Community Outreach Officer – Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels

Status: Full time (35 hrs/week), Fixed term (until 31st March 2028)
Salary: Competitive
Location: Blairgowrie Office, Perthshire (working across the Central lowlands and Southern Highlands)

As Scotland’s leading nature conservation charity, we welcome applications from individuals who are looking to join us in our journey of protecting Scotland’s wildlife for the future.

From major species and landscape restoration projects, to managing our network of wildlife reserves and campaigning for nature, we work for Scotland’s wildlife year-round.

We give a voice to wildlife through our policy and campaigning work, demonstrate best practice through practical conservation work, engage with people to take positive action through our education programmes and events, and so much more.

The Role

The Community Outreach Officer will contribute to the protection of the Highland Line (HL), a coast-to-coast control zone which aims to prevent grey squirrels from moving north from Central Scotland into the red strongholds of the Highlands and Grampians. Progressed through a programme of targeted grey squirrel monitoring and control, you’ll help support the protection and expansion of red squirrel populations in accordance with the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels strategy. This role requires an approachable individual with experience recruiting, motivating, training, coordinating and managing community-based volunteers (groups and individuals) to undertake active conservation work.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Working closely with the Monitoring and Control Officers (MCOs)
• Supporting and expanding volunteer networks through volunteer recruitment and onboarding
• Data entry and digital records
• Engaging and building relations with key stakeholders, landowners and local authorities
• Providing community network support and communications. This will include identifying opportunities to engage difficult-to-reach people and new audiences in the Central Lowlands.

Specifically, this includes

1. Recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to carry out fortnightly feeder box monitoring surveys, ensuring they have the equipment and consumables required, and providing practical support and temporary survey cover as needed.
2. Manage and coordinate the processing of monitoring samples and resulting data. This includes the analysis of hair samples to identify and record red squirrel, grey squirrel or pine marten detections and sharing results with volunteers.
3. Alongside the SSRS HL team, engaging with and recruit new landowners/managers to undertake grey squirrel control and monitoring on their land.
4. Developing methodologies to ensure sustained engagement and data sharing to support independent controllers across the Highland Line region
5. Engaging and building relations with new and existing stakeholders to support the project.
6. Leading strategic events, talks, and other activities to promote active community understanding and participation of red squirrel conservation in Scotland

The successful candidate will

• Possess a relevant degree
• Have experience of recruiting, motivating, training, coordinating and managing volunteers
• A good understanding of conservation principles, invasive non-native species management, wildlife practices and legislation
• Experience of working with landowners, gamekeepers, foresters and the public is desirable
• Experience with keeping and maintaining accurate records using Microsoft packages is essential and knowledge of ArcGIS would be useful
• There may occasionally be a requirement to work out of normal working hours
• You must possess a full clean driving licence and have use of a vehicle

Closing date: midnight Monday 15th June
Interview date: Thursday 25th June