Assistant Warden (Maternity Cover)

We are looking for someone to join our team as a maternity cover Assistant Warden for 6 months. Are you up for a new challenge, delivering practical management work across The Lodge and Fowlmere (L&F) reserves? The Lodge, Sandy, is a unique heathland and woodland nature reserve at the heart of the RSPB, and Fowlmere is a jewel of a wetland.

With a wide variety of wet and dry habitats to contribute to, heritage and visitor interest, this role offers a unique breadth and variety of work and connection to the wider work of RSPB, and would suit someone with a love of wildlife and managing habitats, strong practical skills, and excellent team-working ability.

What the role is about:

This key role is all about delivering practical conservation and estate work at The Lodge and Fowlmere reserves, assisting with monitoring and surveying including Natterjack Toads and Water Voles, and helping support a great visitor experience to around 100k visitors over the two reserves.

At The Lodge there is heathland to maintain with winter work parties, mixed woodlands are being converted to native broadleaf and adapted for climate change. There are Natterjack Toad ponds, acid grasslands, and arable farmland for wintering passerines. A sand quarry is being gradually restored to heath and bare ground habitats, home to unusual plants and insects. There are around 5 miles of sandy, hilly nature trails.

Fowlmere is smaller but no less stunning, with reedbeds, fens and meres, chalk grassland and a chalk stream, a visitor loop with hides, boardwalks and bridges. There is deer stalkers to supervise, winter scrub and reed cutting, and an ambitious wetland project to complete with contractors adapting ditches and meres to make the site more sustainable in the face of climate change.

You will be joining a close-knit and friendly team based at RSPB The Lodge Gatehouse. This includes the Senior Site Manager, Visitor Experience Manager, Shop and Café team, Head Gardener and teams of enthusiastic volunteers.

What we need from you:

Essential skills include:

• Knowledge of heathland and reedbed habitat, and estate management, gained through practical experience.
• Able to work alone and within a varied team, along with the ability to lead a team of up to 10 volunteers.
• Experience of supporting and managing volunteers in practical tasks.
• Maintenance and use of machinery, tools and equipment such as brushcutters, chainsaws and hand tools.
• Able to use Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel, and Outlook along with other computer packages and apps. Tasks will include revising risk assessments, logging data and communicating with volunteers and contracts in addition to day to day usage of Outlook and Teams.
• Full manual driving licence that is valid for use in the UK.

Desirable qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience:

• Lantra or equivalent qualification in using equipment such as brushcutters and chainsaws.
• Able to identify health and safety risks, update health and safety records and complete required risk assessments to ensure safe site operations.
• Knowledge of the requirements of local agri-environment and cross-compliance regulations.

Additional information:

• This role will involve lone working and working in remote locations.
• This role will require occasional weekend, early morning and evening working so will need someone who is able to be flexible.

This is a 6 month fixed-term full-time role for 37.5 hours per week.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on 13th May 2026. For further information please contact [email protected]

As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.