Life on the Edge Conservation Trainee

  • Opportunity with Life on the Edge Partner
  • Devon
  • Ends: Sunday 16th February 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the ‘Life on the Edge’ project as a Conservation Trainee. This position is hosted by South Devon National Landscape.

Hours: Part-time (18.5 hours/week)
Contract Type: 0.5 FTE on 6-month fixed-term contract
Salary: £23,656 (pro rata)
Location: Totnes/Agile

Do you enjoy inspiring people about wildlife? Do you have a genuine desire to have a career in nature conservation and ecology but haven’t got the right qualifications or experience yet? Our Life on the Edge trainee post might just be for you!

We are excited to offer two new trainee posts as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported, Life on the Edge Project (LotE), one focused on ecology and conservation and one on community engagement.

Our trainee scheme enables people with no previous experience or qualifications to work alongside our team and our volunteers, to develop hands-on practical experience and vital professional skills to help take that first step to a career in conservation and ecology.

Life on the Edge aims to restore species-rich grasslands to secure a positive future for some of the UK’s rarest invertebrates and plants living along the South Devon coast, while improving people’s nature-connectedness. We are looking for someone who shares our passion and enthusiasm for impactful landscape scale nature recovery for the benefit of people and wildlife. This entry level position is aimed at progressing important skills and gaining invaluable experience in the environmental sector and suitable for someone who has not had paid work in this field before.

Day to day work of the Conservation Trainee will be varied; Working alongside the Conservation Officer, they will assist with specialist species surveying, working with volunteers, land management advice and assisting on our nature focused events, as well as being part of the wider Life on the Edge project delivery along the South Devon coast.

The Trainees will be employed on an 6 month contract at 0.5FTE by South Hams District Council, the host of South Devon National Landscape. Given the nature of events on various days during the week, a favourable approach to flexible working will be advantageous. We urge applicants to apply who meet the scheme requirements and have a keenness to learn more about the natural world, how to conserve it and engage people along the way!

All interested candidates are encouraged to join an online webinar session on Monday 10th February to learn more about the Life on the Edge project, these opportunities and ask any questions in a short Q&A session.

The webinar will be held on Zoom at 1830 on Monday 10 February – please contact [email protected] for the link.

We are only able to accept applications from individuals over the age of 18 years old.

For an informal discussion please contact Nicky Bailey, Life on the Edge Volunteering and Learning Officer on 01803 229334 or email [email protected].


How to apply

For more information and to apply, visit South Devon National Landscape recruitment page.

Closing date: Sunday 16 February 2025. Interviews are expected to be held: Thursday 27 February 2025

For further information on the project see https://www.southdevon-nl.org.uk/projects/life-on-the-edge/.

Please note that this role is not hosted by Buglife but with a partner organisation on the Life on the Edge project. 


Main Image Credit: Long-horned Mining Bee (Eucera longicornis) © John Walters

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