*Our offices are in Battersea, London. We are currently working from the office with some working from home flexibility. But some attendance in the office will be required. Considerable home working flexibility will continue but the pattern is a changing situation alongside the covid position.
If the prospect of reviewing biological conservation data from volunteers and the sight of a tidy dataset gladdens your heart, and you share our passion for wildlife, we have an opportunity you might be interested in. Surveying and monitoring of species (and habitats) is a vital part of our work enabling us to direct conservation effectively and act fast when things look amiss.
Do you have good numerical and analytical skills and an eye for detail? Do you enjoy organising and keeping records accurately, analysing data and producing information to inform and influence our conservation effort? If so, this is could be right up your street. People’s Trust for Endangered Species needs a part-time Data and Mapping Officer to cover a maternity absence. Perhaps you are an ecologist looking for a change, work for a conservation NGO or other agency. Can you help us?
About People’s Trust for Endangered Species
Whether bats or beetles, hedgehogs or hyenas, we stand up for animals and their habitats. The delicately balanced ecosystem that we all depend on is under threat. Alarmingly, in the UK almost two-thirds of species have declined in the last 50 years. Globally, around a quarter of mammals face extinction in the next three decades. This rate of loss can be stopped and that’s why People’s Trust for Endangered Species exists. For over 40 years we’ve improved the outlook of endangered species in Britain and throughout the world.
Passion drives our work but it’s grounded in science. Our approach is to invest in research and test the best ways to protect endangered species in their natural habitats. Then we put what works into action, creating vibrant wildlife havens.
Our work is varied and extensive, ranging from direct support for conservation professionals to involving the public and volunteers in practical action to help specific species and their habitats. Current priority species are hedgehogs, dormice, water voles and invertebrates and our priority habitats are orchards, woodlands, hedgerows, wood pasture and parkland. As well as carrying out our own work, which focuses particularly on British mammals, we support conservation work throughout the world. Recent projects funded range from protecting areas for snow leopards in Mongolia to protecting slow loris habitat in Indonesia.
We have 22 staff, five trustees and thousands of volunteers helping us.
Job purpose
Providing maternity cover for our Data and Mapping Officer for up to 14 months. The purpose of the role is to maintain, disseminate and map PTES biological data. We collect thousands of biological records every year. They need to be carefully verified, stored and shared so they can be used to support our conservation work effectively.
Job description
General data and mapping work
- Maintaining an overview of PTES data, assessing its quality and completeness. PTES data includes the datasets referred to below, as well as data from surveys Living with Mammals, Big Hedgehog Map, Mammals on Roads and invertebrate data
- Entering data received from internal and external sources, liaising with other staff entering data and ensuring that all data is entered accurately and in a timely manner
- Ensuring that relevant data is submitted regularly to the NBN Atlas including liaising with other staff collecting or holding data where necessary to assist in making sure this is done
- Producing maps from datasets on key species and habitats in liaison with lead staff to support conservation work
- Developing and maintaining data share agreements where appropriate with Local Record Centres and submitting data to them regularly
- Advising on the data capture and management implications of any new surveys developed and on volunteer management
- Producing data and mapping for third parties in response to ad hoc requests or contracts
Dormice
- Gathering data on dormice together for regular analysis including that from the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP), the National Dormouse Database (NDD), Local Record Centres and other appropriate sources
- Ensuring that data submitted through Natural England dormouse licence holder returns is collected and stored on the NDD
- Managing and updating the NDMP and NDD Access databases and submitting the National Dormouse Database and Other Mammal Data from the NDMP datasets annually to the NBN and Local Record Centres as well as dealing with ad hoc data requests (from local groups, researchers and students)
- Producing an annual digital map of all known dormouse populations in England and Wales, liaising with our statistician and coordinating trend analyses when appropriate
- Regularly reviewing and refining the online NDMP system to identify any areas that require attention and improvement with regard to the data or volunteer usage
Water voles
- Managing and updating the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme Access database, exporting data for analysis and ad hoc requests and producing an annual digital map
Traditional Orchards
- Recruiting and liaising with volunteers to survey orchards in areas of England and Wales where ground truthing is incomplete, providing them with appropriate support materials (survey packs), ensuring they have maps of orchards to survey, receiving their completed surveys and chasing as appropriate
- Inputting data received from volunteer surveyors and orchard owners and ensuring that all relevant information available for the database is entered into it as soon as possible after receipt
Other general tasks
- Occasionally attending external events to promote PTES monitoring work
- Helping on occasion to provide information for articles for the Trust’s various publications and appeals
- Dealing with general enquiries about the Trust from the general public and directing them to appropriate colleagues or sources of information
- Helping with other tasks as advised by the Chief Executive
Relationships
Internal
- Reporting to the Chief Executive
- Working with all staff running wildlife surveys
- PTES IT consultant
External
- Volunteers involved in some of the surveys
- External statistician
- Website developer
- Various organisations PTES shares biological data with e.g. NBN Atlas, Local Record Centres, Universities, local groups
Person specification
Essential knowledge and experience
- University degree or equivalent in conservation-related field
- Experience of using and managing online and Access databases.
- Experience of using GIS (MapInfo and QGIS).
- Interest in and passion for ecology and the conservation of British wildlife
Essential skills
- Excellent organisational skills with ability to work on own initiative and without close supervision, and to manage several projects at the same time, often with conflicting priorities
- Ability to work with consistent accuracy and attention to detail.
- Excellent numeracy and analysis skills.
- Self-motivation, a general ‘can do’ cooperative manner, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a close-knit team with a passion for conservation.
- Strong face-to-face interpersonal skills and ability to communicate confidently.
- Strong computer literacy, a thorough understanding of the use of databases, and an aptitude for quickly acquiring new IT skills.
- Ability to write clearly and appropriately for internal and external audiences
Other requirements
- Commitment to the goals and values of PTES and an interest in British species, their conservation and recording
- Very occasional out of hours working, travel and attendance at appropriate events
