Location
Heathland House, Heather Farm, Woking, Surrey GU21 4XY. The role requires daily travel to the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA), covering parts of Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

Hours
Full time with occasional weekend, early morning and evening work required.

Salary
£28,910 per annum

About the Role
This role provides an on-the-ground wardening service for the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, working closely with landowners, managers and key partners including local authorities, Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission and The Crown Estate. The Warden will engage directly with the public to raise awareness of the importance and sensitivity of this internationally important heathland site.

Key responsibilities include educating visitors about ground-nesting birds, wildfire awareness, and promoting Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG) sites as alternatives. The role involves organising and delivering onsite events, pop-ups and supporting wider engagement programmes such as Heath Week. The Warden will assist with educational activities, develop and maintain stakeholder relationships, contribute to social media content, website blogs and newsletters, and support monitoring activities including visitor surveys and data collection.

The role also involves participation in the Heathland Hounds project, aimed at engaging dog walkers to encourage behaviour change to protect the SPA and its protected species.

The position requires adaptability to new ways of working and technologies, and undertaking administrative tasks as needed.

Experience
A relevant qualification or experience in education, countryside or animal management, nature conservation, environmental science, on-the-ground wardening, or a related discipline is essential. Experience engaging confidently with the public, particularly in outdoor nature conservation or countryside access roles, is required. Knowledge of lowland heathland habitats and the pressures affecting them is important.

Desirable experience includes engaging with children in educational settings, working with dogs and dog walkers, and knowledge of countryside access, rights of way and nature conservation issues.

About you
You will have good written and verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with a range of internal and external partners. You should be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook and other relevant technologies. A positive, inclusive attitude and willingness to learn new skills and adopt new technologies is essential.

You will understand the importance of balancing people’s access to the natural environment with conservation objectives and be able to work collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to deliver benefits for both people and nature.

Qualifications
A relevant qualification or equivalent experience in a related discipline such as education, countryside or animal management, nature conservation, environmental science, or on-the-ground wardening is required.