Ranger – St Kilda

OVERVIEW

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a small team delivering high quality visitor experiences and conservation management within the UK’s only mixed World Heritage Site.

As the Ranger you will be responsible for helping deliver key objectives in the management plan and ensuring the smooth operation of the site. Acting as the first point of contact and main local representative, you will embody the values of the National Trust for Scotland in this area. As a strong communicator you will inspire trust and confidence in the organisation and its objectives. You will manage and motivate volunteers.

• This post is based in Inverness but requires travel to and from St Kilda that will be by helicopter and/or boat, the successful applicant must be willing to undertake these journeys and any training required.
• Accommodation on St Kilda is provided, this is a single room in a shared house.
• Contracted hours for this post are 40 hours per week on days and times to suit the operational needs of the property (this will involve weekend working and unsocial hours). The full details of the rota and the weeks worked are confirmed by the line manager. Periods on St Kilda may be up to 10 weeks in duration.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• To create a welcoming environment for visitors, researchers and contractors.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the place you work, enabling you to answer common questions and help people get the most from their visit.
• Maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation and safety.
• Convey key information through site inductions, presentations and guided walks as well as social media and website articles.
• Liaise and communicate with key partners and stakeholders including QinetiQ, boat operators and cruise ships.
• To assist with practical countryside and property management.
• To contribute to biological monitoring programmes as appropriate. To collect, manage and collate biological information in a consistent manner compatible with Trust and national datasets.
• Monitoring and recording of visitors in a consistent manner compatible with Trust datasets.
• Report all instances of damage, wear and tear or maintenance needs promptly.

DELIVERABLES

Countryside & Property Management:

• Be responsible for managing the routine and deep-cleaning programs of the public and tenanted buildings.
• Fire alarm maintenance and testing throughout the property.
• Upkeep of the safe systems of work, health and safety documentation.
• Undertaking compliance monitoring and recording.

People Management:

• Work closely with other members of the team and with other island workers and may be required to liaise with other advisory specialist colleagues based in other locations.
• Supervision of volunteers.
• Supervision of contractors working on site.
• Develop and maintain sound relationships with representatives of key partners and stakeholders who have interests in the property including NatureScot, Western Isles Council, QinetiQ, researchers and local businesses.

Financial Management:

• Not a budget holder but will assist in making the best use of resources and ensuring best value.
• Responsible for the accurate recording and depositing of cash and cheques.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

The above outlines the key skills the job holder will need to possess and exercise. In addition, either knowledge of or experience in the following is required:

Essential

• a proven track record as a ranger or reserve warden
• good general knowledge of natural history and conservation issues
• a proven track record on working with and supervising adult volunteers
• ability and willingness to undertake physical work including: carrying supplies, wheelbarrowing over uneven ground and walking on steep slopes to undertake monitoring
• to be comfortable working in an open and precipitous landscape
• ability to work alone as well as part of a team, with experience of lone working
• good organisational, time-management and problem-solving skills with the ability to prioritise and re-prioritise workload to meet changing demands
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• ability to write reports
• competence in MS Office software
• ability to assess safety hazards and recognise one’s own limitations

Desirable

• Skills / experience in education and interpretation; working with groups; guided walks
• Environmental education experience
• Physical fitness to work alone at high altitude and on remote parts of the property, on a daily basis
• Gaelic speaker
• Bird and other wildlife identification skills
• Practical skills

St Kilda

The St Kilda archipelago lies 41 miles west of the Western Isles and consists of four small islands and numerous seas stacks, extending to approximately 850 ha. Archaeological evidence suggests that St Kilda has been occupied continuously for over 2000 years. The last native St Kildans left in 1930. In 1957 the islands were bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland and the whole archipelago was designated a National Nature Reserve. In the same year a military tracking station was established on the main island.

Today the islands are the UK’s only mixed World Heritage Site, inscribed for both cultural and natural features, including the marine environment. St Kilda is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation. The majority of the built heritage is protected as a Scheduled Monument.

The National Trust for Scotland manages the islands in partnership with NatureScot, Historic Environment Scotland, the Ministry of Defence and Western Isles Council. The Trust employ three staff on island in the summer months and there are also a number of volunteers. The missile tracking station is operated by QinetiQ, teams of scientific researchers also stay on island; there are no permanent inhabitants.

St Kilda has a dramatic landscape with some of the highest sea-cliffs and stacks in Europe and is an area of outstanding natural beauty. These cliffs are the nesting area for the largest seabird colony in the north-east Atlantic, including major colonies of gannets, puffins, fulmar, guillemot, Leach’s and storm petrel. St Kilda is also home to the endemic St Kilda mouse and St Kilda wren as well as the only wild population of Soay sheep. The archaeological and built heritage is no less impressive, the main street of St Kilda is an iconic image of abandoned communities, but the landscape is also noted for the density and preservation of the upstanding and archaeological remains. Volunteers and specialist contractors carry out repair and maintenance on the built heritage. The Trust seeks to promote responsible access, as well as raising awareness to enable visitors to enjoy and fully appreciate the value of the islands. St Kilda is visited on a regular basis in the summer by cruise ships day trip boats and private vessels.

This Job Description reflects the requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.