130 Acorn Avenue

Giltbrook

Nottingham

NG16 2WJ

Home Tel: +44 01159 459 398

Mobile: 07967 670044

Email: Andrew@myhome130.myzen.co.uk

Personal Profile

• An experienced manager with a wealth of transferable skills including people management, planning, organisation, monitoring and reporting, presentation and communication.
• A long term interest in the British countryside, its flora and fauna has been supplemented and developed by formal education and volunteer experience.
• A hard working individual with drive, initiative, strong work ethic and sense of responsibility.
• Confident in tackling new and unfamiliar tasks and thrives on new challenges and experiences.
• A determination to effect a career change from the Information Technology sector into Conservation / Countryside Management.   

Countryside Management Experience

• Took part in the scanning of ewes at Home Farm, Brackenhurst Estate. Construction of temporary corral, herding of sheep, manual handling of ewes into crush for scanning, sorting of ewes by number of lambs expected.
• Took part in lambing operations at Home Farm, Brackenhurst Estate. Delivered 3 lambs in varying presentations requiring internal manipulation. Transfer of lambs and ewes to bonding pens – checking ewe for colostrum. Monitoring of new born lambs – cord dipping & vitamins. Checking of temperature and monitoring of lambs in “hot box”. Administered pen-strep following internal manipulation of lamb. Administered colostrum to non-feeding lamb.
• Experienced in the use of 4x4 truck and trailer including safe loading / securing of tools, hitching of trailer and off-road driving.
• Undertook training in tractor & trailer driving / reversing, including health and safety requirements and essential maintenance checks.
• Trained and experienced in use of brush cutters including maintenance and health & safety issues.
• Experienced in use and maintenance of chainsaw, having passed NPTC CS30 & CS31 assessment. Extensive use of chainsaw in scrub management and willow clearance for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Undertook conservation felling of sycamore and pine at Vicar Water, Mansfield.
• Underwent 3 day First Aid at Work training and gained certificate.
• Completed a JNCC Phase I habitat survey and produced desktop copy and report to industry standards including desktop survey to identify relevant designations, legislation related to protected species and recommendations for further survey.
• Undertook a Phase II woodland structure survey and produced report to industry standards including NVC classification, estimate of timber value, woodland structure & recommended management.
• Completed a BTO breeding bird survey including set up of transects, habitat classifications, survey and completion of documentation.
• Gained experience in greenwood crafts – basket making, hurdle making, cleft wood gates, willow planters and pole lathe.
• Undertook pollarding and supplementary planting of willow at Farndon Willow Holt with a view to creating a commercial crop of basket willow material.
• Supervised construction of a section of reed-bed fencing at Besthorpe. This involved transporting people and materials by boat, working in the lagoon and subsequent planting of reeds.
• Undertook independent survey for water voles. Identified field signs (latrines & browsing) and subsequently observed several individual animals. Sightings reported to county mammals’ recorder via NWT.
• Took part in survey for and subsequent capture of signal crayfish in river Greet.
• Undertaken numerous habitat management tasks for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) including unsupervised work details across several wildlife reserves e.g. bird hide repair, erecting interpretation boards, checking of stock, setting and checking of mink traps.
• Experienced in use of pedestrian mower for meadow clearance and have worked on several sites undergoing conservation management, both undergoing early cuts to discourage spread of unwanted species (hogweed) and later cuts to promote development of wild flower species. I have also undertaken topping of thistles to prevent spread and pulling of ragwort in order to ensure that sward is suitable for production of hay.
• Represented NWT at educational / promotional events – engaging children in wildlife related activities, promoting NWT activities.
• Attended training courses in species ID / survey techniques for dragonfly & damselfly, bats, water voles, otter, crayfish.
• Undertook exercise for Hedgerow Evaluation Grading System (HEGS) on Brackenhurst Estate.
• Undertook veteran tree survey on Brackenhurst Estate including completion of standard documentation.
• Undertook training in small mammal trapping, mark & recapture survey techniques.
• Worked as part of a team installing stock fencing. Erection of straining posts and struts. Installation and straining of bottom wire. Erection of intermediate posts. Installation and straining of stock netting by means of monkey strainer.
• Worked as part of a team creating a stretch of footpath. Work included digging out of route, installation of shuttering, spreading and compaction of hardcore & surfacing by use of whacker plate.
• Trained and experienced in traditional hedge laying (midland style).
• Took part in an exercise to carry out a vegetation survey on improved, semi-improved and unimproved grassland.
• Produced a management plan for a small plantation on the Brackenhurst Estate to industry standards, including site description, evaluation, management and operational objectives, one year and five year work plans.
• Took part in sand dune restoration at Gibraltar Point (Lincs) – clearing and burning of Sea Buckthorn.
• Undertook the update of numerous activity risk assessments for NWT.

Career History

Shadow Reserves Officer (Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust) 2009 – present

Working alongside the Southern and Western reserves officers. Assisting in habitat maintenance across numerous nature reserves including wetland, grass land, woodland and lowland heath.

Nottingham Trent University (2009 – 2010)

Undertook BTEC National Certificate in Countryside Management.

Learning modules: -

• ·         Archaeology & Landscape History
• ·         Greenwood Crafts
• ·         Woodland Ecology
• ·         Forest & Woodland Management
• ·         Woodland Habitat Management
• ·         Land Based Estate Skills
• ·         Land Based Machinery Operations
• ·         Principles of Ecology
• ·         Ecological Concepts & Applications
• ·         Identification of Organisms

Career Break (2007 – 2009)

Following redundancy as a result of corporate restructure and change in technical direction, I took the opportunity to pursue my personal interests and provided palliative care & support for a close relative.

Following re-evaluation of priorities I decided to effect a career change into the conservation / countryside sector.

Senior Consultant / Project Manager (Experian)          1997 - 2007

• Head of Integration Services, responsible for development, maintenance, performance and operational support of a suite of enterprise software applications and related core data sets.
• Organisational and line management responsibility for team of 15 developers including performance management, succession planning, One-to-Ones, appraisals, target setting, disciplinary.
• Project managed regular software releases. Full project life cycle responsibility from scoping through to implementation and support.
• Through personal drive, enthusiasm and communication skills, engendered first class team spirit with near 100% staff retention over 10 years.
• Responsible for ensuring development budget was utilised in line with business and technical strategies.
• Took account of business drivers and customer requirements, and drove the development of IT systems, raising existing legacy systems to class leading status.
• Initiated and drove major change program to replace legacy systems with new best of breed CDI solution. Business case development. Achieved buy in from main board and other key stakeholders.

Systems Consultant (CCN Systems)                    1995 - 1997

Project Leader (CCN Systems)                               1994 – 1995

Systems Designer (CCN Systems)                        1992 – 1994

Analyst Programmer (CCN Systems)                    1990 – 1992

Trainee – Senior Programmer (CCN Systems)    1986 - 1990

Data Processing Clerk (MHS)                                 1983 - 1986

Education / Qualifications

• BTEC National Certificate in Countryside Management (Distinction)
• NPTC CS30 & CS31 Chainsaw Ticket
• First Aid at Work Certificate (2010)
• 9 ‘O’ Levels                           
• 4 ‘A’ Levels   
• BSc (Hons) Ergonomics
• Prince II Practitioner
• UCPD Course – Developing Business Database Solutions using OO Technologies – C#, SQL Server, ASP.net
• Microsoft Certified Excel 2003 Expert

Interests

• Keeping Fit
• Walking / Climbing
• Judo                                       
• Indoor Rock Climbing
• Cooking
• Music – Playing Guitar