 visitorsarrive regularly by sea from April to September by private yacht, charter boats and cruise ships.

Accommodation on St Kilda is provided, this is a single room in a shared house.

Contracted hours for this post are 40 hours per week on days and times to suit the operational needs of the property (this may involve some weekend working and unsocial hours). The full details of the rota and the weeks worked are confirmed by the line manager. Periods on St Kilda may be up to 10 weeks in duration.

People Management

The Ranger is a key member of the Western Isles team which includeposts with a focus on archaeology and seabirds as well as support staff based in Inverness.

It is also part of the wider Islands team and the Natural Heritage Division within National Trust for Scotland.

The Ranger is responsible for the management of the volunteer Visitor Assistant.

Finance Management

This role is not a budget-holder, but is responsible for the collection of camping fees and donations amounting to around £2500 per annum

Assist in making the best use of resources and ensuring best value.

Tools / equipment / systems

The jetty is cleaned using a power washer

Example key performance indicators and targets

Biosecurity policy implemented so than no invasive non-native species (INNS) introduced

Provide introduction for minimum target 90% of visitors

All contractors and new staff, including volunteers, provided with site induction

All public buildings, including jetty, maintained in safe and operable condition

Visitor and financial information submitted accurately and timeously

Boreray sheep counts undertaken

The Key Responsibilities, Scope of Job, and Required Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Knowledge reflect the requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.

Applications

Interested applicants should forward a completed JoinUs! application formby mail to Susan Bain, 40 Huntly St, Inverness IV3 5HR, by email , by 10.00am Friday 23rd February.