Assistant to the Head of Conservation

Assistant to the Head of Conservation

As part of an Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship

• Full Time, Permanent, Grade 1
• Salary Range: £12.21-12.70 per hour (FTE for 37.5hr week £23,810 – £24,762)
• Starting salary will depend upon experience.
• 28 days Annual Leave (including Bank Holidays) & Nest Pension Scheme
• Closing date for applications: 12pm on Friday
  5th September 2025

Job Description

The primary role is to assist the Head of Conservation in delivering Spains Hall Estate’s ambitious and innovative
Ecological Landscape
Plan whilst completing a BSc (Honours) Environmental and Sustainability degree at Harper
Adams University.

The work will be wide-ranging, enabling the appropriate candidate to build up a wealth of
experience in ecology, farming, agro-forestry, natural flood management, practical conservation
and Estate management.

Day-to-day activities will consist primarily of the management, monitoring and reporting of
complex agri-environment schemes, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) projects and the Estate’s
woodland management programme. Assistance will also be required with a range of ecological
research and monitoring projects, often in collaboration with other research organisations and
skilled volunteers.

The role will be a blend of office-based work, field ecology and hands-on practical Estate
operations and management, with these work areas outlined below:

• Office-based work will include GIS mapping, funding applications, licenses, evidence
  collation, reporting and finance.
• Field ecology will include GPS mapping, habitat assessment (E.g. botanical surveys, aquatic
  surveys, BNG condition assessments) and species-specific survey work (E.g. invertebrates, deer,
  small mammals, bat and bird surveying). There may also be opportunities to learn research
  techniques such as radio-tracking and to shadow specialist surveyors.
• Practical Estate operations will include a mix of machine and manual work such as tractor
  driving (E.g. cultivations & cutting), tree planting & pruning, fence checks, use of
  hand-held power tools and equipment maintenance.

During seasonally busy periods on the Estate, a commitment and willingness to undertake some
out-of-hours work will be required.

Full training will be provided for all aspects of the role.

Spains Hall Estate will pay the standard hours’ salary, along with reasonable expenses and
accommodation during degree modules at Harper Adams University.

University fees are covered by the Apprenticeship levy scheme for eligible applicants. The
apprentice will have one field trip supported by the Estate in year 1. Any further (optional)
residential field courses would be the assistant’s personal responsibility.

Essential Qualifications

A U.K. full, clean driving manual licence is an essential requirement.

Entry requirements and further details of the degree can be found at
BSc (Hons) Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship Degree Undergraduate

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

The following are desirable, but not essential:

• A valid First Aid Qualification
• U.K. ecological surveying and/or practical conservation experience
• Computer experience such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and GIS mapping
• Tractor driving experience
• Hand-held power tool experience
• Off-road driving experience

Essential Personal Attributes

• Organised, polite, respectful and punctual
• Good communication skills
• Motivated and open-minded with a positive ‘can-do’ approach
• A willingness to work within a team
• Self-sufficient, adaptable and can demonstrate initiative
• A common sense and practical approach to tasks, which includes being suitably attired
• A willingness to learn and work hard

The closing date for applications is 12pm on Friday 5th September 2025.

Suitable applicants will be invited for interview and an Estate tour within 7 days of the
closing date.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Sarah prior to the closing date.