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 ROLE
We are looking for a part time governance and compliance officer to oversee our governance and risk framework as a non-profit regulated by the Charities Commission (England and Wales) and OSCR (Scotland).
You will identify, develop, maintain and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance and risk mitigation with the various regulations that we must adhere to such as Charities Commission, OSCR, Fundraising Regulator, Companies House, UK Data Protection and Safeguarding.
As governance and compliance officer, you will deliver high quality, professional and compliant governance across the charity, nationally and in supporting our network of support groups (see About IA) ensuring we comply with statutory regulations, that protect our members and the charity itself while applying best practice principles.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Developing and documenting a detailed understanding of charity practices, paying specific attention to areas where IA is bound by statutory regulations
- Developing robust policies and procedures that ensure charity compliance and best practice
- Remaining up to date with current regulations that IA is bound by and ensuring any changes are implemented within any imposed deadlines
- Regularly review and maintain policies and procedures auditing your findings to ensure exemplary record keeping following up with implementing changes
- Implementing policies and procedures amongst staff, volunteers and the Board of Trustees with robust record keeping introducing governance cycles to keep everyone updated with current policy and communicating changes where necessary
- Identifying risks, recommending mitigating actions and reporting your findings to the management team and Board of Trustees
- Reviewing and updating IA’s risk register
- Recommending and monitoring recommended training among staff and volunteers especially where IA is bound by statutory regulations
- Liaise with third-party suppliers to IA who are responsible for providing services to the charity that support our governance and risk framework
- Supporting Trustee recruitment, induction, training, and evaluation processes
PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
- Demonstrable experience of at least 12m in governance and risk management within a not for profit environment with working knowledge of UK charity regulations. Exceptional candidates from a commercial background would be considered
- A thorough working knowledge of risk management
- Development, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of governance and risk frameworks
- Documenting, reviewing and mitigating risk
- Demonstrable experience of regular reporting to management
- Strong working knowledge of UK data protection regulation
- Working knowledge of safeguarding requirements
- Exceptional record keeping skills to satisfy audit requirements
- Management of third-party relationships including suppliers to IA and volunteers who are carrying out their volunteering role in line with IA’s policies and procedures
- Team player
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
- Experience across the not-for-profit sector
- Working with volunteers
- Basic understanding of AI and the benefits of using it within the not-for-profit sector
- Experience supporting Boards or Trustees
- Regulations governing charity fundraising
SKILLS AND QUALITIES
- Highly organised
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Flexible, adaptable in approach, creative thinker to manage the balance between governance and continuing to provide a personal approach to vulnerable adults
- Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Proactive and solution-focused
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
To apply, please submit:
1. Your CV (up to 3 pages)
2. A covering letter outlining your suitability to the role (max 500 words)
Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video conferencing (such as Zoom) discussing previous experience and role fit with successful candidates going through to a second round. This includes alignment to IA’s values. Please allow up to 1 hour for this stage.
Second round interviews are expected to be via video conference. Successful candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short brief and asked to present at interview their understanding of a governance issue facing charities. Please allow up to 1 hour for this stage.
Applications should be submitted via the advertising platform including your CV and covering letter. See attached role profile for recruitment timetable and further details about us/the role, including contact details for an informal chat, if required, before applying. Applicants are encouraged to ensure availability in line with the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification.
While IA recognises the value of AI technology in the current climate, IA reserves the right to ignore applications where we have reason to believe that they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools.
Please let us know if you require any additional support to attend or undertake an interview or if there is anything we should consider as part of the interview process
Apply as above. Additionally, please refer to the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.