The Head of Education and Community Engagement is responsible for leading the Trust’s efforts to inspire and mobilise communities across Essex. This role involves strategic oversight of the Education Team (Wilder Learning), Community Team (Team Wilder) and the Trust’s Local Groups, ensuring the delivery of impactful education and engagement initiatives aligned with the Trust’s Strategic Plan. The goal is to foster a lifelong love of nature and activate community conservation efforts with a vision of engaging one in four people by 2030.

The post holder will develop and implement strategies to expand education and community engagement, creating inspiring projects and innovative approaches that instil a culture of impactful engagement across the organisation. They will provide strategic oversight of the Education Team, ensuring the continued excellence and evolution of educational programming. Working with colleagues across the Trust, the post holder will advance community-led conservation projects, supporting the Team Wilder ethos of social action as a conservation tool.

The role involves overseeing the Trust’s Local Groups, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, and fostering a sense of value and involvement. Additionally, the post holder will build and maintain relationships with community leaders, corporate members, mobilising community action for wildlife and enhancing stakeholder engagement. As a thought leader, the post holder will position the Trust as an authority on engagement, fostering expertise in nature connectedness, behaviour change and related fields.

Interdepartmental collaboration is essential, and the post holder will facilitate effective teamwork within the Engagement Directorate and across departments, including Nature Discovery Centres and the Fundraising Team, to drive shared goals. They will establish key performance indicators and impact metrics, regularly assess performance, and advocate for the successes of engagement initiatives. As a public spokesperson, they will inspire and rally people around wildlife conservation through campaigns and media presence, serving as an ambassador for the Trust.

Read our 2030 Strategy

Supporting team development is a key part of the role, with the post holder encouraging continuous improvement in team performance and fostering a culture of learning through training and on-the-job experience. They will oversee budgets and target-setting, ensuring delivery meets or exceeds financial goals. They will ensure adherence to policies, maintaining high standards of professionalism and compliance in all activities, and will act as the Safeguarding Lead for Engagement, serving as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Liaising with central teams of The Wildlife Trusts, the post holder will ensure alignment and collaborative initiative development. They will also work closely with other Heads of Department at Essex Wildlife Trust to ensure cohesive leadership across the Trust, providing support to the Director where needed. They will demonstrate the values of Impactfulness, Collaboration, Unity, and Proactivity in all interactions and decisions.

The post holder will contribute to the Operational Leadership Team and support the Strategic Leadership Team in delivering the Trust’s Strategic Plan. They will engage with counterparts across the Wildlife Trusts to promote cooperation and share best practices. Additional tasks assigned by the Senior Leadership Team that fall within the role’s scope will also be undertaken as required.

This role is a permanent full-time position working 37.5 hours per week. We are proud of the flexible working practices at Essex Wildlife Trust and would be happy to consider requests to work flexibly. 

The starting salary for this post is £43,050.00 per annum and based at our Head Office location at the beautiful Abbotts Hall in Great Wigborough. Essex Wildlife Trust offers flexible homeworking arrangements. Further details of the hybrid-working arrangements will be shared at interview.

To apply for this opportunity, please submit an online application via our website by 9:00am on Monday 25 November 2024. 

The successful applicant will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Check with a barred list check as the position will be the Trust’s Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Our values are Impactful, Collaborative, United and Proactive.

Essex Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we know how important diversity is, both in our natural world and amongst the people we employ. We want everyone to feel valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature”.

As a Disability Confident employer, please make us aware you have a disability as we are committed to offering an interview that meets the minimum criteria for the post. If you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible, please make us aware.