Chief Executive Officer

Essex Wildlife Trust are the county’s leading conservation charity, committed to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature; and we would love you to join our committed and enthusiastic team. Our values are Impactful, Collaborative, United and Proactive.

As Chief Executive Officer, you will provide inspirational leadership to Essex Wildlife Trust in accordance with its charitable objectives, providing clear direction, setting strategic goals, engaging all members, supporters, staff, stakeholders and volunteers for the effective delivery of the Trust’s objectives, whilst ensuring that all Trust activities are legally compliant and executed to the highest standard.

You will deliver the strategic framework of the Trust, ensuring that all activities and initiatives align with the Trust's vision, mission, values and purpose. This includes setting long-term goals and objectives that prioritise wildlife conservation and community engagement. You will also be responsible for overseeing the Trust’s subsidiaries (Essex Wildlife Sales, Essex Ecology, Thameside Nature Park and Chafford Gorges), ensuring strong financial performance for return on investments for funding conservation across Essex.

Upholding and embodying the Trust's vision, mission and values will guide your decision-making and actions. You will prioritise being impactful, collaborative, united and proactive in all aspects of the Trust's work, in order to achieve the Trust’s vision of a county rich in wildlife where people are connected to nature. Through the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and Operational Leadership Team (OLT), and dedicated combined workforce of employees and volunteers, you will ensure that the Trust’s strategic vision and charitable aims and objectives are achieved via a culture that enables a high performing, high impact workforce, that inspires passion and commitment towards wildlife conservation. Nurturing and retaining talent for the leadership of the Trust is paramount, as is your communication that will be marked by passion, authority and clarity, instilling a shared understanding of the Trust's purpose.

We are seeking an innovative Chief Executive to lead Essex Wildlife Trust during a period of significant opportunity in green finance. With the emergence of established codes like Biodiversity Net Gain and Carbon Codes, as well as new, innovative opportunities, our CEO must have the vision and an entrepreneurial mindset to navigate and capitalise on these prospects.

The successful candidate will assess where to invest our time and efforts, integrating short and long-term green finance opportunities into their financial strategy and planning. This role requires forecasting abilities and strategic insight to position Essex Wildlife Trust at the forefront of sustainability initiatives.

Overseeing the implementation of the Trust's strategic framework, which revolves around restoring habitats, taking proactive conservation actions, and enabling wildlife to thrive in Essex, will be a key aspect of your role. Equally, you will build and nurture relationships with external stakeholders, including landowners, local authorities, and government agencies, in order to promote wildlife-friendly policies and establish meaningful partnerships.

The ideal candidate should have a strong passion for wildlife conservation, demonstrated by a deep understanding of environmental issues and a commitment to enhancing biodiversity in Essex. They should hold a degree, preferably with additional qualifications in business management or non-profit leadership. Personal attributes include integrity, resilience, adaptability, and the ability to inspire and support a diverse workforce.

The role requires substantial leadership experience, preferably at the Chief Executive level, with a proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans. Effective stakeholder engagement, communication, and organisational skills are essential, along with financial acumen and commercial leadership experience. The candidate should also excel in community engagement and advocacy, strategic thinking, innovation, collaboration, and partnership development. Knowledge of environmental policies and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion are also crucial.

A full job description and person specification can be found in the 'role information pack'.

To make an application, please complete an online application form by 12 noon on Wednesday 10 July 2024. The first round of interviews will be held week commencing 29 July 2024. Second round of interviews will be held week commencing 05 August 2024.