Warden - ( Ref : 6815 )

Natural England; Woking; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Natural England seeks a dedicated Warden to guard the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, engage visitors, and raise awareness of conservation priorities. The role involves on-site events, educational activities and collaboration with landowners, local authorities and partners to deliver outreach across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire.

Candidates should have experience outdoors, strong communication skills and the ability to collect data for monitoring and reporting.

Qualifications

• Relevant qualification or experience in education, countryside or conservation fields.
• Experience engaging the public outdoors in conservation or countryside access roles.
• Understanding of Natural England’s purpose and objectives.

Responsibilities

• Warden the SPA and engage the public about ground-nesting birds and wildfires.
• Organise onsite events, pop-ups and contribute to engagement programmes.
• Develop relationships with stakeholders and landowners to support events.
• Create social media content, website blogs and newsletter articles.
• Record visitor data and participate in monitoring activities.

Skills

Public engagement

Verbal communication

Outdoor work experience

Stakeholder relations

Data collection

Education

Relevant qualification in education or countryside management

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Teams/Outlook

Job description

PLEASE NOTE: Office Location – Heathland House, Heather Farm, Woking, Surrey GU21 4XY. You must be able to travel to the Thames Basin Heaths SPA daily, with the role requiring occasional weekend/early morning and evening work. The TBH SPA and local partners fall within parts of Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

The team provides an on-the-ground wardening service on the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (TBH SPA). Working closely with the Special Protection Area (SPA) landowners and managers and other key partners (including local authorities, Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission, and The Crown Estate), the team engages directly with the public through engagement and education to raise awareness amongst visitors of the importance and sensitivity of this internationally important heathland site.

The Thames Basin Heaths Partnership (TBHP), hosted by Natural England’s Thames Solent Area Team, is fully funded from developer contributions, and is overseen by the Thames Basin Heaths (TBH) Joint Strategic Partnership Board (JSPB), a body comprising eleven local authorities, and Hampshire and Surrey County Councils.

Responsibilities for this Warden role will be engaging with the public on the SPA and at events, to raise awareness about the SPA's importance, spreading wildfire awareness and promoting Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG) sites as alternatives.

Additionally, this role will provide support to the team’s communications and monitoring functions, through providing social media content, writing articles, and collecting data through surveys.

The role requires some involvement with the Heathland Hounds project – a sub team of the TBH SAMM project, focused on interacting with dog walkers – who are a key audience to which the projects key message ‘paws on paths’ is aimed, to encourage behaviour change and ultimately protect the SPA and reduce disturbance to its protected species.

Key Tasks / Principal Accountabilities

• Warden the SPA and engage and educate the general public about ground-nesting birds, wildfire awareness and the use of SANGs.
• Provide a consistent SPA/SANG message, including the use of promotional and educational materials.
• Organise and deliver onsite events and pop-ups, and support the delivery of a wider engagement programme, including facilitating activities during Heath Week.
• Assist with educational activities both on and off the SPA, including events, workshops and guided walks as required.
• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders, partners and landowners to support the delivery of events, pit stops and pop-ups.
• Contribute to social media content, website blogs and newsletter articles.
• Be willing to learn and adopt new ways of working and new technologies.
• Undertake administrative tasks as required.
• Participate in monitoring activities, including visitor surveys, warden engagement logs and people-counter data collection, ensuring data is entered promptly and accurately.
• Undertake other duties and activities as required.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• A relevant qualification or experience in education, countryside or animal management, nature conservation, environmental science, on-the-ground wardening, or a related discipline.
• Knowledge of lowland heathland habitats and the development and recreational pressures affecting them.
• Experience of, and confidence in, engaging with the public, particularly gained through working outdoors in a nature conservation or countryside access-related role.
• Knowledge of Natural England's purpose and how this work contributes to its aims and objectives.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a range of internal and external partners.
• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook and other technology as required.
• Experience of, and confidence in, engaging with children in an educational setting.
• Experience of, and confidence in, engaging with dogs and dog walkers.
• Knowledge of countryside access, rights of way and nature conservation issues.

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

Personal Effectiveness

Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles, techniques and technologies that engage your audience. (Basic)

Respect the diverse needs and experience of other people, be inclusive in everything you do. (Basic)

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Understand the importance of people accessing and engaging with the natural environment, and how to balance their needs with nature conservation objectives. (Basic)

Work proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify and secure opportunities to deliver gains for people and nature. (Practitioner)

Work Delivery

Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines and apply the relevant methodologies and tools for collecting data. (Practitioner)

Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks and strategies to your work. (Basic)

Apply the principles of risk management and adopt safe working practices for yourself and the people you work with in everything you do. (Basic)

Understand the duty of care owed to all visitors, contractors or others on the SPA, and adhere to appropriate legislation and Natural England policies and procedures (Basic)

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Knowledge of the lowland heathland habitat and the development and recreational pressures and issues affecting it.

Knowledge of Natural England’s purpose and how this work will contribute to its aims and objectives.

Knowledge of countryside access/ rights of way, and nature conservation issues.