Grazing Officer

at  Sussex Wildlife Trust

SUSSEX WILDLIFE TRUST

Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity for everyone who cares about nature in Sussex. We focus on protecting the wonderfully rich natural life that is found across our towns, countryside and coast. By working alongside local people we create opportunities for us all to connect with nature and for nature to thrive in even the most unlikely places.
We are now in a critical decade for change to protect and restore nature with the help of more people taking action for wildlife. Now is the time for an ambitious action plan to match the scale and urgency of the challenges we are facing. Our new Strategic Plan – Our Wild Sussex – was launched in April and sets out our vision and commitment to turning the tide for wildlife so that by 2030, nature in Sussex will be in recovery.
To deliver our new strategic aims, we have recently completed a comprehensive restructure of the charity to align to our goals. This restructure has generated a suite of new roles and opportunities which will enable us to achieve our ambitions of restoring and protecting at least 30% of Sussex land and sea for nature, inspiring one in four people in Sussex to take meaningful action for wildlife, building a stronger more inclusive and diverse organisation and becoming a net zero and climate resilient organisation.
In order to encourage diversity and inclusivity within the environment sector, we particularly welcome applications from people who have an ethnically or geographically diverse background, who are non-graduates and/or are living in economically deprived areas

You will be part of a team that manages the Trusts livestock and delivers grazing on reserves across East and West Sussex. The trust currently runs nearly 300 head of cattle, 1000 head of sheep and a small group of goats and ponies, all of which help deliver conservation objectives across the trust’s nature reserves.
The trust is continuing to increase the quality and number of stock available to deliver our conservation objectives, as well as developing a sustainable grazing operation that is capable of being financially self-sufficient.
We block calve outdoors in the spring and this year have put 120 cows to the bull, we run this consecutively with lambing which we operate both an indoor and outdoor system, this year we are hoping to tup at least 600 ewes. A major part of the role therefore will be to carry out lambing and calving and all the husbandry that goes along with it, from tagging and castrating right up to giving the ewes and cows an MOT before bulling/tupping.
The role will include daily livestock checks, bedding up and feeding in the winter, carrying out basic animal husbandry, moving stock out onto reserves and gathering again at the end of the season ready for sale or to come back to the “home” farm.
We currently make all our own straw and silage so a knowledge of and experience using tractors and tractor mounted equipment would be desirable. As well as experience towing trailers on and off road, both with the tractor and 4x4.
Please note this role is 35 hours a week and is on a rota with the rest of the team to provide 7 day a week cover. You will be required to work one weekend in four, having the Friday before and the Friday after your weekend off.