Wildlife jobs

Are you a passionate and proven fundraiser looking for your next big challenge? Do you want your work to genuinely make a difference – not just today, but for generations to come? This is your chance to join a dynamic, mission-driven team and help shape the future of people and nature thriving together. 

The Role 
We’re looking for a talented, motivated Fundraising Officer to build and lead a new income stream. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the leadership team, you’ll play a vital role in developing a fundraising strategy that supports our transformational programmes for people and planet. 

This is a unique opportunity to: 

• Craft compelling, high-impact funding bids to trusts, foundations, and statutory funders 

• Build meaningful relationships with donors who share our mission 

• Shape the future of fundraising at Bore Place – and help us grow a team around it 

• Join a culture of ‘can do’, where your ideas and drive can truly flourish 

You’ll Bring: 
✅ A strong track record in trust/foundation fundraising 
✅ Excellent bid writing and communication skills 
✅ Strategic thinking and analytical abilities to deliver results 
✅ A proactive, self-starting approach – ready to build something new 
✅ A real passion for sustainability, education, and social change 

Bonus if you have: 
✨ Experience in the environmental or charitable sector 
✨ Fundraising qualifications or relevant degree 

Why Join Us? 
This isn’t just another fundraising role. It’s your chance to be part of something meaningful – helping to build a better, more sustainable future by bringing people and nature back into balance. Plus, you’ll work in one of the most beautiful settings in Kent with a warm, collaborative team. 

Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week, flexible hours

Location: Primarily office based in central Bristol, with use of other partner locations for ad hoc use. This role will involve travel across the Western Forest region and occasionally within England, with a travel expenses budget. Hybrid arrangement by agreement.

The Western Forest is a brand-new programme having been launched with national and Ministerial profile in March 2025. The Forest will support over 2.5 million people, cultivating a greener, more connected future by creating a landscape with trees and woodlands at its heart.

The Western Forest will deliver landscape scale change and real green investment, connecting people and nature across three regions – Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the West of England (including North Somerset).

The Western Forest Director will drive, direct and manage the delivery and strategic direction of this new national forest. The Director will inspire and work alongside partners and the core Western Forest team to achieve the goals and targets set for the forest, ensuring it develops sustainable income streams and models of delivery by 2030.

The Western Forest Director will head up the core team in supporting and directing resource and expertise throughout the region. Some key duties include:

• Lead on strategic development and impact.
• Support the shaping and organisational effectiveness of the Western Forest team and partnership, with a focus on collaboration, learning and knowledge sharing.
• Be responsible for the creation and management of relationships with partners and funding bodies working to build and develop existing partnerships and encouraging new ones.
• Develop open, trusting and respectful relationships throughout the governance structure and between the team and Boards.
• Manage and ensure delivery of the programme KPI’s and partnership delivery model.

This list is not exhaustive but highlights the key duties of this role. A full job application pack can be found attached to this advertisement.

To meet the needs of this role you will need:

• Demonstrable experience of impactful leadership, working across organisations and a wide range of sectors and stakeholders.
• Experience of advocacy, engaging with external stakeholders to influence social change or public policy.
• Proven track record of securing significant financial resource for an organisation through large funding bids or other sources of income generation, ideally with a good knowledge of the tree and woodland funding sector.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage effectively with senior leaders, community groups, and the public.
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to inspire and lead diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to plan resources appropriately and understand financial reports including budgets/cashflow management, risk management and forecasting models.

Forest of Avon are an equal opportunity employer and applications will be considered without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, veteran status or age. The Forest of Avon is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people and expects all members of staff to share this commitment. We seek to challenge the status quo with the power of diversity, inclusion, and collaboration. We encourage different perspectives and seek to support our team and partners to share and implement new ideas, to continue improving and to realise our full potential.

This is a rare, unique and exciting opportunity to take a lead role in developing the programme and setting the strategic path for the Western Forest – the first new national forest in over 30 years.

To apply for this role please submit your CV detailing your relevant experience and a covering letter of no more than 4 A4 pages to the recruitment team.

Hours: 35 hours per week. We are open to considering a job share arrangement for the right candidates.  

Salary: £39,000.  

Location: Homeworking.  

Reports to: Head of Programmes.   

Oversight of a delivery team: Yes (currently 30 plus self-employed coordinators).    

Travel: Travel across the country to visit our activities, including overnight stays, is part of this role. All related expenses will be covered by The Country Trust.  

Annual leave: 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (FTE).  

Benefits: Workplace pension. Homeworking, some flexibility on working hours.  

Are you passionate about connecting disadvantaged children with food, farming, and nature? 

We're looking for a dedicated and experienced Programme Manager—an inspiring, child-centred educator with a deep commitment to tackling poverty of opportunity. 

Through effective team management and leadership, and collaboration with colleagues, this role enables a large team of expert practitioners to deliver the charity’s mission of providing high quality, educational, relevant, safe and impactful Farm Discovery visits and related activities for disadvantaged children across England and North Wales.  

Could you:  

• Lead our dispersed Farm Discovery team of expert practitioners, ensuring all our processes - recruitment, training, administration, reporting, information management, communication, budgeting, evaluation and of course our delivery - enable us to achieve amazing things with primary school communities in disadvantaged areas around the country?  

• Work with others to grow and shape our programmes to achieve our vision?  

• As an inspiring advocate of our work, build our contribution to the national conversation around food, farming and nature education? 

 If so, would love to hear from you! 

 
Due to our safer recruitment process we are not able to accept CVs for this position. 

Applications close: noon 30th April  

First round interviews (held virtually) will be on Wednesday 7th May. Second round interviews will be held face-to-face in London on Wednesday 14th May.