South of Scotland Policy and Advocacy Officer - Red Squirrel Recovery Network (RSRN)

Salary: £21,600 per annum – 3 days per week (0.6 FTE)

Location: It is anticipated that the appointed Policy and Advocacy Officer will live in the south of Scotland. The appointed person will provide their own office/working base.

Reporting to: CEO

Closing date: 13 September 2026

Interview: In person w/c 21st and w/c 28th September 2026 (likely to be Johnstonebridge)

About the Red Squirrel Recovery Network and Restoring Upland Nature

The Red Squirrel Recovery Network (RSRN) is an ambitious new National Lottery Heritage Fund funded project which aims to build on conservation efforts of the last 20 years and lay the foundations for recovery of red squirrels across the north of England and south of Scotland. RSRN is delivered by a partnership of eight conservation organisations (the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Lancashire Manchester and North Merseyside Wildlife Trust and Knowsley Safari in England, and Restoring Upland Nature, the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere and Bright Green Nature in Scotland), with support from leading red squirrel conservation agencies. Working at a super-landscape scale, this is the first time that any project has brought together groups from north and south of the border to co-ordinate effort and achieve lasting change within five years so that the future of this iconic species is secured as part of a natural and functioning ecosystem. In southern Scotland RSRN focuses its work across the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire.

Restoring Upland Nature (RUN) is the lead partner for RSRN in the south of Scotland. RUN is an environmental charity focused on promoting the conservation and restoration of golden eagles and other upland species in the UK. RUN has recently appointed two new Red Squirrel Project Officers who are responsible for further developing and supporting a network of volunteers across the south of Scotland and working with landowners and land-managers to improve conservation outcomes for red squirrels. The Project Officers work closely alongside two RSRN funded Community Engagement Officers employed by the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) and Bright Green Nature (BGN).

Positively influencing the strategic context for red squirrel conservation is integral to the success of this 5-year RSRN project and its longer term legacy. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust has already appointed a full-time Advocacy and Policy Support Officer covering the north of England. In recognition of the very different legal, financial and organisational context north of the border, a draft RSRN South of Scotland Advocacy Strategy has been produced. RUN is now seeking to appoint a dedicated South of Scotland RSRN Policy and Advocacy Officer to deliver this strategy, who will be a key part of the RSRN team.

About the role

The overarching aims of this post are:

• To raise awareness of the threats to red squirrels and the importance of red squirrel conservation amongst relevant decision-making agencies and organisations at a local, regional and national level in Scotland;
• To positively influence policies, legislation, land management and broader environmental practice and grant funding to support positive action to promote and conserve red squirrels in the south of Scotland.

More specifically the aims of the post are to:

• Develop and maintain good working relationships with other relevant organisations;
• Advise and support RUN in establishing and maintaining an effective partnership for red squirrel conservation in the south of Scotland;
• Help ensure RSRN is represented on the necessary species conservation and nature recovery platforms at local, regional and national level in Scotland;
• Advise other RSRN staff and partners on the most effective ways of developing and securing support for long term red squirrel conservation in the south of Scotland;
• Establish effective feedback mechanisms from the Volunteer Red Squirrel Groups and the Red Squirrel Project Officers working on the ground to inform required policy and practise changes to improve conservation outcomes for red squirrels in southern Scotland;
• Establish effective feedback mechanisms to ensure that any changes to policies and practices (likely to impact red squirrel conservation outcomes) made at the national, regional and local authority level are fed back to the Volunteer Red Squirrel Groups and the Red Squirrel Project Officers.

Main responsibilities

Review, map, plan and inform policy and advocacy for improved red squirrel conservation outcomes in the South of Scotland

• Work closely with RSRN South Scotland Project Officers to finalise, implement and update (as required) the South of Scotland RSRN Advocacy Strategy 2020-30 to take account of opportunities and issues relevant to red squirrel