East Devon District Council

Wildlife Warden: South East Devon Habitat Regulations Partnership

£25,409 - £27,852 per annum (pro-rata)
Permanent
Part Time / Job Share (18.5 hours per week / 2 days per week)
Location: Blackdown House, Honiton (Majority of time will be spent outdoors, onsite)
Ref: ED007125P

About us

The South East Devon Habitat Regulations Partnership is a joint approach to Habitat Regulations Mitigation between East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, Teignbridge District Council and Natural England. The shared vision of this partnership is to protect internationally important wildlife sites from recreational disturbance, including the Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren and the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths.

About the role

As a Wildlife Warden employed by East Devon District Council on behalf of the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Partnership, you will play a key role in helping to prevent recreational pressure which may harm the protected wildlife of the Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren and the East Devon Pebblebedd Heaths.

In this interesting role, you will have a varied remit which will include education of users, monitoring and enforcement. You will maintain an on-site presence to educate users of these protected sites to raise awareness of their nature conservation importance and encourage responsible behaviour. This will include preventing disturbing and/or damaging behaviour/activities and taking follow up action as required.

You will work closely as a team of two Wildlife Wardens across the region. Effective public engagement, including written and spoken communication skills are critical to the success of this role, as you will also need to actively engage with the local community by undertaking walking patrols, visitor events and working with local school groups and retailers. You will help to gather evidence relating to user activities, effects on wildlife and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. You will also undertake outreach work alongside other relevant organisations including the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust, Devon Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Exe Estuary Management Partnership.

The successful candidate will be required to work Tuesdays and Wednesdays in this job share post in addition to 2 weekend days per month and some bank holidays throughout the year.

About you

With a good standard of education, you will have a keen interest in wildlife and conservation and a good understanding of nature conservation and countryside issues. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential in this role, and previous experience of engaging with the public and a range of different stakeholders will be extremely beneficial.

Tact, diplomacy and the ability to be assertive when dealing with difficult enforcement issues are also critical to the success of this role. You will be confident around dogs, as working with their owners and cross working with a related project forms a part of the role. You may have some experience of developing and delivering projects, ideally conservation related.

You will also need a driving license and be able to travel as required (reasonable adjustments may be possible according to the Equality Act).

Apply

For more about working for East Devon District Council visit our website

For an informal discussion about the position, please contact Neil Harris, Habitat Regulation Delivery Manager on 07890 626291 or email nharris@eastdevon.gov.uk

Closing date: Tuesday 21st March 2023.

Interviews: Thursday 30th March 2023.

To apply, please click here

Closing Date: 21/03/2023  Location: Blackdown House, Honiton