Conservation Officer - Antrim Plateau

RSPB NI • Contract • Northern Ireland, United Kingdom • £32,022 - £34,377 / year • 2w ago

We are seeking a self-motivated individual who takes pride in delivering high standards. The ideal candidate will have excellent ecological knowledge, particularly of wet grassland and peatland habitats, alongside experience in landscape-scale conservation, farm advisory, and breeding wader conservation. An in-depth knowledge of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affair’s (DAERA) Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) is essential.

About the role

As part of the East NI Area Team, you will report to the Conservation Manager, managing an Assistant Conservation Officer and a team of seasonal fieldworkers. You will have an important external role in building positive relationships with key partners and stakeholders, ensuring RSPB’s policies and conservation objectives are advanced through partnerships.

You will lead a range of initiatives for Curlew and other upland species, combining strategic landscape-scale projects with hands-on conservation efforts. Your key responsibilities include providing expert advice to farmers and land managers through the Antrim Hills Curlew Initiative (a group scheme within EFS), coordinating species surveys, habitat restoration, and overseeing conservation projects in this priority landscape.

We are seeking a passionate, self-motivated individual who is truly inspired by wader conservation. You will need excellent problem-solving skills, able to troubleshoot challenges in the field and find practical solutions to meet conservation goals. Flexibility and adaptability are key, as you’ll be addressing a range of complex issues. Your efforts will be vital in advancing our conservation objectives across the Antrim hills, ensuring that key species like the Curlew continue to thrive. If you are driven by a desire to make a real difference, eager to embrace challenges, and ready to contribute to ground-breaking conservation work, we encourage you to apply and help shape the future of wildlife conservation in Northern Ireland.

You will be responsible for:

Manage the Antrim Hills Curlew Initiative: Facilitate group option within EFS, delivering vital conservation measures for Curlew and other priority species. This includes:
• Acting as an EFS planner, producing site-specific remedial management plans for farmers entering the scheme.
• Preparing and submitting quarterly and annual claims and reports to project funders and stakeholders.
Curlew conservation and fieldwork team management: Oversee the Curlew conservation field season, managing seasonal staff and running day-to-day operations on-site. This includes hands-on conservation work such as nest finding, nest protection (e.g., fencing), collecting egg biometrics and chick colour flagging.
Provide expert advice and support: Offer training and guidance to local communities, landowners, land managers, and land use advisers on priority habitats and species, collaborating with internal teams.
Surveys and monitoring: Oversee species and habitat surveys, ensuring effective data management, mapping, and delivery of project objectives.
Project management: Manage medium and small projects using the RSPB’s Project Management Framework, supervising contractors to ensure safe, legal, and timely delivery of conservation targets.
Stakeholder engagement: Build positive relationships with key decision-makers and external partners, ensuring RSPB policies and messages are understood and advanced.

Essential Knowledge, skills and experience:

Degree level qualification in a relevant subject or ability to show equivalent work experience
Sufficient understanding of species and habitats of the Antrim Plateau including Curlews, Lapwing and Snipe
Sufficient knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms, including agri-environmental schemes such as EFS, for conservation work in the Antrim Plateau.
Ability to work effectively as a team player both internally and in external partnership
Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational) - including an ability to speak confidently and cogently in public to a variety of audiences
Ability to rapidly analyse significant quantities of information, prioritise and balance a diverse workload often to tight deadlines
Proficient at using Microsoft Office packages including Outlook, Excel & Word
Experience of negotiating with the public or private sector, to deliver biodiversity benefits
Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species or habitats
Line management experience of staff and volunteers and setting clear work priorities
Ability to undertake demanding fieldwork in remote areas for long hours and in poor weather.
Practical experience of quantitative habitat surveys

Desirable Criteria

Experience of delivering conservation works through contractors
Experience of Curlew nest finding and recording egg biometric measurements at nest sites
Experience of erecting predator proof fencing
Experience of colour-ringing Curlew chicks or C ringing permit
Competency in the use of GIS.
Effective project management skills
Understanding of the concept of landscape scale conservation and the pressures on land use in the operational area of this role
Experience of delivering land management advice to farmers, landowners and key stakeholders

This is a Full-Time, permanent position for 37.5 hours per week. We will be conducting interviews for this position on 3rd December