Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

Contract: Fixed-term maternity cover (anticipated from May 2026, up to 12 months)
Hours: Part-time – 3 days per week (22.5 hours) Location: NSA Head Office, Malvern, with hybrid working by agreement
Reporting to: NSA Chief Executive Salary: £20,700 - £21,486 pro-rata (FTE £34,500 - £35,811)

About the National Sheep Association (NSA)

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is a membership charity supporting and promoting sheep farming throughout the UK. NSA delivers national and regional projects, events and partnerships to support sheep farmers, influence best practice and strengthen the sector.

Purpose of the role

The Project Manager (Maternity Cover) will be responsible for the management and delivery of NSA-led and NSA-linked technical/research/innovation related projects during the maternity leave period of the substantive postholder.

Following an internal review of responsibilities, a number of non-project duties have been redistributed across the staff team. As a result, this maternity cover role has a clear and deliberate focus on project delivery, coordination and reporting.

Key relationships with: All NSA staff, particularly the NSA Chief Executive, NSA Operations Director and NSA Management Team, as well as key NSA committees, groups and individuals delivering NSA-led/NSA-linked projects and relevant research and development contacts.

Management responsibilities: The NSA Project Manager is part of the NSA management team, which meets regularly to ensure effective internal communication and decision-making. There are no line management responsibilities within this role.

Job role

The postholder will:

Project delivery and coordination

• Manage and deliver a defined portfolio of ongoing and fixed-term NSA projects, including externally funded and partnership projects.
• Ensure projects have clear objectives, deliverables, timelines and budgets, and are delivered in line with agreed commitments.
• Coordinate contributions from NSA staff, committees, researchers, consultants and external partners.
• Monitor progress, manage risks and issues, and escalate where appropriate.

Project portfolio management

• Maintain clear records of project activity, outputs and deadlines.
• Ensure project financial requirements are met and communicated with the NSA finance team, (both existing projects and any new project developments).
• Ensure compliance with funder, partner and governance requirements.
• Support the development and refinement of project plans where required.

Stakeholder and partnership working

• Act as the primary project contact for assigned partners and funders.
• Represent NSA at project meetings and relevant external forums (online and in person).
• Support positive working relationships that reflect NSA’s values and strategic objectives.

Reporting and governance

• Contribute project updates to the management team discussions.
• Prepare input for quarterly Board reports relating to project activity.
• Maintain documentation to ensure continuity and effective handover. Events and knowledge exchange (project-linked)
• Work with colleagues to ensure project outputs are linked into NSA events and activities where appropriate.
• Attend relevant NSA events and meetings to support project delivery and profile-raising.

Person specification

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of managing and delivering projects
• Experience in livestock farming/management at a practical or research/development level
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders and partners
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines

Desirable

• Experience of externally funded or partnership projects
• Experience working in a charity, membership or not-for-profit organisation
• Experience preparing reports for senior management or Boards

Additional Information

• Occasional travel and evening or weekend work may be required, with time off in lieu in line with NSA policy.
• The postholder will form part of the NSA management team for the duration of the maternity cover.

Apply for this role today, or enquire for more details.

To apply for this role, please email a covering letter, CV and completed application form to Aaron Dhanda, NSA Operations Director before 5pm on Friday 13th March 2026.
Interviews will take place on Tuesday 24th March 2026.
Please use the same email address for any enquiries regarding the role.