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Lead Ranger - Stafford

Employer
National Trust
Location
ST17 0XB, Stafford
Salary
£27,191 to £29,000 (dependent on experience)
Closing date
23 Oct 2018

Job Details

Summary

Rangers have always been a hugely important part of The National Trust, and play a crucial role thinking about the long term, in order to look after our special places. You will be leading the Farm and Ranger team at an exciting time and will be pivotal in driving forward great conservation and outdoor visitor experience.

This role is based on annualised hours, where the amount of hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year. Further details will be discussed at interview.

Open Afternoon: Would you like to find out more about Shugborough and the role of Lead Ranger? We are holding an Open Afternoon; for specific details please visit the National Trust Jobs website, and search for the reference number 'IRC70814'.

What it's like to work here

Shugborough Estate is the complete working estate, consisting of a Georgian mansion house with magnificent views over the riverside garden terraces, Grade 1 listed parkland, walled garden and working Farm. The site extends into Cannock Chase SAC; Satnall hills and Sherbrook Valley are home to nightjar, adders and small pearl bordered fritillaries, a splendid part of this internationally significant heathland landscape. Further afield, the portfolio includes Hawksmoor: a hidden gem of stunning ancient woodlands and flower rich meadows on the Churnet Valley, and Down’s Banks: a locally loved wilderness of woodlands, acid grassland and heath in the heart of the Midlands.

What you'll be doing

As Lead Ranger, you’ll be responsible for the management of a team of 3 Rangers, a Farm Manager and Farm worker who care for Shugborough’s; grade I listed parkland, extensive woodlands and SAC heathlands, our in-hand herd of Longhorn cattle and flock of Southdown sheep and run two countryside sites: Hawksmoor and Downs Banks.

You’ll lead a high performing team to instil a culture of exemplary service. As a team, you’ll be developing and maintaining walks networks, delivering programming and maintaining high presentation standards across our sites. Your team will ensure every visitor has a consistently excellent experience. As part of the Experience Design process, you’ll help craft Shugborough’s future – developing great outdoor experiences for visitors as the site grows and changes.

Putting conservation at the heart of everything you do, you’ll help shape our far-reaching plans for habitat creation and improvement at Shugborough and you’ll drive their delivery. This will involve planning work programmes, effectively co-ordinating resources, engaging specialist contractors and ensuring our visitors and partners are engaged and understand the work being undertaken. Leading our in-hand Farm, supported by the technical expertise of the Farm Manager, you’ll maintain Shugborough’s historic reputation for agricultural innovation; combining high welfare standards with great conservation outcomes, and supporting the trust’s Farm Tenant Engagement Programme. You’ll drive the delivery of our visionary parkland management plan to bring Shugborough’s internationally significant designed landscape back to its former glory.

You’ll always be considering how we can reduce our human footprint on the environment with a long-term focus on care and sustainability. You’ll be responsible for handling budgets and for working with the procurement team centrally to ensure we get the best value when purchasing assets and services. As a great people person, you’ll be representing the National Trust on site and beyond. You’ll also play a key part in helping your team to grow and develop.

Who we're looking for

To deliver this role successfully, you’ll need to be proud to work in such a breath-taking location and flourish on delivering exemplary care to our environment and our visitors. So, you’ll be;

  • An experienced conservation and land-management professional with expertise in at least one of the fields of: grassland or heathland management, trees and woodlands, farming and livestock operations, or parklands and historic landscapes
  • An experienced people manager with the ability to lead a team to deliver effectively
  • An excellent communicator with experience in working with a wide range of partners
  • An experienced Project Manager, who is confident in handling budgets, finances and contracts
  • Great with people, with a customer focus – taking pride in delivering excellent customer service, and confident working with people of all ages and backgrounds
  • A dedication to and understanding of using farming to deliver conservation outcomes
  • Organised and self-motivated, confidently able to handle a demanding workload with contending pulls on your time
  • Knowledgeable in health and safety requirements and other compliance issues relating to the countryside, livestock and visitor activities

The package

Salary - £27,191 to £29,00 dependant on previous experience

Looking after you

  • Health cash plan – from as little as £2.81 per month for you and your dependents
  • Pension contribution match up to 10%
  • EAP and proactive Health and Wellbeing
  • Discounted gym membership

Looking after your career

  • Grow your career through professional training courses across the Trust
  • Develop your skills with an internal secondment
  • Pay review linked to values and behaviours, commitment to progression
  • Income protection due to illness

Unique to Us

  • Work in some of the most beautiful, iconic and unique locations in the UK
  • Free entry to NT properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
  • 20% off in our retail and catering outlets
  • Discount up to 35% off a National Trust holiday cottage booking

Company

There's no other organisation like the National Trust. No other organisation that brings such an amazing variety of places and spaces to life.

We are a charity founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, three people who saw the importance of our nation’s heritage and open spaces, and wanted to protect them for everyone to enjoy. More than a century after we were founded, our values are still at the heart of everything we do. And we do a lot more than you might think. 

We welcome some 22.5 million visitors, from all ages and backgrounds, every year. We care for historic houses, gardens, mills, forests, castles, miles of coastline, islands, holiday cottages, pubs and inns, whole villages and even a goldmine. We also run a huge retail chain, a multi-million pound food and beverage business and much, much more. And we do all of this so that everyone can enjoy and make the most of the green spaces and beautiful places that England, Wales and Northern Ireland has to offer. 

The National Trust is described by its employee gardeners as “dynamic, supportive, inquisitive and fun”, where its beautiful places “lift your spirits naturally” and “somewhere you can expand new skills”. The organisation is currently recruiting for a number of gardening roles. 

Read more in our latest articles:

What makes the National Trust a special place to work?

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