Oxfordshire Senior Land Manager

Salary: £38,250 - £39,850

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week. Flexibility in working pattern, in agreement with line manager

Based: Oxfordshire – Chimney Meadows. Hybrid working is available

The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust has a vision for “more nature everywhere, for everyone”. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. This includes you being comfortable bringing your whole self to work, and us co-working with the diverse communities we serve to ensure we are meeting everyone’s needs.

The Oxfordshire Senior Land Manager (SLM) role is key to delivering BBOWT’s strategic goal to ‘Put Nature in Recovery’ in the county.

You will be reporting to the Land Management and Ecology Director and working alongside the other department leads of Head of Ecology, SLM Buckinghamshire and SLM Berkshire.

What you’ll be doing

• Responsible for a diverse portfolio of 29 nature reserves on over 750 hectares of Oxfordshire’s countryside including the spectacular 308ha Chimney Meadows which is part National Nature Reserve and home to the county’s conservation livestock operation.
• Management and delivery of conservation objectives and agri-environment schemes on a range of habitat types including woodland, floodplain meadows, chalk grassland and fen.
• Leading a team of 8 staff and well established teams of skilled volunteers, you will ensure the reserves are managed to the highest standard whilst developing new and innovative projects to further nature’s recovery in Oxfordshire.
• You will bring energy and vision to a whole county with scope to develop innovative projects for habitat creation and enhancement utilising a variety of mechanisms including Biodiversity Net Gain.
• Representing BBOWT in Oxfordshire and collaborating with other organisations and agencies to deliver nature conservation at scale.

What we’re looking for

• Ability to effectively manage and develop volunteers and a team of staff.
• Proven experience in applying for and managing agri-environment schemes and high value/ large scale funded projects.
• Proven multi-site annual budget and workplan setting and management.
• Proven knowledge of ecological principles, habitat management, assessment and creation for the range of habitat types found in Oxfordshire.
• Ability to effectively prioritise competing deadlines.

This post will be DBS checked at basic level. A criminal conviction will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining the position. BBOWT will not unfairly discriminate on the basis of criminal convictions. BBOWT’s policy regarding this matter and the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice are available on request.

For all your hard work you can expect a great rewards package in return. In addition to being part of a friendly, skilled and knowledgeable team, passionate about making a difference, when you work for us, you’ll also receive

• Generous annual leave entitlement with paid birthday leave, wellbeing days, urgent personal business leave and generous occupational sick pay
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and family-friendly policies
• Flexible working to achieve work-life balance
• Salary exchange pension with generous employer contribution
• Learning & Development Programme for all
• Wellbeing initiatives including qualified Mental Health First Aiders, YuLife benefit package - access to our EAP, providing you with immediate and confidential help for any work, health, or life matters; 3x life assurance, online GP access prescription service, a variety of discounts
• Salary sacrifice Cycle scheme & Electric Vehicle scheme
• Membership to BBOWT’s, and The Wildlife Trusts’, Staff Network Groups for social interaction, peer support, mentoring and personal development

How to apply

For full details, please read the job description and T&Cs below. To apply, please follow the application link.

The closing time and date for applications is 11.59pm on Monday 15th July. Interviews will take place Thursday 25^th July with possible 2^nd interview Tuesday 30^th July.

BBOWT values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We want every candidate to have the best chance of success as part of this process. In order to do this, we know that some candidates will need reasonable adjustments. Contact us on recruitment@bbowt.org.uk if there are any reasonable adjustments we can provide during the recruitment process, including completing your application.

When applying for the role you can expect to answer a few questions online relating to the skills required and what you would be doing in the role. Your responses will be anonymised, randomised, and scored by a panel of reviewers. 

We don't use an application form, or CVs - your answers to our situational based questions will be scored against a review guide and scores from these will decide which candidates go through to the interview stage.  See here to find out why we do this.

Whilst we appreciate ChatGPT and other AI platforms can answer these questions, we know what they have to say (and generally the answer they generate isn't great). We want to hear your perspective written in your own words. If it is clear that any of your answers are not your own work, we reserve the right to reject your application on that basis. 

You’ll also be asked for information about your background, anything you feel comfortable sharing will be anonymised and will not be shared as part of the selection process, it will only be used to help us understand how we are performing against our equal opportunities metrics. All candidates will receive feedback on their application.

We want our people to be as diverse as nature, so we particularly encourage applications from people who are underserved within the communities in which we operate. This includes people from visible ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities (including those who are neurodivergent), the LGBTQ+ community, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and younger people. We are committed to creating an organisation that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities. 

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, The Lodge, 1 Armstrong Road, Littlemore, Oxford Oxon OX4 4XT

Registered Charity No. 204330 www.bbowt.org.uk