Countryside Ranger

**Role Description**

**Role Title**: Countryside Ranger

**Location**: Yeovil Country Park

**Job Family**: Leisure and Recreation

**Grade**:5

**Main purpose**

To manage Yeovil Country Park as an award winning Green Flag country park. Carry out daily maintenance, lead on practical tasks and deliver volunteer participation schemes.
Develop new opportunities for the public’s enjoyment of the site and ensure access is safe and inclusive. Deliver a wide ranging annual programme of public events and develop wildlife protection and enhancement schemes.

**Key tasks**

**Leadership Responsibilities**

Organising and supervising the practical work delivery of the assistant ranger, casual rangers, apprentices and work experience placements. To lead volunteers and train volunteers in appropriate management techniques where relevant and supervise contractors when required.

**Core Tasks**
- Carry out maintenance and development at the country park in line with the management plan.
- Regularly undertake physically demanding tasks in all weathers.
- Litter picking and emptying of litter and dog waste bins throughout the site.
- Reporting and clearing up of fly tips and anti-social behaviour like graffiti.
- Lead in the delivery of weekly practical conservation volunteer task days.
- Lead in the delivery of public events like the Halloween Trail and children’s events.
- Carry out practical habitat management work, in line with the management plan, such as laurel clearance, tree planting, hedge laying and woodland management.
- Ensure site safety works including safety inspections on trees and structures, footpath maintenance and maintenance of all structures is carried out at intervals determined by the countryside policy and recorded appropriately.
- Lead in promotion of the Country Park and events through posters and

administration of the Yeovil Country Park Facebook page.
- Assist in the management of other countryside sites (Ham Hill Country Park, Chard

Reservoir, Moldrams Ground LNR, Eastfield LNR and Sampsons Wood) through particaption in team days throughout the year.
- Help to ensure that the Ninesprings café building is kept in a good state of repair and any faults are reported to the manager. Also to ensure that the outside area around the café & associated shrub beds and paving are kept safe & presentable.
- Organise financial estimates and produce relevant specifications, purchase materials and services, monitor and certify expenditure within agreed budgetary limits in strict accordance with the District Councils Procurement Regulations.
- Liaise with the Countryside Manager to employ suitable contractors for works in the Country Park, adhering to SSDC’s Health and Safety Policy & employment of contractor’s guidelines.
- Liaise with the Police and members of the public via the Park Watch scheme to deal with ASB and other Police issues arising in the Country Park.
- Attend South Somerset Steering Group meetings as required by the Countryside

Manager.
- Ensure all tools and machinery are kept in full working order and a log of maintenance is kept in line with PUWER.
- Undertake training as required to ensure that H&S policies are adhered to & for appropriate machinery i.e. chainsaw refresher training, ATV driver training.
- Deliver appropriate wildlife recording surveys at the country park to ensure species lists are kept up to date and to ensure that the appropriate habitat management work is delivered.
- Keep the Country Park and all associated buildings and stores secure.
- Adhere to the guidelines and policies as laid out in the Countryside Staff Handbook and Countryside Policies document.
- Contributing towards the service planning and development of relevant work areas, including your own continual professional development, and assist with the collation of performance management information and user surveys to ensure a high standard of customer care is maintained.
- Collaborating with other internal council units and councillors, parish and town councils, local groups, tenant graziers, surrounding residents, statutory and voluntary agencies and other relevant bodies to support local countryside management.
- Ensure risk assessments are in place for all tasks performed in the country park and assist the countryside manager with annual updates.
- Staff are encouraged to participate fully in promoting a safety culture to protect the safety and health of themselves, colleagues and other people affected by the

Council’s activities
- Support and participate in arrangements and activities to fulfil the Council’s Civil

Contingency and Emergency Planning arrangement

**Personal Specification**

**Professional and educational qualifications**

**Essential** **Desirable**

Relevant undergraduate degree/or First aid trained relevant HND with 1- 2 years experience

Chainsaw trained (NPTC or LANTRA)

Brush cutter trained (NPTC or LANTRA)

**Experience**

**Essential** **Desirable**

Experience of