Conservation assistant jobs in east of england

The Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) is dedicated to protecting orangutans, their forests, and their future. Together with our local partners in Sumatra, we’re protecting vital ecosystems and creating resilient landscapes where orangutans – and people – can thrive.

We’re looking for an experienced and creative fundraiser to lead our individual giving and supporter engagement programmes, grow our supporter base, and champion innovation in public engagement and income generation. You’ll be rallying resources which will ultimately help us grow our impact for wild orangutans and the people living alongside them.

The Role

As Head of Individual Giving & Supporter Engagement, you’ll lead the strategic development and delivery of SOS’s public fundraising portfolio – inspiring individuals around the world to take action and give generously for the future of Sumatra’s rainforests and wildlife.

You’ll be responsible for individual giving, digital acquisition and retention, legacies, appeals and campaigns, and supporter events. You’ll be given the freedom to innovate, identifying and developing new income streams and engagement products and approaches that help us reach and inspire new audiences.

We’re particularly interested in candidates with strong acquisition experience, who can help us grow and diversify our supporter base.

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll work closely with communications, partnerships, and programmes colleagues to build an engaged community of supporters and advocates for SOS.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the development and delivery of SOS’s public fundraising strategy, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s mission and income targets.

• Set and manage income and expenditure budgets for all individual giving fundraising streams, ensuring healthy ROI and sustainability. 

• Set clear targets and KPIs, with robust financial planning, forecasting, and monitoring.

• Foster innovation across public fundraising, developing and testing new products and propositions.

• Promote a culture of data and insight-driven decision-making, continuous improvement, and connecting our supporters to the impact they enable.

• Adhere to the Fundraising Regulator Code of Practise and Data Protection legislation and ensure the SOS Donor Promise and Fundraising Values are alive and visible in all fundraising activity.

Individual Giving & Donor Development

• Oversee acquisition, retention, and uplift strategies for individual donors, ensuring a seamless and inspiring supporter journey.

• Design and manage a calendar of appeals and campaigns, including the Big Give Christmas Challenge.

• Work closely with Communications & Marketing colleagues to deliver compelling creative content and integrated fundraising campaigns across digital channels.
   

Digital Fundraising

• Lead on digital acquisition strategy and performance, testing and optimising paid and organic campaigns to grow SOS’s online giving and supporter base.

• Manage and optimise digital giving platforms, donor journeys, and analytics to improve conversion, retention, and lifetime value.
   

Legacies & Events

• Develop and implement SOS’s legacy marketing strategy, raising awareness and nurturing pledgers and enquirers with care and authenticity.

• Manage fundraising events (such as our Buffoonery comedy night) and oversee community fundraising initiatives, optimising engagement and lifetime value.
   

Collaboration & Management

• Line manage the Development Assistant, ensuring that our supporters receive outstanding stewardship.

• Work closely with colleagues across Development, Communications, and Programmes to ensure a joined-up approach to engagement, conversion, and storytelling.

• Keep up to date with sector trends, digital innovations, and regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance and best practice in all fundraising activity.
   

About You

You’re a strategic and practical fundraiser who knows how to inspire public giving. You combine creativity with an analytical approach, and you’re motivated by purpose and impact. You’ll flourish in a small, committed team where innovation and collaboration are key.

Essential:

• Significant experience in individual giving and/or digital fundraising, including both strategy development and delivery.

• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding income targets across multiple channels.

• Familiarity with CRM systems and digital fundraising platforms.

• Strong understanding of digital acquisition and retention techniques, data-driven fundraising, and supporter journeys.

• Experience managing appeals and campaigns, ideally including match-funded initiatives (e.g. the Big Give).

• Excellent copywriting, creative and analytical skills, with an eye for compelling storytelling.

• Experience in budget management and performance reporting.

• Collaborative and adaptable, with excellent project management and communication skills.
   

Desirable:

• Experience in product development or innovation in the charity sector.

• Knowledge of legacy fundraising.

• Interest in environmental, conservation, or international development causes.

Senior Financial Accountant - Restricted Income
Reference: OCT20254404
Location: Flexible in UK
Contract: 12 months, fixed term
Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £47,313.00 - £50,309.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave

Are you a qualified accountant looking to make meaningful impact? This is an exciting opportunity to join the RSPB’s dynamic Finance team and contribute to one of the UK’s most influential conservation charity. With an annual income exceeding £170m and over 1.15 million members, the RSPB combines charitable impact with a substantial commercial operation - offering you both challenge and opportunity.

This role plays a pivotal part in embedding the Overhead Cost Recovery (OCR) internal recharge mechanism into our financial operations. The OCR initiative is designed to improve how we cost projects and recover overheads, aiming to deliver a net financial benefit of approximately £1million annually. By supporting this initiative, you will help drive financial sustainability, improve cost transparency, and enable better decision making across the organisation.

As a Senior Financial Accountant - Restricted Income, you will be a key member of the Financial Planning & Reporting team. Your responsibilities will include:

• Implementing the OCR mechanism: - set-up coding structures and integrate overhead recovery into financial systems and reporting templates.
• Project-level financial management: - Execute debits/credits, track overhead recovery, and monitor funding gaps using a standard 15% OCR rate.
• Stakeholder engagement: - Collaborate with Project Managers and Fundraisers to assess and communicate OCR funding status.
• Financial Planning and modelling: - Prepare and present budgetary analysis, support strategic decision-making, and contribute to long term financial planning.
• FCR tool ownership: - Maintain and update the Full Cost Recovery Projects costing tool and associated guidance, ensuring effective training and usage. 

This role offers the opportunity to influence financial strategy and improve operational efficiency across a complex and diverse organisation.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

Qualification:

• Professional accounting qualification (e.g. ACCA, CIMA or equivalent). 

Skills:

• Strong analytical and financial modelling skills.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance audiences.
• Advanced excel skills.

Knowledge:

• Solid understanding of financial management and processes and double-entry accounting.
• Familiarity with financial management standards and charity sector regulations.

Experience:

• Proven management accounting experience.
• Track record of delivering projects that improve profitability or efficiency.
• Experience preparing reports for external stakeholders (e.g. HMRC, Charity Commission)

Desirable Attributes:

• Experience with accounting software within a medium sized organisation.
• Experience of liaising with auditors, trustees, and regulatory bodies

Additional information:

• This role is remote, but occasional travel to RSPB HQ in Sandy and other UK locations may be required. Overnight stays may be necessary.
• This is a 12-months fixed-term full-time role for 37.5 hours per week.
• The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.
• You will be expected to support our Environmental Policy and promote sustainability in your work.
• Volunteers are integral to the RSPB’s mission - staff are encouraged to support and collaborate with them.

Closing date: 23:59, Sunday, 2nd November 2025
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 10 November, 2025.  
Please note that we will be actively recruiting for this role and reserve the right to close this vacancy should sufficient applications be received.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. 

The RSPB is a licenced sponsor. This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

As part of this application you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete a short form with cover letter. Please use the cover letter section to explain how you meet the criteria set above. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

No agencies please.

Electrical Services Surveyor

£42,500 up to £46,871 inclusive annual salary up to 19.7% employer pension contribution plus essential car user allowance
Permanent, 37 hours per week
Flexible working options including Hybrid working
P1223

About the role

In this post you will be responsible for the implementation, management, and delivery of all electrical, fire detection, door entry, lifts, CCTV and digital TV installation utilising the Council’s supply chain partners. This includes repair, maintenance, and major projects of existing and new installations to Council housing stock.

About you

You will take full responsibility for managing works and projects from the start to final delivery working on your own initiative and with minimal supervision. This will include budget management, preparing specifications, drawings, the procurement of contracts, supervision of electrical related programmes of works to the Council’s housing stock.

Ideally you should have a degree in Building Surveying (or equivalent work experience in a similar Mechanical and Electrical role with a HNC/HND in Building Surveying/Construction, or a specific qualification within the Electrical field). Detailed working knowledge on a wide range of areas including building defects and their remedies is essential for this post.

Working knowledge of housing related law and best practice related to repairs, maintenance and improvements e.g. CDM and Building Regulations are essential for this post.

St Albans is a unique English Cathedral City with a colourful history which can be seen in the Roman remains and variety of beautiful architecture, heritage sites and conservation areas. Set within green belt, off the M25, A1M and M1 the District includes a cathedral, vibrant city centre and thriving villages. Our centrally located offices in the city are near to the station (London St Pancras 20 minutes), shops and restaurants. In short it is a great place to live and work.

In addition to working within a great team and a comprehensive salary you will have access to:

• 28.5 days basic annual leave (increasing with service) bank holidays. Please note: annual leave will be pro-rated for anyone who does not have a standard full-time pattern of 37 hours over 5 days, e.g. part-timers
• Local Government Pension Scheme with current employer contribution up to 19.7 percent employer contributions
• Flexible working options Staff Parking Permit
• Reimbursement of professional fees
• Comprehensive development and training
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
• Access to discounts and benefits via online platform

Additional Information

Disability Confident: We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets all the essential criteria for the post.

Safeguarding: This post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Check.

English Fluency: The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

Closing date for applications: 5th November 2025

Interviews scheduled for week commencing: 17th November 2025

NOTE: Interviews are conducted throughout the application process. We reserve the right to close the vacancy at an earlier date and we strongly encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

You may experience in the following: Electrical Engineer, Building Services Engineer (Electrical Bias), Electrical Design Engineer, Electrical Project Engineer, Electrical Services Engineer, M&E Engineer (Mechanical & Electrical Engineer), Electrical Systems Engineer, etc.

REF-224 394