Director of Nature and Species Recovery

Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

This role is predominantly home-based with regular travel to London, locations across the UK and our Office facilities at The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, NG24 1WT for those within easy travelling distance. There may be an opportunity to on occasion work from the offices at a local Wildlife Trust.

Closing date for applications: 22 November 2026

First interview: 08 & 09 December 2026 (Online)

Second interview: 16 December 2026 (In person at our Newark office)

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 coming together to make a positive difference for wildlife and future generations 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, founded in 1912 and one of the founding members of IUCN. 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. Nature is declining at an alarming rate and the climate crisis continues to accelerate. Through our collective Strategy 2030, Bringing Nature Back, we are committed to putting nature into recovery, creating resilient ecosystems, recovering species, restoring natural processes and enabling more people to take action for nature.

Achieving this ambition will require bold leadership, strong partnerships and large-scale collaboration across communities, government, land managers, business and civil society. It will require us to think and act at landscape scale while remaining rooted in place and connected to local communities.

About You

Are you passionate about restoring nature at scale and helping create a future where people and wildlife thrive together?

Do you have the vision, ambition and strategic leadership experience to bring together partners, communities, Wildlife Trusts and funders behind a shared ambition to recover nature across land, freshwater, coastal & rural landscapes?

The Wildlife Trusts are looking for an inspiring, collaborative and values-driven leader with expertise in landscape-scale nature recovery, ecological restoration, strategic partnerships and innovation to lead one of the most exciting areas of our work.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape how nature recovers across the UK. You will be a visible advocate for nature recovery and a trusted ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, the wider federation and the conservation sector. Comfortable operating at senior levels, you will represent the movement externally with credibility and authority, building influential relationships and communicating a compelling vision for nature’s recovery across media, policy, partnership and public platform.

As Director of Nature and Species Recovery, you will provide strategic leadership for The Wildlife Trusts’ ambitions to restore nature at scale through landscape recovery, species recovery, nature recovery networks, ecological restoration, rural landscapes and rewilding. Working across our federation of 46 independent Wildlife Trusts, you will help create the conditions for ambitious, collaborative action that delivers lasting impact for wildlife, climate and people.

Whether through helping Wildlife Trusts develop landscape-scale recovery projects, fostering collaboration across regions and habitats, building partnerships capable of delivering transformative change, or influencing national conversations about the future of nature recovery, you will play a pivotal role in helping deliver our vision for a wilder future.

You will lead work that brings together local action and national ambition, helping individual Wildlife Trusts maximise their contribution to our shared goal of putting nature into recovery. You will champion innovation, evidence-led practice and learning across the federation, ensuring local success contributes to collective impact.

In addition, you will provide strategic oversight of The Wildlife Trusts’ engagement with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) programmes, partnerships and standards, ensuring best practice and learning to strengthen our work and influence.

As a member of our Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape organisational strategy, contribute to our culture and values, and strengthen the impact of one of the UK’s largest and most influential nature movements. At a time when nature and climate face unprecedented challenges, this role offers an exceptional opportunity to help create nature-rich landscapes where wildlife and people can flourish for generations to come.

We are looking for a highly strategic, collaborative and values-driven leader with the vision, credibility and expertise to influence at the highest levels.

You will combine excellent ecological understanding with exceptional relationship-building skills, enabling you to bring together diverse stakeholders around a shared vision for nature recovery. Comfortable operating within complex environments, you will excel at building partnerships, developing ambitious programmes and navigating competing priorities with confidence, empathy and sound judgement.

You will have substantial experience of leading environmental, conservation, nature recovery, species recovery, ecological restoration or place-based programmes at a senior level and will understand the importance of translating ambition into practical delivery and measurable impact.

Working alongside 46 independent Wildlife Trusts, you will appreciate the opportunities and complexities of operating within a federated movement. You will be skilled at influencing through collaboration rather than authority, creating alignment around shared goals while respecting local expertise, priorities and autonomy.

You will bring a deep understanding of nature recovery, species conservation, ecological restoration and the conditions required for nature to recover at scale, including rewilding, regenerative land management and habitat restoration. You will be able to identify opportunities that accelerate progress, strengthen collaboration and maximise impact across the federation, helping to connect local action with national ambition.

You will understand the vital role that partnerships, influence and investment play in delivering meaningful outcomes for nature. You will have a proven track record of building strong and trusted relationships with government, environmental organisations, communities, academic institutions, land managers, funders and other strategic stakeholders, creating the conditions for collaboration, innovation and lasting impact.

You will recognise the importance of securing resources and funding to deliver organisational objectives and will be experienced in supporting funding opportunities, developing compelling strategic propositions and building confidence among funders, partners and stakeholders.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute beyond your own portfolio, helping shape organisational culture, supporting colleagues and providing collective leadership across The Wildlife Trusts.

You will be a highly credible and influential communicator, capable of acting as a spokesperson, advocate and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, the wider federation and nature recovery. Comfortable representing the organisation at national conferences, public events, stakeholder forums, sector networks and media opportunities, you will bring confidence, authority and presence when communicating with a wide range of audiences.

You will have experience working with media and journalists and be comfortable acting as a public voice for the organisation. Able to communicate complex ecological, scientific and policy issues in an engaging and accessible way, you will build understanding, inspire confidence and strengthen support for nature recovery among partners, policymakers and the public, demonstrating why reversing nature’s decline matters for people, places and future generations.

Above all, you will be passionate about creating a wilder future. You will bring the energy, resilience and determination needed to lead through complexity and change, helping to deliver meaningful and lasting recovery for nature at a scale that matches the challenges we face.

Our Culture

At RSWT, people are at the heart of everything we do, we are committed to promoting positive wellbeing, supporting our colleagues to grow, make a meaningful contribution and help deliver greater impact for nature, climate and communities. Through learning, development and collaboration, we aim to foster an inclusive, supportive and values-led culture where colleagues feel confident to share ideas, contribute their perspectives, challenge constructively and learn from experience. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive environment and maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment) or abuse. This extends to all interactions with our employees by third parties, including clients, contractors, suppliers and visitors.

We encourage everyone to bring their authentic selves to work and to feel comfortable and confident in their working environment. Whether working from home, in the office, outdoors or in the community with key stakeholders, we trust colleagues to use their judgement and managers’ guidance to dress appropriately reflecting our values and professionalism