Research Assistant and Senior Research Assistant Seasonal Recruitment 2018

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1 Research Assistant and Senior Research Assistant Seasonal Recruitment 2018 Welcome to the RSPB information pack detailing the seasonal Research Assistants and Senior Research Assistants vacancies on a variety of projects within Great Britain or overseas in Full details of the roles currently available can be found listed below. These roles are subject to change depending on confirmation of funding or new funding becoming available. Please note any Research Assistant or Senior Research Assistant roles in Northern Ireland will be advertised, and must be applied for, separately. All roles will involve carrying out agreed programmes of ecological survey, research work or species recovery work, alone or as part of a small survey team. Most roles will require previous survey or field research experience and excellent bird identification skills. Some roles will require particular specialist knowledge, skills or qualifications. The role profile document available as a separate download shows the salary range, generic key results areas, person requirements and behaviours expected of all Research Assistant and Senior Research Assistant roles at the RSPB. All posts advertised here will be matched to this role profile within the RSPB pay and reward structure. Page 1 of 17

2 We have a number of roles available that require some additional specific skills. The list of roles below will detail what they are. Please review them and follow the instructions in the How to Apply section when completing your application form which is also available as a separate download. You will have the option to state a preference on the application form or choose to be considered for all posts and unless you say otherwise you will be automatically considered for all the posts available. If the post(s) for which you expressed a particular interest is/are not available, you may be contacted to find out if you are interested in an alternative. If from the information in your application you have the broad range of skills and abilities we are looking for, you may be contacted by one of our project managers, who will conduct a telephone interview to enable us to finally select our appointees. Offers of employment will normally be made to you by phone and will be conditional on Verified Asylum and Immigration check usually a verified copy of your passport Pre-employment Health Checks - a questionnaire sent with your contract and asked to complete and forward to our occupational health provider References satisfactory to the RSPB Equal opportunities form sent with the contract Proof of relevant qualifications where required Please send your completed the application form by midnight on 12 January 2018 to Anita McClune at conscirecruit@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, applications can be posted to Mrs Anita McClune, Conservation Science Dept., RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds, SG19 2DL. Thank you for your interest in our vacancies. Due to the volume of applications received for our seasonal posts we are not currently able to keep you fully informed of the progress of your applications. If you have not heard from us within six weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We look forward to receiving your application. Yours sincerely Anita Mrs Anita McClune Co-ordinator-Conservation Science Page 2 of 17

3 Details of posts available Spring/Summer 2018 Project Recruiting manager Maximum number of posts expected to be available Month in which contract is likely to start Expected contract length in months (approx) Likely location Purpose of work/main duties Essential attributes for specific projects (see person specification sheet for key) Desirable attributes for specific projects (see person specification sheet for key) Posts with the RSPB Conservation Science Department Project Godwit (black-tailed godwit breeding ecology in partnership with EU LIFE) Jen Smart 1 SRA April 6 Nene Washes RSPB Reserve, Cambridgeshire To collect data on nest and chick survival in black-tailed godwits. Work will include finding and monitoring nests, ringing and radio tagging chicks, and monitoring avian and mammalian predators. The post holder will also assist with the ringing and tagging of breeding adult godwits (colour rings, geolocators and/or PIT tags).this project will use a range of technology for remote monitoring and therefore will involve manipulating and interpreting large volumes of data using Pivot Tables in Excel or other appropriate software packages. This is a challenging project which requires dynamic and determined people and at times, could involve long hours. The post holder will line manage a research assistant, and potentially 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 22 (waders), 32, 33 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 23, 24, 28, 29 Page 3 of 17

4 also volunteers, interns and/or Masters students. Project Godwit (black-tailed godwit breeding ecology in partnership with EU LIFE) Jen Smart 1 RA April 5 Nene Washes RSPB Reserve, Cambridgeshire To collect data on nest and chick survival in black-tailed godwits. Work will include finding and monitoring nests, ringing and radio tagging chicks, and monitoring avian and mammalian predators. This project will use a range of technology for remote monitoring and therefore will involve manipulating and interpreting large volumes of data using Pivot Tables in Excel or other appropriate software packages. This is a challenging project which requires dynamic and determined people and at times, could involve long hours. 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 33 6, 9, 14, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29 Spotted flycatcher tracking (in partnership with BTO and Devon Birds) Malcolm Burgess 1 RA May 3 Devon To contribute to a project investigating the decline of the spotted flycatcher. Main tasks will be liaising with landowners and householders whose farms and gardens are the study sites, locating pairs and nests, capturing and ringing adults and data entry. Likely to assist project investigating wood warbler declines, finding and monitoring nests and reading colour rings. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 17, 22 (open nesting), 23, 29, 33 4, 9, 11, 14, 19, 31 Page 4 of 17

5 Wood warbler tracking (in partnership with Natural England, BTO and Devon Birds) Malcolm Burgess 1 SRA April 6 Mainly Devon, also Exmoor & Cumbria To contribute to projects investigating the declines of migratory passerines, primarily the Wood Warbler, but also to help supervise and undertake fieldwork on similar projects in Devon, Exmoor and Cumbria on Spotted flycatcher, Pied flycatcher and Whinchat. Main tasks will be surveying and resighting colour ringed wood warblers across Dartmoor woodlands catching adults and fitting geolocators. The post-holder will also assist in the supervision of field staff on Spotted flycatcher, Pied flycatcher and Whinchat projects resighting colour marked birds, finding and monitoring nests, catching and ringing adults and young and fitting geolocators. Tasks also include territory mapping, behavioural observations, recording habitat, data management and report writing. Fieldwork is arduous and involves long days. The ability to work in very steep sided woodland habitats whilst collecting data is essential. 1, 2 (mist-net, target full grown passerines, open nesting pullus endorsements), 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22 (open nesting), 23, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34 4, 7, 19, 28 (wood warbler, whinchat) Whinchat breeding declines Andrew Stanbury 1 RA April 5 UK uplands (locations TBC) Map breeding whinchat across a range of sites. Collect detailed habitat data from breeding areas. Enter data into Excel and ensure data are error checked. The post holder must be able to travel widely during the breeding season with frequent overnight stays at various sites. 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 33, 34, 35 4, 7 (upland plants), 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30 Page 5 of 17

6 Whinchat tracking (in partnership with BTO) Malcolm Burgess 1 RA April 3 Exmoor To contribute to a project investigating the decline of the whinchat. Main task will be territory mapping, locating and monitoring nests, resighting colour marked whinchats and capturing adults to remove geolocators fitted in Some short periods undertaking the same work in Cumbria likely. 1, 2 (mist-net endorsement + target full-grown passerines), 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 22 (open nesting), 23, 30, 33, 34 14, 19, 20, 28 (whinchat), 29 Corn bunting productivity Rosemary Setchfield 1 RA May 5 Eastern England (Cambs-Beds- Herts border area) Locate corn bunting nests in winter cereal crops, recording detailed crop vegetation data. Work involves intensive monitoring of behavioural cues to locate nests within crops; making occasional nest visits to estimate egg laying and hatch dates; conducting baseline surveys of singing males; recording vegetation data within trial provisions, at nest sites and in surrounding crop areas; some resighting of colour-ringed birds using binoculars and telescope; liaison with farmers and land owners; maintaining accurate and legible data sheets; keying data into Excel spreadsheets; providing summary feedback to participating farmers. Training will be given where required. Previous nestfinding experience (open cup species) is essential. The post-holder must be able to work flexibly, including early morning starts and variable (occasionally long) hours, be sufficiently fit to access large farms in undulating terrain by foot, and have good observational abilities using sight and sound cues. 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20, 22, 33 4, 18, 19, 21, 23, 28, 29 Page 6 of 17

7 LIFE for little terns (in partnership with EU LIFE) Linda Wilson 1 SRA May 4 Little tern colonies across England but possibly elsewhere in UK. The post holder will lead on the resighting of colour-ringed little terns and associated ringing and monitoring for the final field season of this project. The main aims are to (i) re-sight colour-ringed little terns across multiple sites using a telescope / digital camera; (ii) encourage and support local-based re-sighting effort by wardens and volunteers and (iii) encourage further colour-ringing of little terns by providing support to local ringers and carrying out colour ringing at priority sites. Other tasks include collating re-sighting records, entry of ringing and biometric data into spreadsheets, contributing to annual report and being point of contact for little tern colour-ringing enquiries. The post-holder must be flexible, able to work long hours and travel widely. Ringing licence essential. 2(C or A, incl fullgrown and pullus terns), 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 33, 34, 35 1, 5, 8, 14, 17, 18, 22, 23, 28, 29 Habitat restoration tools to boost caterpillar populations Dave Buckingham 1 SRA March 8 Dartmoor, Devon To undertake caterpillar surveys (including vortis sampling) on grasslands, including identification of caterpillars (Lepidoptera and Symphyta) to species, which may involve rearing in some cases. To undertake grassland vegetation surveys and measure grazing yields from exclosure plots. The post will involve management of experimental field exclosure plots, including liaising with landowners, fencing contractors 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 28, 29, 31, 33 1, 18, 19, 21, 30 Page 7 of 17

8 and nature reserve staff. The post will also involve data collation and entry, along with basic report writing. Urban starling post breeding movements Dave Buckingham 1 SRA April 5 Bristol To catch and radio tag a cohort of urban starlings immediately after their first broods fledge. The tagged birds will be tracked using bespoke mobile receiving devices, deployed with the help of volunteers. The aim is to confirm that this tracking approach works in an urban environment and to explore whether volunteer networks can help track this highly dispersive species over greater distances and for longer than dedicated fieldworkers. The post will involve a combination of tracking, volunteer recruitment and publicity work. The post holder may need to help assemble recording devices at the start of the project. 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 23, 24 3, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 31, 32 Trial management for Curlew (in partnership with Natural England) Irena Tomankova 4 RA March 5.5 Various in Northern England and Scotland To collect data on breeding ecology of curlew. This will include mapping the distribution, abundance and behaviour of breeding birds, nest-searching, vegetation recording, assessing the abundance and distribution of key nest/chick predators (e.g. via fox scat surveys), and data entry. 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 20, 33 4, 7 (upland plants), 13, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22 (waders), 28, 29, 30, 34, 35 Page 8 of 17

9 Seabird tracking and monitoring Linda Wilson 1 SRA March 12 Fieldwork required in seabird colonies in various parts of UK. Office location TBC To plan and coordinate the contribution of RSPB staff and volunteers to the national seabird census. You will be responsible for liaising with external partners to identify the contribution that RSPB will make to census of seabirds in UK in You will liaise with staff from across the RSPB to match fieldwork requirements with availability of staff and volunteers. You will ensure that surveyors have the necessary equipment and training to conduct survey fieldwork safely and effectively and to enter data into the online database. You will also carry out targeted fieldwork yourself, which may involve travel to remote locations, and extended periods away from home. You will have a proven track record of managing staff or volunteers and be an enthusiastic communicator, able to engage with a wide variety of audiences and to work with the communications teams of RSPB and external partners. 1, 5 (seabirds), 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 32, 33, 34, 35 3,17,19, 22 Breeding common scoters and trout management Mark Hancock 1 RA April 6 North Scotland; RSPB Forsinard Reserve To carry out field surveys at four lakes on Forsinard RSPB Reserve, as part of a trial of the effects of trout management on habitat quality for scoters and other waterbirds. Surveys cover bird use (from lake observations and camera traps), freshwater invertebrate abundance (e.g. netting, sediment grabs, colonisation traps, visual counts), lake habitats (water quality, levels and lake-bed substrates) and fish populations 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 30, 32, 6 (waders), 7, 20, 21, 25, 31 Page 9 of 17

10 (funnel traps and seine netting, with mark-recapture). Supervise voluntary interns who will assist with this work. Work closely with the Forsinard reserve team and liaise with a wide range of visiting researchers. Turtle dove satellite tagging John Mallord 1 RA April 3 Eastern England (Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex) To assist a project investigating the migration route and wintering grounds of the Turtle Dove through the deployment of electronic tags. Assist a team to locate and prepare catching sites, catch and tag turtle doves. Post holder will need to have extensive experience in bird handling, bird trapping using mist nets and whoosh nets, bird ringing and ideally experience of fitting electronic tags. 2 (C, or A; incl target full-grown pigeons and doves, mist net and whoosh-net endorsements), 5, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 33, 34 18, 22, 25, 28, 29 Ring ouzel GPS tagging Innes Sim 1 RA April 3 To assist with the trapping, handling and fitting of GPS tags, BTO rings and colour rings to breeding ring ouzels, in order to discover details of their migration routes and wintering areas. The post holder will also assist with nest finding, monitoring of nest contents and nest success rates, and observations of the behaviour of tagged individuals. Successful liaison with local landowners/gamekeepers will be an essential part of the job. Some basic data inputting work may also be required. Given the remote mountain locations, the post holder will require to be physically fit, capable of 2,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,18, 22 (open cup passerines),23,30,33 3,13,19,28 (ring ouzel),29 Page 10 of 17

11 working under difficult conditions, and be available to work flexible and long hours. Posts with the Habitats and Species Dept, RSPB Scotland Shiants Seabird Recovery Project Charlie Main 2 RA end April 4 NW Scotland Mainly fieldwork, with small amount of time also dedicated to data collation and management, reporting and contributing to blogs as well as the organisation and collation of a photo database of island images from the project. Required skills will include the ability to carry out seabird productivity surveys, vegetation surveys of upland/maritime grassland plant species, land bird surveys and to live and work in a rugged outdoor island environment which can only be accessed by a 1 hour open boat journey. Fieldwork will be carried out both on the Shiant Isles and on the mainland of Harris. Shiants fieldwork will be undertaken in a series of 3-4 expeditions to the isles, each lasting up to around 21 days. Monitoring will include rats, vegetation, puffins, razorbills, shags and petrels. The expeditions will be demanding, as there are few facilities on the islands and much of the season might be spent camping in tents. Some 3, 5, 6, 7 (Identification of heathland/ grassland species) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 (seabirds) 1, 2 (seabirds), 4, 21, 23, 28 (guillemot surveys), 30 Page 11 of 17

12 fieldwork (vegetation surveys) will also be carried out on the mainland of Harris in early May and late July. Annual leave, data management and reporting would need to be fitted sensibly around the fieldwork. Page 12 of 17

13 Shiants Seabird Recovery Project Charlie Main 1 SRA end April 5.5 NW Scotland Work with the two Research Assistants to deliver fieldwork and data between April and August and to help with the organisation of, and participation in, the end of Project Conference in September. The SRA will also contribute to blogs about the season, in collaboration with the RAs. The SRA will be responsible for managing the team s day to day work at the islands. Required skills will include the ability to lead seabird productivity surveys, vegetation surveys of upland/maritime grassland plant species and land bird surveys. Fieldwork will be carried out both on the Shiant Isles and on the mainland of Harris. Shiants fieldwork will be undertaken in a series of 3 4 expeditions to the isles, each lasting up to around 21 days duration. Monitoring will include rats, vegetation, puffins, razorbills, shags and petrels. The Shiants expeditions will be demanding, as there are few facilities on the islands and much of the season might be spent camping in tents. Applicants must have the ability to live and work in a rugged outdoor environment which can only be accessed by a 1 hour open boat journey. Some fieldwork (vegetation surveys) will also be carried out in early May and late July on the mainland of Harris. Annual leave dates and data management and reporting would need to be fitted sensibly around the fieldwork.following the end of the field season, the SRA will assist 3, 5, 6, 7 (Identification of heathland/ grassland species) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22 (seabirds), 32 1, 2 (seabirds), 4, 21, 23, 28 (guillemot surveys), 30 Page 13 of 17

14 the Project Manager in data assimilation and analysis of the four years of field data from the project. The SRA will assist in the organisation and running of an end of project conference, also delivering a presentation to the audience on the summer monitoring and fieldwork. Page 14 of 17

15 Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experience The following numbered list of requirements relates directly to the essential and desirable in the list of roles available above. Candidates should take care to ensure they fully describe how they meet these requirements in their application. 1 Relevant degree or equivalent 2 BTO Ringing permit C or A (specify grade, endorsements and restrictions) 3 Good basic knowledge of British wildlife, their habitats and conservation priorities 4 Good understanding of farming-related issues 5 Ability to identify a wide range of British birds by sight, in particular those species or groups which are named in these projects 6 Ability to identify British birds by sound, in particular those species or groups which are named in project 7 Identification skills in, and ecological knowledge of, other taxonomic groups. Groups and level of knowledge specific to individual posts - (please specify) 8 Ability to undertake demanding fieldwork (long hours/poor weather) 9 Ability to navigate using a map, compass and GPS 10 Capable of keeping accurate and legible records of data collected in the field 11 Ability to accurately locate and record on maps bird and other data 12 Ability to work under own initiative with limited supervision, whether alone or as part of a small team 13 Ability to use standard computer packages (e.g. Word and Excel) 14 Writing basic scientific reports or papers 15 Basic statistical skills 16 Hands-on experience of fieldwork on birds at least as part of degree or equivalent coursework or 1 season's involvement in non-professional bird surveys (e.g. WeBS, BBS) 17 Hands-on experience of fieldwork on birds as degree/dissertation project and/or at least 3 years involvement in non-professional bird surveys (e.g. WeBS, BBS) 18 Minimum of one season of relevant professional research/survey experience 19 Several years of relevant professional research/survey experience 20 Practical experience of using at least one standard bird survey method (transects, mapping, point counts, BBS, CBC 21 Practical experience of quantitative habitat surveys 22 Practical experience of locating/monitoring nests (including nestling biometrics) (specify experience, eg nest boxes, seabirds, open-cup passerine nests) 23 Practical experience of reading colour-rings or other field readable marks 24 Practical experience of radio tracking 25 Practical experience of invertebrate sampling 26 Experience of collecting seeds / other environmental samples 27 Experience in aviculture or animal husbandry 28 Previous specialist experience with a named target species 29 Experience of obtaining access to private land and liaising with landowners, their agents and employees 30 Experience of working in remote upland areas 31 Experience of using MapInfo or other GIS 32 Experience of supervising field assistants 33 Able to regularly travel to, from and within remote locations not served by public transport 34 Willing to travel widely perhaps including overnight stays 35 Willing to work anywhere within UK with reasonable notice Page 15 of 17

16 How to apply Competition for posts is keen and we expect many applicants to meet the essential requirements so it will be your additional skills, experience and knowledge will differentiate you as a candidate. You only need to tell us about them once in your application to be considered and we suggest that to get the most from this you Are clear about your preferences List each relevant requirement Address the requirement with a short but clear explanation of how you meet it Make sure that you tell us all about any ornithological, research, survey and general ecological experience you have whether it was in a previous job, as a volunteer or as a student. Don t forget to mention any special skills you may have (e.g. ability to identify woodland birds by their songs; identifying beetles; surveying bats) and in particular if you have a ringing permit (and if so, the details of this). Some projects may require familiarity with other taxa and habitat surveying. Remember - most posts will require regular travel to and within various different study areas, including to places and at times not served by public transport. Most posts also require you to be resilient, willing and able to work long hours in rough and exposed habitats, sometimes in poor weather conditions. In some circumstances, RSPB will be able to assist with accommodation costs during the contract period. Please send your completed the application form by midnight on 12 January 2018 to Anita McClune at conscirecruit@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, applications can be posted to Mrs Anita McClune, Conservation Science Dept., RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds, SG19 2DL. Due to the volume of applications received for our seasonal posts we are not currently able to keep you fully informed of the progress of your applications. If you have not heard from us within six weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Good luck and thank you for your interest in working for the RSPB. Page 16 of 17

17 Appendix A - Project Godwit Note to candidates Project Godwit is a partnership between RSPB and WWT with major funding from the EU LIFE Nature Programme, the HSBC 150th Anniversary fund, Natural England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project aims to secure the future of black-tailed godwits in the Fens. Project Godwit is receiving funding through the Back from the Brink programme. Back from the Brink is one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken. Through 19 projects delivered across England, 20 UK species facing extinction will be brought Back from the Brink thanks to a 4.6 million grant from the National Lottery. Natural England, the government s wildlife advisory body, will work in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife and the RSPB About Back from the Brink Saving species is in our gift, but only if we work together Back from the Brink is a new 6.6million HLF-funded programme delivered by a partnership of England's leading nature conservation organisations. This four year HLF funded programme is a necessary shift in gear for species conservation in England and we are building a team of enthusiastic and experienced individuals across the partnership to undertake conservation work and inspire the nation to discover, value and act for threatened species Securing the long term conservation of our threatened species is not a task that is in the gift of any one project officer, organisation or indeed sector. Back from the Brink in achieving fantastic conservation for over 100 species, will inspire a nation to discover, value and act for threatened species. But the partnership behind it has recognised that to address species decline we need to be far more collaborative in our approach to thinking and doing conservation work than our business as usual approach provides. To achieve this partners on Back from the Brink will embark on a process of cultural change. What will this change look like? As well as programme partners, your project will engage with a wide range of delivery partners often other conservation organisations with particular expertise with whom collaborative approaches to working will be crucial. All projects will work with communities, landowners and volunteers to help develop their commitment to looking after threatened species in the long term. Staff at several levels within each organisation will pursue personal development plans that improve collaborative ways of working Programme evaluation will identify and promote to the whole sector the successes secured by more collaborative ways of working, and how challenges were resolved. Interested in taking up this challenge? Taking up a post on the Back from the Brink programme will mean you will be working for one of England s foremost nature conservation organisations. But more than this, you can expect to work closely with programme colleagues across many different organisations, sharing knowledge, networks, expertise and working to make the most of each other s strengths. Page 17 of 17