Conservation research assistant jobs
About the Role
The Assistant Reserves Officer is one of our team managing and developing the Trust’s nature reserves for people and wildlife. Your work place includes internationally recognised wetlands and woodlands along with nationally important meadows, chalk grasslands and heathland across Hertfordshire and Middlesex.
You will need to have strong experience in practical habitat management, including the use of power tools and machinery, such as chainsaws, brush cutters and BCS mowers. You will have experience of working within a dynamic team and leading volunteers. You will need to have a keen interest in wildlife and preferably a knowledge of the habitats in our area.
No two days are the same as an ARO at HMWT; you will get the opportunity to utilise and develop your practical habitat management skills across our nature reserves including tree felling, coppicing, scrub clearance, hay cutting and pond/ditch management. You will also undertake the maintenance of site infrastructure; assist with the management of livestock; and perform surveying and monitoring of habitat/species, tree safety and infrastructure. These tasks will be delivered working closely with members of the nature reserves team; our volunteer wardens and our practical conservation volunteers.
Willingness to travel throughout our work area and flexibility to work occasional irregular hours is required for this post.
As an employer we are committed to promoting and protecting the physical and mental health of all our staff.
About the Trust
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is a local conservation charity working to protect wildlife and help people connect with nature. With a team of volunteers we care for wild places so that nature has a place to thrive. We help people experience the wildlife on their doorsteps and to take steps to protect it.
We believe that wildlife should have space to thrive alongside our everyday lives and that everyone benefits from having access to nature.
Our head office is based in the attractive setting of Verulamium Park on the outskirts of St Albans.
Our staff team is enthusiastic, friendly and committed to wildlife conservation and exemplifies our values of professionalism, valuing contributions by others and continuing to improve.
How do we support you?
The Trust strives to be a positive employer supporting our staff through flexible and hybrid working, and training and development. We recognise the importance of our staff team and looking after their health and wellbeing. Our values and expected behaviours reflect the culture which the Trust seeks to maintain to ensure productive, efficient, effective and pleasant workplaces and roles.
In support of this, we offer an excellent benefits package, ranging from office perks, generous leave entitlements and financial benefits. You can find out more by visiting the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust website.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Royal School of Needlework
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is the International Centre of Excellence for the Art of Hand Embroidery. Based at the historic Hampton Court Palace, we have been dedicated to preserving and innovating in the art of hand embroidery since 1872. Our thriving education programme offers courses for all levels, from beginners to degree level, and we teach onsite and online in locations across the UK, and internationally in America, Japan, and Australia. Our renowned Embroidery Studio creates bespoke embroidery for fashion, art, and royalty and offers expert conservation and restoration services for valuable and historical embroidered pieces.
The RSN is unique. No other single organisation covers the breadth of education and practice to promote the art and technique of hand embroidery or has our connections, collection, archive and heritage. Embroidery is an international language. Cultures and communities have used embroidery-based techniques to tell stories and record events for hundreds of years while the individual benefits of mindfulness and mental wellbeing are now increasingly being recognised today.
Overview
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is seeking a highly motivated and organised Fundraising Assistant to join our team and provide administrative support for our fundraising activities. The Fundraising Assistant will play a key role in generating vital income and helping the organisation achieve its fundraising goals by assisting with donor relations, event planning, grant research, data management, and campaign coordination.
Key Responsibilities:
Donor Support and Stewardship:
- Become a ‘super’ user of the CRM/database.
- Maintain donor records in the CRM/database, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information.
- Help with the acknowledgment process, including sending thank-you letters and recognition communications to donors.
- Assist in coordinating donor communications and outreach campaigns (e.g., newsletters, appeals, and stewardship materials).
Event Support:
- Provide logistical and administrative support for fundraising events, including venue coordination, volunteer management, invitations, and guest lists.
- Help with event set-up, registration, and follow-up tasks.
- Assist in preparing event materials, such as programs, signage, and donation forms.
Grant Research and Application Support:
- Assist in researching potential grant opportunities from foundations, corporations, and government sources.
- Help prepare grant proposal materials and ensure submission deadlines are met.
- Track and report on the status of grant applications and funding received.
- Campaign Coordination:
- Support the planning and execution of online and offline fundraising campaigns, including peer-to-peer campaigns, crowdfunding, and direct mail appeals.
- Assist with creating and managing campaign content, such as donation pages, emails, and social media posts.
- Help monitor campaign progress and gather data to report on results.
Data Entry and Reporting:
- Maintain accurate records of donations, donor interactions, and event participation.
- Provide regular reports on fundraising progress, event outcomes, and donor engagement to the fundraising team.
- Assist in preparing data for end-of-year reports and audits.
Administrative and Operational Support:
- Provide general administrative support to the fundraising team, including scheduling meetings, preparing materials, and handling correspondence.
- Help with office management tasks, such as ordering supplies and maintaining filing systems.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Previous experience in a fundraising, administrative, or nonprofit role is a plus, but not required.
- Strong interest in education, heritage, fundraising, and community engagement.
Skills:
- Excellent organisational and multitasking skills, with attention to detail.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent IT skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with donor management software (e.g., Beacon, Access/ThankQ, Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge) is preferred.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact prof essionally with donors, volunteers, and staff.
- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience or qualifications
Personal Attributes:
- Proactive and eager to learn, with a willingness to take on new tasks and challenges.
- Professional, courteous, and able to work well with a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
- Passion for the arts, education, and heritage
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week
Area of work: Predominantly in the London area
Are you passionate about connecting people with nature and empowering communities to protect rivers? Do you have experience delivering engaging volunteering and citizen science programmes that inspire real environmental action? Join us and play a pivotal role in restoring London’s rare urban chalk streams.
About the Role
SERT’s ambition is to reach as many people as possible in the South East, to teach and show them the importance of rivers in the environment, and how everyone can play a part in restoring them. We also want to be more reflective of the diverse communities who live in the South East, and build partnerships within these communities to reach a broader audience.
This role will lead the development and delivery of volunteering and community outreach activities that connect people with their local rivers. Activities will include practical volunteering such as river clean-ups, planting days, and invasive species control, as well as citizen science, guided walks, and community workshops.
A key focus of the role is supporting the Chalk Streams in the City project - a major initiative to restore London’s rare urban chalk streams through community involvement. The postholder will help shape and deliver a programme of inclusive and engaging opportunities that inspire people to care for these unique and threatened habitats.
This project is made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.
Working at the South East Rivers Trust is rewarding, fulfilling and fast-paced. We collaborate with energy and professionalism, guided by our values of delivering high-quality work, using expertise and science, building strong relationships, and bringing positivity and integrity to everything we do. If this sounds like the right environment for you - we’d love to hear from you.
Please see the full Volunteering and Engagement Officer job descriptions for more information.
How to apply:
Please send us the following documents, more information can befound on our website.
- Your CV
- a completed application form
- Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form (optional)
The deadline for application is 11:59pm on Sunday 20th July 2025. We reserve the right to close the recruitment early.
Interviews will be potentially w.c. 28th July 2025.
We help rivers thrive again for communities and nature.




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Role Overview:
This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Trusts and Foundations income stream at Global Canopy, bringing exemplary relationship management and stewardship strategies to continue establishing the programme for long-term impact. This role will also nurture a small but successful team, supporting them to reach in-year and future income targets.
You will contribute to a culture of kindness, collaboration, rigour and accountability in equal measure. You will come to work with a sense of urgent mission, but one balanced by emotional intelligence. You will share our conviction that it is not just what we do that matters in our working life, but how we do it too.
Key Responsibilities
As a confident and energetic member of Global Canopy’s Development team, you will:
- Oversee the delivery of our Trusts and Foundations programme, shaping plans to ensure outstanding donor engagement and stewardship, future income growth and the delivery of our mission for forests, people and nature
- Personally manage a portfolio of prospects and existing funders at the six- and seven-figure level, inspiring them to give for the first time and continue or increase their giving
- Support the Trusts/Foundations fundraising team to develop a continuous pipeline of unrestricted and restricted funding opportunities
- Working alone and in partnership with other team members, develop high-quality tailored communications, including cases for support, bespoke proposals, concept notes and donor reports that demonstrate Global Canopy’s impact
- Engage and build relationships with peer and partner organisations to identify and explore opportunities for partnership funding applications
- Represent the voice of fundraising on strategic internal Boards and Working Groups, ensuring excellent communication flow between them and the Development team
- Collaborate effectively across the organisation at all levels, operating as a supportive and reliable fundraising colleague
- Work with colleagues across programmes, communications, operations and finance to shape annual plans and budgets
- Leverage your understanding of market trends to adapt our approach to fundraising and donor engagement
- Effectively manage a high performing Trusts/Foundations team providing clear objectives, supervision and support to enable them to thrive in their roles
- Ensure your and the team’s work is fully compliant with both our own policies and the latest charity legislation and standards of practice
- Ensure that our CRM (Salesforce) is used effectively, kept up to date and accurately maintained with prospect and donor information
- With the Director of Income and Philanthropy Lead, contribute to the effective management of the Development team as a whole and a strong organisational fundraising culture
- Undertake any other relevant duties and projects delegated by the Director of Income
Skills and Experience
Successful candidates will:
- Have a proven track record of having identified, cultivated and secured six- and seven-figure funding partnerships with trusts/foundations
- Have proven experience of building relationships of trust, working collaboratively and in close partnership with internal stakeholders to deliver joint outcomes
- Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, confident in synthesising complex information for external-facing, donor-friendly communication and talking with funders, prospects and stakeholders
- Be adept in negotiating in complex environments with multiple stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes
- Be skilled in adapting your style of management to meet individual needs and provide support to team members in achieving their professional and developmental goals
- Be familiar with the Fundraising Code of Practice and/or other relevant fundraising best practice frameworks
- Have excellent relationship management skills and high emotional intelligence
- Have strong financial literacy, including budgeting and financial reporting
- Be able to work well under pressure and manage multiple priorities and demands
- Have experience in working in the forests, nature and/or climate sectors, preferably in a global context
- Familiarity with the human rights and social dimensions of commodity-driven deforestation and environmental degradation and/or the nexus between human rights and nature-related issues would also be beneficial
Essential Behavioural Competencies
- Proactive and agile, seeking opportunities to grow income in a dynamic and creative environment
- Passionate about demonstrating how funders can contribute to ending deforestation, an essential step in achieving urgent global goals on climate, nature and human rights
- Enthusiasm and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and capitalise on new opportunities
- Effective and positive team-player with a strong preference for collaboration
Benefits
Salary
£55k-65k full time equivalent
This role sits within Band C on Global Canopy’s remuneration framework.
Nature of contract
Full time / Permanent. We are a flexible employer and welcome candidates wishing to work flexibly.
Base
Our office is in Oxford, with flexible home-working arrangements in place.
Holidays
36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.
Pension
Employer pension contribution of 8%.
Healthcare cashback plan
Covering dental fees, eye-care, wellbeing, physiotherapy, chiropody and much more – for you and any children.
Group Life Assurance
Paying a lump sum of 3 times annual salary
Group Income Protection
Paying 75% of annual salary for up to 2 years (for long term sickness).
Employee Assistance Programme
Which provides free, confidential advice on personal and legal matters.
Other
Huge range of discounts and cashback deals at gyms, restaurants, holidays, and much more.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.