Matt Willmott
What employment sector do you work in?
NGO Sector
How long have you had a green job for nature?
25 years
Salary Range
£30,001 – £40,000
Please describe the work that you do.
• Undertake or contribute to the delivery of species and habitat specific work programmes by deploying the appropriate conservation tools, as delegated by the line manager or Regional/Country Management Team to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the agreed objectives.
• Where applicable, ensure that the work programme supports and contributes to the RSPB’s landscape scale conservation projects
• Instigate and manage projects, in association with Regional RSPB colleagues as appropriate.
What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?
Poor pay and feeling on ‘duty’ 24/7
What inspired you into this career?
My Dad
Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far?
Poor pay
What education/training did you have?
• Over 24 years’ experience communicating environmental advice to farmers and landowners through one-to-one farm visits, group walks and talks.
• Member of CIEEM since 2007.
• BASIS Certificate in Conservation Management.
• Delivering agri-environment grant scheme advice and applications, ecological advice, protected sites, habitat surveys, wet grassland, farmland birds, arable biodiversity, peatland, upland breeding waders, on-shore and off-shore wind, Biodiversity Off-setting.
• Research into practice: directly contributed to farmland bird and wild pollinator packages becoming embedded within current UK agri-environment schemes.
• Experienced in technical presentations and conservation articles for journals/magazines.
• Ability to identify all British birds by sight and sound.
• Competent ID level in British butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and vascular plants.
• Habitat mapping experience and use of NVC.
• Habitat and species mapping experience via Merlin and ArcGIS.
• Biodiversity off-setting and net gain experience and awareness of planning laws and their use in conservation and species/habitat protection.
• Farmers Weekly Farm Adviser of the Year finalist 2011.
What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession?
Go for it and try to negotiate better pay from the outset. Regularly get way from your geographical work area.
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Tags: Scotland, NGO sector, Ecologist, Environmental adviser, Habitat/species manager, Farm environment adviser
Date profile submitted: 08/01/2025
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