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 crises helping protect, restore and create our vital woods and trees.

THE ROLE
The Lead Policy Advocate – Planning will focus on influencing and shaping planning policies to protect woods and trees from development and promote biodiversity and public access. They will lead efforts to develop and implement evidence-based policies and influence strategies, coordinating with colleagues and partners to align these policies with the latest conservation research.

The role involves collaboration with stakeholders across the UK to ensure widespread understanding and support.

This is a hybrid working role, where you’ll work part of your time at home and part of the time working from one of our regional offices, with regular UK travel. Our Hybrid Working Policy is flexible, and the frequency of time spent in your contracted office will vary across teams and job roles.

THE CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate has a proven background in policy advocacy, particularly in areas relevant to environmental and conservation goals. You will be a skilled communicator and negotiator, adept at engaging diverse audiences and stakeholders, with robust project management skills, and the ability to adapt to changes and seize opportunities.

The role demands effective leadership to drive cross-organisational teams in executing dynamic strategies and a vision to integrate planning policy with broader environmental and conservation objectives.

Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of UK devolution’s impact on policy, and the importance of public campaigns in policy advocacy. Familiarity with UK, EU, and global institutions related to environmental policy and expertise in planning policy, supported by an RTPI, CIEEM qualification, or equivalent experience, is required.

Our Organisational Nature enables us to better understand what it means to be part of the Woodland Trust, empowering us to make an impact, every day. We want you to be able to role model our values; ‘Grow Together’, ‘Focus’, ‘Explore’ and ‘Make it Count’ to ensure each of us plays our part in helping to protect, restore and create our woods and trees.