The Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting a full time SEW Fisheries Technical Officer, initially on a two year fixed term contract with potential to be permanent thereafter.
The starting salary for this role is £30,000-32,000 per annum salary (dependent on experience) with room for progression.
The role is 37.5 hours per week.
The Trust offers flexible working. The role will be hybrid working with a mixture of home based working and office with site visits. The Trust office is in Stoke Climsland, Nr Callington, Cornwall.
The role is to work on the river Exe and the SEW project which is focused on upstream and downstream migration of salmon, trout and other migratory species and in particular dealing with the many weirs and barriers on the river. Time will be apportioned approx. 60% on the barriers to migration and approx. 40% on a wide variety of programmes such as habitat improvement, fish surveys, GIS database management and helping the partnership understand and improve management of the river. Substantial progress has already been achieved with the first new fish pass installed in 2022 and others at an advanced planning/implementation phase.
About the Westcountry Rivers Trust
Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism, reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health. Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them
Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities, businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of the climate emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment resilience.
Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots organisation. In the early 90s, a group of individuals, passionate and concerned about the waterways around them, began to stitch together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust we know today.
Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders and which lies behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi-annual projects spread across a wide range of funders.
The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services and marketing teams. Our employees work on delivery sites, from home and from the office.
Strategic Exe Weirs https://wrt.org.uk/project/strategic-exe-weirs/ is a project designed to deliver bespoke fish passage improvement projects at multiple weirs on the River Exe and supporting river habitat improvements. It is the goal to enable free migration in wider ‘flow windows’ to counter effects of climate change, enhance the ecological health of the River Exe, and contribute towards the national Salmon Five-Point Approach.
The SEW Project Officer position is part of the River & Fisheries delivery team. The position is sponsored by the River Exe and Tributaries Association (RETA), and is a partnership project receiving supporting funds from South West Water (SWW), the Environment Agency (EA), and site-specific funders. The project partnership steering group consists of representatives from RETA, the EA, and Westcountry Rivers Trust.
The Role
Key responsibilities include:
· To support the project manager and catchment managers in achieving fisheries objectives and to deliver riparian habitat enhancements and fish migration improvements.
· Undertake fieldwork surveys and office-based reporting to assess and convey the status of fisheries in the area.
· Contract management and working closely with appointed contractors will be essential. Some experience of habitat improvement works is desirable for implementing river improvements to help improve fisheries.
· Liaise with external stakeholders and project partners
· Promotional events, educational events, workshop delivery and organisation of work sites will be required.
· Water-based ecological survey work (e.g. assessment to assess obstacles to fish migration, electrofishing, fish habitat walkover survey).
· Research and interpretation of ecological works including data searches, report writing and data analysis.
· To work closely with contractors and sub-contractors to deliver river improvement outputs.
· Management of habitat improvement works.
· Maintain and develop a contacts database for catchments and sub-catchments.
· Organise administration and work in relation to site specific activities and report on activities to provide relevant management information.
· Liaise and attend meetings with other departments or organisations as necessary.
· Public speaking at educational events or project meetings.
· Attend training and develop relevant knowledge and skills.
· May be assigned to commercial projects or other catchment projects as required and may be required to carry out other duties from time to time.
· Ensure the charity adheres to the requirements of relevant guidance and legislation while aiming to deliver a best-practice approach.
· Training will be provided for specific survey techniques where needed and some lone working may be required.
· Site visits and liaison with a variety of contractors and land managers will be necessary
· To ensure the project’s aims and objectives are delivered to a high standard, upholding WRT’s reputation.
· Use initiative to find solutions to improve processes and make efficiencies.
Essential Criteria:
· A degree in conservation or ecology or a relevant degree-equivalent vocational qualifications will be considered if highly relevant to the position.
· Some technical fisheries expertise and experience
· Demonstrable experience and knowledge of freshwater fisheries, water quality, water resources, or Water Framework Directive management.
· Must have self-motivation and be well organised to deliver multiple workstreams to deadlines.
· Must be willing to carry out survey fieldwork and contractor/ site supervision work as part of delivering a busy catchment schedule.
· Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and work as a team
· Evidence of keeping abreast of current best practice, legislation
· Ability to use initiative and resolve problems in a timely manner.
Desirable Criteria:
· Holds a relevant professional qualification.
· Knowledge of the Exe catchment and rivers of the South West of England.
· Further ecological survey work, habitat assessments and statistical analysis or accompanying environmental skills will be taken into positive consideration.
· Some experience in fish passage and a qualification in electrofishing is an advantage.
· Some knowledge of the planning and permitting systems to facilitate working in rivers.
· Relevant health and safety knowledge (CDM) conducive to running civil engineering sites is an advantage.
· SMSTS, CITB, CSCS card.
· Holds a relevant professional membership
normal office hours which is reimbursed with time off in lieu.
Any offer will be subject to references checks and has a 6 month probation period.
You must have the right to work in the UK.
You must be able to commute to remote sites in a timely manner
Working Hours and Benefits
• Working hours are 37.5 hours a week. The Trust supports flexible working, in agreement with your line manager.
• 25 days leave (+ Bank Holidays) pro-rata with an extra 1 day leave given for every year after 5 years working at the Trust up to a maximum of 30 days
• Pension 6% Employee contribution and a 9% employer contribution
Candidates should supply a CV and a covering letter to the following link:
https://hr.breathehr.com/v/fisheries-technical-officer-29944
Closing date: Monday 26th June at 5pm
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 12th July in person at our Head Office in Stoke Climsland.
Funding is in place for this role and we would be looking to start the position as soon as possible. Preferably starting on or before 14th August but understand candidates may have varying notice periods.
Please contact Kasia Lewis, Head of Resources, at recruitment@wrt.org.uk for further information.
Benefits: 9% Pension
