Conservation officer jobs

Could you bring your excellent project management and community engagement skills to help rural communities identify housing need and increase the pipeline of rural affordable homes in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes?

About us

At the heart of Buckinghamshire’s communities, Community Impact Bucks is a locally rooted charity committed to helping communities and charities thrive. Our impact is made possible by a passionate and committed team who believe in the power of local action and understand the places and people they serve.

We expect all staff to deliver activity within Buckinghamshire’s communities and to bring local knowledge, relationships and contextual understanding to ensure our support is relevant, inclusive and community‑led.

About you

You will bring passion and energy to make a difference to rural communities.  You will enjoy working with people and helping communities to achieve their goals.

An excellent communicator, you will enjoy building partnerships and working with people from a variety of backgrounds, with a strong awareness of diversity and inclusion, and the ability to be diplomatic and take the initiative when needed. 

Your knowledge and experience might involve: 

• Asset-based community development 
• Developing and delivering activities in a community setting
• Lived experience of the challenges Buckinghamshire’s rural communities face
• Experience of working in the field of housing delivery and working with local authority planning and housing teams.

Training and support will be provided so you don’t need to be an expert in everything. You will be part of a supportive staff team within the charity, and you will be part of a national network of Rural Housing Enablers offering peer support and shared learning.

You will benefit from an interest in housing and must be able to work with Parish Councils, Housing Associations and Local Housing & Planning Authorities.

Key responsibilities

• Support, advise and steer communities, and town and parish councillors from their initial interest in providing affordable housing, through scheme inception and pre-development phases to completion, with the aim of increasing the speed of schemes through the pre-development phase.
• Assist communities to identify the nature and extent of affordable local housing need in their community including, where appropriate, through a Housing Needs Survey.
• Assist communities to identify a deliverable site for development of affordable housing and/or secure affordable housing as part of market led schemes.
• Build collaborative partnerships with key partners to provide a clear pathway to a successful planning application and delivery. Partners may include, but are not limited to, local communities, parish councils, housing association staff, officers from the Local Authorities (including in their role as providers of affordable housing) and local developers.
• Provide project management including regular reporting on project progress against workplan and housing pipeline.

Key requirements

• Experience of building and sustaining relationships within and across organisations and sectors, and working collaboratively.
• A highly capable communicator in person and in writing. Able to engage the public, local politicians, and officials on their own terms, whilst remaining independent and trusted.
• Experience delivering research, strategic assessment & planning, data analysis, and evaluation reports.
• Excellent organisational, planning and management skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Agile and proactive in approach to challenges and opportunities.
• Able to work under pressure, multi-task and meet strict deadlines.
• Competent user of databases and the Microsoft suite of software.
• Either Full British driving licence and access to private means of transport or ability to demonstrate how you will meet this requirement.
• Available to work evenings and weekends when necessary (in accordance with our Time Off In Lieu Policy)

Diversity & Inclusion

Community Impact Bucks is committed to challenging inequality and values the diversity of our communities in Buckinghamshire. We recognise that reflecting that diversity will only ever make our organisation better. We work to ensure an inclusive culture where colleagues feel welcomed and supported to succeed and thrive. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those from under-represented communities.  

How to apply

For more information please download the Job Description and Person Specification below, or visit our website at Community Impact Bucks.

Please apply via the CharityJob website with a CV and a cover letter explaining how your skills, experience and interests meet the Job Description and Person Specification by 9am on Tuesday 26th May 2026.

We are committed to finding the right fit for this role. We will be reviewing applications and shortlisting candidates to interview as they are received. We will close this position once the right person is found.

Are you passionate about the therapeutic power of the outdoors? Key Enterprises is looking for an energetic and adaptable Adventure Facilitator to lead our service users on new journeys. Whether it is paddle-boarding and forest school skills or maintaining our bicycle fleet and heading out on rides, you will help adults with learning disabilities, autism, and other mental health needs step out of their comfort zones, improve their physical health, and tackle isolation. If you have an infectious enthusiasm for nature and the outdoors with a commitment to inclusive support, we want to help you build a program that plays to your strengths that also achieves outcomes for our service users.

This is a full-time role for 5 days a week (Monday – Friday 08:30 – 16:30) but we are open to flexible working arrangements or a part time position if you are the right person for the job.

Please take a look at our social media to see what we’ve been up to recently, you can follow us on Instagram @keyenterprises83 or search us on Facebook.

Essential Criteria:

Expectations of the facilitator includes a range of the below skills (but is not limited to these either and we’d work with the successful facilitator in developing a program that suits their strengths).

• To facilitate outdoor adventure activities using Key Enterprises in Benton, North Tyneside as a base with the goal of achieving outcomes and promoting wellbeing through outdoor pursuits.
• Competent in the instruction of physical exercises
• Experience of supporting adults with additional needs and the different approaches to communication, engagement and activities that maximise benefit
• To run activities that are accessible to a range of abilities and co-ordinate volunteers to support.
• To be able to motivate service users to take on new challenges (ranging from learning to ride a bike, engaging with exercise for the first time to bigger adventures in the outdoors such as rock climbing, overnight camps and longer hikes/walks/expeditions)
• To maintain and service a small fleet of bicycles
• A knowledge of areas in the North East that would be suitable for outdoor pursuits including hikes, nature walks, camping and bike rides. We’re in close proximity to Newcastle upon Tyne, Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Gosforth and wider areas around Northumberland, South Tyneside and County Durham.
• Can facilitate activities along our coastline including such activities as paddle boarding, kayaking, and doing cold water dips.
• A knowledge of nature and wildlife and an infectious enthusiasm that can be shared with service users for getting into nature
• Adaptability for times of inclement weather to keep our service users entertained and engaged with indoor activities in our dedicated space.
• Comfortable driving a van/minibus
• Take advantage of the latest technology to support the role both internally and in reaching out to stakeholders within the community (smart device use, location sharing, using GPS, planning sessions using Microsoft Office packages and communicating comprehensively through Microsoft Outlook and Teams.
• Knowledge in engaging with health and safety procedures and policy including writing risk assessments for activities.

Desirable Criteria:

• A passion for looking after our environment, reducing carbon, and helping service users engage in “green” activities.
• Has an enthusiasm for “forest school” and survival type skills, campfires etc.

Salary: £27,787.50 (Permanent, Full-Time)

Impact: Directly improving the lives of adults with additional needs

Variety: Every day is different—from coastal paddle-boarding to forest school skills

Environment: Join a supportive, charity-led team dedicated to unlocking potential

Hours: Monday – Friday 08:30 – 16:30)

Benefits: Generous annual leave allowance which increases after 5 years service, time off on bank holidays, pension scheme, employee healthcare cash plan through Sovereign Healthcare which can help cover the cost of dentistry, optical and physio cost (and more) and an employee assistance portal which includes access to counselling and 24 hour support lines for employee wellbeing, even when the issue isn’t work related.

To discuss this role, please contact our Service Manager, Robert Steer

APPOINTMENT IS SUBJECT TO SATISFACTORY REFERENCES AND A DBS CHECK

About us

With a 110-year history, we are proud to be able to say that the WI continues to be the largest and most influential UK-based women’s organisation, with over 170,000 members. Our campaigns push for change on the issues that matter to women and their communities, from equal pay to climate change, mental health and violence against women. The WI has brought about real change, and this record of action shows that we are as relevant today as we were in 1915.

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes (the NFWI) is responsible for running the organisation and provides support and advice to members at both regional and local levels.

About the Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager role

In this varied and exciting position, you will manage high profile WI campaigns and play a key role in achieving change on key issues affecting women and their community.

The Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager provides essential management of the Public Affairs team and its activities- including campaigning, lobbying, research and policy work- whilst working closely with the Director of Campaigns and Membership to maintain a strategic overview of the department’s work.

You will be responsible for devising appropriate lobbying strategies to achieve our key objectives, responding to governmental policy and consultation papers and supporting the NFWI’s media work in relation to all campaigning and Public Affairs activity.

This role also plays a vital part in managing departmental projects, from the development and implementation of campaign project plans, to identifying funding opportunities and administering budgets.  

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week.

Location: Hybrid working, with at least one day per week at our London office.

About you

Experienced in all aspects of campaigning and lobbying, with a strong understanding of current affairs and issues across the policy spectrum, you will be adept at taking a campaign from start to finish, whilst developing impactful influencing strategies in a political context. You will be a confident line manager, with experience of supporting and overseeing your team’s performance, development and wellbeing.

The ability to represent the NFWI externally- to civil servants, government departments and external organisations- as well as working closely with volunteers and members at a grassroots level is also key.

An understanding of key policy issues relating to areas such as women’s health or the environment would also be desirable, however your passion for helping the WI achieve its mission by making a difference every day will be the key to your success in the role.

Benefits

In return, we will offer you a hybrid working arrangement, which means a minimum of one day a week in your primary office and the rest worked from home, although you can work up to three days in the office if preferred; 28 days’ annual leave, rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years’ service with the flexibility to take your annual leave in hours; membership of our healthcare scheme; enhanced family-friendly policies; a commitment to employee wellbeing; and more.

How to apply

For further information about the Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager role, please download the recruitment pack which includes the job description and person specification.

To apply, please submit your current CV with a covering letter clearly explaining why you would be suitable for the role to the HR department.

Closing date: 13 May 2026.

First and second-round interview dates: w/c 18 May 2026, with the first round conducted virtually and the second in-person at our London office.

No other media or agencies, please.

The WI is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and values diversity. Reg. Charity No. 803793.