Warden - Reading

Office Location - Heathland House, Heather Farm, Woking, Surrey GU21 4XY
. You must be able to travel to the Thames Basin Heaths SPA daily, with the role requiring occasional weekend/early morning and evening work. The TBH SPA and local partners fall within parts of Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

The team provides an on-the-ground wardening service on the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (TBH SPA). Working closely with the Special Protection Area (SPA) landowners and managers and other key partners (including local authorities, Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission, and The Crown Estate), the team engages directly with the public through engagement and education to raise awareness amongst visitors of the importance and sensitivity of this internationally important heathland site.

The Thames Basin Heaths Partnership (TBHP), hosted by Natural England's Thames Solent Area Team, is fully funded from developer contributions, and is overseen by the Thames Basin Heaths (TBH) Joint Strategic Partnership Board (JSPB), a body comprising eleven local authorities, and Hampshire and Surrey County Councils.

• Responsibilities for this Warden role will be engaging with the public on the SPA and at events, to raise awareness about the SPA's importance, spreading wildfire awareness and promoting Suitable Accessible Natural Green space (SANG) sites as alternatives.
• Additionally, this role will provide support to the team's communications and monitoring functions, through providing social media content, writing articles, and collecting data through surveys.
• The role requires some involvement with the Heathland Hounds project - a sub team of the TBH SAMM project, focused on interacting with dog walkers - who are a key audience to which the projects key message 'paws on paths' is aimed, to encourage behaviour change and ultimately protect the SPA and reduce disturbance to its protected species.
• Warden the SPA and engage and educate the general public about ground-nesting birds, wildfire awareness and the use of SANGs.
• Provide a consistent SPA/SANG message, including the use of promotional and educational materials.
• Organise and deliver onsite events and pop-ups, and support the delivery of a wider engagement programme, including facilitating activities during Heath Week.
• Assist with educational activities both on and off the SPA, including events, workshops and guided walks as required.
• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders, partners and landowners to support the delivery of events, pit stops and pop-ups.
• Contribute to social media content, website blogs and newsletter articles.
• Be willing to learn and adopt new ways of working and new technologies.
• Undertake administrative tasks as required.
• Participate in monitoring activities, including visitor surveys, warden engagement logs and people-counter data collection, ensuring data is entered promptly and accurately.