Area Ranger

Passionate about the Lake District and helping to care for this iconic landscape? In return we'll provide you with new and rewarding work experiences you probably haven't had before. We have a new opportunity for an Area Ranger to join our South Lakes countryside team to help us manage our 4000ha estate.

It’s an exciting time to join the team, in a varied role that will allow you to use your conservation and visitor management experience to engage our farm tenants, visitors and wider stakeholders in the management of our land around Hawkshead, Claife and Tarn Hows to deliver high quality land management, conservation, access and presentation standards across our estate.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, this role requires you to work flexibly where some evening and weekend working will be required to enable you to carry out successfully the objectives of the role. 

Salary: £26,832pa

Contract: 2 year fixed term contract

Interviews: TBC

If you have any questions about this role please contact: Simon.Hill@nationaltrust.org.uk

What it's like to work here

Line managed by the countryside manager, you’ll be based from our office in Coniston in the heart of the Lake District and be part of our dynamic 25 strong countryside team, working in a supportive environment helping one another across the portfolio. We care for some of the most spectacular and iconic parts of the Lake District (UNESCO World Heritage Site) around Coniston, Little Langdale and Hawkshead across a portfolio with strong ties to Beatrix Potter, her beloved Hill Top House, and legacy of land, farms, buildings, artwork and Herdwick sheep. This includes the popular visitor destinations of Wray Castle, Hill Top House, and the iconic Tarn Hows, which together welcome over 450,000 visitors a year.

Our 4000ha countryside estate is a diverse range of habitats from woodlands, and meadows around the shores of Lake Windermere and Coniston Water to upland wood pasture, heath and peatlands up to the summit of Wetherlam at 763m.

What you'll be doing

As Area Ranger you'll manage and support a small team of rangers to lead our operational work across Hawkshead, Claife and Tarn Hows (c. 700ha of land), focusing on the development and delivery of conservation, access and land management improvements.

You'll be the key contact for our local communities and farm tenants in these areas, building genuine long-term relationships with them and other partners and stakeholders. Working collaboratively with our farm tenants, in particular, you'll explore and encourage opportunities to deliver more for nature across their farms and the wider landscape. 

With an eye for detail, and a working knowledge of compliance and risk management you will ensure that we fulfil our mandatory obligations across this area and pride yourself on high standards of presentation, practical work delivery and contractor management.

Recognising how your role, contributes to delivery of a great visitor experience you will identify opportunities to inspire and involve local and wider audiences, sharing the work of our rangers, offering opportunities to get involved and ultimately enabling everyone to feel welcome.

Who we're looking for

• Strong practical access and habitat management experience, delivering maintenance and presentation work to a high standard with an eye for detail
• Great people skills, able to motivate, lead and inspire- our rangers and volunteers
• Excellent communication skills, able to build genuine long-term relationships with our teams, farm tenants, local communities and partner organisations
• A good understanding of compliance and risk in the countryside with an ability to undertake compliance and risk management tasks to a high standard
• Strong organisational skills, able to work independently, prioritising and managing your work and competing demands on your time
• Written and verbal communication skills, able to produce concise reports and marcomms / social media content content to share our work
• A full UK driving licence and competence with, and relevant qualifications for the use of machinery and equipment (e.g., chainsaw, trailer driving, brushcutter etc).