Data, Evidence and Engagement Officer

Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting for a Data, Evidence and Engagement
Officer.

This is a permanent contract, after a successful 6 month probation period.

The role is 37.5 hours per week.

The starting salary for this role is between £25,000 to £27,500 per annum, depending on
experience.

Benefits whilst working for Westcountry Rivers Trust include:

• 25 days Annual Leave per annum, with a reward for long service – an additional 1 day per
  year for each year worked over 5 years, up to a maximum of 30 days for employees with 10 years
  continuous service.
• Additional Leave covering the Christmas Closure period.
• 9% Employer Pension, plus Life Assurance cover.
• Flexible working.

Apply by midnight on Monday 9th September 2024.

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Stoke Climsland on
Thursday 19th September 2024.

Westcountry Rivers Trust’s office is in Stoke Climsland and whilst we have adopted hybrid
working there is an expectation to work from the office on a regular basis and to travel to
sites across the delivery area. During the probation period there will be an expectation to be
in the office 2 days a week as a minimum. 

About the Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect
rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism,
reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health. Everything the Trust does is
informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’
considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them.

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities,
businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and
coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a
more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of climate
emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment
resilience.

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots
organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s, a group of
individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch
together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust
we know today.

Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an
‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers
that flow within them.

It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river
restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders and which lies
behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees
with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi-annual projects spread across a wide range of
funders.

The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services team. Our employees work on
delivery sites, from home, and from the office.

About the Role

The Evidence & Engagement Team supports the Trust’s on-going work in using a whole
ecosystem approach to plan and deliver nature based solutions for catchment management and
river improvement initiatives across the river catchments of the South West and beyond. The
team is instrumental in ensuring that the Trust is delivering the right measures, in the right
places, and in monitoring and reporting the impacts of our work. Effective engagement and
communication are essential to ensure that key stakeholders, both external and internal at WRT,
are well informed and engaged. 

This role will focus on assisting delivery within the areas of Monitoring and Citizen
Science . 

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordination and support for Citizen Science volunteers (emails, surveys, general support)
• Data, collation, analysis and reporting.
• Planning, coordinating and delivering training to Citizen Science communities across the
  South West
• Fieldwork, monitoring and data collection including physical, chemical and biological water
  quality parameters.
• Designing, coordinating and delivering engagement and co-creation events and workshops
• Some small budget management.
• Delivery of other types of project work, as and when required.
• Assist with development of Westcountry Rivers Trust volunteer offer.
• Assist with growth f volunteer numbers and retention against agreed targets.
• Recruitment, training, supervision and support of volunteers.
• Other administrative tasks required by the Trust including meeting H&S requirements;
  time sheeting & expenses; attendance at training, CPD & team away days; attendance at
  project inception meetings etc.

Essential Criteria: 

• A good knowledge of, or background in, the environmental or conservation sectors.
• A degree, or comparable qualification or experience in Environmental
  Science/Ecology/Geography or related discipline.
• A knowledge of approaches to landscape-scale conservation, ecosystem services, nature based
  solutions, catchment management, river restoration and engagement and/or co-creation.
• Experience in fieldwork and data collection, analysis, and presentation.
• Ability to manage workload and time effectively.
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office 365.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills for a wide range of audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, both face-to-face and in online meetings.
• Organisational and admin skills, with good attention to detail in order to maintain a
  filing system, keep appropriate records of work undertaken and outcomes, and file expenses in
  line with funders requirements.
• Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• The role requires travel across the Westcountry for meetings, events, workshops and to
  remote fieldwork sites.

Desirable Criteria: 

• A post-graduate degree in a relevant discipline
• Experience of working with communities and citizen scientists
• Experience in environmental and biological monitoring
• Experience in environmental modelling or GIS
• Ability to produce high quality, visually engaging science communications materials.
• Experience in knowledge brokering with communities or community resilience.
• Knowledge of or experience in or willingness to learn about sustainability transitions.