Senior Site Manager – RSPB Haweswater

We are looking for an organised, dynamic, and passionate person to lead the team and work
programme delivery on this large and exciting upland partnership reserve.

Wild Haweswater is a collaborative partnership between RSPB and United Utilities at the heart
of the English Lake District. This is an exciting and varied role that presents a fantastic
opportunity to make a real difference for nature, at scale! Haweswater is one of the RSPB’s
most significant flagship upland reserves, and this role will see the successful candidate
drive forward our joint landscape scale conservation delivery and working to re-enable natural
processes on this extensive site.

To make a success of this opportunity, you will be a capable manager with the ability to work
well with a broad range of contacts, both within the RSPB and United Utilities and beyond. You
will be able to apply your strong programme and people management skills in a pragmatic and
focused way to enable the reserve team to deliver the best possible outcomes for water quality,
priority habitats and species. 

What’s the role about?

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in driving and overseeing a significant and
complex work programme across Haweswater with a wider landscape impact.

The reserve sits in the Eastern Fells in Cumbria within the Lake District National Park. It
hosts important populations of many species, such as rare alpine plants, a suite of woodland
birds like Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler, Mountain Ringlet and Marsh Fritillary butterflies,
Ring Ouzel and Red Squirrels. The reserve has extensive areas of mountain and montane habitats,
Atlantic oak woodland and flower rich hay meadows. We have undertaken a significant programme
of high-profile habitat restoration works to date, including peatland restoration, upland
woodland creation and river restoration. Our in-house farm team manages the site with extensive
cattle grazing utilising NoFence technology, to deliver our ecological land management. The
reserve sits at the heart of Cumbria Connect, a landscape scale restoration project with us
featuring as a core site alongside our neighbours and partners at Lowther Estate. The role will
see you working closely alongside our wider conservation team and partners alike.

Haweswater has long been an important site for demonstrating innovative techniques for habitat
restoration, sustainable agriculture and upland management and remains one of our most
important demonstration sites where we spend a significant amount of time hosting visits to the
reserve.

Management on the reserve is often multi-layered and complex, so good project management skills
twinned with forward thinking, and a keen willingness to solve practical problems will be
required. 

The successful candidate will have an important external role, building positive relationships
with key partners and stakeholders, so that partnerships policies and messages are understood
and furthered within relevant partnerships, communities, the media and to a range of
stakeholders and decision makers.

Key elements of reserve management include managing the team, budgeting/financial management,
H&S, compliance, project management, management planning, reporting and public relations.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Effective project and budget management skills
• Ability to prioritise work programmes
• Strong team management experience
• Experience of managing large nature reserves, sites or land management operations
• Knowledge of the wildlife and habitats of the area
• Knowledge of upland livestock management systems
• Ability to work effectively as a team or partnership member
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentational) –including an ability
  to speak in public to a variety of audiences to share best practice and advocate positions to
  landowners and managers, local politicians, members and volunteers who have differing views.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of working to survey, protect and/or manage important sites, species, or
  habitats, especially in the uplands
• Knowledge of upland land management, especially in relation to upland farming and grazing,
  woodland creation and rewilding
• Understanding of the importance of a range of management interventions including predator
  control and professional deer management

This is a Permanent Full-Time role for 37.5 hours per week. We are looking to conduct
interviews for this position from 2nd May 2024, at RSPB Haweswater reserve.
For further information please get in touch with David Morris, Area Manager: [email protected].

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.

Please note that this position does not qualify for sponsorship. The chosen candidate must be
able to present a valid right-to-work document.