Overview

  • Job Title: Project Ecologist
  • Reporting to: Head of Sustainability with close interaction with Estate Directors and rural teams
  • Location: Hatfield, Hertfordshire and Cranborne, Dorset
  • 12 month fixed term contract candidate brief

Gascoyne Estates manages 16,000 acres of rural land, including native heath, chalk streams, forestry, grassland and arable.  As a key part of our Sustainability Commitments, we are seeking to continuously improve the biodiversity and natural capital of our estates.

In order to monitor our approach, we are seeking an experienced ecologist to undertake a comprehensive natural capital baseline across our two rural estates.

Spending broadly equal time in both Hertfordshire and Dorset, the Project Ecologist will conduct detailed ecological surveys across our varied landscapes.

This data will be collected with a view to creating an estate scale habitat improvement plan, and the prospect of trading in emerging natural capital markets.

While the Project Ecologist’s primary focus will be on the completion of this baseline, they will also provide targeted support in ongoing biodiversity projects across the estates.

Working closely with our Estate Directors and rural teams, the Project Ecologist will have excellent communication skills and be able to manage multiple stakeholders.

Operating independently, they will also engage with tenants, farmers, foresters, gamekeepers and others in the delivery of their work.

This role will involve travel between the two estates as required.  A travel and accommodation budget will be provided.

Person

  • Experienced, self-motivated and well organised.
  • 5 or more years’ relevant experience
  • Comfortable managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, including tenants, owners, farmers, foresters and gamekeepers
  • Able to work independently, but thrives as part of a team
  • Adept at using established ecological methodologies, including UKHab and the DEFRA biodiversity metric
  • Excellent verbal and written communicator
  • A commercial mind, with an awareness of the key concepts of natural capital
  • Competency with GIS tools and mapping software
  • Passion for and knowledge of UK lowland biodiversity
  • Full UK Driving License Core duties
  • Consolidation of existing biodiversity records
  • Undertaking detailed ecological baseline surveys
  • Report writing and communication of work to key stakeholders, verbally when required.
  • Supporting ongoing projects with specialist advice
  • Creation of GIS resources to assist in the interpretation of findings

Key deliverable

  • Creation of a comprehensive natural capital baseline for the Gascoyne rural estates

Applications

  • Please submit a CV and covering letter to Peter Mitchell at p.mitchell@gascoyne.org
  • Applications close on Friday 10th May with interviews taking place shortly afterwards.

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