Job at a glance
The Role This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a strategic species conservation strategy, by playing a key part in coordinating client-facing and internal operations. The role requires someone who is meticulous, well-organised and an excellent communicator, with the ability to work adaptively with a diverse range of stakeholders. Importantly, we’re looking for someone who wants to make a meaningful difference for nature through their work.
The role combines routine operational administration, client relationship management support, data quality scrutiny and client follow-up coordination. This work helps ensure the efficient local-level delivery of the scheme’s conservation strategy for great crested newts across England. This new role sits within NatureSpace’s client-facing Technical Team. Initially, the postholder will primarily assist the team’s infrastructure Organisational Licensing division, while coordinating closely with existing support staff across the company for training and knowledge-sharing.
The postholder will work closely with a small team of specialist technical colleagues to support the delivery and ongoing management of NatureSpace’s schemes, with scope for the role to evolve over time. As part of a home-based team, this role involves a high level of independent working, alongside regular communication with colleagues in NatureSpace’s Technical Team and across the wider company, as well as clients and partner organisations such as the Newt Conservation Partnership.
Key responsibilities This diverse role will coordinate the smooth running of our Organisational Licence schemes’ business-as-normal operations, with duties including: Champion data quality within the OL division across a large database and undertake routine quality assurance checks Monitor client agreements and contractual commitments, including renewals and payment schedules and invoicing for routine payments Support internal projects that develop internal procedures or set up new Organisational Licence schemes with client organisations Coordinate the OL division’s client follow-up activities from enquiries to completed projects, including collecting licence annual reports from all projects and coordination of any support to planning authorities where relevant Manage client inboxes and phone line systems Assist with coordinating impact forecasting activities to help shape how our conservation strategy is delivered to address local-level impacts Undertake accurate internal payment administration activities Assist in client relationship management administration, including accurate record-keeping of stakeholder contacts and monitoring progress of client requests Support the coordination of client meetings, site visits and industry events Coordinate compliance monitoring of client projects Company background Great crested newts have declined dramatically in the UK over the last 50 years, and although still widespread across lowland England they are no longer common.
Despite protection under UK and European wildlife law, numbers are still declining, and habitat loss is their biggest threat. In 2018, the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme was launched – set up in partnership with the UK’s leading freshwater and amphibian non-governmental organisations as well as seven local planning authorities across the South Midlands. Since then, the scheme has expanded nationally and now covers 70 local planning authorities across Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.
The scheme allows planning authorities to authorise (under strictly defined terms) activities which affect great crested newts at the same time as they grant planning permission. The District Licensing Scheme has significant advantages for newt conservation and wider biodiversity benefits through a fully funded region-wide conservation strategy that creates high-quali