Seasonal Ranger

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the spectacular Abernethy Reserve to help protect the wild and fragile Cairngorm Plateau, including Ben Macdui - the UK’s second highest peak. This wild, arctic landscape is home to sensitive species such as dotterel and snow bunting and is under increasing pressure from visitors.

What's the role about?

This role involves being a friendly face and the eyes and ears on the ground, chatting to visitors and patrolling the plateau to ensure responsible access in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC). Access to nature and wild places is vitally important for mental and physical wellbeing, but the challenge of looking after those places is increasing.

We are looking for a reliable, responsible Ranger with proven mountain experience and excellent people skills to patrol the plateau over the summer season. Working in all weathers, the main part of your role will be patrolling key footpaths, engaging with visitors and ensuring they are accessing and enjoying the nature reserve responsibly. Using strong communication skills, you will strive to ensure every visitor you meet has a positive experience of this unique and special area whilst also understanding what responsible access is and why it is so important. There will be a focus on preventing disturbance to vulnerable breeding birds.

You will be working with the visitor team to ensure a comprehensive Ranger presence in the mountains and wider reserve during busy periods and at times of high fire risk. This role will involve regular weekend and evening working. The ideal candidates will be familiar with the mountain environment, have strong communication skills, be able to work independently and use their initiative - if that's you we'd love to hear from you

Key work areas:

• To regularly patrol the Cairngorm Plateau around the tops of Cairn Gorm, Ben Macdui and Bynack More as well as Loch A’an. When weather prevents access to the mountains, to patrol the wider reserve including areas like Ryvoan.
• To work with the visitor experience team to co-ordinate an outstanding visitor experience on the reserve.
• To engage with visitors about responsible access and SOAC to encourage everyone to enjoy the reserve responsibly and sustainably.
• To engender respect for the natural world and educate visitors to these mountains about their rights to responsible access.
• To monitor and record visitor behaviour and SOAC infringements to allow us to have a good picture of access issues in the mountains and feed into wider data within the Cairngorms National Park.
• To deliver simple path maintenance tasks to help limit erosion on the mountains.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Excellent people and communication skills
• Problem solving skills and ability to work using own initiative.
• Experience in mountainous terrain and a good level of fitness for spending 5 days a week in the mountains.
• Knowledge of health and safety issues in the mountainous terrain.
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships.
• Knowledge of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
• Knowledge of the local area.
• Working knowledge of Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety in the workplace.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• Able to access rural areas without the use of public transport.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Successful experience of working with a team of staff and/or volunteers.
• Experience of analysing and interpreting data in a visitor experience environment.

Additional Information:

This is a fixed-term role for 2.5 months, full-time for 37.5 hours per week. Part-time hours are also an option, please specify in your application if preferred.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Accommodation is not provided.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position as soon as suitable candidates present themselves, so please do not delay in applying. For further information please contact:kirsty.pollard@rspb.org.uk

As part of this application process, you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

Please note that we are actively recruiting for this vacancy, and reserve the right to close once sufficient applications have been received.