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Location:

Homebased

Job Category:

Conservation

Salary:

£33,518 Per Annum

Closing Date:

Wednesday, Apr 8, 2026

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 ...

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