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The Woodland Trust is looking for an experienced Conservation and Wildlife Officer to join the Snaizeholme Project team, supporting the conservation and long-term management of the Snaizeholme Estate. The role will focus on conservation-led wildlife management, including protecting and enhancing local Red Squirrel populations, habitat and species monitoring, and delivering practical land management across a diverse landscape. Working closely with landowners, partners, volunteers and local communities, the successful candidate will combine strong ecological knowledge with excellent communication and public engagement skills to help create a thriving, resilient landscape for wildlife and people.
A company vehicle will be provided for this role. Please note that out Company Vehicle Policy is also under review as part of our Job Families and Contract Review project, so the eligibility criteria therein are subject to change in due course.
For recruitment purposes this position is advertised as Conservation and Wildlife Officer to reflect the nature of the work. The successful candidate’s formal title will be Wildlife Manager - Snaizeholme.
The Role:
- Coordinate stakeholders across the Northern Dales to deliver joined-up, evidence-led wildlife management, with a focus on Grey Squirrel control to support Red Squirrel populations.
- Lead ecological surveys and monitoring to inform habitat management, including grazing impacts, vegetation change, bird activity, ground-nesting productivity and invasive species.
- Produce reports and contribute to conservation research in collaboration with colleagues, agencies and external partners.
- Manage and support wildlife contractors, volunteers and controllers, delivering evidence-based squirrel and deer management across the estate and wider landscape.
- Support delivery of the Snaizeholme Estate project, providing specialist input into woodland, peatland, wetland and farmed habitat management.
- Deliver public engagement through presentations, events, site visits and volunteer coordination, ensuring safe and effective conservation activities.
- Ensure wildlife management complies with best practice, environmental legislation and regional/national partnership frameworks.
- Maintain accurate survey and management records using IT/GIS systems, support health and safety compliance, and provide training and guidance where needed.
- This is a homebased role, requiring regular travel to locations within the Snaizeholme landscape and wider area, sometimes to remote locations. You would be expected to live within reasonable travelling distance of your area of responsibility. Occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays will be required.
The Candidate:
- Experience assessing, monitoring, and managing wildlife and habitats to deliver conservation objectives, particularly in upland environments.
- Skilled in wildlife and habitat surveying, species identification, and practical conservation management.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building experience with farmers, land managers, ENGOs, local authorities, volunteers, and community groups.
- Confident in public engagement, including presentations, guided walks, and volunteer coordination.
- Knowledge of conservation-led wildlife management, habitat survey methodologies, and upland land-use practices.
- Competent in Health & Safety management, including lone working, risk assessments, and working in challenging terrain/weather conditions.
- Proficient in IT, data management, record keeping, and GIS software.
- Qualified with a relevant environmental/ecology/land management degree (or equivalent experience), full UK driving licence, and willingness to complete specialist training/certifications including Grey Squirrel Management and DSC Level 1 if not already held.
Benefits and Wellbeing:
Joining our team means you’ll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:
- Enhanced Employer Pension
- Life Assurance
- Flexible & Hybrid Working Options
- Generous Annual Leave - 25 Days Plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d for part-time)
- Buy and Sell Holiday Scheme
- Enhanced Parental Pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
About Us:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. We want to see a world where trees and woods thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make their difference tackling the nature and climate crisis helping protect, restore and create our vital woods and trees.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
To achieve our vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. All people, no matter their background, identity, ability, or circumstance, should benefit from trees.
People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.
Please contact us to discuss any additional support or adjustments you may need to complete your application.
Application Advice:
For fairness we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, and CVs are redacted until after shortlisting is complete.
Make sure that your Personal Statement clearly shows how your skills and knowledge link to the specifications in the job description and you share with us your passion for the role. Even if you don't meet every requirement of the role, we would encourage you to apply.
Acceptable Use - Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications-for example, to help structure or edit written responses. We welcome the use of AI in this way, particularly where it helps improve accessibility, such as for neurodivergent applicants. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools.
Apply Now:
If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We might close the job opening early if we get a lot of applications, so it's a good idea to apply soon. If we do close the advert early, and you have an application in process, we will email you prior to closing to give you time to complete.
Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams on 9th & 10th July.
Help rivers thrive again for people and nature
Are you a creative storyteller who loves turning complex topics into engaging content? Do you enjoy creating digital campaigns that inspire people to take action? Are you excited by the opportunity to help shape a growing fundraising programme that supports healthier rivers across the South East?
If so, we'd love to hear from you.
About the role
As our Communications and Marketing Officer, you'll help bring the South East Rivers Trust's work to life. From restoring rivers and wetlands to engaging volunteers, schools and communities, you'll tell the stories behind our projects and help connect more people with the work we do.
This is a varied and hands-on role where no two days are the same. One day you might be creating social media content from a river restoration project, the next writing a newsletter, supporting a fundraising campaign, updating the website or helping promote a community event.
You'll work closely with our Digital Marketing and Communications Manager and colleagues across the Trust to deliver engaging campaigns that grow awareness, increase engagement and support fundraising efforts.
This is also an exciting opportunity to help shape our developing digital fundraising activity. We're looking for someone who enjoys bringing ideas to the table, testing new approaches and helping us build stronger relationships with supporters.
What a typical week might look like
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Writing social media posts showcasing a river restoration project that has improved habitats for wildlife.
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Interviewing a volunteer or project officer and turning their story into a website article, newsletter feature or case study.
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Creating graphics and campaign content using Canva.
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Updating project pages and news stories on our WordPress website.
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Reviewing social media, email and website analytics to understand what's working and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Supporting the promotion of a fundraising appeal, challenge event or community campaign.
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Attending a project site, volunteer day or community event to capture photos, videos and interviews for our channels.
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Working with colleagues across the organisation to plan upcoming campaigns and communications activity.
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Helping develop supporter journeys that encourage people to donate, volunteer, attend events or learn more about their local river.
About you
You'll be a confident communicator who enjoys creating content and finding new ways to engage audiences.
You may already be working in a communications, marketing or fundraising role, or perhaps you've gained relevant experience through volunteering, community projects or campaigning.
We're looking for someone who is:
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A strong writer who can adapt their style for different audiences and channels.
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Comfortable creating content for social media, websites and email marketing.
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Organised and able to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
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Curious, proactive and full of ideas.
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Confident using digital tools and analytics to measure success.
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Interested in environmental issues and motivated by making a positive difference.
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Happy working independently while also collaborating with colleagues across the organisation.
Why join us?
At South East Rivers Trust, you'll be part of a friendly and passionate team working to improve rivers for wildlife, communities and future generations.
You'll have the opportunity to develop your skills across communications, digital marketing and fundraising while contributing to meaningful environmental change.
Whether you're creating content, supporting events, building campaigns or helping grow our supporter community, your work will have a direct impact on rivers across the South East.
Location
Hybrid working, predominantly from home, with a minimum of one day per week in our office in Leatherhead, Surrey.
Some travel to project sites and events across the South East will be required.
The SERT region, covers the south east of England, extending from Hampshire in the west to Kent in the east, with the northern border being south of the Thames, extending down to the English Channel.
To support travel costs, SERT pays a contribution towards mileage for travel within the SERT region. We do not pay mileage, time or any other costs for travel outside the SERT region, nor for any commutes to the office. Toll charges cannot be claimed.
Ready to apply?
If you're excited by the opportunity to use your communications and marketing skills to help rivers thrive again, we'd love to hear from you.
See the full job description for more information.
Application process:
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Closing date for applications: Sunday 5th July 11.59pm
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Interviews in-person (at our Leatherhead office): Thursday
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We reserve the right to close this job advert early
For further information on the application process see our website FAQ's
We help rivers thrive again for communities and nature.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Groundwork South is seeking a motivated and experienced Senior Project Officer to lead on the delivery of our Climate Action Fund project over the next five years.
Senior Project Officer (Climate Action Fund Training and Development Lead)
Reference: CAF0626
Contract: Fixed term until June 2031
Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours each week
Salary: £28,000 - £32,000 per annum
Location: Home-based (with travel across England) – There is a focus on South West England during the pilot phase
About Us
Groundwork South works with communities across the south of England to transform their lives and the places where they live. We have been at the forefront of social and environmental regeneration for over 25 years, and today we have a simple mission: to create better places, improve people’s prospects, and promote greener living and working.
We are passionate about creating a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny, and no-one is held back by their background or circumstances. This vision drives the work that we do. Each year we deliver over 100 innovative projects, tackling the biggest issues facing our communities and creating real and lasting, positive change.
About the Project
Communities Prepared works with volunteers and communities across England to help them build the skills, confidence and knowledge needed to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. This includes supporting communities to plan for climate-related risks such as flooding, storms, heatwaves, and severe weather.
Despite the successes we have had through our programme to date, we are not currently reaching diverse enough audiences and too often there are people missing from the resilience sector. This needs to change. To address this we are now embarking on an exciting new UK-wide partnership programme funded through the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund over the next five years.
The programme responds to growing evidence that climate-related emergencies, including extreme heat, flooding, fire, cold and severe weather, disproportionately impact marginalised communities, while those same communities are often excluded from resilience planning and decision-making.
The programme brings together Equally Ours, Communities Prepared (part of Groundwork South), and the VCS Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP, part of the British Red Cross) to strengthen climate resilience by ensuring that communities experiencing discrimination and disadvantage are at the heart of climate preparedness, response, recovery and policy-making.
Through a rights-based and co-produced approach, the programme seeks to shift climate resilience policy and practice away from models that frame communities as “vulnerable”, and towards approaches grounded in agency, participation, equality and shared responsibility.
Key Responsibilities
As Senior Project Officer, you will:
- Work with the project team to map stakeholders and co-develop a structured engagement plan to recruit and work with marginalised communities.
- Build a collaborative and trusting relationship with the partner organisations and other stakeholders for this project, ensuring this work meets their expectations and complements areas of the work programme led by others.
- Work with project participants and partners to co-design Communities Prepared material and delivery methods that are more accessible and relevant to diverse audiences.
- Lead on the delivery of resilience training and workshop sessions with diverse audiences, both in-person and online.
- Work with project participants and partners to co-design a train the trainer model that will enable diverse audiences to deliver resilience training within their own communities, amplifying reach and impact.
- Work with the core Communities Prepared team to adapt our offer with the long-term goal of the Programme reaching more diverse audiences, especially those seldom heard in this sector.
The role involves regular travel across the UK, with a focus on South West England during the project’s pilot phase.
We are looking for someone with:
- Experience in community engagement or community development.
- Experience delivering training or workshops.
- Strong organisational and project management skills.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, confident to engage people from a range of different backgrounds.
- Experience working with multiple stakeholders or partners.
- Confidence working independently in a remote role.
- An interest in climate change, community resilience and wider community development.
- A willingness to travel across the country.
Closing date for applications: 11.59pm, 30th June 2026
Interview date: 15th July over MS Teams
Interview panel: Representatives from Groundwork South, Equally Ours and VCSEP (tbc)
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.
Groundwork South is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of the community.
No agencies please.