Director of Communications, Campaigning and Communities

Salary up to £80,000 per annum

Location - Predominantly home-based with regular travel to London and locations across the UK

The vacancy

Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

Closing date for applications: 20 September 2026
Shortlisting: 21 - 22 September 2026
First interview: 1 October 2026 (Online)
Second interview: 7 October (In person in London)

Office facilities are available at our Newark office 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.

There is currently a requirement to attend in-person the monthly team meetings at the 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 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

Are you passionate about designing and delivering bold, strategic campaigns that secure meaningful wins for nature, climate and communities? Do you have the vision, energy and ambition to identify and seize major opportunities, mobilise people-powered action and inspire communities across the UK to create lasting change?

Do you have the vision, ambition and strategic leadership experience to lead a people-powered movement to help shape a stronger future for nature and climate, and challenge the vested interests working against this agenda?

The Wildlife Trusts are looking for an inspiring, ambitious and values-driven leader with a proven track record of designing and delivering strategic campaigns that achieve measurable impact. You will bring expertise in campaigning, communications, community organising and movement building, with the ability to identify major opportunities, influence decision-makers and turn ambition into tangible outcomes.

This brand-new role will bring together our skilled campaigns, community organising and media and communications teams to take our impact in these disciplines to the next level, helping many more people to take action for wildlife.

Whether through embedding community listening techniques, designing and delivering strategic campaigns that secure significant wins for nature, identifying opportunities created by the political, funding and public engagement landscape, or achieving billions of opportunities to hear about The Wildlife Trusts’ work in the media, you will lead a directorate that mobilises people and communities to create lasting impact.

Working collaboratively with colleagues, partners and communities, you will lead initiatives that engage and mobilise diverse audiences, inspire and support community-led action, build grassroots influence and develop future environmental leaders, all as part of a coherent strategy that ensures it delivers greater than “the sum of its parts”.

You will lead the implementation of ‘Wilder’, The Wildlife Trusts’ shared new Communications Strategy, providing strategic oversight for evidence-led communications and brand management, creative content and public relations that strengthen our relevance, influence and reputation among diverse audiences, and drive impact, engagement and income generation.

As a member of our Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape our strategic direction, influence organisational culture, and strengthen the impact of community-led action and communications across the federation of Wildlife Trusts. At a time when nature and climate face unprecedented challenges, this role offers an opportunity to influence the UK’s largest and best-loved nature movement, enabling people and communities to influence decisions and drive lasting change.

We are looking for a highly strategic, collaborative, values-driven leader with the vision, specialist expertise, credibility, energy and emotional intelligence to influence at a senior level. You will excel at developing campaign strategies, building trusted relationships, bringing people together around a shared purpose, and navigating complexity with confidence and empathy. With a strategic outlook and an inclusive approach, you will work effectively with a wide range of colleagues, partners and stakeholders to drive impact and deliver meaningful change for nature and climate through carefully designed and brilliantly executed campaigns that channel grassroot collective action to secure lasting change.

As Director of Communications, Campaigning and Communities, you will provide strategic leadership across a talented and diverse team spanning content creation, social media management and media relations, campaigning, youth-led leadership and community organising. Working alongside 46 independent Wildlife Trusts that form our federated movement, you will help shape and deliver our shared vision that inspires and enables a cross section of society to be proactive about championing nature and its benefits to society.

You will champion collaboration, co-creation, youth influence and community organising, supporting communities across the UK to make change happen for nature in ways that are locally relevant, accessible and impactful. You will also lead the development of The Wildlife Trusts’ voice, brand, reputation and storytelling, ensuring our communications engage diverse audiences, inspire action and remain audience-led, inclusive and aligned with our values.

You will understand the power of authentic storytelling and lived experience, promoting meaningful representation while avoiding tokenism. Through your leadership, you will help grow a confident and diverse network of advocates for nature.

Working closely with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, you will help influence local and national policy by strengthening understanding of nature’s role in addressing societal challenges. You will champion access to nature, promote nature-based solutions and support efforts to improve health, wellbeing and resilience, particularly in communities with limited access to green space.

We are looking for a highly motivated and ambitious leader with the passion, resilience and determination to win support for nature. With a proven track record of designing and leading strategic campaigns that deliver measurable outcomes, influence decision-makers and create lasting change, you will be skilled at identifying opportunities, understanding the external environment and funding landscape, and bringing together communications, campaigning and community action to maximise impact.

Passionate about inspiring others to take action, you will build a movement that places people and communities at the heart of The Wildlife Trusts and our work. As a champion of The Wildlife Trusts’ unique contribution to addressing the nature, climate and health crises, you will promote locally driven action that contributes to collective impact and lasting change as part of a wider global story.

You will bring a well-developed understanding of the funding, policy and stakeholder landscape, enabling you to proactively identify significant opportunities that accelerate impact. Working closely with fundraising colleagues and partners, you will build compelling propositions, secure support for strategic priorities and ensure campaigns, communications and community action are positioned to attract investment and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Above all, you will be an authentic and inspiring leader with the passion, resilience and determination to win support for nature. Driven by impact and motivated by opportunity, you will combine strategic thinking, creativity and sound judgement to design and deliver outstanding campaigns, communications and community action that place people at the heart of lasting change.

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.

Learning and Development

At RSWT, we believe that learning and development are essential to helping people thrive, grow and make a real impact. From a supportive induction that helps you feel welcomed from day one, to formal qualifications, mentoring opportunities and access to high-quality learning from across The Wildlife Trusts, we’ll support your development in a way which works best for you. You can explore new skills through our learning platform -WildLearn, join colleagues from across the federation through Wild About Learning external training, take part in Communities of Practice or stretch yourself through cross-team projects and new challenges. We’ll also support you to share your expertise and build connections with colleagues from across the Federation. Whether you learn best through training, collaboration, hands-on experience or by developing others, you’ll find a wide range of opportunities to grow your knowledge, share your skills and build your confidence.

Safeguarding

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

The Wildlife Trusts embrace passion, respect, trust, integrity, pragmatic activism, and strength in diversity. We are passionate in promoting our aims, and we pride ourselves on being inclusive. We strongly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including those from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.