Loch Abar Mòr – Nature Restoration Officer

LOCH ABAR MÒR – NATURE RESTORATION OFFICER

(Full time, home-based within Scotland, ideally Lochaber or nearby)

Loch Abar Mòr is a landscape-scale partnership bringing together land managers, communities and businesses in the West Highlands, who have all made a 50-year commitment to nature restoration, as a solution to the climate and biodiversity crises.

Convened by nature restoration charity SCOTLAND:
The Big Picture (SBP), the partnership works at a regional scale to restore and reconnect a thriving network of natural habitats, to return more wildlife to the landscape, and to create new social and economic opportunities for Lochaber’s communities.

Loch Abar Mòr launched in May 2024 with six founding partners, and has since grown to fourteen partners who steward more than 120,000 acres of land, and share a 50-year vision to create a rich mosaic of habitats, alive with nature and weaving across boundaries, in which people work and live with a sense of pride and belonging.

This new role will support the delivery of nature restoration projects with and for the partnership as aspirations and ideas for change are translated into actionable plans and projects over the coming months and years.

The Nature Restoration Officer will work with the Loch Abar Mòr Partnership Manager to create, shape, and communicate nature restoration and community engagement projects. Initially this will focus on the completion of restoration scoping and planning work across a broad range of habitats as part of grant-funded development phases. In future years, the Nature Restoration Officer will have a crucial role in securing funding and managing the delivery of these plans to achieve targeted outcomes for community, nature connectivity and climate.

The postholder will own and track the information and processes that underpin the partnership as it develops further, ensuring its growth and development are built on solid and efficient foundations.

The role will report directly to the Loch Abar Mòr Partnership Manager, with oversight by SBP Head of Projects.

The role will form and deepen existing working relationships with Loch Abar Mòr partner organisations through the Partner Steering Group and interact with a wide range of stakeholders interested in or impacted by the partnership. The role will also form a network of relationships with contractors and advisors across Scotland involved in nature restoration work.

The role will be hosted by SCOTLAND:
The Big Picture, so close working will also be needed with wider SBP team members to draw upon skills and experience relevant to the partnership.

• Work with the Loch Abar Mòr Partnership Manager to complete the National Lottery Heritage Fund and montane woodland development phases and produce ambitious, considered plans to deliver multi-habitat restoration across Lochaber.
• Make nature restoration happen on the ground, through the delivery of projects and activities with and for the project partners. These have the potential to stretch across the full range of ecosystems in the region, from seabed to summit – including marine enhancement, river restoration, wild grazing, mountain woodland restoration, invasive species control and deer management.
• Manage, track and organise the information that underpins the partnership, including project plans and budgets, comms text, etc.
• Commission, manage and support ecological surveys, feasibility studies and other input from expert contributors required to guide nature restoration plans and priorities.
• Working closely with the SBP fundraising team, develop the information needed to seek funding for projects, and to report back to funders.
• Working with the Loch Abar Mòr Community Engagement Lead and partners, build and manage a plan to engage communities around the partnership’s aims and aspirations, as well as delivering these on the ground.
• Support environmental research projects with partners across the region.
• Take ownership for the planning and delivery of partnership events, including preparation of materials, booking and logistical arrangements, etc.
• Support managing the day to day…