Countryside Ranger

West Sussex County Council; England; On-site; GBP 16,000 - 18,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government authority in West Sussex is seeking a Countryside Ranger. The position entails managing nature reserves, ensuring safe public access, and engaging with the community. Responsibilities will include inspections, managing contracts, and practical conservation tasks. The ideal candidate will have countryside management experience, strong communication skills, and a full driving license. This part-time role requires a commitment to customer service and a passion for the outdoors, based from Buchan Country Park with travel around the county.

Qualifications

• Experience managing sites with respect to habitat and estate management.
• Ability to independently plan solutions and resolve issues.
• Strong partnership working experience with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a customer-friendly ranger service to the public.
• Co-ordinate and assist in the management of County Council sites.
• Undertake routine inspections and practical tasks like litter picking.

Skills

Full car driving licence

Good practical countryside management skills

Experience of using hand and power tools

Customer focused service delivery

Ability to organise and prioritise work

Good communication and interpersonal skills

Strong problem-solving skills

Sound IT skills

Job description

Salary: £16,298 to £17,706 per annum pro rata for 18.5 hours per week (Full time equivalent is £32,597 to £35,412 per annum)
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Part time - 18.5 hours per week, over 3 days, Monday - Wednesday. Some weekend/bank holiday working will be required as part of an agreed rota.
Location: Based from Buchan Country Park, Crawley but travel round the County will be required.
Interview Dates: 19th January 2026

The Local Highway Operations team at West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is currently recruiting for a Countryside Ranger on a job share basis. This role will be based at Buchan Country Park but as a Countywide Ranger, you will be responsible for the delivery of the management plans and associated works on Worth - Forest Way, Fairmile Bottom Local Nature Reserve and Halnaker Windmill.

The focus of this role is to help conserve and protect the Countryside of West Sussex, ensuring safe access to key sites and allowing the public to enjoy these spaces. You will undertake routine inspections, logging issues, managing contracts and carrying out practical tasks such as litter picking and supporting volunteers.

The role will require a level of physical activity and will be outside in the elements on a regular basis, so you'll need to appreciate being outside and like working alone for large parts of the day. If this sounds like a role that fits with your experience and knowledge, then we want to hear more from you!

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work‑life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will deliver a customer friendly ranger service to the public at designated sites, ensuring excellent standards of customer care. You will co‑ordinate and assist in the day‑to‑day management of County Council owned/managed sites and will do so in accordance with the relevant management plans and policies required.

You will help to build and develop relationships with the community and support with the volunteer involvement in the management of WSCC's countryside management sites.

The role will require regular travel around the county so flexibility will be required. You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. You may need to drive off‑road vehicles and access to these will be provided.

About you

Some of the key skills, experience and knowledge required to be successful in the role include:

• Full car driving licence
• Good practical countryside management skills and experience of managing sites in relation to habitat, estate management, enforcement and implementation of management plans amongst other areas.
• Experience of using hand and power tools is also important, as well as the health and safety/risk assessments that link to this.
• Working in a customer focused way to deliver a high-quality service that builds trust and confidence with our customers.
• Ability to organise and prioritise work to meet agreed deadlines.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, to provide specialist advice and guidance to a variety of stakeholders. You will have the ability to develop credible relationships and experience of partnership working is important.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, enabling anticipation of problems, planning the solutions and resolving the situation independently.
• Sound IT skills that enable you to present information clearly and concisely both verbally and in written format to ensure understanding.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

The Local Highway Operation Service provides the operational management of Highways, Countryside and Public Rights of Way for West Sussex County Council (WSCC). Within this service, the Countryside Management Team work to conserve and protect the countryside of West Sussex and promote its enjoyment by providing safe and adequate means of access for the public to key sites.

For more information about West Sussex County Council, please visit our WSCC About Us page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01500.

To apply, please follow the links below to complete an application form and upload your CV. In your application, please outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

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