Estate Ranger Intern – Blackburn & Hartsgarth: Wild work in a wild place: a year to learn the land by working it

You can read about land stewardship for years and still not understand it. This internship is the alternative: twelve hands-on months on one of the UK's most exciting restoration landscapes. Blackburn & Hartsgarth is an 11,400-acre former sheep farm and grouse moor near Newcastleton in the Scottish Borders. It rises from the valley floor to the summit of Roan Fell, with plans to plant 1.6 million native trees, 3,000 acres of peatland restoration and fenceless conservation grazing with native cattle.

Working alongside our B&H estate team, you'll learn directly from amazing people across habitat work, cattle husbandry, deer management, estate maintenance and ecological monitoring. You'll also be a visible face of Oxygen Conservation with the contractors, neighbours and visitors who make the estate work. A full year means you'll see the whole cycle on the hill, from winter planting and herbivore management to summer surveys and grazing.

About You

• A love for wild places, rural life, and a commitment to their ecological restoration.
• Curious about how habitats are actually managed: what gets planted, grazed, fenced and left alone, and why.
• Any practical land, farming, forestry, stalking or conservation experience is welcome, though it isn't required.

Impact

• You finish things properly. We take real pride in every task done on an estate and we need you to have the same eye for detail.
• Proactive and self-motivated. You spot what needs doing rather than waiting to be told.
• Keen to build practical skills quickly, including with tools, machinery, livestock and survey methods.

Adventure

• Happy working outdoors every day, year-round: rain, shine, snow or sideways wind.
• Physically up for the work, and able to travel to and around a remote upland estate. A full UK driving license is a real advantage.
• Adaptable and energised by days that change shape by mid-morning.

Together

• Easy to work alongside in a small team where everyone's contribution is visible and valued.
• Able to represent us well with contractors, neighbours, visitors and the Newcastleton community.
• And let's be honest, you have to be really kind too. Sharing snacks on long journeys or a packed lunch in the driving rain is mandatory!

We believe in recruiting exceptional people and creating opportunities that allow you to do incredible things. You don't need to tick every box above. It doesn't matter what point in your career you're at, what school you went to, or whether you have a degree or not. We're committed to building a diverse team drawn from across the country, and we want amazing people with a desire to make a difference.

Key Responsibilities

• Hands-On Conservation: Support the delivery of practical restoration work, including tree planting and woodland establishment, peatland restoration, invasive species control and habitat management. Some days that will look like standing out on the hill with our restoration partners, some days that will be processing quotes, invoices, and project management from the comfort of the estate office. No two days will ever be the same.
• Livestock and Conservation Grazing: Help care for the estate's cattle, including welfare checks and handling, and support our grazing plans as we use virtual fencing for fenceless conservation grazing.
• Ecotourism: Support the wider ecotourism team with the management and boots on the ground effort of B&H Escapes: our two-bed ecotourism property right here on the estate. This could look like managing the estates Instagram account, liaising with cleaners and contractors, gardening, and checking guests in and out.
• Deer Management Support: Support our herbivore management effort, from deer counts and monitoring browsing on young trees to assisting with stalking and larder work alongside experienced colleagues.
• Estate Operations and Infrastructure: Help maintain fences, gates, tracks, paths, signage and equipment, keeping the estate safe and well presented, this may include emptying bins and cleaning vehicles.
• Monitoring and Recording: Record what has been done and what has changed, from survey data to wildlife sightings, so the estate's evidence keeps pace with the work.
• Working with Others: Support the estate team in coordinating contractors, neighbours and visitors, acting as a credible face of Oxygen Conservation on the ground.
• Health and Safety: Look after yourself and the people around you, following risk assessments and safe systems of work, including when working alone.
• Learning and Development: Work closely with experienced colleagues who will mentor you throughout, with opportunities to build practical skills and qualifications relevant to the role.

About Us

We're building the UK's first true natural capital portfolio: buying large landscapes, restoring them at scale, and proving that nature recovery can create real, investable value. Across our 12 estates, that means using restoration to create carbon credits, biodiversity units and nature credits, while also exploring regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and ecotourism. In just five years we've grown to over 50,000 acres, and by 2030 our ambition is to have 250,000 acres under restoration. Our mission is simple: prove that restoring ecosystems can deliver transformative environmental and social impact, and financial returns.

Our work has been recognised along the way. We were named Start-Up of the Year at the 2022 Business Leader South West Awards and Team of the Year at the 2023 Edie Awards. Our nature funding agreement with Triodos won ESG Deal of the Year at the 2024 Insider South West Dealmakers Awards, and our founder and CEO, Dr Rich Stockdale, features in the ENDS Power List.

Key Information

Term: Full-time, 12-month fixed-term contract. We'll agree a start date that works for everyone.

Location: Blackburn & Hartsgarth, Newcastleton, Scottish Borders.

Accommodation: Accommodation isn't available with this role. So, you'll need to live close enough to work from the estate 4 days per week.

Salary: £26,500 per annum

Closing Date: Monday 2nd November 2026

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