Estate Ranger Intern – Invergeldie

Not many people get the opportunity to learn how a large-scale landscape restoration project works on their own doorstep. At Invergeldie, we’re just beginning the delivery of an ambitious programme of work across 11,700 acres at the head of Glen Lednock. The plans include planting 1.5 million native trees, restoring 1,300 acres of peatland, creating and improving habitats, launching new ecotourism with Oxygen Escapes and much more.  

As an intern, you’ll join us at this exciting early stage, becoming part of the team and getting involved in real work from the outset. You’ll see how conservation, agriculture, ecology, property, infrastructure, and ecotourism come together across a working estate, while learning what it takes to deliver nature restoration at this scale.  

This is an opportunity to bring your unique skills and experience to the internship, develop new ones, and build a practical understanding of how a conservation-focused estate operates. You’ll be able to see the impact of your work, and your knowledge, grow throughout the internship.  

About the Role 

This is a three-month, hands-on internship for someone who wants to understand what it takes to run a working estate through a period of major landscape restoration. You’ll learn by doing; contributing to day-to-day activity while gaining experience of how ambitious restoration plans are turned into practical work on the ground. Every day will be different; across a single week you might be out on peatland restoration, checking in on agricultural operations, assisting ecological surveys, lending a hand to keep the estate's buildings and infrastructure compliant and presenting it to the highest standard.  You’ll work with the Estate Manager, the wider estate team and specialists such as contractors and ecologists, gaining insight into both practical delivery and the decisions behind it. 

The breadth of this internship is intentional. Running a large-scale restoration landscape involves much more than conservation work alone: it requires agriculture, ecology, property, compliance, data, visitor management and sound day-to-day operations to work together. We don’t expect you to arrive with experience in all these areas. We’re looking for someone who brings useful skills or experience of their own, is ready to contribute from the outset, and is keen to learn about every part of the operation. What matters most is curiosity, a strong work ethic, and a genuine interest in what's happening on your own doorstep. 

This internship is one of the commitments identified through our community benefit offer, developed in partnership with the local community around Invergeldie. We’re excited to put that commitment into practice by creating a meaningful opportunity for someone local to build practical experience, develop their skills to carry into whatever comes next — further study, a career in land management, or simply a deeper connection to the place they live. 

About You 

This role suits people from a range of backgrounds. You don't need direct experience in every area below; we're just as interested in transferable skills, local knowledge, and clear potential as we are in a perfect match on paper. 

Environment 

• A love for the natural world and rural landscapes, and a genuine interest in habitat and peatland restoration. 

• Curiosity about ecological surveying and how land management shapes biodiversity. 

Impact 

• Reliable and proactive, taking pride in getting the detail right — whether logging a survey result or checking a compliance box. 

• Comfortable working across varied tasks rather than sticking to one specialism. 

Adventure 

• Willing to work outdoors in all conditions, and happy to pick up hands-on, physical tasks when needed. 

• Genuinely curious, and up for learning something new every dayweek. 

Togetherness 

• A friendly, approachable manner — confident chatting with visitors, contractors and the wider estate team. 

• And let's be honest, kindness counts too — sharing snacks on long days out is basically part of the job. 

We especially want to hear from people local to Invergeldie and the surrounding community, and from anyone who doesn't yet tick every box above but brings strong potential and a real interest in the work. We believe in recruiting exceptional people and building the role around them — if you think you could make a real difference here, we'd love to hear from you. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Habitat and Peatland Restoration: Assist in monitoring and verifying the progress of woodland creation and peatland restoration, alongside the design and implementation of wider ecological projects. 

• General Estate Support and Agriculture: Assist with day-to-day agricultural operations alongside the Invergeldie team, including maintaining infrastructure such as fencing, gates and stock handling equipment. 

• Herbivore and Habitat Monitoring: Support herbivore monitoring across the estate, flagging where management effort should be focused, and help identify opportunities for ecological interventions that improve and uplift habitats. 

• Property, Maintenance and Compliance: Contribute to property maintenance, compliance and general estate upkeep, including routine checks across buildings and infrastructure. 

• Ecotourism: Support ecotourism operations where needed, including the estate's growing visitor offer. 

Beyond these headline areas, expect the scope of this internship to flex — from data logging to the hundred fascinating things that pop up on a working estate in any given week. You'll be backed by the Estate Manager and wider estate team, and you'll work closely with contractors, ecologists, and visitors to Invergeldie. 

About Us 

Oxygen Conservation was founded in 2021 by the Oxygen House Group and Dr Rich Stockdale with a clear mission: Scaling Conservation. We acquire land at scale on behalf of asset owners to deliver transformative environmental and social impact — creating profit as a result of what we do. In just a few years, we've completed twelve transactions, assembling a portfolio of over 50,000 acres dedicated to restoring and protecting nature. 

Our vision is intentionally aspirational: by 2030, we aim to have £1 billion of natural capital assets under management, enabling us to protect and restore 250,000 acres of land for people and wildlife. By combining our scale, reputation, cutting-edge data, and exceptional people, we're redefining what conservation can look like. 

Our work hasn't gone unnoticed. We were named Start-Up of the Year at the Business Leader South West Awards in 2022, Team of the Year at the 2023 Edie Awards, and our nature financing agreement with Triodos won ESG Deal of the Year at the 2024 Insider South West Dealmakers Awards. Our founder and CEO, Dr Rich Stockdale, features on the ENDS Power List of the UK's most influential environmental professionals, and was shortlisted for Edie's Leader of the Year Award in 2024. 

At Oxygen Conservation, we're scaling impact, creating opportunities, and leading the charge for a nature-based economy that works for people, wildlife, and the planet. 

Key Information 

Term: Full-time, fixed-term, 3 months 

Location: Invergeldie Estate, Glen Lednock, Perthshire (a full UK driving license and access to your own transport are essential, as this is a fully on-site role). This role is aimed at candidates local to the area. 

Salary: £26,500 per annum, pro rata 

Closing date: Monday 12th October 2026