Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Job description
Job title:
River Severn Catchment Officer
Job purpose:
To lead the Severn Vale Catchment Based Approach (CaBA)
partnership and act as secretariat on behalf of the lead
organisations (Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Severn Rivers
Trust), to act as secretariat for the River Leadon Facilitation
Fund, to work with partners in developing new riparian projects
that address key issues including water quality; pollution;
flooding, to write funding bids and achieve funding for these
projects, to manage new and existing landscape scale
conservation projects.
Note: this role consists of two distinct parts: 2 days a week
will be spent developing the CaBA partnership (led by
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the Severn Rivers Trust) and
3 days a week will be spent delivering the aims of the River
Leadon Facilitation Fund plus developing and delivering Living
Landscapes projects for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
Salary:
Up to £27,058 depending upon experience
Responsible to:
Living Landscapes Manager
Responsible for:
No staff management responsibility
Liaison with:
Catchment Based Approach: Partner organisations currently
numbering more than 100 including government agencies e.g.
Environment Agency.
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust: Living Landscape Officer;
Head of Land Management; Senior Reserves Managers,
Director of Conservation, Head of Fundraising and
Communications, Head of Community Programmes.
Severn Rivers Trust: Director, Deputy Director.
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Our mission is a simple one - to value nature. Our ambition is to restore, recreate and
reconnect Gloucestershire’s wild places. We want everyone in Gloucestershire to value,
enjoy and share the natural world.
We deliver our work in the Trust informed by our values:
 proactive - we know Gloucestershire and want to make a difference
 passionate - we are passionate and knowledgeable about nature and want to share it
 inclusive - we believe that nature is for everyone and ‘start where people are’
 collaborative - we cannot achieve this plan without our supporters and partners
We will communicate our values to staff, volunteers and the wider community and regularly
review how we apply these values in delivering our objectives as individuals through our
annual appraisal process and as an organisation through review of our business plan.
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is part of a network of 47 Wildlife Trusts around the UK but
operates as an independent charity and is entirely focused on valuing nature in
Gloucestershire.
The Trust will ensure that its staff receives appropriate training and development
opportunities based on a documented personal annual appraisal.
Severn Rivers Trust
The Severn Rivers Trust is an independent environmental charity established to secure the
preservation, protection, development and improvement of the rivers, streams,
watercourses and water bodies in the Severn catchment, and to advance the education of
the public in the management of water and the wider environment.
Outline of main responsibilities
Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) Partnership (2 days a week)
a)
To lead and act as secretariat for the Severn Vale Catchment Based
Approach (CaBA) partnership through the organisation of meetings,
workshops and events and the maintenance of contact databases and project
lists.
b)
To work with partners to agree strategic priorities each year (e.g. water quality,
flood alleviation, rural diffuse pollution, etc.) and develop projects that delivers
these priorities.
c)
To support liaison with key stakeholders on behalf of the Partnership,
including the Environment Agency, local authorities, farmers, landowners,
other voluntary bodies and communities.
d)
To write, submit and achieve funding each year that covers the core costs of
this post and delivers additional resources to CaBA partners to achieve the
agreed strategic priorities.
Living Landscapes (3 days a week)
a)
To act as the secretariat for the River Leadon Facilitation Fund which works
with farmers and landowners to deliver water quality improvements through
reduction in rural diffuse pollution.
b)
To lead the Living Landscapes Team in developing our evidence base, a
number of demonstration projects and payment opportunities for water based
Ecosystem Services including flood alleviation, water quality, drinking water,
fisheries, etc.
c)
To work with the Living Landscapes team to develop and deliver landscape
scale conservation projects that benefit people and wildlife.
d)
To write and submit funding bids that achieve funding each year which covers
the core costs of this post plus a proportion of other core staff costs; to be
agreed annually with the Living Landscapes Manager.
e)
To liaise with the appropriate agencies as required (Natural England, the
Environment Agency, Local Authorities etc.) and ensure, if necessary, that all
relevant permissions are gained for works.
f)
To carry out risk assessments for all qualifying activities; to adhere to the
Trust’s Health and Safety processes and to report any health and safety
concerns immediately to the Head of Land Management or the Health and
Safety Board.
g)
To appoint and manage contractors and arrange volunteer teams to help
deliver agreed projects on time and to budget.
h)
To attend One-to-One meetings with the Living Landscapes Manager, Team
Tasks with the Land Management Team and the All-in-One staff meetings.
Office, training and personnel
a) Report any key issues which may impact on other departments or effect safe
working practices
b) Minimise filing backlogs and prioritise workload to meet targets
c) Attend an annual appraisal with the Living Landscape Manager and identify
training needs if required
d) Be familiar with Trust Policies and Procedures and implement as appropriate
e) Participate in appropriate Trust and other partners’ promotional activities as
required including attendance at events
f) Ensure that emails are responded to in a timely manner and that the Outlook
calendar is up to date at least 2 weeks in advance
Liaison, marketing and fundraising
a) Ensure that effective and efficient liaison is maintained with other staff and
volunteers.
b) Liaise with the Fundraising department on the development of funding proposals
and take responsibility for maintenance of the ‘pipeline’ of funding opportunities.
c) Liaise with the Fundraising and Communications Team for all promotional
material and publications and for all contact with the media.
Tools, equipment, vehicles and materials
a) Maintain and keep records of all maintenance of equipment and report any faults
or deficiencies with tools or machinery as they occur to the Living Landscape
Manager
b) Keep the Living Landscape Manager advised of current and future requirements
for equipment
General
a) Carry out other duties from time to time as required by the Head of Land
Management or Chief Executive (GWT), Director or Deputy Director (SRT)
b) Present a friendly, professional, confident appearance
c) Keep Health and Safety matters as the overriding determinant at all times and in
all circumstances
Experience, Qualifications and Skills required
Skills
Essential
A sound understanding of Ecosystem Services
Expertise in agriculture and water management
Excellent communication, networking and team
working skills
Highly proficient in main Microsoft Office
programmes (e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook,
PowerPoint, etc.)
To have successfully written grant funding bids
and secured funding greater than £30,000
Experience of using GIS software
Full driving licence
Desirable
Habitat and species management skills
especially of wetland habitats
Good survey and monitoring skills
Outdoor First Aid
To have experience of securing funding
from different sources e.g. written
applications, relationships, sales, service
provision / contracting, etc.
Report writing
Experience in bringing people together to act
cooperatively
Experience of leading volunteers
Knowledge and experience
Essential
A degree or equivalent in ecology, land
management or related subject
Experience of planning and running events
Experience in managing land or providing
advice to deliver environmental objectives
Experience in training or other knowledge
transfer activities
Experience of producing communication
materials for a range of media e.g. television,
radio, written, social media.
Knowledge of current data protection legislation
Personal attributes
Essential
Pragmatism, tact and diplomacy
Enthusiasm, motivation and dedication
A reasonable level of personal fitness
Good attention to detail
Good organisational skills
14. Additional Information
This is a full-time post (35 hours per week) which will involve travelling and working across
the River Severn Catchment and will be based with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust at
Robinswood Hill Country Park, Gloucester.
Evening and weekend work may be required for which a time off in-lieu system operates.
A high degree of motivation and organisation will be needed, with the ability to work on
one’s own initiative as well as part of a team.