Job Profile – Wildlife Officer

Name: Paddon

Employer: Local authority

Location: Somerset AONB – (they are called National Landscapes now)

 

Job Responsibilities:

I oversee several projects involving hedgerows, bats, adders, woodland management, and dormice. I also do a lot of community engagement with a diverse range of people from locals, refugees, school children and those from less fortunate communities.

In the summer I spend most of my time doing practical work such as using machinery and surveying along with analysing the data from those surveys and at this time I could spend every day outside but in the winter it could be the opposite, most time is spent indoors.

The winter is very quiet as all the surveying has ended so we mainly focus on research, planning, and community projects with the occasional practical task.

 

Qualifications needed:

A degree in a biology-related subject – you will need a driving licence too.

Additional training: Outdoor first aid, forestry first aid, chainsaw cross-cutting and maintenance, felling, use of pesticides, use of brush-cutters, use of QGIS, tractor driving.

Skills needed: friendly, confident, focused, a willingness to learn, statistical analysis, botany, creativity.

 

Advice to anyone looking at similar roles:

In jobs like these you have to make your own work schedule, keeping yourself busy while avoiding burn out. Working weekends especially in the summer or working late/at dawn to do surveys can be an adjustment.

You will need to be comfortable talking to people from a variety of backgrounds and be able to engage them. I struggle with this particularly when doing public speaking, it can be nerve-racking but it’s a vital part of the job.

You will see some of the most amazing things, go places few people get to see, and feel an amazing sense of achievement if you're willing to work for it.