Grazing Officer

Salary: £26,475, additional dog allowance, out of hours and call out payment where applicable
Hours: 35 hours a week with weekend working, out of hours call out and emergency cover

Sussex Wildlife Trust

To deliver our new strategic plan – Our Wild Sussex – we need people with bold and innovative ideas to help us to achieve our ambitions for local wildlife and wild places.

We are committed to restoring and protecting at least 30% of Sussex land and sea for nature, inspiring one in four people to take meaningful action for wildlife, building a stronger more inclusive and diverse organisation and becoming a net zero and climate resilient organisation.

We are looking for the best and most talented people to join our team and help us deliver this exciting and ambitious strategy. We are keen to hear from you even if you don’t have all the skills and experience outlined in the Job Description but have the potential to grow into a role.

So, if you are someone who is determined to see a Sussex rich in wildlife and you have drive, energy and commitment to our values of Innovation, Passion, Collaboration and Inclusion why not apply now to join our great team, working together to deliver Our Wild Sussex.

In order to encourage diversity and inclusivity within the environment sector, we particularly welcome applications from people who have an ethnically or geographically diverse background, who are non-graduates and/or are living in economically deprived areas.

The Role

You will be part of a team that manages the Trust’s livestock and delivers grazing on reserves across East and West Sussex. The trust currently runs nearly 300 head of cattle, 1000 head of sheep and a small group of goats and ponies, all of which help deliver conservation objectives across the trust’s nature reserves.

The trust is continuing to increase the quality and number of stock available to deliver our conservation objectives, as well as developing a sustainable grazing operation that is capable of being financially self-sufficient. We block calve outdoors in the spring and this year will be putting 120 cows to the bull, we run this consecutively with lambing which we operate both an indoor and outdoor system, this year we have just lambed nearly 1000 ewes. A major part of the role therefore will be to carry out lambing and calving and all the husbandry that goes along with it, from tagging and castrating right up to giving the ewes and cows an MOT before bulling/tupping.

The role will include daily livestock checks, bedding up and feeding in the winter, carrying out basic animal husbandry, moving stock out onto reserves and gathering again at the end of the season ready for sale or to come back to the “home” farm.

We currently use tractors on a daily basis for carting animals, feeding, bedding up and mucking out. A knowledge of and experience using tractors and tractor mounted equipment would be desirable. As well as experience towing trailers on and off road, both with the tractor and 4×4.

Please note this role is 35 hours a week and is on a rota with the rest of the team to provide 7 day a week cover. You will be required to work one weekend in four, having the Friday before and the Friday after your weekend off, as well as responding to out of hours calls and emergencies where necessary.

Access to a working dog able to confidently work sheep and or cattle is desirable but not essential. There is a financial remuneration package available for this and out of hours work.

The Person

A passion and love of livestock, farming and conservation is essential for this person. You will be carrying out tasks with livestock in all weathers, at all times of the day or night and at all times of the year.

Things rarely go to plan when working with livestock, a good sense of humour, flexibility and a tenacious approach to work are vital for this person.

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to work for an organisation that passionately believes conservation and farming cannot exist in isolation of one another.

Although experience in a similar field would be a bonus, we are willing to consider all candidates that have a real interest and love for this kind of work.

If you are at all unsure whether this is the right role for you or have any questions about the job, please feel free to give the Grazing Manager a call to discuss the role – Tom 07884496807.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays each year (pro-rated for part time staff)
• Pension – company contribution from 6% and employee contribution of 3%
• Life Assurance – Pension Scheme Members 2 x Salary, Non-Pension Scheme Members 1 x Salary
• 2 days paid leave for volunteering each year
• Flexible working policy
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• EAP
• Employee discounts
• Informal car share arrangements

For more detailed information see “what we offer” page in the Recruitment Pack.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and may close the vacancy early so please get your application in as soon as possible.

Closing Date: 31st May 2026
Interview Date: 8th June 2026