Current jobs related to Conservation Assistant - Vine Road Barnes SW NE - Barnes Common Limited

Job Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to assist with the practical nature conservation for a number of Local Nature Reserves (LNR) and Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Locations include Barnes, Sheen and Palewell Commons along with the Leg O’Mutton Reservoir. Habitats encompass acid and amenity grassland, broadleaf woodland, wetland and riparian areas with a number of monitoring and surveying projects in place for a range of wildlife.

Sites are managed by Barnes Common Limited (BCL), a charitable company, limited by guarantee that undertakes 3rd sector management on behalf of and in partnership with the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (LBRuT).

The role is full time and can be physically demanding. You will already have a good level of practical experience in conservation work, hold tickets for chainsaw and brushcutter and be familiar with using a variety of hand tools. You will also have some experience with undertaking various habitat management and survey work.

A substantial part of the role will also entail providing and managing the delivery of activities for the charity’s many volunteers. In addition to BCL’s regular weekly attendants, these may include Duke of Edinburgh students, corporate volunteers, school parties, litter picking groups, biodiversity surveyors and citizen science participants. Volunteer sessions may include general maintenance work, horticultural tasks, litter picking, wildlife recording or helping at BCL’s events and fairs. You will work closely with BCL’s Volunteer Co-ordinator who arranges BCL’s volunteer recruitment, induction and administration. Some experience of managing and leading volunteers would therefore be very useful along with an awareness of the associated health and safety and safeguarding issues.

You will be joining BCL’s Conservation Team which works in unison with BCL’s other activities covering education, wellbeing and community engagement along with various projects ranging from flood resilience to food growing. Work streams may vary seasonally and from week to week where one week may be predominantly leading volunteer sessions while another might be chain-sawing / woodland management.

BCL is an equal opportunities employer and committed to supporting personal development and training. For the right candidate there will be opportunities to receive further training in both habitat surveying and in the use of power tools and other machinery.

Job Duties:

• To help manage, conserve and enhance all the sites BCL looks after as local nature reserves and open spaces.
• You will assist with practical, hands on habitat management including conservation tree care, woodland thinning, vegetation succession management, mowing and hay baling, pond management and river restoration work.
• Managing volunteer tasks will include leading and / or assisting with BCL’s regular volunteers on Wednesdays and leading other volunteer tasks including sessions for two weekend days each month. These could be arranged as four half day sessions if necessary and will likely vary depending on tasks and season but work hours are flexible and can be discussed and agreed with the Conservation Manager accordingly.
• Assisting with maintenance tasks including tool and machinery care along with infrastructure such as fencing, post / barrier installation and footpaths.
• Assisting with ecological surveys including birds, bats, dragonflies, butterflies and invertebrates.
• To help ensure sites remain tidy and free from litter and graffiti.
• You may be required to provide assistance to BCL’s Outdoor Learning & Education Officer, Community Engagement & Development Manager and Community Growing Project Co-ordinator or with any other ad-hoc tasks that may arise.

   
Job requirements

• Practical conservation experience – voluntary or paid is essential along with a keen interest and good understanding of UK wildlife conservation and ecology. An undergraduate degree in a related subject e.g. Conservation, Ecology, Biology, Geography would be useful but is not essential.
• Candidates should already have tickets for chainsaw (Maintenance, Cross Cutting, Felling & Processing trees up to 380mm NPTC 201/202 – formerly CS30/31) and bruschcutter.
• Confidence in managing and leading volunteers, with an awareness of health and safety, confidentiality and safeguarding issues.
• Much of the work can be physically demanding so a good level of physical fitness is essential along with a willingness to work outdoors and in all weathers.
• Have the ability to enthusiastically and effectively communicate with people at all levels, including members of the public, volunteers, school children, students, council officers and contractors.
• A team worker with a good understanding of team dynamics but able to work autonomously with good organisational and forward planning skills.
• Either living or be prepared to live within 30 minutes of Barnes, S.W. London and possess a clean driving license.
• Up to date first aid certificates would be useful but not essential – BCL will support training for this.
• Computer and social media literacy skills - Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• A satisfactory DBS check.
• Two references will be required.

   
Terms of Contract:

Contract: This is a fixed term contract and will be initially contracted to March 2026. It is entirely possible that the contract may be extended further but will depend on both the availability of funding and the employee’s performance.

Salary: £26,000 per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours per week – hours are generally 8.00am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday but there will be a requirement for availability for two weekend days each month.

Reporting to: The Conservation Manager for BCL and the Conservation Officer in the absence of the former.

Probationary Period: There will be a probationary period of four months. This will conclude with a review by the Conservation Manager that probation has been successfully passed according to any requirements detailed in the employment contract between the employer and employee.

Notice Period: Four weeks for both employer and employee.

Pension: A basic ‘defined contribution’ pension complying with the government ‘opt out’ pension legislation. BCL operates a policy of postponement for the first three months.

Holiday: 28 days holiday per annum excluding Bank Holidays– entitlement will be pro-rated according to start date.

Place of Work: The post will be based at the Vine Road Recreation Ground, Barnes, London Borough of Richmond, SW13 0NE.

Training: BCL is committed to personal development and training.

Application:

CV’s and a short covering note should be sent to recruitment@barnescommon.org.uk as can any initial queries about the position. Deadline for applications is 5.00pm Monday 9th September with first interviews expected to commence later that week and second interviews following shortly afterwards in anticipation of a likely start date around late September / early October. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged but only those who are called for interview will receive any further communication from BCL.