Reserves Officer (North Bucks)

Salary: £27,250 - £28,288 per annum 

Contract: Permanent 

Hours: 35 hours per week. Flexibility in working pattern, in agreement with line manager

Based: Meadow Farm, Blackthorn, Bicester, OX25 1TW. Some hybrid working available

The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust has a vision for “more nature everywhere, for everyone”. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. This includes you being comfortable bringing your whole self to work, and us co-working with the diverse communities we serve to ensure we are meeting everyone’s needs. 

The Reserves Officer (North Bucks) will help nature recover by managing a number of important nature reserves in the North of Buckinghamshire including ancient woodlands and unimproved species rich meadows. They will work with roving and site-based volunteer teams and contractors to implement a range of practical works. 

The North of Buckinghamshire is rich in wildlife and is made up of a landscape of mixed farmland with scattered ancient woodlands and is home to several rare species including Bechstein’s bats, and both Black and Brown Hairstreak butterflies.

The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust is a membership-based voluntary organisation, managing 90 nature reserves, influencing land management and educating and encouraging all sectors of the community to care for local wildlife.

What you’ll be doing

• Recruiting, supervising and overseeing volunteers undertaking a range of practical conservation tasks
• Undertaking practical habitat management works including key tasks such as using a chainsaw for woodland tasks, tractor operation for mowing and fence construction
• Drawing up and overseeing the delivery of contracts for reserves works

What we’re looking for

• Somebody with a good range of practical habitat management skills including chainsaw and tractor use
• Good budgetary skills and ability to draw up and oversee external contracts
• Excellent team working skills

This post will be DBS checked at basic level. A criminal conviction will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining the position. BBOWT will not unfairly discriminate on the basis of criminal convictions. BBOWT’s policy regarding this matter and the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice are available on request.

For all your hard work you can expect a great rewards package in return. In addition to being part of a friendly, skilled and knowledgeable team, passionate about making a difference, when you work for us, you’ll also receive

• Generous annual leave entitlement with paid birthday leave, balance days, urgent personal business leave and generous occupational sick pay
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and family-friendly policies
• Flexible working to achieve work-life balance
• Salary exchange pension with generous employer contribution
• Learning & Development Programme for all
• Wellbeing initiatives including qualified Mental Health First Aiders, YuLife benefit package - access to immediate and confidential help for any work, health, or life matters; 3x life assurance, online GP access, discounts and trade YuCoin points for gift cards
• Salary sacrifice Cycle scheme & Electric Vehicle scheme
• Membership to BBOWT’s, and The Wildlife Trusts’, Staff Network Groups for social interaction, peer support, mentoring and personal development

How to apply 

For full details, please read the job description and T&Cs below. To apply, please follow the application link.

The closing time and date for applications is 11.59pm on Tuesday 25^th November 2025. First interviews will take place Wednesday 3^rd December 2025.

BBOWT values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We want every candidate to have the best chance of success as part of this process. In order to do this, we know that some candidates will need reasonable adjustments. Contact us on recruitment@bbowt.org.uk if there are any reasonable adjustments we can provide during the recruitment process, including completing your application. 

When applying for the role you can expect to answer a few questions online relating to the skills required and what you would be doing in the role. Your responses will be anonymised, randomised, and scored by a panel of reviewers. 

We don't use an application form, or CVs - your answers to our situational based questions will be scored against a review guide and scores from these will decide which candidates go through to the interview stage.  See here to find out why we do this.

Whilst we appreciate ChatGPT and other AI platforms can answer these questions, we know what they have to say (and generally the answer they generate isn't great). We want to hear your perspective written in your own words. If it is clear that any of your answers are not your own work, we reserve the right to reject your application on that basis. 

You’ll also be asked for information about your background, anything you feel comfortable sharing will be anonymised and will not be shared as part of the selection process, it will only be used to help us understand how we are performing against our equal opportunities metrics. All candidates will receive feedback on their application. 

We want our people to be as diverse as nature, so we particularly encourage applications from people who are underserved within the communities in which we operate. This includes people from visible ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities (including those who are neurodivergent), the LGBTQ+ community, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and younger people. We are committed to creating an organisation that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities. 

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, The Lodge, 1 Armstrong Road, Littlemore, Oxford Oxon OX4 4XT 

Registered Charity No. 204330 www.bbowt.org.uk