Biodiversity Centre Data Officer (Intern)

The successful applicant will join the Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT)’s as part of the AsoN project, stepping into an existing and successful programme and working alongside 2 full time members of staff. This is a predominantly desk-based position, with a small field component. It requires the successful applicant to be based on island.  
This internship is funded for two years, with the minimum duration set at 12 months.

Background - Alderney, an Island rich in Wildlife

Alderney is the third largest of the British Channel Islands. Though small, only 5 km², it has a large marine area of 160 km², and a diversity of habitats and species which far exceeds what might be expected. Our community is tightknit but welcoming. The Island’s locally elected government has responsibility for facing the challenges of managing its environment and responding to the climate crisis, which makes Alderney an exciting place to work. Find out more about our island www.visitalderney.com.

This is a focused work placement designed to help those with previous academic and voluntary experience secure future professional positions. Previous holders of this post have gone on to work in positions throughout governmental, NGOs and the private environmental sectors. The role also places you within a small and tightly knit team of staff and volunteers that make up our Wildlife Trust, with the opportunity to learn and develop a broad range of skills. Whilst this is an internship. The AWT maintains a commitment to supporting the personal development of all its staff and volunteers.

Our Goals

Since it was founded by the Island’s community in 2002 The Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT) has been committed to:

• championing,
• studying,
• and protecting Alderney’s rich wildlife, and the environment which sustains it.

The AWT manages terrestrial reserves covering around 15% of the island, over 20 km of footpaths and supports government in the management of the Island’s Ramsar site. For over twenty years, the AWT has collected substantial amounts of baseline data as part of its ecological monitoring programme. It is now using these data as part of the Alderney State of Nature (ASoN) assessment for the island, providing the evidence that guides its conservation actions and policy.

Duties

• Supporting the Senior Terrestrial and Marine Ecologists as part of the Alderney State of Nature (AsoN) team to:
  • Complete the production of favourable status assessments for key habitats and species; including calculating trends in population size and habitat extent over time
  • Help produce a framework for responding when change pushes species and habitats out of a favourable status, setting thresholds for action
  • Write sections of the Alderney State of Nature report
• Conducting day-to-day management of the Alderney Biodiversity Centre (ABC), including:
  • Fulfilling data requests from internal and external parties
  • Maintaining the website and its Indicia warehouse
  • Processing and standardising ecological survey data to be imported to the ABC
  • Timely submission of data to external recording schemes
• Acting as Alderney’s focal point for the pan-Channel Islands Records Centres, including liaising with partners across the islands on recording and the development of a shared recording platform.
• Assisting the ecology team as needed with field survey work (dependent on available time and the applicant’s skills and experience). This could include Breeding Bird Surveys, Butterfly Monitoring Transects, Bee Walks, Moth Traps, and habitat surveys.
• Assisting in other aspects of the operation of the AWT as required. This may include public events, outreach and social media programmes.

Personal Specification – this role requires:

• A self-motivated and focused person, with experience in working within close-knit teams.
• A strong academic background with a BSc or equivalent experience in Ecology, Conservation Science, Statistics or a related discipline.
• Strong quantitative skills including experience of managing and analysing ecological data.
• Sound functional programming skills (particularly with R or Python).
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Effective time management, with experience of delivering projects in a timely manner.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Communication and interpersonal skills relevant to a small island.
• Flexibility and positivity.

Desirable experience:

• An understanding of the concept of favourable conservation status.
• Experience working with Indicia, the open-source wildlife recording toolkit.
• A practical understanding of website design and maintenance, particularly using the Drupal Content Management System.
• Familiarity with version control and experience using GitHub or equivalent.
• An understanding and experience of working with Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS or equivalent).
• Field work experience conducting standardised monitoring of wildlife populations or habitats.
• Experience of working with and engaging volunteer citizen scientists.
• Full, clean driving license.

The structure of the work placement: 

• The placement includes accommodation at the AWT’s Essex Farm Field Centre (inclusive of utilities, a private room, wi-fi access, shared kitchen, sitting-room and office facilities).
• A stipend to cover cost of living expenses (level of stipend by agreement) intended to reduce or remove personal expenditure during the placement.
• A return flight (based on cost of Alderney-UK standard flexible return as of the 1st October 2025).
• The person undertaking this role will act as a full-time ‘placement’ member of staff for the AWT.
• Weekly hours are set at 35hrs, with 21 days holiday per annum. However, working hours are flexible and can be built around the successful candidate’s needs except for a limited number of fixed activities (i.e. staff meetings).
• Paid work in addition to the jobs core hours (35pw) may be available dependant on the successful candidates’ skills. This work may include ecological surveys, report writing, delivery of tours and activities.
• The placement has a week’s induction and one-month probation period, overseen by the AWT’s CEO.
• Placement staff will receive relevant in-house training and where necessary external training.
• The AWT will help to assist placement staff in securing part time paid work in parallel to their placement, where time allows.

We are seeking candidates who are looking to help the youngest Wildlife Trust transition into one of the most effective small island nature conservation charities in the British Isles and would like to hear how you can help us achieve this.