The Woodland Trust is looking for an Engaging Communities Officer to join our exciting Sherwood’s Living Legends project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. A development grant has been awarded by Heritage Fund to help the Woodland Trust progress the project over 18-months to apply for a 5-year delivery stage grant. If this application is successful, the project will safeguard the future of ancient and veteran trees in Sherwood Forest and reconnect communities with this iconic landscape. This is a fixed term contract for 18-months, with the potential for an extension.
The Role:
- Lead the community-focused development of Sherwood’s Living Legends, shaping how people connect with the cultural, historical and ecological significance of ancient and veteran trees.
- Co-create imaginative engagement approaches with consultants, using storytelling, heritage and local myth to inspire urban and rural communities.
- Define target audiences and craft compelling key messages that will underpin the project’s delivery-stage communications.
- Promote the project across the Sherwood NCA through social media, local press, PR events and creative outreach activity.
- Ensure engagement plans are inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of diverse communities and participants.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with partners, community groups, landowners and Woodland Trust teams to support joined-up project development.
- Monitor and evaluate engagement activity, gathering insight and data to inform project design and future delivery.
- Represent the project internally and externally, sharing successes and supporting alignment with wider Woodland Trust communications.
The Candidate:
- Experienced in coordinating and delivering varied community events, including consultations tailored to different audiences and locations.
- Confident leading groups outdoors, with experience engaging children, schools and community participants in nature-based activities.
- Skilled in partnership working, able to collaborate with volunteers, community groups and external organisations to achieve shared outcomes.
- Strong communicator with excellent written, verbal and digital skills, including social media content creation and public-facing representation.
- Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, with an understanding of how to design accessible and welcoming engagement.
- Organised and proactive, able to manage multiple workstreams, prioritise effectively and work independently within a dispersed team.
- Competent with IT systems, particularly MS Office and collaborative platforms such as Teams.
- Professional, positive and adaptable, able to represent the Woodland Trust and partners with confidence and clarity.
- The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Basic DBS Check, as part of our pre-employment screening.
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 leading 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 to be held on April 21st 2026.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About the Project
PKD Scotland: Outreach and Community Connections Project.
It is estimated that around 5,000 people in Scotland could be living with Polycystic Kidney
Disease. It is however often poorly understood and historically underfunded, meaning people
can leave clinic after diagnosis with little support beyond medical appointments. Many tell us
they don't know where to turn for emotional support or to meet others living with the same
condition. We want to change that and with support from a National lottery Awards for All grant
that is exactly what we are going to do.
The eighteen-month project will see us reach into hospitals across Scotland to try and ensure
that no one with PKD in Scotland has to manage their journey on their own. From diagnosis
onwards we want all to be aware of the charity, the array of services that we offer and foster
engagement. Two new volunteer led support groups will be established and a group of
ambassadors recruited to support the ongoing connections we make to ensure that PKD
remains in the spotlight.
As our Scotland PKD Engagement Officer you will be central to the success of the project.
Many people only reach us years after diagnosis, often when symptoms worsen, but we know
that early connection can make a real difference. PKD is lifelong and people face new
challenges at every stage. Having support around them helps them stay confident, informed
and connected.
About The Role
As PKD’s Scotland Engagement Officer, you will play a central role in delivering this ambitious
outreach project.
Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will raise awareness of the PKD Charity and its services,
ensuring that people diagnosed with PKD are informed about available support from the earliest
possible stage.
You will build and nurture relationships with NHS professionals and services across Scotland,
helping embed PKD Charity information and resources into patient pathways. Alongside this, you
will work closely with volunteers to establish two new PKD support groups and develop an
ambassador programme to maintain long-term local engagement and visibility.
This is an exciting opportunity for a confident relationship-builder who enjoys working
autonomously while contributing to a small and dedicated team. Your work will help ensure that
people living with PKD across Scotland feel informed, connected and supported throughout every
stage of their condition.
For more information and details on how to apply, please read the full Job Description.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Programme Lead - Maternity Cover (London and South East)
Salary: £34,237-£36,853 depending on experience, skills and qualifications* (see below for more details on remuneration)
Contract: Temporary position linked to maternity leave cover
About Voice 21
Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity. We exist to empower every child to use their voice for success in school and life. Our work transforms learning and life chances through talk by increasing access to a high-quality oracy education for those that need it most. Follow the links to find out more about why oracy is so vital and the impact Voice 21 has.
Your purpose
To lead professional development and school improvement programmes facilitating the Voice 21 approach in our Voice 21 Oracy Schools by delivering our high impact learning experiences and materials for teachers and school leaders. To be part of the team, designing and reviewing programme content.
Your opportunity
Tackle a vital challenge, with great people. Voice 21 exists to transform children' s learning and life chances through talk and we are currently working with 1100 schools. To reach this goal we recruit great people and give them real responsibility, training and support.
Output focused culture, with flexible working opportunities. We have an agile and flexible approach – our team can work when and wherever works best to deliver the requirements of their role. For staff working at home, we support them to create a workspace and provide technology that enables them to work effectively.
Real development opportunities. We believe in supporting people to develop the skills they need to be excellent – whether this means funding external training, finding a mentor to support them or giving them the time to learn from others in the organisations through our regular CPD sessions. We also offer paid study leave for team members taking part in formal studies outside of work.
Great benefits. 36 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays and Christmas closure period). Holiday entitlement increases linked to length of service, 5% employer contribution to pension, interest-free season ticket, cycle and technology loans, employee assistance scheme.
Remuneration. Our pay is a band and spine point approach where there is up to 7 years progression available (depending on starting point)
Your responsibilities
Quality programme delivery
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Lead high quality professional development and school improvement programmes in our Pathway programmes and Open Learning for groups of teachers. These may be delivered in person, online or in school.
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Deliver transformative consultancy support, working with teachers and school leaders to design and implement bespoke improvement plans for their oracy provision, including through in school and online consultancy support, and one-to-one advice.
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Build credibility and purposeful relationships with programme participants, both at programme days and touchpoints, and on an on-going basis to drive impact in our schools.
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Be responsible for participant learning and experience on your programmes, upholding high standards for all elements such as preparation, adapting to participant needs, content and rigour, on-going interactions and support, and participant feedback.
Learning content & programme development
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Proactively share insights and learning from the programmes you deliver, proposing and shaping solutions to enable Voice 21 to continually improve its programme offer.
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Apply and share expertise through varied outputs such as teaching materials, online learning content, resources, written or video outputs. Proactively identify and respond to opportunities or gaps and fulfil briefs or commissions.
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Contribute to the continual improvement of Voice 21’s programmes, through development and review cycles, based on first-hand learning from our schools, content expertise, programme insights and external research and evidence.
Team and organisational contribution
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Act as an ambassador for Voice 21’s national oracy expertise, communicating the value and impact of our approach at conferences, events and through publications.
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Embody and communicate oracy teaching and learning expertise within the organisation, acting as a resource for the wider team and making contributions to organisational priorities, projects, campaigns and events, outputs and publications etc.
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Continually and proactively develop your own and others’ expertise in Voice 21’s approach to a high quality oracy education, and use this to leverage impact for our schools through tangible learning outputs.
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Identify and carry out other tasks commensurate to the level and spirit of the role as required.
Your experience
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You are an excellent teacher (primary or secondary)
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You are passionate about teaching and learning, and the role of talk in learning. You have used talk to support learning in your classroom.
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You have experience leading whole-school change and inspiring teachers to embrace new approaches and ideas.
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You have a knowledge of a range of speaking and listening techniques and contexts for oracy, these could include: debate, dialogic teaching, storytelling, public speaking or communication and language development.
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You are a strong communicator both when working in a small team and when facilitating learning for large groups of adults.
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You are flexible, can think on your feet and can bring your own experiences to the work we do.
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You are highly-organised, look for solutions and can prioritise and manage a varied workload.
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You are enthusiastic, willing to learn and feel you would be energised by our mission. If you do not fully meet all the above criteria, but are happy to work towards developing into the role, we would be happy to consider your application.
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You are willing to travel nationally on a frequent basis (3 days a week) during term time; this will include regular overnight stays.
Further details
Start date: September 1st 2026
Terms: Temporary, linked to maternity cover and subject to successful probation review.
Contract: This is a full time post
Location: Home-based with frequent national travel, including overnight stays, to work with schools and attend meetings. Applicants must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a car they can use for work.
Application details
To apply:
Please submit your most recent CV and a document answering the questions below:
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Tell us why you want to work at Voice 21. What is it about us and our mission that excites you? (Max. 400 words)
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Making direct reference to the job description, please tell us the three main reasons why you would make an excellent Programme Lead (Max. 400 words).
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Tell us about something you have achieved recently that you are proud of? (Max 200 words)
Please do not apply for this position if you are not based in this area of the UK
Closing date: Wednesday 22nd April
Interview date: Provisional dates for initial phone interviews week commencing Tuesday 5 May, with second round interviews on Zoom week commencing 11th May.
Questions: If you have any questions before applying for the role, please contact Catherine Pass
Valuing every voice
Voice 21 believes that every voice should be heard and valued. We are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.
We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join Voice 21.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.