Climate Adaptation Assistant

Climate Adaptation Assistant
Salary: £23,000 - £25,000
Contract type: Fixed Term until the end of March 2025, possible extension
Working hours: Full time
Location: Callow Rock, Shipham Gorge, Cheddar, with opportunities for hybrid working

As Climate Adaptation Assistant, you will be helping to deliver SWT’s climate adaptation work across various projects. The over-arching aim of this work is to develop climate change adaptation pathways at a county level, and in specific local areas relating to flooding, drought and wildfire. This is designed to foster climate change resilience and adaptation in the county, and therefore involves working with a variety of stakeholders, including SWT colleagues, partner organisations, farmers and landowners, experts and academics, local councils and community groups. Additionally, you will have opportunities to undertake training for personal and professional development.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sixth assessment report laid out in March 2023, we are now on the brink of irrevocable damage from climate change; this is our ‘final warning’ and the time is now for action to address this crisis.

The report highlighted that restoring nature was one of the key actions needed to address this issue. Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) are at the forefront of this work in Somerset, and fully committed to this path through our Wilder Somerset 2030 Strategy and to delivering a vision whereby we reverse biodiversity loss and tackle the climate crisis.

Come and join the team to make a real difference.

Climate Adaptation Assistant

The Climate Adaptation Assistant's role is to support the delivery and embedding of SWT’s climate adaptation work in Somerset, building on the Co-Adapt Adapting the Levels project. This work helps to protect our fabulous wildlife and landscapes as well as local communities, using nature-based and natural process solutions to manage water, heat and wildfire that will help map a positive future for Somerset in the era of Climate Change.

Key outputs for the project will be: 

• Co-creating Climate Adaptation Plans with communities across Somerset including the coast
• Inputting a climate focus and RAD (Resist, Accept, Direct) approach with project focus areas (such as the Adapting the Levels Landscape Recovery project in the Brue Valley)
• Climate adaptation support for Agriculture on the Somerset Levels and Moors – supporting the Moor Association project.
• The management of priority habitats, identifying triggers for ecological transformation and mapping options

Community engagement and consensus-based solutions approaches are major elements of the role. The role will also include a large degree of partnership working and liaison with technical experts in the Climate Change Adaptation Pathways and RAD approaches.

Closing date: Monday 1 July 2024

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

Somerset Wildlife Trust has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and is committed to continuing to improve the equality, diversity and inclusion of every aspect of our work; we know we need to engage with everyone to live our values and achieve our goals. We welcome applications from everyone and are happy to discuss any accommodations or arrangements that would make the recruitment process better for you, and the working environment should you be employed.

Please let us know if you require the documents in a different format, or any other adjustments to assist you in the recruitment process.

No agencies please.