Conservation assistant jobs in East of england
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Are you an experienced Executive Assistant who loves what you do and wants to do it in an organisation that makes a real difference in the world?
We have an exciting new role of Executive Assistant supporting our two Co-Executive Directors and Board. You‘ll join our team at an exciting time as our Co-Executive Directors (who joined in 2025) continue to settle into Synchronicity Earth, meaning you’ll be able to stamp your own style onto this brand new role.
You’ll be a vital part of our governance processes as the key coordinator of meeting scheduling, papers, and ensuring actions are completed. As the right hand to our Co-Executives, you’ll support them with diary management, travel, and will be a trusted support person in their daily working lives.
To be successful you’ll bring prior experience as an Executive Assistant who has supported a Board. Your organisational skills, attention to detail, and appreciation of how to work with tact set you apart.
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU USE AI IN YOUR APPLICATION, YOU ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO BE SHORTLISTED. WE WANT TO SEE YOUR UNIQUE, BRILLIANT SELF. We do not use AI in any part of our decision-making process for recruitment.
Closing date: 26 January 2026 10am
First stage interviews (Zoom): 2 - 6 February 2026
Second stage interviews (at our office in-person): 9 – 13 February 2026
Synchronicity Earth’s mission it to bring conservation to life through our work, championing effective approaches and increasing funding for Earth’s overlooked species and ecosystems and the communities working to protect them.
By joining, you’re not just taking part; you're contributing to our vision of a world in which biological and cultural diversity are valued, celebrated, and flourishing.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds for this role, particularly non-graduates, and are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. We also welcome candidates who may have taken a career break. Your unique experiences and fresh perspective will only enhance our team's diversity and strengthen our ability to tackle the complex challenges facing our planet.
Candidates from Black, Asian, and Minority-Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds and people with disabilities who meet the criteria (in the section of the job description headed ‘What you will bring to the team’) and opt-in to our Guaranteed Interview Scheme will enter the first recruitment stage, see more information below.
Application and Recruitment Process
Inclusion is a priority throughout our workplace culture and is embedded in our recruitment process. To support this, the first stage of recruitment will be anonymised by Charity Job to mitigate against unconscious bias. Please let us know at any stage during the recruitment process if you have any accessibility requirements and we will do what we can to accommodate these for you. Please also let us know which pronouns you would like to be referred by, if you wish.
How to apply:
· Complete the application questions, upload your CV, and submit your application through Charity Job.
· Fill in our candidate survey. Whilst this survey is optional it is the way to opt in to the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (information below) if you would like.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
We recognise that people from Black, Asian, and Minority-Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds and people with disabilities are under-represented in our sector, and that there are often additional barriers present for people from these groups when applying for roles in the charity sector and beyond.
As part of our commitment to attract and retain talented individuals from under-represented groups to the conservation and environment sector, if you belong to these groups, you can opt in to the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) in our candidate survey. See the attachment which outlines how to do this and includes the link to the surey. If you meet the essential criteria for a role, you'll be guaranteed a first-stage assessment. The results of this assessment will be used to select candidates for the first-stage interview.
The Guaranteed Interview Scheme link is available in the attachment labelled Diversity Survey and Guaranteed Interview Scheme.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Location: Remote, but with flexibility to travel for in person meetings
Salary: £38,336 - £44,427 pro rata, per annum (dependent on experience) plus 8% pension contribution
Duration: Permanent established role
Hours: 0.8 FTE (29 hours 36 minutes per week), flexible
The Head of the CEO Office will provide leadership to the CEO Office team and serve as a key advisor to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team (SLT). This role will be responsible for the three specialist areas which form the CEO Office: People Services, Governance and Executive Support.
This role is responsible for delivering the People Services function for the organisation, including the development and implementation of People Services strategies, plans, policies and processes. You will lead the People Services team in delivering high quality support and advisory services.
This post requires the individual to understand, anticipate and react to the organisation’s changing needs, to think critically, make decisions, and offer solutions to problems with expert professionalism, sensitivity, and confidentiality. To implement Butterfly Conservation’s (BC) objectives through leadership of the CEO Office team, setting and managing budgets, targets and workplans while inspiring and enabling staff to achieve their best.
Specific Tasks:
Delivering the People Services function
Responsible for delivering a high-performing People Services function ensuring all interactions adhere to BC’s inclusion and organisational values. To lead, manage and be accountable for the function, including:
- Aligning workload with BC’s Strategy and annual business plans.
- Advising, coaching, and enabling the People Services team to deliver effectively and create an engaging, supportive, and empowering environment.
- Ensure monthly workforce reporting systems are in place and actions followed up where required.
- Lead on Employee Health and Wellbeing initiatives, promoting a culture of engagement and self-responsibility.
- Implement, monitor and evaluate performance management systems and processes.
- In conjunction with the CEO and SLT, procuring external specialist support and/or legal advice as needed to minimise risk to the organisation.
- Act as the escalation point for complex employee casework, including dispute resolutions, disciplinaries, grievances, absence, retirement and redundancy, ensuring that the SLT members’ roles remain objective and that safe formal processes can occur if required.
- Account management for providers of BC’s People Services Workforce Systems, ensuring Service Level Agreements are met and partnership opportunities are maximised including Occupational Health, EAP services, Hireful and BreatheHR.
- Oversee and manage ‘Charity Learn’ BC’s online learning management system, to include setting up annual statutory training for all staff and creating bookable in-house training sessions as required.
- In conjunction with the CEO and SLT, develop and implement a People Strategy to include areas of succession planning, talent management, change management, and staff engagement.
Governance, Risk and Management Information & Reporting
Accountable for the smooth running of BC’s core governance activities and trustee meetings, including:
- Overseeing the risk and audit process for the CEO Office, bridging as needed between the Finance Directorate and the CEO Office Directorate.
- Ensuring all core legal requirements are met and that the trustees comply with their duties in accordance with the Articles of Association.
- Ensuring relevant statutory returns are submitted to Charity Commission and Companies House.
Executive Support
- Ensure the support function to the CEO and SLT is delivered efficiently and effectively, including direct line management of the Executive Assistant to the CEO and SLT PA’s.
Management and Development of Team members
Responsible for managing a team of five direct reports and undertaking all People Manager duties, including:
- Setting objectives, workload planning, holding 121 meetings and regular reviews.
- Conducting Performance Development Reviews and giving timely direction and feedback.
- Building engagement within the team and creating an environment of trust and wellbeing.
- Coaching and developing team members to ensure professional and personal growth and career development and supporting any training needs.
- Role modelling people management in line with BC’s values and competency framework, setting a good example from the CEO Office.
Strategy, Planning and Budgeting
Working with the CEO and SLT on the annual and long-term business cycles, including:
- Supporting with the creation of BC’s Strategy as required.
- Creating annual Directorate work plans to deliver actions and outcomes in line with BC’s strategic priorities ensuring teams within your responsibility have clarity and direction.
- Working with Finance to ensure that the function has adequate budget to match the work plans and supporting with budget refresh and reforecasting.
- Supporting the Directorate with workforce planning and resource management as required.
- Responsible for the CEO Office budget.
Relationship building, partnering and culture development,
Operating as a strong ambassador for BC and the CEO by:
- Cultivating and nurturing excellent working relationships both internally with all colleagues and trustees, and externally with branches, volunteers, partners, suppliers, funders, and sector networks.
General:
- Promoting and exemplifying BC’s values (Excellence, Passionate, Inspiring, Collaborative) ensuring they are adopted in all aspects of the role.
- Aligning with the mission and strategic goals of BC; commitment to species conservation, the environment and nature recovery.
- Undertaking any other reasonable duties as required and commensurate with the grade of post.
- Undertaking all duties and responsibilities in compliance with BC policies, processes and code of conduct, role modelling inclusive behaviour to enable a diverse workforce.
- Be cost conscious and respectful of funders’ money. Make good financial decisions to minimise cost and maximise impact by the charity.
- Actively participating in on-going professional development activities, committing to personal and professional growth and development.
Candidates must have the right to work and be resident in the UK.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early before the advertised closing date and time.
Closing date: Sunday, 1 February 2026 at 23:59.
Interviews will be held 9 February and 12 February 2026.
REF-226 149
le Description
Working closely with both the Head of Development and Head of Strategic Projects and Planning, you'll be joining a growing team with the opportunity to shape your role and make a real impact on both the future of Ally Pally and the communities we serve.
Skills gained in the role could help you to build a career in fundraising, project delivery, or in assessing the social impact of heritage and culture.
Your work will help us to:
- Restore and reopen derelict spaces in the Victorian Palace for everyone to enjoy
- Improve key areas of the Park for both people and wildlife (including playgrounds, wetlands, wayfinding)
- Deliver our creative learning and wellbeing programmes, using the Palace's amazing spaces.
- Take forward our ambitious programme to help Ally Pally reach Net Zero
We are looking to recruit a strong administrator excited to learn and make change. We will consider applicants with previous experience in fundraising or project management in arts and heritage organisations, or transferable skills from customer-facing and administrative roles in other industries.
This is a full time, permanent post.
The below is a summary, please see the JOB PACK for further details including how to apply and interview dates
Key duties
Development Responsibilities
- Administer pipeline for trust, foundation and statutory funding bids
- Carry out desk research to identify potential trust, foundation and statutory supporters
- Deliver fundraising bids and impact reporting to a small portfolio of trusts and statutory funders, focused on bids to a value of £10,000
- Plan communications for regular fundraising and community newsletters
- Donation processing, documentation and thanking for trust and statutory income
Strategic Planning and Projects Responsibilities
- Meeting administration for Strategic Plan Working Group
- Administrative support to develop the Charity's stakeholder relationships
- Support with events for Capital Fundraising Campaign including London Festival or Architecture and Haringey London Borough of Culture
- Desk research into capital redevelopment in arts, heritage and green spaces
- Financial processing and budget tracking of team expenditure
Person specification
Essential
- Right to work in the UK
- Administrative experience ideally gained within either a fundraising or project management context
- Experience in customer service and / or communications with donors, clients or customers
- Long-form writing and / or copy writing experience
- Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
- Experienced user of microsoft 365
- Excellent accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to manage own workload and meet deadlines
- Willingness to be flexible within a role supporting a range of development projects
Desirable
- Experience using a CRM system
- Bid writing experience
- financial admin experience
- Experience organising events and / or travel for staff, donors or clients
- Strong interest in charitable fundraising
- Strong interest in placemaking, culture and heritage redevelopment
Our mission is: To repair, restore and maintain the park and palace for the recreation and enjoyment of the public forever.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Your outstanding management of the Woodland Heritage Skills project will ensure that the project meets its objectives and in doing so help the charity in achieving its mission.
You will be a core part of how Woodland Heritage is achieving its mission and it will be an incredibly rewarding and varied experience!
Your work with the charity will be as part of a small, dedicated team of staff and a wider group of passionate trustees. Everyone will want you to succeed and will support you along the way.
Woodland Heritage is creating a thriving UK wood culture that benefits our environment, all people and our economy. We do this by championing the good use of home-grown timber from sustainable, productive woodlands for the benefit of present and future generations. Through a combination of demonstration sites, research, education, membership and outreach, we build on the wisdom and skills of the past to weather the challenges of tomorrow.
About the role
- The role is full time 37.5 hours per week for a fixed term of two years, with planned evening and weekend working as required.
- We can offer flexible working and hybrid working. You may wish to work at Whitney Sawmills, Herefordshire, for example for a day per week, though this is not required.
- 25 days plus Bank/Public holidays as paid leave
- Salary £35,000 PA FTE
- Your line manager will be the Chief Executive
- Employer contribution from nest pension
All other terms and conditions will be as per your contract. More details are available via our staff handbook which can be provided to shortlisted candidates.
This role is part of a £238,442 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create ‘Woodland Heritage Skills’; two years of educational workshops, digital educational assets and collaboration with its members and partners to deliver the charity’s new Open Woods & Workshops initiative.
A tremendous £13,547 of this grant is matched funding from the outdoor furniture B-Corp Gaze Burvill, a corporate member of Woodland Heritage, alongside fellow personal and corporate members of the charity.
About you
You will have a committment to the vision and values of Woodland Heritage and a desire to bring about positive change in the relationship between people and woodlands. You will have demonstrable experience of managing projects, delivering educational impact and a willingness to learn and to be flexible.
Visit our website to download the job specification and learn how to apply. We'd love to hear from you!
Woodland Heritage is creating a thriving UK wood culture that benefits our environment, all people and our economy.
Your outstanding delivery of communications for the Woodland Heritage Skills project means you are a core part of how Woodland Heritage is achieving its mission which should make for an incredibly rewarding and varied experience!
Your work with the charity will be as part of a small, dedicated team of staff and a wider group of passionate trustees. Everyone will want you to succeed and will support you along the way.
Woodland Heritage is creating a thriving UK wood culture that benefits our environment, all people and our economy. We do this by championing the good use of home-grown timber from sustainable, productive woodlands for the benefit of present and future generations. Through a combination of demonstration sites, research, education, membership and outreach, we build on the wisdom and skills of the past to weather the challenges of tomorrow.
About the role
- The role is 22.5 hours per week for a fixed term of two years with a salary of £15,000 PA
- We can offer flexible working and hybrid working. You may wish to work at Whitney Sawmills, Herefordshire, for example for a day per week, though this is not required.
- Planned evening and weekend working as required.
- 25 days plus Bank/Public holidays as paid leave pro rata
- Your line manager will be the Woodland Heritage Skills Project Manager
- Employer contribution from nest pensions
All other terms and conditions will be as per your contract. More details are available via our staff handbook which can be provided to shortlisted candidates.
This role is part of a £238,442 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create ‘Woodland Heritage Skills’; two years of educational workshops, digital educational assets and collaboration with its members and partners to deliver the charity’s new Open Woods & Workshops initiative.
A tremendous £13,547 of this grant is matched funding from the outdoor furniture B-Corp Gaze Burvill, a corporate member of Woodland Heritage, alongside fellow personal and corporate members of the charity.
About you
You will have a committment to the vision and values of Woodland Heritage and a desire to bring about positive change in the relationship between people and woodlands. You will have demonstrable experience of communications delivery and a willingness to learn and to be flexible.
You will join a small, dedicated team of staff and a wider group of passionate trustees. Everyone will want you to succeed and will support you along the way.
Visit our website to download the job specification and learn how to apply. We'd love to hear from you!
Woodland Heritage is creating a thriving UK wood culture that benefits our environment, all people and our economy.