Description

Reference: MAY20258201
Location: Lower Lough Erne Islands
Salary: £33,027.00 – £35,259.00 Per Annum
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days’ Annual Leave

We are looking for a passionate and driven person to lead and deliver excellent land management and livestock operations to support the delivery of conservation objectives on the Lower Lough Erne reserve.

The successful candidate will take a lead in coordinating the work of the reserve team to achieve the best possible outcome for the wildlife on the reserve.

Lower Lough Erne reserve, in Co. Fermanagh is the most westerly RSPB reserve in the UK, and the oldest in Northern Ireland. It consists of 47 islands dotted across the second largest freshwater lake in the UK. The reserve supports nationally important numbers of breeding waders, including curlew and redshank, and the most inland breeding colony of sandwich terns in the world. The reserve also supports a whole host of rare species, including tree lungwort, Irish whitebeam, cryptic wood white and Marsh fritillary butterflies. The vast majority of the reserve is accessible only by boat, including the unique and purpose built livestock cot.

About the Role

Operating from Castle Archdale and Fermanagh House in Enniskillen and working across Lower Lough Erne, the post-holder will lead the team in delivering the objectives for each site as per the management plan. This will include developing and managing a high performing team and growing the numbers of locally based volunteers.

The post-holder will lead the vision and director for ecological elements of the reserve, through the production and delivery of a five-year reserve management plan in order to deliver site objectives. They will lead on the management of the reserve, ensuring best practice for health and safety, cross compliance and animal welfare. Due to the island nature of the reserve, the post-holder will need to take the lead in the day-to-day logistics of the running.

Other roles include leading on livestock and grazing matters, ensuring maintenance of reserve infrastructure and the procurement and maintenance of machinery. They will lead the work programme for priority species management, monitoring and protection, including predator control (e.g. fox, mink) and anti-predator fencing and manage small to medium projects. The role will include directing and/or assisting other members of the team and working with a wide range of external project partners and stakeholders.