Trainee Assistant Reserves Officer (Central)

Trainee Assistant Reserves Officer (Central)
Full Time – 35 Hours per Week
Salary: £24,479 gross per annum
Fixed Term Contract for 12 Months
Location: Hockley Farm, Main Road, Twyford, Hampshire, SO21 1PJ

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is shaping a wilder future for our counties – protecting special places, restoring habitats and inspiring people to act for nature. As part of the UK’s fastest-growing movement for nature’s recovery, we lead with passion, integrity and bold thinking. Join a team where your work has purpose, your ideas matter, and you can help create lasting change for wildlife and people.

We are seeking a Trainee Assistant Reserves Officer (Central) to join our cause.

This post is intended to give first hand practical experience, working closely with Officers to prepare for further development and permanent employment in nature reserve management. In-house and external training will be provided following a bespoke and varied training programme prepared for the successful candidate. Due to the full range of reserve work training that is provided in this vacancy, we are looking for a candidate that can commit to 12 months in this role, 5 days a week, and the candidate will need to hold a full UK driving licence.

What you’ll be doing:

The Trainee Assistant Reserves Officer (Central) will specifically assist in the delivery of land management in the Winchester and wider Central Hampshire area, focusing on Trust nature reserves and other managed land. Many of these sites combine significant importance for wildlife with large numbers of visitors.

The reserves management team, based in Winchester, have a diverse and challenging job and this role will be an important part of the team. Duties will include assisting Officers with habitat and estate management, livestock management, survey work, data collation, equipment maintenance, project reporting and publicity, the management of volunteer survey programmes and practical conservation tasks.

The post holder will assist with livestock-related tasks working with the grazing team to manage the Trust owned cattle, ponies and sheep. These tasks include daily checks of the livestock, rounding up and welfare checks.

About you:

You are hard-working, passionate and personable, with a strong ability to use your own initiative to identify work that needs doing. You have strong communication skills and the ability to work well within a small, tight-knit and busy reserves team.

Wild About Inclusion!

As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.

We offer a wide range of benefits including a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, learning and development support, 24-hour access to our employee assistance programme, discounted staff travel with our corporate partners Wightlink (subject to T&Cs), free parking at our sites and more.

Closing date: 26 June 2026
Interviews: 07 July 2026