Chief executive jobs for the Animal sector

Are you a programme manager who has experience of working on complex IT projects?
We’re looking for a Programme Manager to apply project management methodologies to our Dogs Trust Ireland transformation programme, which will involve migrating a legacy customer relationship management (CRM) system to Salesforce.

What does this role do?
As Programme Manager (Dogs Trust Ireland CRM Transformation), you will:

• apply standardised project management lifecycles, methodologies and governance to all activity in the Dogs Trust Ireland transformation programme, ensuring all work is aligned with wider programme objectives,
• work with key stakeholders to define and document the project scope, objectives and outcomes, and then deliver organisational change and embed new ways of working,
• work closely with the CRM implementation partner, Product Owner and Dogs Trust UK technical teams to shape the solution, coordinate and manage delivery, ensuring agreed objectives and timelines are met,
• manage and track dependencies throughout, and work with the Portfolio team to provide delivery assurance.

While this role will be based at our London office with hybrid working, the post holder will be expected to travel regularly to Dogs Trust Ireland offices in Dublin. This role is a fixed term contract until December 2027.

Interviews for this role are provisionally scheduled for 28th and 29th May 2026, and will take place on Teams.

Could this be you?
To be successful in this role, you’ll need experience of delivering complex IT transformation programmes, ideally with experience of CRM systems or Salesforce specifically. This will be underpinned by strong programme governance and delivery management expertise. You’ll be an excellent communicator with strong stakeholder management skills, who works proactively and autonomously, and is able to influence stakeholders at all levels. A commitment and passion for the work we do is essential.

About Dogs Trust
We love dogs. That’s why we do whatever we can to make sure every four-legged friend gets the love they deserve. We’ll never put a healthy dog down, so our work is focused on helping dogs in need, supporting owners every step of the walk, and creating a better world for dogs in the future. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1891 and how we’ve grown to become the UK’s leading dog charity, helping 12,000 loyal friends find their forever homes every year.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you submit a personal statement explaining your interest and suitability for the role.
 
Dogs are incredibly diverse, much like the humans that love them! At Dogs Trust we value diversity, and we're committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities, and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce helps us to achieve our mission. Our colleague networks give our people a voice, acting as vehicles for real and meaningful change within Dogs Trust. We truly want to see every candidate shine throughout the entire job application process, interview stages, and during their time with us. If there's anything on your mind or any adjustments you may need, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to support you every step of the way.

Are you looking for a role that uses data to drive decision making and change?
We’re looking for a Business Insights Officer, who will work across Dogs Trust to gather and analyse data and information from every corner of our organisation to develop a deep understanding of performance and enable evidence-based planning.

What does this role do?
As Business Insights Officer, you will:

• build relationships with stakeholders in every division, not just gathering performance metrics, but using thoughtful enquiry to build trust and understand challenges, ensuring the ‘right’ information is being gathered and monitored,
• collate data into a regular management report, analysing findings to identify trends, risks, challenges and opportunities, and surfacing these to leadership,
• ensure findings are accessible and user-friendly, using your understanding of the organisation and its strategic goals to articulate findings in a meaningful and impactful way,
• continuously improve and critique findings and approaches, working curiously and inquisitively to challenge the status quo to help the organisation flourish,
• be passionate about our mission, and particularly the ability to use insights to optimise the work we do and improve performance.

Interviews for this role are provisionally scheduled for week commencing 1st June 2026, and will take place on Teams.

Could this be you?
To thrive in this role, you’ll fundamentally need strong data analysis skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends and generate and communicate actionable insights. While a background in technical BI skills isn’t essential, we’re looking for candidates who understand the importance of business insights and how data visualisation and dashboards can support this. You’ll be working towards some critical milestones and deadlines, so the ability to work calmly under pressure and stay organised is key. You’ll also be a confident communicator, who is able to establish trust, have meaningful conversations and convey the importance and impact of strong business insights on organisational performance. A commitment to the work we do is essential.

About Dogs Trust
We love dogs. That’s why we do whatever we can to make sure every four-legged friend gets the love they deserve. We’ll never put a healthy dog down, so our work is focused on helping dogs in need, supporting owners every step of the walk, and creating a better world for dogs in the future. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1891 and how we’ve grown to become the UK’s leading dog charity, helping 12,000 loyal friends find their forever homes every year.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you submit a personal statement explaining your interest and suitability for the role.
 
Dogs are incredibly diverse, much like the humans that love them! At Dogs Trust we value diversity, and we're committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities, and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce helps us to achieve our mission. Our colleague networks give our people a voice, acting as vehicles for real and meaningful change within Dogs Trust. We truly want to see every candidate shine throughout the entire job application process, interview stages, and during their time with us. If there's anything on your mind or any adjustments you may need, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to support you every step of the way.

We’re looking for a Volunteer Experience Manager to support our incredible volunteers and their pets, who bring joy and comfort to people across hospitals, care homes, schools and communities nationwide.

What you’ll do

Reporting to the Chief Executive, you’ll:

• Lead and develop our Volunteer Experience Team, who provide day-to-day phone and email support to our 6,000 volunteers, ensuring volunteers receive outstanding support from first enquiry to retirement
• Support our network of around 80 Volunteer Area Coordinators, helping them support local PAT volunteers 
• Deliver our Volunteer Engagement Strategy, making volunteering with PAT easy, rewarding and well‑supported

About you

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience in volunteer management
• Great people management
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Experience in managing busy, volunteer‑facing services
• Experience using CRM systems and working with data and KPIs.
• A hands‑on, friendly leadership style and a genuine commitment to PAT’s mission.

Why join us?

Alongside working with inspiring volunteers and their amazing pets, you’ll enjoy:

• 28 days annual leave
• Hybrid working
• Health cash‑back plan and Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee discounts and flu vaccination
• Dog‑friendly office
• Opportunities to attend events such as Crufts

Pets As Therapy is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from everyone.

Note - this role is hybrid and you will need to be in our office in Oxfordshire 2 or 3 days a week

Interviews will be held in person on Monday 18th May

This role plays an important part in helping colleagues across Battersea stay informed, connected and engaged with the work we do for dogs and cats. As Internal Communications Officer, you will support the delivery of day-to-day internal communications activity across a range of channels, helping ensure staff, volunteers and trustees have access to clear, timely and engaging information.

You will contribute content across multiple internal platforms, including producing Battersea’s weekly internal newsletter and supporting the ongoing development of Pawtal, our staff intranet. The role also involves helping colleagues across the organisation manage their own content, offering advice and support to ensure information shared with staff is clear, consistent and aligned with Battersea’s priorities.

You will also support the delivery of internal engagement activity, from large-scale events such as Town Halls, roadshows and our End of Year Highlights event, to smaller sessions that showcase the work of teams across the organisation. Alongside this, you’ll assist with CEO video communications, coordinating filming and helping bring senior leader messages to life.

Working closely with the Internal Communications Manager and Internal Communications Specialist, you’ll also help monitor how our communications are performing by gathering feedback from staff and analysing engagement data to support continuous improvement.
This is a varied role suited to someone who enjoys working collaboratively, managing multiple priorities and creating communications that help colleagues feel informed, included and connected to Battersea’s mission.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
• Discounted gym membership and cycle to work schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing Date: 14th May 2026

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview Dates: w/c 25th May 2026

For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack.

Fauna & Flora is seeking a highly experienced conservation professional to fulfil the role of Country Director, South Sudan, assuming responsibility for the development, management and implementation of F&F’s growing South Sudan programme.

The successful candidate will have experience in providing technical input into the design, development, implementation and evaluation of biodiversity and conservation projects within conflict affected countries in Africa. They will also demonstrate a strong proven track record in operational, project, grant and financial management at a similar level and be skilled in providing strategic advice.

Strong leadership and people management skills are essential to the role to build and lead a professional team that delivers effectively against project aims, objectives and timelines.  The role also requires a skilled and credible communicator, who is confident in developing and managing relationships at senior level with partner organisations and relevant stakeholders, including donors, funders and government.

Please visit our website and download the job application pack for further details on how to apply.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 20 April 2026. Interviews are likely to take place the week commencing Monday, 25 May 2026.

FOUR PAWS is seeking an inspiring Country Director, to head its UK organisation. You will set national strategy, influence policymakers, lead advocacy and campaigns, and build a high‑performing, values‑driven team — all in support of a powerful global mission.

You will shape campaigns, influence policymakers, lead a passionate team, and ensure the organisation operates to the highest standards of governance, effectiveness and integrity.

You’ll be a confident, credible senior leader who combines strategic insight with hands‑on pragmatism. You’re comfortable navigating complexity, balancing national and international priorities, and leading through change.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of a respected global organisation working to create systemic change for animals worldwide — alongside talented, committed colleagues who share your passion.

Predominantly home-based with regular travel to locations across the UK
up to £45,000 per annum
Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

Office facilities are available at our Newark office at The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, NG24 1WT, for those within easy travelling distance. There is a requirement to attend in-person the monthly team meetings at the Newark office

Closing date for applications: 10th May 2026

First interview:  27th May 2026 (Online)

Second interview: 3rd June 2026 (Online)

About Us

The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. We have more than 945,000 members, over 33,000 volunteers, 4,100 staff and 600 trustees. There are 46 individual Wildlife Trusts, each of which is a place-based independent charity with its own legal identity, formed by groups of people getting together and working with others to make a positive difference to wildlife and future generations, starting where they live and work.

Every Wildlife Trust is part of The Wildlife Trusts federation and a corporate member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, a registered charity in its own right founded in 1912 and one of the founding members of IUCN – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Taken together this federation of 47 charities is known as The Wildlife Trusts.

The next few years will be critical in determining what kind of world we all live in. We need to urgently reverse the loss of wildlife and put nature into recovery at scale if we are to prevent climate and ecological disaster. We recognise that this will require big, bold changes in the way The Wildlife Trusts work, not least in how we mobilise others and support them to organise within their own communities.

About You

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in securing transformational support for nature in the UK and beyond. Working with senior leaders to build and steward high-value donor relationships, we are seeking an experienced and ambitious Major Gifts Fundraiser with exceptional relationship-building, communication and storytelling skills, and a commitment to inspiring philanthropic support for nature’s recovery.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute not only to income growth but also to strengthen major donor fundraising across The Wildlife Trusts.

We are looking for an exceptional Major Gifts Fundraiser to join one of the UK’s most cherished nature charities at a pivotal moment for nature’s recovery.

In this influential role, you will be instrumental in expanding our network of high-net-worth supporters. Working closely with our Head of Major Donor Fundraising, Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team and our Wildlife Trust colleagues, you will focus on identifying and cultivating meaningful, long-term relationships, that delivers transformational support for nature’s recovery in the UK.

You will be a confident, compelling communicator, and engaging Major Gifts Fundraiser, with the ability to express The Wildlife Trusts’ case for support in tackling the nature and climate emergencies, both through our work on nature’s restoration on the ground to driving change through policy, influencing and campaigning. You will be highly experienced in inspiring donors by connecting their values with our mission to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

We are looking for an experienced Major Gifts Fundraiser with a track record of securing significant restricted and unrestricted income. You will be skilled at initiating and developing mutually beneficial relationships, motivated by ambitious targets and driven by the opportunity to make a genuine difference for nature.

The Wildlife Trusts value passion, respect, trust, integrity, pragmatic activism and strength in diversity. Whilst we are passionate in promoting our aims, we are not judgmental and are inclusive. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.

RSWT take our Safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. Please click here to read our commitment statement. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For applicable roles, applicants must be willing to undergo checks with past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the eligible level.

RSWT are committed to increasing the diversity of its staff through its Levelling the Field recruitment pledge and, as a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming recruitment experience for all applicants. Applicants with disabilities and from ethnic minority backgrounds, will be considered for the next stage of the selection process should they meet all the minimum criteria for the role outlined in the person specification detailed as essential criteria in the recruitment pack. As part of our Disability Confident Scheme, RSWT offers an interview to a fair and proportionate number of applicants with disabilities and therefore not all applicants with disabilities would be entitled to an interview as they must still satisfy the minimum requirements for the job. This commitment is designed to help reduce barriers and promote equal opportunity. We actively work to remove barriers throughout the recruitment journey and are dedicated to creating an accessible and supportive recruitment experience by offering reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process, as well as within the workplace. If you would benefit from any adjustments to support you during your application or interview process, please let us know and we will be pleased to put the appropriate support in place.

At RSWT, we are committed to creating a safe environment where discrimination, bullying, and harassment are not tolerated. We expect everyone to uphold, respect, and support our zero-tolerance policy. Please be aware we may not accept applications if we have reason to believe they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools.