Senior Land & Natural Capital Advisors (East Devon and Devon-wide) x2

Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting two Senior Land & Natural Capital Advisors – East
Devon and Devon wide.

This is a permanent contract after a successful 6 month probation period.

The starting salary for this role is £32,000 – £35,000 dependent on experience
(Salary negotiable for the right candidate)

The role is 37.5 hours per week.

We support Hybrid working, so there will be the opportunity to work from home in this role and
work flexible hours. Travel to sites throughout the Westcountry will also be required
regularly; this role is a mixture of office and site based.

Benefits while working for Westcountry Rivers Trust

• 25 days Annual Leave per annum, with a reward for long service – an additional 1 day per
  year for each year worked over 5 years, up to a maximum of 30 days for employees serving 10
  years continuous service.
• Additional Leave covering the Christmas Closure period.
• 9% Employer Pension, plus Life Assurance cover
• Flexible working

Apply by midnight on Sunday 8th September 2024.

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Stoke Climsland on Friday
20th September 2024.

For queries about this role or the application process please contact [email protected] 

About the Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect
rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism,
reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health.

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities,
businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and
coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a
more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of climate
emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment
resilience.

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots
organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s, a group of
individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch
together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust
we know today.

It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river
restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders and which lies
behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees

The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services team. Our employees work on
delivery sites, from home and from the office. Following the pandemic we have moved to a hybrid
way of working and it is important that our IT enables and supports this change.

The Role

We work with grant funders, water company initiatives, government funding, and through
commercial activities to deliver change, both in our rivers and on the land that they drain. We
are looking for two Senior Land & Natural Capital Advisors to join our team, supporting
them in delivering a wide range of farm and land management advice. One of these roles is
specific to East Devon, the other will be more Devon-wide. This is a fantastic opportunity for
the right candidates to work for Westcountry Rivers Trust, a dynamic and aspirational
organization, at the forefront of environmental thinking and practical conservation in the UK
today. 

The Senior Land & Natural Capital Advisors will report to the Land Team managers and will
work alongside other farm advisors. Joining the Land Team at WRT, your role will be to apply
your practical and professional knowledge and experience in the Agricultural and Environmental
sectors to combine farmer and landowner engagement, and the ability to identify and develop
opportunities in catchment management, whilst meeting project remits and deliverables. As an
advisor in the Land Team, you could end up working on land management projects with the
following outputs:

Key responsibilities include:

• Advice and recommendations to farmers regarding management of crops and grassland, to
  reduce soil erosion and surface runoff risk, and minimise nutrient losses.
• Identification of opportunities for natural flood management methods, to hold water in the
  landscape in order to reduce downstream flood risk.
• Identification of opportunities for biodiversity enhancement, particularly where
  nature-based solutions will restore existing valuable habitat or create new habitat.
• Advice and recommendations to farmers regarding the management of livestock and livestock
  infrastructure, with the aim of improving nutrient efficiency and reducing pollution risk.
• Advice and recommendations to farmers regarding current funding opportunities and markets
  for green finance.

Working as a Senior Land Advisor requires a broad range of skills and experience, which
includes practical on the ground experience in a farm or nature conservation setting, an
ability to engage farming audiences, and an approachable and trustworthy personality, to allow
WRT to build on our existing presence and reputation locally. The Trust prides itself on its
ability to provide scientifically grounded advice in a role which requires strong interpersonal
skills; the overall aim being to support sustainable best farm practice and encourage uptake of
positive actions. If not already in possession of professional Agricultural Industry
qualifications, there are opportunities for the right candidate to be put through courses such
as BASIS Soil and Water, and FACTS (Fertiliser Advisor Certification and Training Scheme).

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver tailored farm advice, plans, reports, or workshop events as part of a
  programme of water and land management improvements, including capital grants and
  agri-environment scheme applications.
• Proactively develop leads and contacts over time, to build on WRT existing coverage across
  target catchments, to engage directly with farmers, landowners and growers to raise awareness
  of the relevant project and build opportunities for project delivery.
• Undertake surveys, monitoring (e.g. water quality, soil or nutrient) or analysis as
  required – supporting evidence of actions for case studies, reports and project promotion.
• Co-ordinate, attend and contribute to relevant meetings, workshops or stakeholder groups,
  to achieve Project aims and to share best practice, raise awareness and promote WRT’s role.
• Work closely with the Project Manager and Project Administrator to ensure project outputs,
  deadlines and reporting are met, as well as with other key members or Teams at WRT e.g. for
  delivery, admin etc.
• Liaise with the Managers and other members of the Land Team, to ensure clear communication,
  and demonstrate progress or outcomes, and to share knowledge as appropriate.
• Build relationships across WRT to increase the reach and impact of projects across the
  Trust.
• Proactively build contacts across sectors to further identify opportunities which align
  with project remit or achieve mutual objectives e.g. Sustainable Farming Incentive and
  Landscape Recovery projects.
• To take ownership of project deliverables, targets and deadlines whilst seeking to exceed
  and excel, considering innovations and trial solutions.
• General advocacy of WRT, to promote and deliver services to funders, clients, and partners.
• You may be asked to take on other relevant duties as appropriate, including developing
  ideas, identifying options for new work, drafting bids or tenders.
• The role requires regular local travel within the catchments, local area, WRT office and
  meetings.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Extensive work experience within agriculture or conservation/farming related discipline.
• Sound knowledge of local farming practices, as well as current Agri-Environment schemes and
  relevant Policies or Legislation; in particular soil and water conservation.
• Confident and competent to deliver tailored farm advice, including the interpretation and
  feedback of data e.g. nutrient plans, soil data.
• Experience / knowledge of catchment-scale approaches and processes, familiar with concepts
  of Ecosystem Services, Natural Capital, Natural Flood Management, Nature Based Solutions etc.
• Knowledge and competence in Microsoft Office applications, accuracy & attention to
  detail with record keeping.
• Local area knowledge an advantage (one role will be specifically East Devon focussed, the
  other more broadly across Devon).
• Appropriate Degree level qualification preferably in an agricultural or
  conservation/farming/science related discipline (D).
• BASIS Soil & Water and/ or FACTS trained (D).
• Experience in handling Countryside Stewardship, Sustainable Farming Incentive, or Woodland
  Grant applications (D).

The above are Essential criteria unless indicated as Desirable (D).