Three Field Vacancies for the Gough Restoration Programme
Senior Field Assistant & Two Field Assistants
One Senior Field Assistant and two Field Assistants will be recruited as part of the larger Gough Island Restoration Programme to carry out bird monitoring and other field work on Gough Island, including supporting activities for the mouse eradication operation and control (using herbicide) of an invasive plant Sagina procumbens. The post holders will work together. All three posts will be for a period of 15 months, consisting of pre-deployment training and around 13 months deployment on Gough Island.
Gough Island (6,500 ha) is located in the South Atlantic and is part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, widely considered as one of the most important seabird breeding sites in the world.
Working in partnership with the Tristan da Cunha Island Council, Birdlife South Africa, Island Conservation, and the Department of Forestry and Fisheries in South Africa, the RSPB is now planning for the implementation of a mouse eradication operation in the Southern Hemisphere winter of 2020. This will involve the spreading of rodenticide across the entire island. Populations of at-risk land birds (Gough moorhens and Gough buntings) will be captured and held in a protected, captive environment on the island during the eradication operation.
The primary rationale for these positions is therfore to support the restoration of Gough Island. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/goughisland for more information.
We wish to attract committed candidates who will adapt to the requirements of this restoration programme and remain focused on the outputs needed to progress this globally important effort. These positions will offer a unique opportunity for highly motivated and disciplined individuals with relevant fieldwork skills and a keen interest in wildlife, who will adapt well to small island living in a challenging sub-Antarctic environment.
Work during the wildlife breeding season is very intensive, with frequent long hours of fieldwork and data preparation, so it is important to be well organised. Data are collated using databases and by submitting reports, observing deadlines at frequent intervals. The results underpin efforts to restore the Gough Island World Heritage Site.
The successful applicants will be joining and living with the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) over-wintering team of seven people, bringing the total team size to 10 people. They will be required to work within the requirements of SANAP's over-wintering teams, including sharing cooking and cleaning duties on the base. It will be an asset if the post holders have prior experience of working with one or more other team members. Given this year's eradication operation, the team on the island will increase by five Aviculture team members for the duration until January 2021.
The ideal candidates will be able to cope with the above tasks and will be confident in remote and challenging field situations. The applicants will also have a high awareness of safety issues and be comfortable living in close quarters to other people from a diverse range of cultures. The successful applicants will be highly driven, self-motivated, and be able to get along with other team.
Please review the relevant candidate information pack for more specific information on these posts.
The starting date for the positions is anticipated to be 1st of July 2020 due to the pre-deployment training requirements.
Hours & contract information (all posts)
Hours: Full time
Contract: 16 month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha
Closing date: 5 April 2020
Interview date: 22 April 2020, 23 April 2020
How to apply
Our job information packs and accompanying role profiles tell you all about the key result areas and the skills and experience needed for the role. Interested applicants should send the following two items, by email, to Kate Towler (kate.towler@rspb.org.uk) by midnight BST on 5th April 2020:
- A letter expressing your interest for the position and your suitability for the post. Please explain why you are suited for this position against the key responsibilities, skills and experience outlined in the accompanying job description (maximum 2 pages in length).
- Full CV
Please make sure you include the correct reference number on your application.
These roles are covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. You will be asked to declare unspent convictions and cautions at offer of employment stage.
Senior Field Assistant
Reference number: A6070320
Salary Range: currently £22,073 to £23,912 per annum increasing to £23,966 to £26,808 wef from 1st April 2020
Downloads:
- Role Profile (PDF 105KB)
This is the profile the role is matched to within the RSPB pay and reward structure and should be viewed alongside the Job Information Pack.- Job information pack (PDF 197KB)
Field Assistants
Reference number: A6080320
Salary Range: currently £19,602 to £21,236 per annum increasing to £21,718 to £24,293 wef from 1st April 2020
Downloads:
- Role Profile (PDF 123KB)
This is the profile the role is matched to within the RSPB pay and reward structure and should be viewed alongside the Job Information Pack.- Job information pack (PDF 196KB)
Who to contact
For questions about this post
Antje Steinfurth
antje.steinfurth@rspb.org.uk
01767 680551
Send application details to
Kate Towler
kate.towler@rspb.org.uk
RSPB UKHQ - The Lodge Potton Road Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL
01767 693047