Outdoor learning leader jobs
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!
Title: Mental Health Community Garden - Project Manager
Location: Bessels Green Baptist Church, Sevenoaks area
Salary: £38,500 - £46,500 per annum
Hours: Full time with flexibility. (See additional comments for details)
Contract: Permanent. 37.5 hours/week
Annual Leave: 25 days plus public holidays
Pension: Employer contribution 5%, Employee contribution 5%
About This Project: Bessels Green Baptist Church is thriving community of Christians who have recently received a substantial legacy gift of £1 million. Following extensive community consultation, we have decided to develop and launch a community garden/outdoor hub on a site that we have already secured. Our aim is to improve the mental well-being of people in Sevenoaks and the surrounding villages. The project will offer a range of horticultural, nature connection, exercise and other therapeutic activities available to all. We want it to give people a sense of belonging and responsibility in a safe space, while developing skills and emotional well-being that will support other parts of their lives. We want this to be a long-lasting, self-sustainable, inspiring project that will impact those in our community who are experiencing a vulnerable time in their lives.
About This Role
Reporting to: Trustees of Ash Platt Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
We are seeking an entrepreneurial and passionate Project Manager to help us design and deliver an exciting outdoor mental health project that will benefit our local community in significant ways. You will create a natural, nurturing, calm outdoor space to bring people together to support their wellbeing.
Initially you will work from home or with office space available at Bessels Green Baptist Church and will need to travel regularly to meetings and the garden site. Once launched, the role will require attendance at the garden several days per week.
Key Responsibilities
· You will build upon the findings of the Community Mental Health Scoping Exercise to develop a comprehensive project plan to launch the garden in the first half of 2026 – having designed the space in conjunction with the local community and experts who have related experience.
· You will promote the garden and its activities to potential beneficiaries and partners, establishing a marketing and communications strategy and building relationships with community leaders and stakeholder groups.
· You will create a programme of activities to support wellbeing and mental health, design effective ways to monitor and evaluate impact and ensure constant learning and improvement as the project develops.
- You will create a welcoming, positive, and inclusive environment where people from any background will feel valued and supported.
- You will develop the operations of the garden with volunteers and partners, taking responsibility for its maintenance, promoting health and safety standards and ensuring that volunteers have the tools, equipment and workwear to work safely and comfortably.
- You will manage a comprehensive programme of volunteering to support garden operations, identify pathways for volunteers to take on leadership roles. recruit and manage any future staff required and design training and support structures for all team members
- You will extend the reach of the original legacy gift by exploring a diverse range of funding opportunities, identify and pursue match funding and build partnerships with potential funders and supporting organisations
About You
Essential Requirements
- Educated to degree level or higher, or with equivalent work experience.
- A demonstrable experience of managing and launching complex projects of a similar nature and the ability to manage an outdoor space.
- A passion for working outdoors and awareness of the benefits to people's wellbeing of being outside in nature
- Practical experience of working alongside mental health services.
- Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and demonstrable competence in IT, data management and data protection.
- Strong budgetary and financial management skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to be a team player who works collaboratively and takes a people oriented inclusive approach.
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills - equally confidently with senior leaders, partners and service users
- Self-motivated and self-directed with an entrepreneurial spirit and a high level of personal integrity
- Committed to making a tangible difference to the mental well-being of our local community
Desirable Requirements
- Experience of co-producing projects and services with the community and people with lived experience of mental ill health
- Experience of designing programmes of activities and of managing volunteers
- Understanding about delivering therapeutic activities to a wide range of beneficiaries and knowledge of social prescribing and linked referral pathways
- Experience of developing income streams or fundraising
Additional Notes
· Bessels Green Baptist Church is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We particularly encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges, as this perspective will be valuable to the role.
· The successful candidate must be sympathetic to the Christian faith, comfortable working in a faith-based environment, and committed to embodying our five core values: Love generously, Act justly, Forgive swiftly, Include selflessly, and Practice humility.
· We believe this job will require a full-time commitment, but we will try to be flexible depending on specific candidate situations. For example, it may be possible for this role to work as a job share between two individuals)
Please submit your CV and cover letter to: Rick Woodward - details below
With a substantial legacy gift of £1 million, we will develop a community garden/outdoor hub on a site that we have already secured.
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!
Come join an incredible team using joy, adventure and the outdoors to transform the mental health of London's most disadvantaged children. We're looking for someone a little bit special who believes in the deep potential of children who are not thriving elsewhere in life.
The position is a dual role. You’ll join as one of three dedicated Youth Workers and will lead on a portion of Free to Be Kids’ year-round follow-on support for vulnerable young people who we have already engaged via our Thrive Outside residentials. Crucially, a core aspect of the role will be leading an average of 8-10 of our residential projects across each year - working on the ground with the children, leading the volunteers, and helping make the projects special, safe, and transformative for vulnerable young people, many of whom have complex needs. You’ll be joining a small staff team of 9, supplemented by a vibrant and committed group of volunteers.
Attendance at approximately 8-10 five-six night residential projects per year outside London is a core component of this role. A full driving licence is not required but may be an advantage.
Watch our 2 min introductory video to see the power of what we do. https://bit.ly/ASummaryOfOurWork
On offer to the right candidate:
Salary: Circa £29,000-£32,000, dependent on experience.
Hours: Fulltime: 37.5 hours per week. Essential attendance on at c.8-10 residential projects a year.
Leave: 25 days per year, plus bank holidays and up to 13 additional pre-set discretionary reward days in September and during the Christmas period.
Other benefits: 4% employer pension contribution paid on full base salary, rising by 1% per year of service, up to a maximum of 7%, hybrid working, office with great transport links, flexible working (outside core hours), employee reward scheme, a tight-knit effective team with great morale.
Based: Hybrid – our small office in Waterloo, London. Hybrid working is well established with the majority of the team splitting time around 50:50 between the office and home.
To start: February-March 2026
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Who we’re looking for:
Our next Youth Work hero. You'll be fun, active, energised, resilient, and experienced in work with young people with complex needs, and looking to join an organisation you can believe in and who in return will believe and invest in you.
You’ll have multi years’ experience working alongside young people who might struggle in other settings and will be used to dealing with a range of behaviours and complex support needs, ideally including mental health support needs,with a good understanding of safeguarding. A basic level of comfortableness in the outdoors, resilience to keep going with a smile when it's wet outside, and the silliness to be the first to jump into the lake will see you in good stead for this role.
You’ll have the flexibility to work away from home on up to 10 week-long residential projects per year. Ideally, you’ll also have experience of leading projects for children – whether residential or non-residential. Experience of working on or leading residentials projects themselves is not required but may be an advantage.
We are a small, vibrant, fun and friendly staff team of 9, growing to 11 when these 2 Youth Worker vacancies are filled, supported by a committed volunteer base of around 200.
We are particularly keen to encourage applications from those who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background.
To apply:
See full Job Description & Person Specification on our website.
Send all 3 application elements in one email to the address within the application pack by the closing date of 8pm, Tuesday 13th January 2026.
- CV or up to date LinkedIn profile.
- A short introductory video of 1-3 minutes (maximum) showing your vibrancy, fit for the role, recapping your existing experience, and telling us something interesting about yourself! (Top tips: Keep it fast paced and lively; shorter may be better; touch on the person characteristics set for the role; something filmed quickly on your phone which feels organic is what we’re looking for.) As this is a people facing role the video’s purpose is to help bring life to your application, whilst helping us filter out solely AI written ones. We want to get a strong sense of YOU as we are looking for FIT with the organization, as well as experience.
- (optional) A short (1 side max) cover letter to bring your application to life.
Selection Process and Timeline:
Selection will be via two stage interview. As there is only a short turnaround from application closure on 13th January to 1st stage interviews 8th-9th January, we will assess applications and offer interview slots throughout the window. However, you will not be disadvantaged if you need to wait till the closing date to submit.
1st stage interviews: Monday 19th - Wednesday 21st January (virtual). We may offer some interview slots throughout the window but you will not be disadvantaged if you need to wait till towards the deadline to apply.
2nd stage final interviews: Wednesday 28th - Thursday 29th th January (in-person, London Waterloo)
Please hold interview dates as alternates dates are unlikely to be available.
The role requires an Enhanced DBS check and existing right to work in the UK.
If you have any questions about the role, contact us via our website and we’d be happy to arrange an informal chat. We look forward to hearing from you!
Using joy, adventure and the outdoors to transform particularly vulnerable London children's mental health.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
If you’re a passionate and visionary leader who is committed to making a difference to London’s natural environment, we’d love to hear from you!
The City of London Corporation is the Trustee of 11,000 acres of iconic greenspaces in London and the Home Counties. We deliver multidisciplinary work on nature conservation, climate resilience, heritage, access and recreation, and community engagement. Our Natural Environment Division has an annual budget of over £30m, 350 staff and welcomes more than 20 million visitors to its sites every year.
We’re looking for an innovative, results-driven Deputy Director to play a leading role in supporting the transformation of the Division and its 8 environmental charities, delivering key projects and continuous improvement. You’ll lead the Division's work on heritage and outdoor learning and will support the development and delivery of major projects including the Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy.
You’ll use your business acumen and financial skills to develop and support the long-term sustainability of the Division’s charities. You’ll also lead on developing strong external partnerships and income generation plans and will use your leadership, organisational and change management skills to develop and embed new ways of working. Working closely with the Natural Environment Director, you’ll lead on key initiatives across the Corporation’s greenspaces, including the development and resourcing of multi-million-pound projects.
You’ll be an accomplished leader with experience of leading and managing complex operations, projects and programmes. You’ll have expertise in planning and managing major projects, building high-performing teams, and forging strategic partnerships with government bodies, NGOs, local authorities, and businesses. Excellent leadership and communication skills are critical as you’ll engage with and influence a wide range of stakeholders to shape and implement strategies, policies and key delivery mechanisms such as business plans.
The City of London Corporation offers a unique opportunity to work alongside world-class teams in an environment which respects and celebrates historic traditions and cultures, whilst providing access to leading innovators and disruptors across our global economic hub. We operate a flexible working policy with the opportunity to work from home up to two days per week.
Closing date: 12 Noon on Monday 12th January 2026
1st Interview - 2nd February
2nd Interview: 12th February
To apply online please click the apply button.
The City of London Corporation is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
We reserve the right to close the advert earlier should we receive a high number of applications.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and as part of the selection process the successful applicant will be required to obtain a standard / an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.
Because our roles are so varied, we don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ policy for workplace attendance. How many days a week you’ll be required to attend your workplace will depend on the requirements of your role. It’s important that you understand the requirements before applying to ensure you are able to meet them. We are committed to considering requests to work flexibly and job share. Requests will be considered by the recruiting manager in line with our policies and business needs.
- Provide inspirational leadership and clear strategic direction for the Freshly Greated CPP programme.
- Lead the implementation of the programme with creativity and a strong commitment to its aims and objectives.
- Develop and nurture the key partnerships in Great Yarmouth and beyond that support the programme’s sustainability and growth.
The Executive Director leads the Freshly Greated programme, working closely with the Freshly Greated Consortium, Arts Council England (ACE), freelancers, volunteer Community Producers and the wider local community. The Director manages a small, multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for the programme’s creative direction, partnership development, financial sustainability, evaluation, compliance and will also develop and lead an ambitious, co-created community-led arts and culture programme that has action research and evaluation at its core.
Freshly Greated is a year round programme which includes award winning youth participation and intergenerational projects across three neighbourhoods. In partnership with Out There Arts, Freshly Greated create vibrant public celebrations across parks, beaches, and town spaces, inspired by local stories. Last year, 61,942 residents took part in workshops, events, and festivals that are free, inclusive, and locally led. All Community Producers agree Freshly Greated proves everyone is creative, builds skills, and strengthens community spirit - 94% say it increases local pride, and 91% believe it makes Great Yarmouth a better place to live.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.