Assistant Warden Volunteer Placement

We are looking for a volunteer placement assistant warden at RSPB Middleton Lakes! Our placement opportunities help people gain the skills and experience needed to start a career in conservation. You will get to meet new people and help save nature too. Assistant warden volunteer placements bring in a variety of ideas, experiences and energy into our teams, it's so much more than just getting work done; we want to hear from you if you feel like you have the motivation and passion to save nature.

The aim of our placement opportunities are to build skills and to help people gain the experience necessary to assist in taking steps towards a career, primarily in conservation. We are looking for individuals who are interested in saving nature and with the energy to learn. We are not looking for experts in conservation, or even people with lots of experience, if you are new to the sector, changing careers or looking for a new challenge, this could be for you!

Role description

This role forms a vital part of the warden team, helping to implement our reserve management plan. This will involve:

• Learning on the job about practical habitat management of wetlands, woodlands and meadows.
• Maintenance of the reserve infrastructure such as fences, paths and benches which all need regular upkeep.
• Being responsible for the visitor standards of the reserve. Making sure the reserve is looking and functioning at its best for visitors.
• Leading other volunteers on regular work party days and being responsible for the corporate work party programme.
• Helping the warden manage the grazing and livestock on site which consists of Longhorn Cattle and Konik Ponies.
• Biological surveys in the Spring/Summer including breeding bird surveys, dragonfly, butterfly, amphibian/reptile, flora, and monthly WeBS bird counts in the winter.
• Keeping the reserve ticking over by completing the day-to-day jobs such as upkeep of the workshop/store areas, maintenance of the machines and tools, responding to any issues and resolving/fixing them.
• Supporting the warden with a variety of admin jobs including updating risk assessments, emergency action plans, COSHH and other records, mapping and biological data recording, recording visitor numbers, logging volunteer work hours.
• Working occasional weekend days meeting and greeting visitors from our visitor reception.

The skills you need

We are looking for an enthusiastic and friendly person who likes a challenge! Previous conservation volunteering experience isn't essential, but every day can be different on reserves like Middleton lakes, so you will need to be flexible in your approach to your work.

You must be happy to work outside in all weathers, doing what can be challenging physical work. There will be times when you are required to work by yourself through your own initiative. A willingness to work the occasional weekend and take time off in lieu is expected. A driving license is essential.

You must be able to get to and from Middleton Lakes for the duration of your placement as we are unable to offer onsite accommodation.

The RSPB runs an inclusive volunteer placement scheme, so whether you have just graduated, finished your A Levels and looking for voluntary experience in your gap year or you are looking for a change of career path, we welcome your application. However, we do ask that you meet the following requirements:

You must

• be 18 years old or over
• be available for 12 months (3 days a week)
• be IT literate
• Have a full UK driving license
• Your time:
• Minimum: 3 days a week ideally Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but can be flexible.
• Duration: 12 months (3 days a week)
• Application closing date: 19th October 2026
• Interview date: 23rd October 2026
• Period: Starting: 4th November 2026

What's in it for you?

This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a new and developing nature reserve, delivering aims for the benefit of wildlife and people plus developing skills that could help you towards a career in conservation.

You will gain

• An insight into how a nature reserve functions and how your work fits into the overall management.
• Development of skills necessary for a job in nature conservation.
• A good understanding of wetland ecology
• Development of species identification
• Development of working with others, leadership and communication skills
• A mentor who will work with you to aid a personal development plan and organise suitable training during the internship
• Access to our internal intranet
• An opportunity to make contacts within the RSPB
• Necessary training will be provided for routine nature reserve management.
• Training on CV writing, interview techniques and job applications
• A reference on the successful completion of your placement

Our placements are designed to offer work experience. However, completing a placement unfortunately does not guarantee future employment with the RSPB. Placements can apply for our paid vacancies but for obvious reasons a placement will need to have proven themselves in their current role before their volunteering experience will assist an application for a paid post.

Notes

The deadline for applications is Monday 19th October 2026. Interviews will take place Friday 23rd October 2026.

All the training necessary and background information will be provided and since you'll be giving up your time, it's only fair that we offer to re-imburse your travel expenses (up to 25 miles). The RSPB is the country's largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.