Location
Hybrid (with travel throughout the Bristol Avon catchment)

Hours
37.5 hours per week with flexible working arrangements. Part-time considered for the right candidate. Hybrid working with home and Bristol office-based work and regular travel across the catchment.

Salary
£29,612 per annum

About the Role
Help farmers deliver healthier rivers and a more resilient farmed landscape. Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) is seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Farm Advisor to join our growing team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering practical, landscape-scale action across the Bristol Avon catchment. You will work with farmers and landowners to improve soil and water quality, enhance biodiversity and increase farm resilience through nature-based solutions.

The role combines practical farm advice, farmer engagement, project development and delivery, alongside facilitating Farm Clusters, organising farm events, talks and workshops, and building trusted relationships across farming communities. A key focus will be supporting BART’s Upstream Thinking programme with Bristol Water and partners to protect drinking water quality at source through targeted action.

As Farm Advisor, you will be a key member of BART’s catchment resilience and land management programme. You will work directly with farmers and landowners to understand their businesses, identify environmental risks and opportunities, and develop practical, achievable solutions that improve water quality and deliver wider environmental benefits. You will provide credible environmental advice that is practical, affordable and workable within individual farm businesses.

Your responsibilities will include:
- Undertaking farm advice visits and assessments, identifying sources and pathways of runoff, sediment, nutrients and other pollutants, and developing practical recommendations and Farm Plans.
- Working with farmers to optimise land, soil and livestock management to increase sustainability.
- Developing practical advice supporting both farm business objectives and environmental outcomes.
- Identifying opportunities for nature-based solutions, habitat creation, natural flood management and wider landscape recovery.
- Developing and facilitating Farm Clusters to encourage collaborative action.
- Planning and delivering farm events, workshops, talks and demonstrations.
- Building trusted, long-term relationships with farmers and landowners and supporting access to funding and advice.
- Playing a key role in delivering BART’s Upstream Thinking programme.
- Supporting wider BART farming, water quality and catchment programmes.
- Identifying opportunities for new projects and funding.
- Collaborating with organisations including South West Water, Bristol Water, Environment Agency, Natural England, farming organisations, local authorities and conservation partners.
- Monitoring and reporting on project progress, outputs and outcomes.
- Producing clear farm advice reports, Farm Plans and project documentation.
- Signposting farmers to relevant funding schemes and specialist advice.
- Using GIS and spatial information to target environmental risks and opportunities.
- Developing innovative approaches, practical trials and demonstration projects.

No two weeks are the same. You might visit farms to assess risks, meet farmer groups to develop clusters, organise workshops, work with partners to identify priorities, map environmental risks, develop funding proposals, deliver nature-based solutions, or prepare reports and contribute to programme development.

BART is an independent environmental charity working to restore and protect the rivers and landscapes of the Bristol Avon catchment. We work at a catchment scale, bringing together farmers, landowners, communities, businesses, water companies, local authorities, statutory organisations and other partners to deliver practical action for healthy rivers. Our work spans river restoration, water quality, sustainable farming, natural flood management, nature-based solutions, community engagement and landscape-scale nature recovery. We are entering an exciting period of growth, increasing our capacity and impact across the catchment.

Experience
- Good knowledge of agricultural practices and farm businesses and their relationship with water quality, soils, biodiversity and the environment.
- Relevant degree, equivalent qualification or substantial professional experience in agriculture, farming or land management.
- Experience working directly with farmers and/or landowners in advisory, conservation or land management roles.
- Understanding of agroecology, regenerative, organic and conventional farming systems.
- Knowledge of agricultural runoff, sediment, nutrients and diffuse pollution impacts on freshwater ecosystems.
- Ability to translate technical environmental or agricultural issues into practical advice.
- Understanding of commercial farming realities and ability to develop workable recommendations.
- Experience developing and maintaining strong relationships with farmers, landowners and stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Collaborative and diplomatic approach with confidence to facilitate discussions.
- Experience delivering environmental or land management projects from development to reporting.
- Good project management and organisational skills.
- Experience planning and delivering meetings, workshops, events or training.
- Understanding of relevant agricultural and environmental regulation and good practice.
- Knowledge or experience of Natural Flood Management, Nature-Based Solutions or landscape-scale nature recovery.
- Ability to identify opportunities, develop practical solutions and use initiative.
- Good written and verbal communication skills, including report writing.
- Good IT skills and confidence with standard office software.
- Understanding of health and safety, risk assessment and lone-working procedures.
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle suitable for work across the catchment with appropriate business-use insurance.

About you
You are practical, approachable, knowledgeable and passionate about farming and the environment. You enjoy working outdoors on farms, engaging with farmers and finding solutions. You are confident working independently and collaboratively, able to build trust and develop long-term relationships that support meaningful change for farm businesses and the wider catchment.

Qualifications
- Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in agriculture, farming or land management.
- BASIS Soil and Water qualification (desirable).
- FACTS qualification (desirable).
- Experience advising on nutrient management, soil health or agricultural inputs (desirable).
- Experience with Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Land Management schemes or other agri-environment funding (desirable).
- Practical farm management experience (desirable).
- Experience developing or facilitating Farm Cluster Groups (desirable).
- Knowledge of the Bristol Avon catchment and its farming communities (desirable).
- Knowledge of freshwater ecosystems and catchment management (desirable).
- Experience working with water companies on drinking water quality or catchment management (desirable).
- Experience using GIS and spatial data to inform advice or project delivery (desirable).
- Experience securing funding or contributing to successful funding applications (desirable).