Tree Seed Collection Project Assistant

Role profile

Job title

Tree Seed Collection Project Assistant

Reporting to

Tree Seed Collection Project Officer

Has reporting

None

Starting salary

Grade A - £22,948 - £25,374 pa full time

Part-time (0.6 Contract) fixed term until 31 May 2027

Dundreggan, IV63

Job type

Location

Additional requirements

Trees for Life

Trees for Life stands at the forefront of rewilding in the Scottish Highlands. Hopeful and bold, we
are committed to creating nature-rich landscapes that include and support people. Working on a
grand scale, we aim to close the gap between people and nature.

Focusing on Scotland’s spectacular Caledonian forest, we foster biodiversity and encourage
natural processes essential to life. From the iconic red squirrel to the elusive lynx, we are working
to bring more life back to our landscapes.

Rewilding is a shared journey. Together with communities, we are restoring Scotland’s natural and
cultural heritage while supporting local livelihoods. Join us on this path of hope and positive
action. Rewild the Scottish Highlands.

Dundreggan and the Rewilding Centre

Dundreggan is our 10,000-acre estate in Glenmoriston between Loch Ness and Skye. Since 2008,
the estate has been transformed by Trees for Life and its volunteers into one of the best examples
of forest restoration in Scotland. It includes a ground-breaking tree nursery and is where many
volunteers come to take part in rewilding projects.

The Rewilding Centre opened in April 2023 and serves as a gateway to make Dundreggan, and the
work being done here, making rewilding more accessible to a broader audience. It operates under
the Enterprises arm of Trees for Life and is a commercial business.

The site includes an innovative visitor centre, a café, 40-bed accommodation, events and
educational facilities. The Rewilding Centre welcomes visitors of all ages, interests and
backgrounds to explore the natural, Gaelic and cultural heritage of the Highlands and be inspired
by rewilding initiatives, including the restoration of the Caledonian forest.

Join the Trees for Life team!

Join our friendly, values-driven team, taking practical steps to rewild the Scottish Highlands. We
offer competitive pay and benefits, flexibility, great working culture, and much more. We welcome
applicants from all walks of life, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences.
If you require any adjustments during our recruitment process, that would enable you to do as
well as possible in the process, please let us know.
Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s okay. We’re committed to building a diverse and
inclusive team, and we know that skills and experience come in many forms. The right mindset,
attitude, and potential to grow are just as important to us as ticking every box. If you’re excited
about this role, meet some of the core criteria and feel you can make a meaningful contribution -
we encourage you to apply. Please use the personal details section of the application form to tell
us why you’d be a great fit.

Our values

Our values are at the heart of our mission to rewild the Scottish Highlands, guiding us in
everything from the daily rhythms of office life to the development of our landscape-scale
initiatives.

We are Bold

We are an ambitious charity with a critical purpose. For us, being bold means thinking about
landscape restoration on a grand scale, embracing innovative rewilding methods and challenging
the status quo. This approach ensures that every step we take is a bold stride toward a revitalised,
thriving natural landscape.

We are Collaborative

Our approach, deeply rooted in community and collaboration, involves working closely with local
communities, conservation groups, landowners, and volunteers. Finding common ground and
working together we will initiate positive solutions to the twin climate and biodiversity crises.

We are Pragmatic

We embrace pragmatic and sustainable solutions in everything we do. We are always mindful of
our duty to our supporters, our volunteers, our staff and above all to Scotland’s wild forest. By
adopting practical solutions, we safeguard our efforts and ensure a resilient future for our
initiatives.

Trees for Life is a registered Scottish charity (SC021303) and a company limited by guarantee (SC143304) with
registered offices at The Park, Findhorn Bay, Forres, Moray, IV36 3TH.

Overall purpose of the job

To  support  the  Project  Officer  in  the  day-to-day  delivery  of  the  Tree  Seed  Collection  Project,  through
administrative tasks, seed management during tree seed collection season and with tree nurseries, as well
as support with events coordination. The role will enhance the delivery of the project in collecting native tree
seeds and ensure they can be used in Trees for Life, Woodland Trust Scotland and other partners’ work

There is a supply shortage of local provenance native trees from certain geographical areas in Scotland and
the wider UK (tree seed zones).  Some species, e.g., birch, is available from some Scottish provenances
only, whilst other more niche species e.g. dwarf birch and crab apple, are generally not available from any
provenances in Scotland.

This role will support the Project Officer who has the responsibility of coordinating the project and the
collection of tree seed from target species and target geographical areas in Scotland (including the west
coast, islands and Affric Highlands area) in order to address these shortages and support Woodland Trust
Scotland, Trees for Life and other partners with a seed supply of local provenance trees.

The work will include general administration tasks that support with coordinating tree seed collection
volunteers, working with the Project Officer at the Dundreggan Seed Depot with admin and data
management of tree seed batches and tree seed registration, as well as supporting with events
coordination, social media content and the bi-monthly volunteer newsletter.

Key liaisons
The key focal points for this role are: Project Officer at Trees for Life alongside Woodland Trust Scotland staff
(especially estate managers and field workers), Trees for Life nursery team, Trees for Life Affric Highlands
team, landowners, partner organisations and the volunteers responsible for tree seed collection

The scope of this role involves supporting the Project Officer in the recruitment, training, management and
on-going  support  of  a  network  of  volunteers  involved  in  tree  seed  collection.  The  scope  also  includes
supporting the Project Officer with the tree seed journey ensuring seed is processed and made available to
those that need it for their work.

The role is accountable for day-to-day administrative support with the Project Officer and the delivery of the
project  objectives.  They  will  work  closely  with  the  Project  Officer  who  is  guided  by  and  reports  to  a
partnership steering group of Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland.

The  successful  candidate  will  be  provided  with  all  ICT  equipment  required,  as  well  as  PPE  for  outdoor
activities and tasks at the Seed Depot.

Key responsibilities

Tree Seed Collection management
●  Triage and coordinate the onward journey of some of the seed collected by volunteers upon arrival at

Dundreggan Seed Depot.

●  Administration of Collection Forms for all tree seed batches sent by volunteers and keep seed data

management regularly updated.

●  Administration of tree seed registration

Trees for Life is a registered Scottish charity (SC021303) and a company limited by guarantee (SC143304) with
registered offices at The Park, Findhorn Bay, Forres, Moray, IV36 3TH.

Tree Seed Nursery coordination
●  Support the Project Officer with the administration of allocating and distributing tree seed batches to

tree nurseries in Scotland

Volunteers
●  Participate with volunteers at tree seed collection activities where required
●  Support the Project Officer with volunteer event coordination
●  Support the Project Officer with the administration of processing of expense claims
●  Manage the Equipment/Kit Ordering From for volunteers and distribute these orders out to volunteers.
●  Provide Seed Receipts to volunteers upon arrival of posted seed batches to the Dundreggan Seed

Depot

●  Support the creating of content/photos for social media posts with the Project Officer and Marketing +

Fundraising Team

Stakeholder Relationships
●  Participate in partnership events and activities as part of continued relations and stakeholder

engagement.

●  Support the Project Office with landowner engagement for tree seed collection permissions.

Person specification

The successful candidate for the role will be:
●  Some knowledge of native tree identification skills and tree seed collecting, although training will be

given where required.

●  Some knowledge of how seeds are processed and sown in the nursery sector, although support and

training will be given where required

●  Experience of collaborating with a range of internal and external stakeholders
●  Excellent verbal and written communications skills
●  Personable and diplomatic
●  Able to work to deadlines and tight timescales when required.
●
IT literate, with good knowledge of Microsoft Office and Excel (Google Docs / Sheets)
●  Must be organised and able to work under own initiative with minimal direct supervision
●  Must be able to work from Dundreggan Estate as well as remote working
●  Requires a full clean UK driving licence

Notes: The Tree Seed Collection project is funded by Woodland Trust Scotland, thanks to support from
players of People’s Postcode Lottery and other supporters; and by supporters of the Trees for Life Wild
Seed Appeal, along with the BrITE Foundation and Clean Planet Foundation and Ella’s Kitchen.

Trees for Life is a registered Scottish charity (SC021303) and a company limited by guarantee (SC143304) with
registered offices at The Park, Findhorn Bay, Forres, Moray, IV36 3TH.