Senior Reserve Manager - Southwest

Job Description

This position is based at Ghyll Mount, CA11 9BP
, Penrith.

The principal NNRs to be managed by this role are:

• Duddon Mosses

The role will sit within a wider team in South Cumbria who are also responsible for :

• Great Asby Scar
• Roudsea Wood and Mosses

The post will be based at our new NNR base at Earnse Bay, North Walney, within the Earnse Bay Hub. The building will act as the main operational hub for North Walney and Southwest Cumbria NNRs and will support operational and strategic partnership work that delivers nature recovery and public health benefits across Morecambe Bay. It will also provide a base for staff, volunteers, visiting schools and participants, and host a wide range of activities delivered by the Cumbria Area Team and partners.

The post holder is required to have an active onsite presence and be based at North Walney for a minimum of 3 days per week.

The role may require some weekend, public holiday and evening work.

• To provide strategic leadership to deliver Natural England ambitions and drive the NNR / NRN agenda, across south Cumbria’s reserves on a landscape scale.
• To develop and oversee strategic and operational delivery plans for our SW Cumbria NNR group.
• To be responsible for delivering high value and strategically complex work programmes on our SW Cumbria NNR’s, dealing with challenging and complex external issues (e.g. with partners).
• To support the Earnse Project partnership project by developing and supporting long-term volunteer development and access and interpretation improvements at North Walney NNR.
• To support the development of the new North Walney capital build project.
• The capital project is progressing at pace and requires direct SRM input to ensure the building is fully functional, kitted out and fit for purpose, working closely with both the internal and design teams. Once complete, the SRM will act as site supervisor, overseeing facilities management, maintenance, site health and safety, upkeep of the workshop and ensuring the building is fully resourced for NNR operational use.
• To play an integral role pursuing and maintaining external partnerships to achieve and develop our SW Cumbria NNR ambitions.
• To provide functional (and/or) line management to NNR staff and volunteers including responsibility for H&S across the reserves.
• To engage with wider organisation across Programmes and Directorates helping to shape policy and future direction for NNRs.

• Leadership (essential) – ability to line manage and develop others and manage volunteers in a remote setting to achieve good environmental outcomes. Motivate individuals and groups and use coaching and a range of engagement styles.
• H&S (essential) – Including risk assessment and management. Ability to demonstrate good judgement and decision making in complex situations. Experience of the range of tasks required on site and the equipment associated and ability to operate machinery.
• Work delivery (essential) – ability to manage complex, landscape scale or Area (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). wide NNR projects and programmes. Evaluate and assess priorities between NNR groups and balance NNR resources across their area of responsibility. Working with Reserve Managers, ensure delivery is on time and to budget.
• Collaborating and partnerships (desirable) - demonstrates honesty and integrity, steers, or leads NE’s contribution to existing partnerships, has skills for issue resolution. Understands partners’ objectives and needs; can apply strategic thinking to identify the potential for new partnerships/relationships and negotiating skills to establish them.
• Technical skills (essential) – knowledge of the purposes of NNRs, the principles of site selection and the mechanisms involved in tenure, declaration, and other relevant legal and regulatory processes. An understanding of the diversity of reserve activities and the types of methods, tools and equipment used. Competence in relevant IT. Budget management and planning skills, including external funding. Competence in prioritising and planning programmes of work across multiple sites and years.
• Environmental and…