The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is the state’s peak environment organisation, representing over 160 local, state and national environment organisations in NSW. Our Healthy Ecosystems team works in partnership and collaboration with Government agencies, consortiums and associations to provide high quality community engagement, education and training services to communities.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Hotspots Fire Project (Hotspots) is jointly delivered with the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) with guidance from eight other project partners. See www.hotspotsfireproject.org.au for more information. The Hotspots Ecologist works with regional facilitators and the central office staff to develop fire ecology resources and support Hotspots workshop delivery across NSW.

The Hotspots Ecologist provides ecological expertise during the scoping of workshops and communicates ecological principles, including fire ecology, to workshop attendees within a landscape context. The Hotspots Ecologist works with local fire management agencies and community groups to increase awareness of fire ecology and fire management principles and support communities to actively and collectively participate in fire management planning and implementation for risk mitigation and maintaining biodiversity conservation.

A talent pool may be created from this recruitment action for ongoing and temporary roles of the same standard that may become available for filling over the next twelve months

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITY

• Support delivery of Hotspots workshops across NSW
• Develop regionally specific ecological resources that translate technical science into accessible and engaging information
• Foster collaborations between NCC, NSW RFS and other fire management agencies and the community to facilitate awareness of fire ecology principles and support collaborative property fire management planning for bush fire risk mitigation and maintaining biodiversity
• Work collaboratively as part of the NCC Healthy Ecosystems Program to achieve strategic goals
• Manage expense and administrative duties

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

ESSENTIAL

• Commitment and passion for conservation and objectives of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW
• Demonstrated knowledge of the terrestrial ecology of eastern NSW including the role of fire in maintaining landscape health and bushfire management
• Demonstrated research skills and an ability to present (both written and orally) technical information in a way that is engaging and accessible to landholders
• Strongly developed facilitation, networking and partnership skills
• Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to project manage own work to tight deadlines within a small project team
• Experience working with rural and First Nations communities
• The position requires bushland site visits so a reasonable level of fitness is required
• Current driver’s license

Desirable

• Tertiary qualification in ecology studies or similar
• Knowledge of the plant and animal species of central and southern NSW
• Knowledge of the NSW Keith Classification Vegetation system and NSW Fire Interval Guidelines
• Ability to undertake field work in remote locations
• Knowledge or experience of Cultural Burning practices with First Nations communities
• Fire-fighting training, qualification, or experience
• Experience in using fire as a management tool
• Experience or knowledge of NSW bush fire planning legislation and regulations
• Experience in online platforms including Google Earth, Six Maps, ArcGIS and other mapping platforms, EventBrite, Survey Monkey, Vimeo, WordPress, MS Office programs e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Experience with use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers
• Recent experience with ecological field survey techniques
• Bush Restoration experience
• First Aid Certificate

This position requires occasional work after hours and/or weekends including travel to workshops throughout NSW.

For more information, please contact:

Kate McShea, Healthy Ecosystems Program Coordinator via email [email protected] using the subject line: Hotspots Fire Project Ecologist enquiry via EthicalJobs or phone 02 9516 1488.