Auk Disturbance Project Development Manager

The Auk Disturbance Project Development Manager will lead Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s role in the final stages of development of the Reducing Auk Disturbance programme – a major partnership tackling the impact of offshore wind on seabirds such as guillemots and razorbills. Supported by offshore wind developers, this strategically significant project will shape the future delivery phase intended to generate evidence to inform future policy and compensation mechanisms, including the Marine Recovery Fund.

The role involves overseeing this development stage, managing relationships with partners and stakeholders (including Defra, Natural England, OWIC and COWSC), and planning future work to provide credible, scalable evidence on disturbance reduction. This is a unique opportunity to drive forward an initiative with tangible conservation impact and long-term influence on national policy.

Main responsibilities

Regulatory and Programme Alignment

• Act as the key point of contact between Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the developer group, ensuring regular updates, clear communication, and responsiveness to evolving needs
• Work closely with project partners and statutory stakeholders to ensure planned delivery aligns with national frameworks for offshore wind ecological compensation
• Engage the COWSC Gateway Group, Natural England, Defra, and OWIC to ensure proposed delivery phase project outputs are relevant and influential at a strategic level
• Support discussions on the potential future recognition of reducing disturbance as an approved compensation measure through national mechanisms (e.g. Marine Recovery Fund), while focusing on the practical needs of the current development phase

Project Coordination and Delivery

• Plan the detailed implementation, and proposed evaluation of future project activities across all workstreams and multiple sites
• Monitor progress against the 12-month delivery plan, ensuring key milestones are met and risks are managed
• Coordinate with proposed delivery partners, including University of Exeter, GoBe Consultants, Cornwall Marine & Costal Code Groups, WiSe, and local conservation groups
• Oversee internal reporting and contribute to external reporting, including updates to the developer group and project steering group

Financial Management and Administration

• Manage the project budget in line with agreed forecasts, ensuring spending is monitored, tracked, and reported. Get consensus on scope of delivery phase funding and use that to develop fully costed programme of work
• Support procurement, grant administration, and contract management in line with organisational and funder requirements

Field Support and Flexibility

• Provide additional capacity for fieldwork delivery including assisting with seabird monitoring, data collection, and on-water interventions where appropriate

Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain effective communication with all stakeholders and partners
• Help facilitate the coordination of the project’s steering group and attend stakeholder meetings, workshops, and annual conferences

Benefits:

• Cornwall Wildlife Trust operates excellent toil and flexible working policies
• Enhanced company holiday entitlement – starting at 25 days plus bank holidays and rising to a maximum 30 days over a period of time (1 day extra for each year worked after 4 complete years served)
• 3 days Christmas Business Closure for 2025
• All employees have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 counselling service) and Employee health and wellbeing portal
• Free onsite parking at Five Acres
• Stakeholder pension scheme (subject to eligibility)

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Dan Barrios-O'Neill at [email protected].

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 21 October 2025.