Trapper Team Leader x2 - RSPB

Countryside Classroom; Kirkwall; Remote; GBP 31,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Countryside Classroom, in partnership with ONWP Kirkwall, seeks an experienced field supervisor for a fixed-term role in Orkney. You will split time between field operations and leading a trapping team, ensuring safe, efficient work and proper equipment supply in challenging terrain.

The role requires experience in field work or conservation biology, plus leadership and health & safety knowledge. A valid UK driving licence is essential for regular field tasks.

Qualifications

• Relevant work experience - e.g. 1+ years’ trapping experience or similar field work or a degree in conservation biology, environmental science or similar
• Understanding of invasive non-native species impacts and how to manage populations
• Knowledge of health and safety requirements for staff and volunteers
• Leadership, management, and site supervision of a diverse team
• Interpersonal skills to manage staff and develop relations with landowners/managers
• Ability to work in challenging field conditions
• Strong organisational skills and adaptability to changing work practices
• Proven track record in field work including practical skills (e.g., trapping, tracking, navigation)
• Driver’s license valid for use in the UK

Responsibilities

• Split time between field work and team management.
• Plan and prioritise trap teams activities with operations manager; ensure equipment, motivation, and workload balance.
• Carry out stoat trapping and monitoring with the team.
• Be physically fit to walk long distances in all weathers and carry heavy loads.
• Adapt to changing project methodologies within the team.

Skills

Field work experience

Leadership/ supervision

Stoat trapping

Driving licence

Health & safety knowledge

Physical fitness

Education

Degree in conservation biology / environmental science

Job description

Reference: PGYGMB-8
Location: Field based & Office work, Orkney (ONWP Kirkwall)
Terms: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, Fixed Term, Until 31 December 2027
Salary: £30,977.00 - £33,073.00 Per Annum

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP) aims to protect Orkney’s unique and globally important wildlife, and the benefits that it provides for local people from an invasive non-native predator. Stoats pose a serious threat to the Orkney vole, a species found nowhere else in the world, and many birds including hen harriers, short-eared owls, red-throated divers, waders, and seabirds.

You will

• split your time between field work and team management.
• help to plan and prioritise the trap teams activities, working alongside the operations manager. be responsible for ensuring your team has the necessary equipment to do their job, is motivated, and has a well-balanced workload.
• be expected to carry out stoat trapping and monitoring alongside your team.
• be physically fit, able to walk considerable distances over challenging terrain, in all weathers up to five days per week and potentially carry heavy loads.
• need to adapt to changing project methodologies and ensure that these are carried out within your team.

Essential

• Relevant work experience - e.g. 1+ years’ experience trapping experience or similar field work or a degree in conservation biology, environmental science or similar
• Understanding of the impact of invasive non-native species and how to manage their populations appropriately
• Knowledge of key legal and practical requirements for ensuring health and safety of staff and volunteers
• Leadership, management, and site supervision of a diverse team
• Interpersonal skills - tact, diplomacy and negotiating skills to manage staff and develop and maintain good relations with the owners/managers of land on which your team is working
• Able to work in challenging field conditions
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to be self-motivated, work efficiently within a defined work plan, and have the flexibility to adapt to changing work practices as required
• Proven track record in area of field work, including practical field skills appropriate to the post - e.g. animal trapping, tracking, navigation.
• Driver’s license valid for use in the UK.

Closing: Sunday November 8th

This project is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council, and is generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and EU LIFE and NatureScot, and Nature Restoration Fund (NRF).