Would you love a job where every day is focused on expanding your wildlife knowledge and inspiring people to notice, enjoy and care for wildlife along the Ouse Burn in Newcastle?
Do you have naturalist field skills in either plants, birds, insects or mammals?
Would a job based on a SSSI nature reserve on Tyneside excite you?
Do you seek a busy schedule engaging people to inspire wonder in urban wildlife?
If your answers to all three questions are ‘yes’, then please read on….
Ouse Burn Ecologist
Salary: £26.5k -£28.5k
Contract: 3 years (Jan 2026–Dec 2028)
Employer: Natural History Society of Northumbria
Location: Ouse Burn, Newcastle (field-based majority of time)
Do you love nature, people and practical environmental action? We’re looking for an enthusiastic ecologist to help communities improve wildlife habitats, green spaces and recreation areas along the Ouse Burn.
As our Ouse Burn Ecologist, you’ll support community groups to survey habitats and species, collect and visualise ecological data, and deliver small-scale habitat improvements. You’ll spend most of your time out and about in the valley, working alongside communities, local partners and volunteers to make real environmental change on the ground.
This role is ideal for someone with ecological knowledge, practical conservation experience and a passion for connecting people with nature. You should be confident working outdoors, enjoy working with others, and be excited by the idea of helping local residents and volunteers take action for nature.
To apply: Please download the recruitment pack below – instructions are given within
Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 18 January
What’s a day in the life like for NHSN’s Ouse Burn Ecologist?
Based at NHSN’s beautiful Gosforth Nature Reserve, you will be the welcoming public face of the organisation – our ‘shop door’ for people with wide-ranging interests and abilities in natural history. You will shape and deliver a lively programme of community engagement, supported by a friendly, skilled, and enthusiastic team of volunteers.
You will inspire people to notice, value, and record nature within the surrounding urban wildlife corridors. Your work will engage individuals, families, schools, university students, community groups, and businesses. Alongside engagement activities, you will help manage the nature reserve and will use social media daily to interpret and share stories of local urban wildlife.
No two days will be the same – from leading walks and events, to supporting citizen science, to sharing discoveries online.
Why choose NHSN?
For almost 200 years, NHSN has inspired wonder in nature across Tyneside. Founded in 1829, we are a local, independent charity with a proud history. Until 1959, we welcomed visitors to the Great North Museum Hancock (now leased to Newcastle University and managed by NEM), which remains home to the NHSN office.
Today, NHSN connects people with nature through field trips, talks, citizen science, publications, social media, Gosforth Nature Reserve, and support for young naturalists. More recently, we have brought all of this together to inspire and support action in response to the climate and ecological crises.
Will you inspire wonder in the natural world?
You will be a passionate naturalist with strong field skills in plants, insects, birds or mammals, combined with excellent interpersonal skills. You will enjoy engaging people with a wide range of interests, backgrounds, and levels of experience in natural history.
Your personal and professional approach will align with NHSN’s values: you will be welcoming, enthusiastic, flexible, agile, and locally focused. With a busy and varied schedule, you will be organised and calm under pressure, will show initiative and persistence, and will be motivated to inspire others.
