Project Officer - The Curlew's Call
RSPB
Are you a dedicated conservationist, able to rise to the challenge of saving a culturally important species from the brink of extinction? We are offering an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of conservation, in the dramatic and beautiful landscape of the North Wales Moors. The Curlew’s Call is a Nature Networks funded project (a government fund administered by the Heritage Lottery). The project area covers over 7000 hectares of rolling moorland and farmland, an area which is home to one of the highest densities of breeding curlew in England and Wales. With breeding populations of curlew having declined by over 77% since 1995, this stronghold population needs serious conservation intervention to avoid local extinction.
Overlooking the Eryri National Park, you’ll be working alongside a dedicated project team, whilst leading a team of volunteers, to monitor the curlew throughout the breeding season, and deliver conservation interventions to try and curb the decline in breeding curlew. The work is exciting, rewarding, and critical to the long-term success of curlew and their associated habitats in the UK.
This role focusses on delivering key conservation interventions for curlew across the project landscape. These interventions will include nest finding, nest fencing, chick monitoring, and predator monitoring (including the use of camera traps) during the breeding season. Outside of the breeding season, habitat management and restoration work will be carried out to benefit all habitats used by curlew throughout their breeding cycle. The project is highly research led, and so you and the team will work closely together to ensure that the work carried out is well prescribed and changeable.
As project officer you will be leading a team of volunteers to help carry out vital monitoring and survey work. This will include training, workshops, and a good level of team organisation. Previous curlew projects in the same area have developed close working relationships with local groups and so engaging with local farmers, partners, and stakeholders will be key to ensure continued landscape connectivity and regular communication of results.
Your primary contact will be the project manager who you will work closely with to deliver project aims and who will encourage you to develop your skills through other training and experience.
Essential qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience:
- At least BSc or equivalent in an ecology or conservation related subject.
- A good understanding of wader ecology and conservation.
- Experience leading and carrying out ecological monitoring (specifically ornithological surveys and camera trapping).
- Some understanding of relevant agri-environment schemes, and how they impact conservation habitat management in a managed landscape.
- Competent IT user (including MS packages, Outlook, ArcGIS (or other mapping software).
- Proven ability to communicate complex ideas to a wide range of audiences clearly and concisely, through written and oral communications.
- Proven ability to work well under pressure and adapt to change, in challenging circumstances.
- Proven time management and organisational skills.
- Personal experience working with contractors and farmers to carry out habitat management or restoration.
- Experience managing groups of volunteers, delivering training and guiding them through field tasks.
- Report writing and data manipulation.
- Working well within a cross-functional project team and alongside stakeholders.
Desirable qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience
- Experience nest-finding (particularly of ground-nesting birds).
- Experience in organising training events, workshops, and facilitated meetings.
- Demonstrable experience of developing and working in partnerships to achieve shared outcomes.
Additional Information
You will need a full, manual driving licence that is valid in the UK.
This is a Fixed-Term role for 28 months, until March 2028, full-time role for 37.5 hours per week.
The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 23 October 2025. For further information please contact [email protected]
As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.
We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.
The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.
About RSPB
The RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature. We bring people together who love birds and other wildlife, and who want to take action to restore the health and diversity of the natural world. We carry out conservation on a large scale, protect and restore habitats, and save species from extinction. We’re living in a nature and climate emergency, and we won’t stop whilst the threats persist.
We believe our work makes a real difference to the world we live in. It takes a great team to
save nature and we need a wide range of skills to make it happen.
As an RSPB employee, you will be helping to save nature every time you come to work. There’s never been a more important time to protect our wildlife and wild places, so we want to make sure you feel rewarded for everything you help us to achieve.
The RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature. We bring people together who love birds and other wildlife, and who want to take action to restore the health and diversity of the natural world. We carry out conservation on a large scale, protect and restore habitats, and save species from extinction. We’re living in a nature and climate emergency, and we won’t stop whilst the threats persist. We believe our work makes a real difference to the world we live in. It takes a great team to save nature and we need a wide range of skills to make it happen. As an RSPB employee, you will be helping to save nature every time you come to work. There’s never been a more important time to protect our wildlife and wild places, so we want to make sure you feel rewarded for everything you help us to achieve.
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