Countryside Warden

Horsham District Council is looking for a Countryside Warden to work across the Parks and Countryside estate. This includes the Warnham Local Nature Reserve, Southwater Country Park and a range of other sites from an urban cemetery designated as a Local Wildlife Site to an SSSI wood. We have just acquired a new site, Bramber Brooks, on the banks of the River Adur.

As a Countryside Warden you will help manage both urban and rural sites, working with colleagues, volunteers and contractors. Practical habitat management and maintenance of site infrastructure is a key part of the work, as well as providing help to manage our visitors and volunteers.  You will also work with our small herd of livestock, carry out biological recording, and seek to improve biodiversity across our Parks and open spaces which are not principally managed for wildlife.

About you:

To succeed as Countryside Warden you will have a wide range of practical countryside management experience and passionate about wildlife. You will be out-going and have excellent customer service skills to lead volunteers and explain both site works and ID species to the general public. You will need to have good administrative and IT skills, and be able to work as part of a small, hard-working and friendly team. As a Countryside Warden you must also be adaptable and willing to take the initiative. A full and current UK driving licence is essential.

For an informal discussion about this role please call Jacob Everitt, Countryside Manager on 01403 256890.

Council Vehicles

As this role requires the post holder to drive Council vehicles, periodic driving assessments will be required.

About us:

We have a friendly and supportive working environment and being a smaller Council, you can really get to know everybody.

We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance by offering 28 days’ (207.2 hours) annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata), and flexible/hybrid working options where applicable.

We offer a generous benefits package including an online platform offering discounts from online retailers and access to a car lease scheme. Staff are also eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), where the Council contributes circa 20% of pensionable salary.

To support employees’ professional development the Council provides reimbursement for professional subscriptions and a number of training opportunities, including extensive in-house learning resources, short courses, Apprenticeships, and qualifications such as Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Visit our Jobs and careers page to find out more about Working for Horsham District Council and Our employment commitments.

To apply:

If you would like to apply for the role please click the Further Details link above, we highly recommend you show clearly within the ‘Experience Section’ of the application form how you meet the essential criteria detailed within the Role Profile when applying. If you do not make this clear, it is unlikely you will be shortlisted for interview.