Sorrel Lyall's path to becoming an Engagement, Development, and Inclusion Manager at BTO. Sorrel talks about growing her confidence on the job, finding out about new roles in her sector and volunteering. Current Job Tell us about your current role I'm Engagement, Development, and Inclusion Manager at BTO.I work across two of BTO's strategy areas: Embracing Everyone (removing barriers to welcome a greater diversity of people) and Sustaining Supporters (ensuring all volunteers and members feel valued and supported). I advise on good practice in engagement and inclusion for BTO’s volunteer bird recording schemes, working collaboratively to remove barriers to participation and deliver public benefit. Career Beginnings When you were 15, what job did you want and who did you ask for advice?I wanted to be a vet. I didn't know that conservation was a sector and I started to explore the vet med route, until I realised that I was too squeamish and I first heard about Ecology careers at the age of 16, and discovered that you could study Ecology at university.Did you have an interest in the environment at this time?Yes, I have been birdwatching since I was a child, but I started to take it more seriously (as in, building ID and survey skills) when I first learned at the age of 16 about Ecology and Conservation careers.Having direct experience and understanding of volunteering has been very important in my role in volunteer recruitment and management. What were your first steps in starting your career? I volunteered at my local Wildlife Watch (children's group run by the Wildlife Trust) once a month, helping and co-leading engagement sessions for children. Then I applied to study BSc Ecology. Career path and skills What does your career path look like? My career path has been very linear so far, although I had not anticipated that I would work in engagement and inclusion. I wasn't aware of the jobs that exist in nature engagement until near the end of my BSc degree. Volunteering on the committee of my university's birding society was a huge catalyst for my career in engagement. It gave me a taste of this sort of work, some relevant experience, and most importantly, contacts and relationship building with people working in the sector.What skills were important for you to develop in your career? My first job was in engagement delivery on a community engagement project. I needed skills to generate new ideas for forms of engagement, work in co-production with community groups and local organisations, and genuinely seeking to understand the perspectives of participants and not assuming to know what is right for other people. I was very nervous to deliver the engagement events at first, but my confidence grew hugely over about two years. Having direct experience and understanding of volunteering has been very important in my role in volunteer recruitment and management. If I could do any job in the environmental sector...I feel like I am in that position currently, as my role across Engagement and Inclusion did not exist two years ago! This article was published on Monday 19 October 2026
