Life on the Edge Communications Assistant


Company:	South Hams District Council
Salary:	from £25,614 a year, pro rata
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	Totnes, TQ9 5NE
Working pattern:	Hybrid - 2 days remote
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	27 Aug 2026
Closing date:	13 Sept 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

12 month fixed term contract

Help tell our story! Life on the Edge project is on the lookout for great communicators who are can passionately tell people about the great nature on their doorstep. If you are a keen storyteller, and able to articulate key messages in fun and eye-catching ways, the Life on the Edge team are keen to hear from you!

We are looking for someone who can create a real buzz and promote the awareness and understanding of the Life on the Edge (LotE) project: South Devon National Landscapes’ (SDNL) flagship nature recovery project. LotE is centred around the restoration and enhancement of habitats along the South Devon coast which will aid the conservation of 30 rare and threatened invertebrates.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who has excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organisational and IT skills and a keen interest in the natural environment and community engagement. You should be a team player with good people skills, be proactive, enthusiastic, confident, self-motivated with a strong level of creativity and innovation.

Involving people in the conservation of the LotE target species is core to the project, and our Communications Assistant will support in the delivery of our comms strategy to engage with local communities in South Devon and build our profile nationally. The postholder will assist in managing existing communication channels and media, whist also helping develop innovative ways to enable the project to improve engagement with existing supporters and increasing reach to new audiences.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, LotE is a landscape scale project led by South Devon National Landscape (with South Hams District Council as its accountable body), in close partnership with Buglife, National Trust, Southwest Coast Path & Doorstep Arts. The Communications Assistant will assist in forging strong relationships with collaborative messaging and partnership working, whilst developing skills in communication experience on a dynamic multi-partner project.

This will be a 12-month contract at 0.5FTE, employed by South Hams District Council, the host of South Devon National Landscape, and based at our offices in Totnes. It will involve flexible working, with scope for some agile working and assisting with onsite project delivery so a full driving licence is essential.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for and you meet the scheme requirements, we encourage you to apply!

We are only able to accept applications from individuals over the age of 18 years old.

For an informal discussion please contact Rob Skinner, life on the Edge Project Manager on 01803 229346 or email rob.skinner@southdevon-nl.org.uk

All interested candidates are encouraged to join an online webinar session to learn more about the Life on the Edge project, this opportunity and ask any questions in a short Q&A session. This will be held on Zoom at 1830 on Tuesday 1 September – please get in contact lote@southdevon-nl.org.uk for the link.

For further information on the project see https://www.southdevon-nl.org.uk/projects/life-on-the-edge/

Closing date: Sunday 13 September 2026

Interview date: Tuesday 22 September 2026

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.