Seasonal Visitor Management Ranger

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

Gladhouse Reservoir supplies drinking water to approximately 150,000 people in Midlothian and parts of Edinburgh. While that is an essential part of its role, the reservoir is also a stunning natural space that provides important access to green space and is immensely valued by visitors. It has become a popular location for picnics, walking, water sports and wild camping.

We’re committed to connecting communities with their local environment and to support tourism by enabling reasonable and responsible access to our assets for leisure purposes.

Right now, we’re looking for a Visitor Management Ranger to join our Land Strategy team. You’ll be responsible for supporting the delivery of our visitor management plans at Gladhouse Reservoir.

What you’ll do

You'll be on hand to welcome visitors, patrol key routes and offer guidance and assistance to educate and inform visitors about what responsible behaviour looks like. You’ll be committed to raising awareness and understanding of the risks water poses, and why reservoirs are different to many other bodies of water.

You’ll be involved in looking after the sites, co-ordinating volunteering work such as litter picking, and working with groups in the local community. You’ll take the lead with organising and delivering events such as guided walks and talks as appropriate.

You’ll need to be flexible, resourceful and always have your health and safety hat on to keep visitors safe. You’ll undertake regular risk assessments, identifying and reporting repair and maintenance requirements and completing smaller or emergency repairs as necessary to keep visitors safe.

All the while, you’ll also be looking for opportunities to improve access to our sites. You’ll work with our project delivery teams, providing specialist advice on Scottish Outdoor Access Code provisions, to make sure visitor access is considered in our capital programme. You’ll also help us collect data to support reporting on Scottish Water’s Visitor Access targets.

What you’ll need

You’ll have experience of working with the public in a customer-focused role. Top-notch communication skills are essential - our customers will turn to you for the information they need. It’s crucial that you’re a calm and reassuring person, who can listen well, solve problems and answer queries, even if it requires a bit of research.

You’ll need to know the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and other relevant legislation inside-out, as well as how it applies to your work.

You’ll enjoy working outdoors. There will be a lot of walking, sometimes in rough terrain, and in all the weather Scotland can throw at you. Of course, in Scotland we all know that there is no such thing as bad weather - just inappropriate clothing So, we’ll make sure you’re kitted out for whatever Mother Nature has in store.

You’ll spend a fair amount of time working alone, so you’ll need to be self-motivated, but still eager to contribute to the team’s goals.

Whilst you’ll primarily be based at Gladhouse Reservoir, some travel to other sites may be required. A full, clean driving licence is non-negotiable, but we’ll provide the van.

Looking out for you

While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.

This is a full time (37 hours per week) role with regular weekend working, including Bank Holidays. You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.

When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.

For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.

As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash - handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.

The not-so-small print

This role will be a Grade 4. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £27,590. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £32,410.

This is a secondment or Fixed Term opportunity until October 2024.

A few final things worth knowing

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

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