Project Officer West Connacht (Agri-environmental)
The Project Officer's primary role is to support farmers and farm advisors throughout the delivery of the scheme.
They will actively engage with farmers to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the opportunities available to them through the scheme and to encourage their active participation with a view to achieving better environmental outcomes that are most relevant and beneficial to the local area.
This job is an opportunity for someone motivated to promote farming practices that maintain and enhance the environmental quality of the West Connacht farming landscape.
Location
Project officers will be assigned to different local areas within the West Connacht region. The current vacancy relates to the Erris local area.
Duties and Responsibilities
* Main point of contact between farmers and the project team.
* Continual liaison with the farming community in respective local area.
* Provide agri-environmental advice and support to participant farmers.
* Liaise with and provide support to farm advisors.
* Coordinate and deliver training events to farmers and farm advisors.
* Organise and partake in community outreach events, e.g., school visits, community groups, etc.
* Undertake habitat scoring of farmland habitats (including private lands and commonages).
* Undertake farm visits to monitor farm implementation and success of actions.
* Preparation of reports, training materials, and presentations as required.
* Screening farm actions proposed by farm advisors (includes non-productive investments and landscape actions).
* Liaise with local and regional stakeholders and interested parties on the project.
* Work closely with the wider project team.
Requirements
This role would be ideally suited to someone who wishes to develop a career in the growing agri-environmental sector.
The ideal candidate should enjoy working outdoors, have excellent communication and organisational skills, and a keen interest in the environment.
* A degree in agriculture, ecology, environmental or related discipline.
* A full clean driver's licence.
* Applicants should have a minimum of two years relevant work experience in the agriculture / ecology / agri-environmental sectors.
Salary and Employment Details
Project Officers will be employed on a full-time fixed term contract basis.
The contract period is expected to run to the end of 2028, and may be extended annually thereafter, subject to continuing funding and needs of the project.
We foresee that there will be opportunities for career progression and promotion during the project.
Starting Salary: €38,000 per annum (+ 4% employer pension contribution).
Expenses: Travel and subsistence expenses will be paid monthly.
Other details: A budget will be available to cover personal equipment required to fulfil the role.
The project officer will have the opportunity to contribute to a pension, the employer will make an annual contribution of 4% of salary per annum.
Annual leave: 20 days per annum, increasing to 22 days after one year of service, further increasing to 24 days after three years of service.