Estate Ranger

The role of Ranger will combine responsibilities on nature conservation, visitor services, learning and community engagement, provide support to Visitor Services Manager,Estates and assist with the training and development of the Estate VSA’s, contributing to the delivery of the National Trust for Scotland’s conservation and operational objectives at the Culloden Cluster.

Context

The Culloden Cluster includes Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Abertarff House in Inverness and Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty.

The Ranger role is positioned to provide an ‘on the ground’ support to the wider properties in the cluster but will be primarily based at Culloden. Working as part of the estates team they will provide support in the day-to-day care of our conservation grazers and deliver outdoor engagement activities throughout the year in conjunction with our onsite engagement team. Overall, this will be in pursuit of the following outcomes for and with the natural heritage cared for by the National Trust for Scotland: 

• Habitats: Assist with the protection of the habitats in the cluster’s care, monitoring of our skylark 
• and wildlife populations and caring for the mixed conservation grazing fold on the moor. 
• Visitors and learning: Enable more people to experience cultural and natural heritage more 
• often, get more out of it & put more back into it.
• Communities: Work with communities living on or close to our land or with an interest in our 
• land so that they collaborate with us to help achieve our natural heritage outcomes.
• Built heritage: Work with the Estates Team to protect the built and archaeological heritage in 
• our care and use them to help us explain the “habitats” outcome and achieve the “visitors” 
• outcome

Key responsibilities

Combine responsibilities across the following areas of work by facilitating and overseeing daily the work of others, i.e. team members, visitors, contractors and volunteers 

Nature conservation. 

• Assist in the management and care of the conservation grazing fold (mixed fold of cattle, goats and horses) 
• Survey wildlife and countryside habitats and feed this knowledge into projects and management decisions.  
• Assist with the maintenance and management of habitats, wildlife, and countryside estate infrastructure on a day-to-day basis (e.g.: paths, gates, signs, vegetation management) to achieve ecological, visitor service and safety outcomes. 

Visitor Services. 

Provide information to visitors to encourage and help people get more out of their engagement with natural heritage and give more back to it including “upselling” (e.g.: of membership, guided tours, specific events) using face-to-face presentation and/or by other means of interaction. 

Community engagement. 

Working with the Visitor Services Manager (Estates) to communicate with local stakeholders, businesses, local / regional agencies and others to increase understanding of their and our aims and develop collaborative working relationships/partnerships to help deliver the Trust priorities. 

Learning. 

Deliver and develop educational and outreach activities and develop an events programme on site or to the local community to promote the site’s cultural and natural heritage and to communities of interest including for volunteers. 

Other responsibilities specific to the role. 

• Support VSM Estates ensuring daily and weekly record keeping updates 
• Organise, facilitate and deliver training to support estates team Visitor Service Assistants 
• Duty Manager on a rota system 
• Management of practical conservation and wildlife recording. 
• Develop and deliver visitor safety in the countryside. 
• Engagement and involvement with projects as required. 
• Embody the Trust’s values.

Please click the Apply button now for more information.