Coastal Support Officer

Job Summary – Devon County Council are recruiting a Coastal Support Officer. This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Exe Estuary Management Partnership on an internationally important site for wildlife, and with the Devon Maritime Forum in the only county that boasts two beautiful coastlines. Our vision is to provide an inclusive, integrated, and balanced forum for all key interests in the maritime sector with a view to empowering them to deliver sustainable and equitable management of our coasts and seas. You will be involved with a wide variety of important initiatives, ranging from nature recovery to sedimentation, developing a range of skills which will provide you with excellent experience to help you with your future career. An immediate priority for this post is to work with partners to develop the marine element of the statutory Devon Local Nature Recovery Strategy. This will involve research, writing, and organising workshops for species and habitat experts and delivery partners. This is a fantastic opportunity to work closely with national and local marine stakeholders and obtain an overview of all issues relating to marine nature recovery and nature based solutions. This role is part of the Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) scheme and is a full time (36.50 hours/week) role from March 2024 for 23 months. You will be employed by the University of Exeter and seconded to Devon County Council. This is a desk-based role with some site visits to the Exe Estuary and meetings across Devon. For more information on the GBP scheme, please visit www.exeter.ac.uk/internships.
About You - You should be a graduate who has a degree in an environment related subject with an interest in coastal management. You should have good communication and organisational skills, good time and workload management skills with the ability to prioritise work efficiently and adapt to changing circumstances, have project coordination skills, good analytical, research and written skills, and familiarity and confidence with main-stream IT applications. You should have a passion and enthusiasm for conserving and enhancing Devon’s environment for wildlife and people, have a positive can do attitude, the ability to think through challenges and competing objectives and find practical and creative solutions, and be a self-motivator who can work on own initiative and is comfortable working on their own. You should have the ability to prioritise workload, plan and implement work on time to budget and to a good standard and be a team worker willing to collaborate and communicate well with others. You should have good knowledge and understanding of environmental issues, including their relevance in a Devon context, have some understanding of integrated coastal zone management, and understanding of the importance of balancing the different interests of wildlife and people in the environment. You should also have experience in research, practical experience of working in the natural environment, and experience of analysing information and following methodologies.
The Benefits to You - You will have access to a wide range of benefits, rewards and recognition from the University, including a generous pension, a holiday allowance of 39 days per year, Totum Card (student discount) and Salary Exchange Schemes (such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, and discounted membership to the university's sports facilities). The University offers extensive support to staff, including a structured Professional Development Review and Wellbeing Service plus 1:1 support from the Internships Team. You will be offered a ‘How to Make the Most of Your Internship’ guide, bespoke mentoring, and career consultancy opportunities.
Application Closing Date: 3 March 2024
Interviews: 11 March 2024
For further information please email internships@exeter.ac.uk
GBP Scheme Requirements
To be eligible to apply and undertake a GBP role the graduate must meet all of the following criteria:
*To undertake a graduate role through the GBP scheme, you must have either achieved your degree or be in your final year at any UK-based university.
*If you are in your final year, your working hours may be reduced to 15 hours per week (for undergraduates) or 6 hours per week (for postgraduates) to ensure you have the capacity to successfully complete your degree. More hours can be completed if your academic agrees and provides written confirmation.
*If you do not pass your degree, the GBP role will end early.
*You must have graduated in the UK within the last 3 years of your most recent degree (we will consider extenuating circumstances of potential applicants that may have prevented them from undertaking a graduate role within 3 years of graduation).
*The University of Exeter is committed to developing an environment which promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity and inclusivity.
*At the time of starting employment, the successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK and evidence must be provided in advance of the appointment. Candidates should continue to have permission for the duration of the GBP contract. This includes British citizens, individuals with an EU Pre-Settlement or EU-Settlement Status; and those with a Graduate Route Visa.
*All graduates need to reside in the UK whilst undertaking this role.
How to apply
Please apply by completing the Internship Application Form (downloadable here: http://ex.ac.uk/d8G), following instructions on the form and returning it to The Internships Team at internships@exeter.ac.uk as an email attachment by the closing date: 03/03/2024. We do not accept CVs so please make sure you send a completed application form.

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