Allonby Bay (Marine Science and Engagement) Officer

Location: Allonby Bay, Gosling Sike
Salary: £33,458 based on a 35-hour week, plus pension contributions
Contract length: Fixed term for 12 months. Starting in September 2026

We have an exciting opportunity for a dedicated Marine engagement officer to join our Marine Team.

This role will be centred around Allonby Bay, a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) and the surrounding coastline.

Our ideal candidate will have a passion for connecting people to their local marine environment and be able to engage and help build awareness, shaping how people connect with and benefit from the marine environment around them.

This role will be centred around Allonby Bay Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) and the surrounding coastline with the option of working from home and with office space available at Gosling Sike, Carlisle.

The opportunity:

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Allonby Bay (Marine Science and Engagement) Officer to help deliver an exciting project supporting the long-term success of England’s first Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) at Allonby Bay, designated in 2023. In this varied and rewarding role, you will combine community engagement, citizen science, marine monitoring, and partnership working to help people better understand, value, and connect with this nationally important marine environment.

Allonby Bay is a unique stretch of coast, rich in marine wildlife and an important place for local communities, businesses, and sea users. You will lead the delivery of an innovative citizen science and marine engagement programme, working with volunteers, local businesses, conservation partners, and recreational and commercial sea users to build awareness of the HPMA and encourage positive action for marine conservation. You will also design and deliver events, workshops, and interpretation activities that make marine conservation engaging, accessible, and relevant to diverse audiences.

Working closely with project partners, statutory conservation bodies, local stakeholders, and businesses, you will act as a bridge between sea users and conservation organisations, ensuring local perspectives help shape project delivery. Alongside engagement activities, you will contribute to project management, reporting, evaluation, communications, and knowledge-sharing, helping to demonstrate the impact of the project and share learning with others.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference for marine nature recovery while helping communities engage with one of the UK’s most important marine conservation initiatives. If you are passionate about marine conservation, organised and proactive, and enjoy bringing people together around a shared purpose, we would love to hear from you.

Whilst we will select against the criteria in the job description, we do not expect candidates to meet 100% of the criteria and encourage you to apply if you believe that you would be a good fit for this role.

For more information and to apply, please click on the link below.

Please note, Cumbria Wildlife Trust does not own the HPMA and is not responsible for enforcement of the HPMA. This is an awareness project about the local marine and coastal wildlife.