Nature Reserve Officer in Ellon

This is an exciting opportunity to join the small and passionate team managing Forvie National Nature Reserve. NatureScot NNRs are committed to delivering species and habitat protection as well as high quality visitor experience.

We are looking for a dynamic and engaging person that will support the protection and monitoring of habitats and species and will lead on this during weekends and staff holiday periods. Many visitors appreciate and require on-site contact with staff to help them make the most of their visit and encourage responsible behaviour, working towards a nature-rich future. This will involve working on your own, with the NNR team and partner organisations, and you will be the main point of contact at weekends for NatureScot.

The post holder will be expected to assist with, and lead, guided walks or group visits. The post holder will also assist with environmental, disturbance and visitor surveys and site maintenance tasks.

• Provide visitors with information on the natural and cultural heritage interests.
• Promote responsible access to the reserve by applying the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
• Raise awareness of NatureScot and its key messages surrounding climate emergency and nature-rich future.
• Contribute towards visitor monitoring of the NNR.
• Contribute towards environmental monitoring on the NNR.
• Assist with and lead environmental education, organised visits and events.
• Contribute towards maintaining NNR infrastructure.
• Work weekends to maintain staff presence on site.
• Undertake measures necessary to ensure personal health and safety at work.
• Undertake necessary training.

• Driving licence – the post holder will be required to drive NatureScot vehicles.
• A good level of physical fitness as this role will involve working in rough terrain and inclement weather conditions.
• Ability to work safely and effectively alone, outdoors and in remote locations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of working with the general public and other stakeholders.
• Understanding of public access to Scotland’s outdoors.
• Good field identification and monitoring skills.
• Aptitude towards practical tasks (e.g. machinery and equipment and infrastructure maintenance).
• Good writing skills, including report writing and social media.

• Lantra or City & Guilds certificates in brushcutting and off-road driving.
• First aid outdoors.
• Supervising volunteers and leading groups outdoors.
• Experience and knowledge of social media platforms and ways of communicating to a wide audience.

• Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK and resident in Scotland for the duration of the job contract.
• To undertake a Disclosure Scotland application.
• Although Gaelic language is not a prerequisite, it is a desirable skill in support of our Gaelic Language Plan.

NatureScot offers some great benefits to reward and support you whilst you are working for us. Our benefits package includes the civil service pension scheme, a generous holiday leave allowance plus flexi time, and employee discount scheme.

• An environment with flexible working options.
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% (7.35% employee contributions).
• 41.5 days of annual leave, including 5 fixed public holidays on St Andrews Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and 2nd January.
• Equivalent of 2 days paid volunteering leave.
• A focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme.
• Job satisfaction from contributing proactively to the twin nature and climate crisis.
• Death in service benefits.
• Cycle to work and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
• Access to an employee discounts scheme.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

Closing date: Midnight 19 February 2026.

Nature is vital to all of us, so it is vital that we are an organisation for all of Scotland. The more diverse NatureScot is, the better we will be in connecting everyone with nature. We particularly encourage applications from people from Minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with a disability.