Farm Advisor / Woodlands Officer

Job Title: Farm Advisor / Woodlands Officer

Purpose: To deliver two main projects: Providing farm advice and support for a
new project in the southern part of LRT’s operational area; Developing a project for riparian
woodland creation.

Reports to: Trust Manager

Location: Hybrid. Working from home and from LRT’s office near Kirkby
Lonsdale. Frequent site work will be required at locations across LRT’s operational area,
particularly the southern part (Lancaster to Pilling).

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week. Flexible working hours.

Salary: £24,815 – £27,000

Contract: 12 month fixed term contract (with potential to extend)

The Lune Rivers Trust is a small but ambitious environmental charity dedicated to the
protection and enhancement of all the rivers and tributaries in the Lune catchment. We cover a
large area, from Tebay in the north, to Ingleton in the east and Pilling in the south.

We have just received a large donation from United Utilities to support our work. This will
enable us to expand our activities through the creation of five new projects. It will also
involve the expansion of our team, and the creation of two new posts. The post of Farm Advisor/
Woodlands Officer is one of these. We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic person to
join our team and to run two of our projects.

Farmer Engagement in the southern part of our operational area (from Lancaster
to Pilling). This is a new project which aims to expand our current farmer engagement
activities (in the north, east and central areas) into the southern part of our area. The Farm
Advisor/ Woodlands Officer would be responsible for setting up and running this project.

Riparian Woodland Creation. LRT has previously carried out a number of small
riparian woodland creation projects, mainly in the Cumbria and north Lancashire parts of our
catchment. We now have funding to expand these activities. The Farm Advisor/ Woodlands Officer
would act as our focal point for riparian woodland creation.

The split in time between the two projects is flexible, but in broad terms will be 50:50.

We use a flexible working hours/ Time Owed in Lieu system. We also work a mixture of based from
home, based from our office near Kirkby Lonsdale, and on site across our catchment.
Arrangements are flexible, with the general aim to be in the office 2-3 days per week.

We are open to considering whether this role could be carried out on a job-share/ part-time
basis. If you would like to explore this possibility, please mention it in your application.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Farmer Engagement – South

• Establish and build a trusted working relationship with farmers in the southern part of
  LRT’s operational area (Lancaster to Pilling).
• Provide farm advice to build farmers’ knowledge around diffuse pollution, natural flood
  management, and riverine habitats.
• Work with farmers in this area to identify opportunities to bring environmental benefits to
  rivers and streams.

Riparian Woodlands Creation

• To act as LRT’s focal point for riparian woodland creation.
• Identify riparian woodland creation opportunities in the southern part of LRT’s operational
  area.
• Work closely with LRT’s other staff members to identify riparian woodland creation
  opportunities elsewhere in LRT’s operational area.
• Understand and keep up to date on agri-environmental schemes or other funding mechanisms
  that support creation of woodlands next to rivers and streams. Understand the benefits and
  limitations of each funding mechanism, especially in relation to income generation potential
  for farmers.

PERSON DESCRIPTION

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate that they are exceptionally self-motivated
and are passionate about improving the environment and working with farmers and landowners.
They must also be a good communicator and enthusiastic about continuing to develop their
knowledge and skills.

Essential

• Good knowledge and understanding of agriculture and farming practices.
• Degree level or equivalent qualification in agriculture/land management or relevant
  environmental topic.
• Extensive experience in agriculture/ land management will be considered in lieu of a formal
  qualification.

Desirable

• Knowledge of agri-environment schemes, including related to woodland creation.
• Knowledge and experience of a range of catchment processes and how they interact.

HOW TO APPLY: 

If you would like more information or an informal chat about the post, please contact Tim Pitt
(Trust Manager) on 079 49 24 26 55 or [email protected].

To apply for this post please send a current CV and a motivation letter to: [email protected]. Please use your motivation
letter as an opportunity to explain why you are interested in this post, the skills and
experience you can offer, how you meet the criteria set out in the Person Description, and any
other information you consider relevant.

Closing date for applications: Midnight 21st January 2024.