Principal Biodiversity Officer

We're looking for someone who is passionate about UK wildlife and habitat restoration to join us as a Principal Biodiversity Officer. Reporting to the Director of Nature Recovery you will be responsible for leading and developing the wider biodiversity team and volunteers to deliver conversation priorities throughout our Forest. You'll lead the planning and delivery of restoration and enhancement projects across a range of habitats, from application stage to sourcing suppliers, managing contractors, tracking budgets and ensuring projects are delivered to a high standard. As the Principal Biodiversity Officer, you will also organise and oversee wildlife surveys and long-term monitoring with both staff, volunteers and local experts. From these you will analyse results and identify biodiversity enhancement opportunities. Working closely with both internal and external stakeholders, you will seek out opportunities to develop collaborative relationships and represent the Heart of England Forest in partnership meetings.

Optimising Biodiversity is at the very core of what we do. The Forest is a mosaic of habitats, including ancient woodland, new native broadleaf plantations, grassland, heathland, wetland, hedgerows and farmland. The Forest is also a home to many rare and threatened species, such as brown hairstreak and purple emperor butterflies, as well as Red List bird species such as skylark and woodcock. We aspire to create and enhance biodiverse habitats, providing a nature recovery network, to ensure species survival and resilience in the face of our changing climate.

Salary: £35,000 p/a, What do we offer?

• Flexible working to ensure a work-life balance
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Contributory company pension with 4.5% employer contribution
• Health Cash Plan - get cash back on opticians, dentists and more!
• Group Income Protection Scheme - to support you if you get sick
• Employee Assistance Programme - financial, physical and mental wellbeing support
• Access to exclusive discounts from thousands of retailers
• Life Assurance at four times your basic salary