Senior Farm Advisor

Job Title Senior Farm Advisor
Job Location Home based, with frequent travel and site visits throughout the
catchment
Contract 12 months, with a view to extension, subject to funding
Hours Full time, 5 days per week (40 hours per week / 1 FTE). The role may
sometimes require evening and weekend work. Part time hours may be considered
Holiday 25 days per year pro rata (in addition to bank and public holidays)
Line Report to Head of Operations

Brief

Effective landscape restoration requires data driven decisions. At Bristol Avon Rivers Trust
(BART), we work in partnership with landowners, businesses, community groups, local government
and their advisers for the natural environment to identify and deliver interventions to make
our catchment richer and more resilient to pressures. We are looking for a person to join our
expanding team to identify habitats and species worth protecting—identify opportunities for
habitat creation, expansion, and improvement across the Bristol Avon catchment —from the
headwaters of sub-catchments, right down to the lowland floodplains of North Somerset and the
Severn Vale.

We are a growing Trust, with big ambitions for the Bristol Avon and its tributaries. This new
role is a key addition to our team, who focus on solving environmental problems with
nature-based solutions. Working to support and advise colleagues, you will be out in the field
conducting surveys, walkovers, and site visits—to help both gather evidence of issues and build
habitat improvement projects that offer multiple benefits to important ecosystem services such
as natural flood management, carbon capture and storage, and water stewardship to support a
biodiverse and resilient catchment. In addition to this, the Senior Farm Advisor role will
involve the development of whole farm plans, desk based work to continue on from opportunities
discussed in the field, including the production of outline designs allowing the Trust to take
plans forward to delivery phase. This role will involve the management and oversight of certain
projects and their budgets, as well as completing grant applications with landowners, and
therefore the role will involve a good proportion of working from home as well as being out in
the field.

This position will the Trusts’ representative at the West Of England Agricultural Group and
will contribute to the Trust’s growing farm advisor work, with a focus on scoping the delivery
of wildlife friendly agricultural advice and land management, in order to further the Trust’s
goals to restore wildlife and connect people with nature across the Bristol Avon catchment.

BART’s ambition is for our soil and water resources to be managed sustainably to enable food
production alongside functioning ecosystems and wildlife rich habitats, and we strive for our
local communities, decision-makers, landowners, and business to work collectively to protect
and enhance the health of our rivers.

Key Responsibilities

To identify new landowners and farm managers that BART can help advise or support in the
management of wildlife friendly farming and land management practices; with a focus on clusters
of farmers, and owners of large estates, and working in our priority catchments alongside
partners and other eNGO’s.

To identify new opportunities for BART to expand its landowner engagement work, such as:

• Establish and / or partake in farmer Clusters (e.g. via facilitation fund) to bring
  farmers, and other land managers together to work cooperatively and prioritise activities to
  improve the local natural environment, at a landscape scale.
• Create partnerships with landowners, NGOs and other stakeholders for landscape scale
  wildlife interventions on privately owned land.
• Supporting farm businesses to enter government schemes (e.g., Countryside Stewardship,
  Woodland Management, and the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), or environmental
  assurance schemes (e.g., Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) and other capital grant schemes
  which encourage environmentally sensitive practice.
• Undertaking farm surveys (for wildlife and natural capital) and developing whole-farm plans
  aimed to deliver environmental goods (e.g., carbon, soil, wildlife benefits, for the new ELMS).
  Working closely and supporting BART’s ecologists.
• Undertaking land management on farms to deliver environmental goods and enhance wildlife on
  agricultural land.

An example working week is very diverse and could involve organising farm events, undertaking
farm walkover surveys to identify opportunities for landscape recovery, monitoring farm trials,
leading farm cluster groups, as well as desk-based elements of writing whole farm plans,
managing project budgets, identifying funding routes and developing grant funding applications
to support farmers in taking action.

Where you’ll be working

BART is a charitable organisation focussed on protecting and improving rivers and waterways
across the Bristol Avon Catchment. We operate across North Somerset, Bristol, South
Gloucestershire, Bath and Northeast Somerset and Wiltshire, working in partnership with the
Environment Agency, local authorities, the water industry, private landowners and their
tenants, charitable organisations, and community interest groups. You will be working across
the range of landscapes and habitats in the Bristol Avon catchment. There will be a mix of
working from home and across the river catchment.

Who we are looking for

BART is looking for a candidate with a sound understanding of agricultural land management from
both a yard infrastructure and compliance perspective as well as a sound understanding of
environmental measures such as those included within Countryside Stewardship and the
Sustainable Farming Incentive. You will have excellent communication skills and a down to earth
approach towards working with people. You will be self-motivated and able to work across a
number of environments including from home, can manage competing deadlines, and deliver tasks
to a high standard and provide line management to BART’s Farm Advisor. You must have a clean
full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle.

Above all, you will be committed to our agenda as a Trust, what we stand for, and what we want
to achieve.

Person Specification

Experience of:

• Demonstrating leadership and expertise in wildlife friendly agricultural advice and land
  management.

Knowledge and Understanding of:

• Current environmental legislation, including Biodiversity Net Gain, Priority Habitats, and
  Priority Species – Essential.
• Ecosystem goods and services – Essential.
• Metrics for quantifying and reporting landscape changes (e.g. woodland carbon code,
  peatland carbon code) – Desirable.
• Strategic partnership development and relationship management – Desirable.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent level of experience in agriculture, or another relevant environmental
  discipline.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in delivering agricultural advice and/or management.
• Experience in undertaking land management on agricultural land to deliver environmental
  goods and enhance wildlife.
• Excellent communication skills, with a track record of building and maintaining
  relationships with external partners.
• An ability to work under pressure, and experience of managing own workload with minimum
  supervision whilst meeting deadlines.
• Excellent IT skills especially with Microsoft Office.
• A current UK-valid driving licence.

Desirable

• Experience in facilitating Farmer Clusters, and/or supporting farm businesses enter
  countryside stewardship schemes.
• Line management experience. Experience of managing projects and budgets.
• Relevant professional qualification (RICTS/FACTS/BASIS).
• Mapping using LandApp, GIS, and others Desirable.
• Presenting environmental information to develop compelling evidence for change.
• Experience in line management of staff as this role will oversee 1 or more Farm Advisors.

Personal Qualities

• Excellent organisational skills/discipline and the ability to plan, track, deliver and
  evaluate work – Essential.
• Ability to prioritise and deliver work to relevant standards and tight deadlines – Essential.
• Ability to work under own initiative, and as part of a larger, cross-functional team – Essential.
• Amenable and friendly towards colleagues and external parties. Excellent at building
  rapport and trust amongst farmers and land managers – Essential.
• Innovative and applies creative thought to develop new initiatives and problem solving – Desirable.

Standard Terms & Conditions

• Salary: £39,000 pro rata. Salaries are paid each month by bank transfer.
• Hours: The Trust operates a 40-hour working week (full time). Our core hours
  of business are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
• Contract: This position is initially available on a fixed term contract for 12
  months.
• Flexibility: The Trust recognises the importance of a strong work-life balance
  and actively promotes this. The Trust, where possible, endeavours to meet the flexible working
  needs of its employees. A high degree of flexibility is provided to staff members in relation
  to hours and location of work. Part time work may be considered.
• Holidays: 25 days per year (in addition to bank and public holidays). (Pro
  rata for part time roles)
• Pensions: You may be eligible to be auto enrolled to the Rivers Trust Group
  Pension Plan with Royal London which provides an employer contribution of 9%.
• Notice Period: One month following satisfactory completion of a 3 month
  probationary period.
• Place of Work: Home office based, with travel across the catchment as
  required.
• Travel: Public transport is encouraged where possible. Business mileage is
  claimed through our expense’s procedure. The candidate must have access to a vehicle for
  business purposes and a clean driving license.

Closing date

The closing date for applications for this role is Friday 15th March.

Interviews

Interviews will be held using video conferencing week commencing Monday 18th and 25th March.

How to Apply

To apply please email your CV and a covering letter detailing your experience relevant to the
role to [email protected] before the
closing date.

We look forward to receiving your application.

If you would like an informal conversation about this role, or if you would like more
information, please contact us at: [email protected] and we will arrange a
convenient time for a discussion.