Location
Based at Heathland House, Heather Farm, Woking, Surrey, with daily travel across the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area covering Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.

Hours
Full time, with regular outdoor work and travel across the protected heathland sites.

Salary
£28,910 per annum

About the Role
Do you love being outdoors and have a passion for connecting people with nature? Join the award-winning Thames Basin Heaths Partnership as a Warden and spend your days on beautiful heathlands rather than behind a desk. You will engage with thousands of visitors, predominantly dog walkers, helping them understand the importance of these internationally significant heathlands. Your role will involve encouraging responsible recreation, promoting alternative greenspaces, and protecting rare ground-nesting birds and other wildlife.

Key activities include working outdoors in stunning heathland landscapes, meeting a wide variety of people daily, inspiring children, families and visitors to care about nature, organising events and pop-up engagement sessions, and collaborating with land managers, councils, Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, Forestry England, the MOD and other conservation partners. You will contribute to protecting rare wildlife through education, engagement and awareness raising.

No two days are the same. You might be speaking with dog walkers on the heath, supporting community events, assisting the Heathland Hounds project, surveying visitors, creating social media content, or working with partners to deliver engagement activities. This role is ideal for someone enthusiastic about nature, confident in engaging with people from all backgrounds, and eager to make a real difference to one of England’s most important heathland landscapes.

Protecting wildlife. Inspiring people. Spending your working day in nature. That is what this role is all about.

Experience
Experience engaging with the public in outdoor or conservation settings is desirable but not essential. A passion for nature and enthusiasm for public engagement are key.

About you
You should be confident communicating with people from diverse backgrounds, enjoy working outdoors in all weather conditions, and be motivated to protect wildlife and natural habitats. A genuine interest in heathland ecology and dog walking communities is advantageous.

Qualifications
There are no formal qualifications required for this role, but relevant experience or training in conservation, environmental education, or community engagement will be beneficial.