Allonby Bay (Marine Science & Engagement) Officer

The opportunity: Cumbria Wildlife Trust is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Allonby Bay (Marine Science and Engagement) Officer to help deliver an exciting project supporting the long‑term success of England’s first Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) at Allonby Bay, designated in 2023. In this varied and rewarding role, you will combine community engagement, citizen science, marine monitoring, and partnership working to help people better understand, value, and connect with this nationally important marine environment.

Allonby Bay is a unique stretch of coast, rich in marine wildlife and an important place for local communities, businesses, and sea users. You will lead the delivery of an innovative citizen science and marine engagement programme, working with volunteers, local businesses, conservation partners, and recreational and commercial sea users to build awareness of the HPMA and encourage positive action for marine conservation. You will also design and deliver events, workshops, and interpretation activities that make marine conservation engaging, accessible, and relevant to diverse audiences.

Working closely with project partners, statutory conservation bodies, local stakeholders, and businesses, you will act as a bridge between sea users and conservation organisations, ensuring local perspectives help shape project delivery. Alongside engagement activities, you will contribute to project management, reporting, evaluation, communications, and knowledge‑sharing, helping to demonstrate the impact of the project and share learning with others. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference for marine nature recovery while helping communities engage with one of the UK’s most important marine conservation initiatives.

If you are passionate about marine conservation, organised and proactive, and enjoy bringing people together around a shared purpose, we would love to hear from you.

Job Purpose

The Project Officer will lead the delivery, coordination, and scientific engagement elements of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Allonby Bay project, supporting the long‑term success of England’s first Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), designated in 2023. The role will focus on:

• Developing and delivering the citizen science and marine monitoring programme
• Working closely with key sea user groups
• Managing project delivery, reporting, and partnerships

Key Responsibilities

Citizen science & marine monitoring

• Plan and deliver the project’s citizen science programme, ensuring robust and usable data collection
• Coordinate and deliver training for Marine Champions and support their development
• Organise and deliver specialist training, including species ID and snorkel guides
• Oversee and support data collection activities (e.g. Shoresearch, other surveys)
• Ensure data quality and work with partners to align outputs with monitoring and evidence needs
• Contribute to project evaluation and knowledge‑sharing outputs

Sea user engagement & communications

• Design and deliver targeted workshops/events to improve understanding of the HPMA and encourage responsible behaviours
• Produce tailored communication materials (e.g. leaflets, magazine articles)
• Act as a bridge between sea users and conservation partners, ensuring user perspectives inform ongoing work
• Support development of interpretation materials, films, and digital content showcasing the HPMA

Project management & delivery

• Lead day‑to‑day project coordination and delivery against agreed objectives
• Track progress across key deliverables
• Monitor budgets and ensure effective use of resources
• Produce regular progress reports and updates for internal and external stakeholders
• Write final project evaluation and knowledge‑sharing events

Partnership Working

• Work collaboratively with project partners, statutory conservation bodies and local stakeholders and businesses
• Ensure alignment between scientific, engagement, and communication workstreams.

Health & Safety

• Ensure all project activities comply with Trust health and safety policies.
• Undertake risk assessments for fieldwork, training, and events.

Supporting the Trust

• Raise the profile of Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Allonby Bay project.
• Support funding opportunities and partnership development.
• Contribute to wider organisational objectives as required.

Whilst we will select against the criteria in the job description, we do not expect candidates to meet 100% of the criteria and encourage you to apply if you believe that you would be a good fit for this role. Our ideal candidate will have a passion for connecting people to their local marine environment, and be able to engage and help build awareness, shaping how people connect with and benefit from the marine environment around them.

The closing date for applications is 09:00 am on 10 August 2026. Interviews will be held at our offices in Kendal and are likely to be held on either 18 or 19 August 2026. Completed application forms should be returned with a cover letter outlining the candidate’s suitability for the post, to Claire Shepherd, HR Manager, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Plumgarths, Crook Road, Kendal, LA8 8LX or by email to admin@cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk.

Please note, Cumbria Wildlife Trust does not own the HPMA and is not responsible for enforcement of the HPMA. This is an awareness project about the local marine and coastal wildlife.