Dear Applicant

Conservation Officer, Eastern England – Salary £20,000 to £24,000 per annum

Thank you for your enquiry regarding our advertised vacancy. An application form is enclosed, together with a job description, person specification and other background information about the role and the RSPB. If you have seen this vacancy advertised on our website, please refer to ‘Working for the RSPB’ which contains information about our benefits, and terms and conditions. This document can be downloaded if required.

If you require any further information about this post please contact Philip Pearson, Senior Conservation Officer on telephone number 01603 697511 or email philip.pearson@rspb.org.uk.

Please complete the enclosed application form in blue or black ink. Please refer to the person specification when completing the form. Your completed application form should clearly describe how you meet each of the criteria that have been identified as being necessary for this post as this will form the basis of short listing candidates. If you enclose a CV, it may be referred to for supplementary information, however, please ensure that all the questions asked on the application form are fully answered.

We take all practicable steps to safeguard the safety and welfare of children or vulnerable adults while they are in contact with the RSPB and have a Child Safety and Welfare Policy that supports this. If the post you have applied for involves unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults further checks will be carried out. We will also confirm your eligibility to work in the UK prior to appointment. Completed forms should be returned to Hayley Webb at RSPB, Stalham House, 65 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1UD. Please check the postage required on your application as incorrect postage may lead to your application being delayed and missing the closing date. If you require an acknowledgement of receipt of your application, please enclose a stamped, addressed envelope. Alternatively, you can email your application to hayley.webb@rspb.org.uk.

The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 3rd Oct 2014. Interviews will be held on 30th October 2014. We will aim to give candidates shortlisted for interview one week’s notice prior to the interview date.

If you are an external candidate, may we take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in employment with the RSPB. As a charity, we try to keep our administrative costs to a minimum and therefore you will only be contacted if we wish to progress your application. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. However, if you are able to supply us with an e-mail address, we will endeavour to advise you if you have not been shortlisted.

We look forward to receiving your application in due course.

Phil PearsonSenior Conservation Officer, Eastern England

Vacancy pack

This pack contains all the information you need to apply, including:

Useful InformationDetails on our Diversity Policy statement, how we use CVs, shortlisting and employment checks and UK Identification requirements

Applicant letterDetails on how to apply plus closing date and interview date(s)

Job descriptionA breakdown of the vacancy, including the purpose of the job, requirements, duties and responsibilities

Person specificationA list of criteria that potential candidates should aim to meet

Department information*Details of the department advertising the post

Application FormPDF version

Please print out, complete and return to the address on the Applicant letterWord version

Applicants are encouraged to complete electronically and return by e-mail

* This information will only be provided if it is relevant to this post

Applications from candidates requiring a certificate of sponsorship under the UK points-based immigration system will not be considered if there are suitable candidates who do not require sponsorship. This is because employers need to demonstrate that they are unable to recruit a resident worker, before they can recruit a non-resident worker*.

The resident worker rule does not prevent applicants requiring sponsorship from applying for our vacancies, but such applications should be made on the understanding that they can only be considered subject to the restrictions above.

For further information, please visit the Home Office UK Border Agency website.

*This rule does not apply to those applying for roles that require a bachelor, postgraduate degree or postgraduate certificate in education qualification. It is necessary for the qualification to be an essential requirement for the role and the applicant to prove that they possess such a qualification (or have completed a minimum of 12 months study in the UK towards a UK PhD), which is recognised in the UK.

Useful InformationThe RSPB is currently going through a job evaluation review.  We just wanted to let you know that all jobs are subject to this review, including our current job vacancies.  The results of the job evaluation review and the new payband structure will be implemented across the RSPB later in 2015 and you will be kept fully informed of the outcomes.

Diversity Policy StatementThe RSPB is part of a global network that incorporates a diversity of traditions and cultures, and which represents different inheritances, backgrounds, influences, perspectives and experiences. A better understanding of people’s differences will help us to appreciate and value everyone’s contribution, and recognise that we are all an integral and invaluable part of the Society.

Everyone has the right to be treated with consideration and respect. The Society is committed to achieving a truly inclusive environment for all, by developing better working relationships that release the full potential, creativity and productivity of each individual, and an atmosphere where everyone can learn, work and live free from prejudice, discrimination, harassment and violence.

The Society aims to ensure that all staff, volunteers, partners, clients, contractors, members and the general public are treated fairly. Unless it can be shown to be justified, this will be regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, marital or civil partnership status, race (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, or national origin), disability, medical status, age, religion or belief, political opinion, social or economic status, or ex-offender status.

Use of Curriculum Vitae (CVs)Our policy is to recruit and employ our employees on the basis of their suitability for the work to be done. An application form allows us to compare individuals based on like for like information and as such we do not accept a CV unless accompanied by a fully completed application.

ShortlistingThe RSPB is an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to ensuring all applications are treated fairly. Applications are sought only from those eligible to work in the UK in the first instance.

All applications are subject to our shortlisting process where we only assess information provided against the Person Specification. If you are shortlisted we will contact you and invite you to attend an interview. You will also be advised at this point if there will be any skills test, presentations etc.

As a charity, we lack the resources to advise all candidates if their application is unsuccessful. If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, we will have decided not to take your application any further. However, if you are able to supply us with an e-mail address, we will endeavour to advise you if you have not been shortlisted. If this is the case, please do not be discouraged from re-applying as your skills and experience may be just what we need for our next vacancy. We also have a number of volunteering opportunities across the organisation.

Employment ChecksAll offers of employment are made subject to the following criteria:

Proof of eligibility to work in the UK, Proof of Residency, Satisfactory Employment Health Check, Two references satisfactory to the Society and where required a Satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau Check.

Job Description

Job Title: Conservation Officer

Department: Conservation Team, Eastern England Region

Location Of Job: Outposted in either Essex (Stour Estuary Office, Brantham), or Hertfordshire (Rye Meads reserve, Stanstead Abbotts). Essex office preferable.

Post holder reports to: Senior Conservation Officer

Reporting To Post holder: Potentially contract staff and volunteers

Overall Purpose Of The Job: To undertake the delivery of RSPB eastern England’s wider countryside conservation programme, to an agreed set of regional priorities, primarily focussing on land use policy advocacy and planning casework.

Main Duties:1. To undertake the effective delivery of RSPB Eastern England’s responses to planning casework and

other consent / licensing applications, as well as relevant policy and strategy consultations, working closely with HQ colleagues.

2. To build positive relationships with key external partners such as landowners, advisers, partner NGOs, statutory agencies and Local Authorities and, where appropriate, use these contacts to further RSPB conservation objectives.

3. To advocate RSPB policies and messages to external stakeholders, as set out in our Conservation Implementation Plan documents, such as the RSPB’s Site Conservation Strategy or relevant internal briefings, and ensure these are compliant with the RSPB’s UK Communications Plan.

4. To contribute to the development and delivery of the operational area's Futurescapes Programme. 5. To deliver and contribute to priority species and habitat specific work programmes, as delegated by the

Conservation Management Team, using the RSPB’s project management framework.6. To contribute to the development of RSPB national policy and advocacy, using practical experience from

regional work, and contribute specialist knowledge and expertise to the development and implementation of Regional objectives.

Other Duties:7. To support the management and development of staff and volunteers to deliver an ambitious work

programme maintaining focus on key species, habitats and programmes of work.8. To provide advice, training and information to local communities, landowners, land managers and land

use advisers on priority species and habitats in Eastern England, in close liaison with other members of the Conservation team.

9. To contribute to the delivery of the RSPB Eastern England’s funding and communications objectives, particularly through communicating our conservation message and securing income.

We expect you to carry out your job responsibilities in an environmentally aware manner, ensuring as little damage to the environment as possible. Our aim is to ensure all resources are utilised effectively and efficiently. You will be expected to apply ‘sound value for money’ principles in undertaking purchasing or supply of goods and services.

In the RSPB volunteers are a major resource and make a vital contribution to the RSPB’s aim to take action for the conservation of wild birds and the environment. You will be expected to encourage, develop and support volunteer involvement in our work.

Conservation Officer, Eastern England

Thank you for your interest in the position of Conservation Officer for Eastern England.

This additional information has been prepared to give potential candidates a greater insight into our work and the role of the regional Conservation team.

1. Working for the RSPB in Eastern England This is an exciting and challenging time for the RSPB. Our corporate strategy ‘Saving Nature’ sets out significant challenges that we and others face if we are to save the natural world. To achieve our conservation objectives, we must be effective in advocating to decision-makers, major landowners and the public the importance of making the right decisions for the natural world.

Your role will be part of a dynamic and talented team of staff, contributing to efforts to achieve the RSPB’s ambitious conservation strategy. You’ll play a vital role in the development and delivery of the RSPB’s policy and objectives for conservation within eastern England. You will have the opportunity to see firsthand the importance of working through partnerships to support our Saving Nature strategy, and the need to establish conservations actions based on a landscape-scale approach such as the RSPB’s Futurescape programme.

Your area of work will include some fantastic areas for wildlife; saltmarshes and estuaries along the Essex coast, reservoirs, woodland and heathland areas. Hertfordshire also supports 4% of the world’s chalk streams.

2. The Conservation Team The Conservation Team in Eastern England is one of five core teams based at the Eastern England Regional Office in Norwich. There are thirteen members of the team, with five Conservation Officers outposted across the region. This includes the advertised Conservation Officer role.

A Personal Perspective from Alex Cooper our departing Conservation Officer covering Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

“Working as a Conservation Officer for the RSPB has been the most rewarding, varied and interesting job I have ever done. I have been involved in protecting some of the most

important sites in the UK for biodiversity along the Essex Coast, and in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Working mostly through the planning system I have influenced Local Planning Authorities and developers to locate and design major infrastructure projects, such as ports,

airports and offshore wind farms to avoid and minimise their harm to wildlife in order to achieve sustainable development. I have had the opportunity to work with many passionate, knowledgeable and talented people at a local, regional and national level within the RSPB, as well as externally. I am moving on to a new job but will greatly miss both the people and the

organisation.”

Kevin Simmonds

Working with partners, the RSPB is exploring opportunities around the Blackwater Estuary to use materiall

from harbour dredging to create new habitat for little terns; one of the UK’s

rarest breeding seabirds.

3. Mission statement for Conservation Officers Working together, Conservation Officers will seek to protect the best sites for wildlife within Eastern England. Efforts will be focussed on sites supporting Internationally and Nationally important populations or habitats, or locally where such work will help deliver regional RSPB objectives.

Conservation Officers will work closely with a range of stakeholders and partners to ensure such sites are protected and RSPB conservation objectives are met. Strategic advocacy will be undertaken with Local Authorities, Statutory Bodies and Non-governmental Organisations as appropriate to ensure that RSPB objectives and requests are understood, including plans and projects that the RSPB wants to engage with. Conservation Officers will also work closely with RSPB Area Teams, providing support and advice for major projects on reserves.

Through high-level advocacy, and in discussion with area teams, Conservation Officers will shape the ecological vision for Eastern England, including the identification and conservation of regional species and habitat priorities. This should be delivered through casework, as well as pro-active work to identify suitable projects and delivery mechanisms. Engagement with the RSPB’s Futurescapes will be important in developing such work and aligning this with area team work.

Casework will include the influencing of Local Plans to ensure appropriate local policies are created to protect wildlife and provide net benefits, and engaging with planning applications at the earliest opportunity to ensure damaging developments are avoided and biodiversity is enhanced. Such work will also highlight the environmental benefits of conserving, restoring and creating new habitat to address issues such as flood

“For me, the best things about the CO role are the variety of work and getting to know my ‘local patch’. Much of my work relates to planning issues, which is great if you have an eye for detail

and enjoy a bit of detective work! There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved in work on our priority habitats and species, both with our reserves teams and through developing

partnerships with other organisations.”

Jacqui Miller (Conservation Officer covering Suffolk and North Norfolk)

Graham Madge (rspb-images.com)

At the RSPB’s headquarters in Sandy heathland is being restored to enhance populations of nightjar and

woodlark. This project supports wider work with partners in the Greensand Ridge Nature Improvement Area and

Greensands Ridge Local Nature Partnership. Through engagement

with these groups, the RSPB influencing local policies to achieve

enhanced restoration of mineral sites and management of existing

heathland and forestry.

Tom Marshall (rspb-images.com)

Within your work area there are some unlikely wildlife hotspots. For example, Southend boasts the world’s

longest pier. Its structure also supports nationally important numbers of wintering turnstone. When plans to refurbish the pier were produced, the RSPB worked

with Southend Council to ensure the turnstone population was not harmed.

defence, water management (availability and quality), and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

4. The work of the RSPB in Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Eastern England is an amazing place for wildlife. We have some of the UK’s most important places for wild birds and other wildlife and also some of our country’s most iconic and best loved landscapes. As Conservation Officer covering Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire you will play a vital role in securing enhanced protection of areas important for wildlife in Eastern England, such as wintering black-tailed godwit on Holehaven Creek. You will also support restoration and creation of a range of habitats, from intertidal and wetland habitats at along the Essex coast through to heathland re-creation on the Greensands Ridge (Bedfordshire). Such projects seek to protect important wildlife sites through adaptation to sea level rise and climate change, as well as enhance habitat connectivity.

We are only able to deliver much of what we do through working with others who want to join us in Stepping Up for Nature. For example, the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project in Essex involves working with Crossrail, Environment Agency and others to restore over 600 hectares of arable farmland back to a wildlife rich wetland and at the same time providing a sustainable future for the sea defences on the Crouch and Roach estuaries. Europe’s largest civil engineering project is therefore both in partnership with the RSPB and Europe’s largest wetland creation scheme.

“I wanted to work for an organisation that had conservation as its raison d’être, to work with individuals who all had a common purpose and to achieve real and tangible results for conservation. The RSPB has the support of millions of members and thousands of volunteers, so to be employed by the organisation brings a responsibility to represent them and achieve our collective goal to conserve

species and habitats and to challenge poor environmental practice.”

Matt York (Assistant Conservation Officer)

RSPB (rspb-images.com)

The RSPB is engaging with the Upper Bedford and Ouse Catchment Partnership. By engaging with this group the RSPB aims to ensure that

measures are implemented to manage runoff from existing and new development. This is necessary to better control water moving downstream that

could impact on the Ouse Washes SPA, which is deteriorating due to increased flooding, especially

during the breeding season.

Steve Plume

In Essex, black-tailed godwits are wintering in increasing numbers on estuaries. The RSPB

is currently seeking the designation of Holehaven Creek as an SPA to ensure this

species is protected from damaging development or activities.

You will also provide support for strategic work to influence local policy and develop partnerships with key organisations to further the RSPB’s objectives within Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

5. Further Information Subject to criteria, the RSPB is able to offer a relocation package to assist with the costs of moving home.

Hopefully you will now have a greater insight into the role of Conservation Officer for the RSPB in Eastern England. However, if you still have questions, or would like an informal chat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

If this is the job is for you and you want to make a difference – please apply.

Phil Pearson

Senior Conservation Officer, Eastern EnglandE-mail: philip.pearson@rspb.org.uk; Tel: 01603 697511

September 2014

Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)

Land in the Thames Estuary near the site of reclaimed marshland on the Isle of Grain have been investigated to determine the feasibility of constructing an airport here; the

so-called “Boris Island”. Whilst an airport proposal has now been dismissed as unfeasible, the RSPB conservation teams in Eastern England and South-east England

continue to fight to protect this Internationally important area for birds from other damaging development.

Person Specification

Job Title: Conservation Officer

Region /Dept: Eastern England Regional Office

How criteria will be tested: A = Application Form, T = Test, I = Interview, P = Personality test, O = Other

Salary: £20-24,000 per annum

Essential Desirable

Qualifications A T I P O Qualifications A T I P O

1 Degree (or equivalent) in relevant subject (e.g. Ecology/Environmental Sciences/Marine Biology/Planning)

Experience Experience

2Demonstrable evidence of success on conservation, marine or land use planning issues gained from working experience

a Experience of major site conservation casework e.g. to public inquiry stage

3 Experience of working successfully with a wide range of environmental organisations

b Experience of managing staff or volunteers

4Demonstrable experience of successfully influencing business, landowners or Local Planning Authorities to deliver biodiversity benefits

c Experience of developing and managing projects

d Raising funds from external sources for projects

Skills/Abilities Skills/Abilities

5 Competent user of core MS Office tools - Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc

e Good project management skills

6 Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills f Ability to analyse complex documents, and recommend the correct course of action and follow it through

7 Ability to think strategically - to effectively work with policy and plans, focus on objectives and prioritise actions

g Understanding of policy advocacy

8 Ability to work effectively as a team player to achieve collective objectives

h Competency in GIS

9 Ability to work on own initiative to respond to casework and identify opportunities to deliver RSPB objectives

Knowledge Knowledge

10Good understanding of UK land use/planning system and nature conservation legislation of the region or country in which this role is based

i Good understanding of bird ecology and conservation; knowledge of other taxa

11 A good understanding of UK Nature conservation policy and practice

j Specialist conservation knowledge in relevant areas, such as marine, coastal, wetland or heathland conservation

12Working knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms for conservation work relevant to the operational area of this role

k Current knowledge of conservation issues and RSPB priorities

Disposition/Circumstances Disposition/Circumstances

13 Confident and enthusiastic individual, able to represent the RSPB in a professional manner

l Resourceful and willing to show initiative

14 Enthusiastic, self-starter able to work under own initiative m Passionate about nature conservation in the UK

15 Ability and willingness to travel to often remote sites not served by public transport

16 Flexible and willing to work occasionally outside normal office hours and at weekends

17 Self motivated

PLEASE REFER TO VACANCY DETAILS FOR RETURN ADDRESSJob Ref. No. A2360914

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Application Pack July 2012 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales No. 207076 Scotland No. SC037654

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The information on this form will be used for recruitment and selection purposes only and if your application is successful it will form part of your employment record. All unsuccessful applications will be destroyed twelve months after the closing date for positions advertised in Scotland, England and Wales and three years after the closing date for positions advertised in Northern Ireland.

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