Paid Crew Lead: Gough Island – Field Team Leader

The RSPB is looking to recruit a Field Team Leader to carry out research on Gough Island. This work will primarily include field and captive trials assessing house mouse behaviour and the effectiveness of eradication measures, and the monitoring of the two land birds. Work will also involve seabird monitoring and invasive plant control. Deadline to apply: May 6, 2024.

Agency/Organization: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

Location: Gough Island

Website: Click here

Job Description: The RSPB is looking to recruit a Field Team Leader to carry out research on Gough Island. This work will primarily include 1) field and captive trials assessing House Mouse Mus musculus behaviour and the effectiveness of eradication measures, and 2) the monitoring of the two land birds (Gough Moorhen Gallinula comeri and Gough Bunting Rowettia goughensis). In addition, it will also involve 3) a limited amount of seabird monitoring, and likely 4) the control of an invasive plant Sagina procumbens. Please note, this is a substantial change to the Field Team Leader work programme on Gough Island compared to previous years, with the focus no longer being on seabirds. The post holder will work alongside a Field Officer. Both posts will be for a period of ~15 months, consisting of pre-deployment training and ~13 months deployment on Gough Island (precise shipping schedules vary from year to year).

Gough Island (6,500 ha) is located in the South Atlantic Ocean and forms part of the UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha, widely considered as one of the world’s most important seabird breeding sites.

This position offers a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and disciplined individual with relevant fieldwork skills and a keen interest in wildlife and eradication techniques for invasive non-native species, who can adapt well to small island living in a challenging and remote sub-Antarctic environment.

Work can be very intense, with frequent long hours of fieldwork and data entry and management, so it is important to be well organised. Data are managed using databases and checked by creating reports on a monthly basis, observing deadlines at frequent intervals.

The successful applicants for the Field Team Leader and Field Officer positions will be joining and living with the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) over-wintering team of seven meteorologists and support staff, bringing the total team size to nine people. The successful applicants will be required to work within the requirements of SANAP’s over-wintering teams, including sharing cooking and cleaning duties in communal living quarters. Moreover, applicants should be aware that internet access on the island is limited, and a service cannot be guaranteed – there may be long spells (months) with no internet access. There are satellite phones for emergency use.

The ideal candidate will be able to cope with the above tasks and living arrangements and will be confident in remote and challenging field situations. Applicants should have good awareness of safety issues and be comfortable living in close quarters with other people from a diverse range of cultures. The successful applicant will be highly driven, self-motivated, and able to work unsupervised whilst following management decisions from a remote setting. 

Qualifications:

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

1. A science degree or equivalent experience in a relevant subject, including the ability to implement scientific methodology accurately.
2. Knowledge of small mammal – preferably rodent – ecology and experience of monitoring, trapping, handling and captive trials.
3. Wild bird/animal handling and monitoring experience in the field with a focus on bird identification, bird banding/ringing.
4. Data collection/data management skills or a demonstrable ability to adhere to data collection, entry and management standards.
5. Leadership, management and site supervision of a team with a key focus on setting a clear direction, maintaining motivation and promoting safety.
6. Able to manage a work programme and deploy resources efficiently and effectively to achieve objectives, including needing to be flexible and adaptable to changing work requirements and workload.
7. Interpersonal skills with the tact, diplomacy, respect and negotiating skills to manage staff and develop and maintain good relations with the SANAP Team and the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Department and wider Tristan community – i.e., an ability to live and work in a very small team from a diverse range of cultures at a remote location for a prolonged period.
8. Knowledge of practical requirements for ensuring health and safety of staff working in challenging field conditions and living remotely.
9. Able to work in extreme conditions, sometimes for prolonged periods in the field, including by being physically fit and capable of carrying out fieldwork in very rugged terrain and inclement weather conditions in remote locations.
10. Report writing, including proficiency in standard software packages (MS Office, including Access), fluency in written and spoken English language.

Desirable:

1. Confident analysing and reporting data and experience of R statistical software.
2. Willingness to generate materials for communications purposes (e.g., photography of wildlife / fieldwork, writing blogs).
3. Experience of the ethics and regulations governing the use of animals in research (e.g., UK Home Office standards).
4. Knowledge of wilderness survival techniques and First Aid.
5. Practical/technical skills (e.g., carpentry, construction, camera trapping).
6. Ringing experience with valid BTO permit.

Wage: £29,200.00 – £31,347.00 per annum; pension, life assurance, and annual leave.

To apply: As part of this application process, you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above. Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the additional information document attached to the top of this advert. We are looking to conduct interviews for this position mid to end May. For further information please contact Antje Steinfurth (antje.steinfurth@rspb.org.uk) or Sophie Thomas (sophie.thomas@rspb.org.uk). Click here for more information and to apply.

Application Deadline: May 6, 2024

Start Date: July 2024. This is a Fixed-Term role until 31st October 2025 for 37.5 hours per week. The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Contact: Antje Steinfurth (antje.steinfurth@rspb.org.uk) or Sophie Thomas (sophie.thomas@rspb.org.uk)