Access Field Officer - South Region

British Horse Society; Remote; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading equestrian organization seeks an Access Field Officer to coordinate activities in the South Region. This remote role requires travel across multiple counties to enhance equestrian access. Your responsibilities include working with stakeholders, engaging communities, and researching lost routes. Ideal candidates will have experience in access legislation, strong stakeholder engagement skills, and a passion for horses. Enjoy flexible hours and a supportive work environment that values diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

26 days annual leave

Matched pension contributions up to 5%

Enhanced pay for family leave

Health cash plan

Wellbeing and mental health support

Qualifications

• Experience of access legislation and local government.
• Passion for mapping and outdoor activities.
• Ability to coordinate with volunteers effectively.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Access activities in the BHS South Region.
• Improve off road access for equestrians and carriage drivers.
• Engage with local communities about accessibility.

Skills

Access legislation understanding

Mapping experience

Volunteer coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Community engagement

Job description

Acess Field Officer – South Region : Full Time

Closing date : 23 January 2026

Salary : c29,000.00 per annum

We also offer 26 days’ annual leave (+ public holidays) on starting, matched pension contributions up to 5 percent, enhanced pay when taking leave as your family grows, income protection insurance, a health-cash plan and a wide range of wellbeing and mental health support services.

Location : This role is remote with extensive travel throughout the BHS South Region (Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) so you will need a suitable remote working area and to be based within the South Region. Our head office is near Stoneleigh, Warwickshire so there’ll be occasional times you’ll need to travel to our office.

Hours : Our usual full-time hours are 35 a week, with an early finish on a Friday! We offer other flexible work options, such as compressed hours, which we’re happy to discuss.

We are looking for a member of our growing Access Department, which works to preserve, protect and extend equestrian access throughout the UK to enable every horse rider and carriage driver to be able to ride / drive from their stable onto a safe network of off road paths.

You will coordinate Access activities primarily within BHS South Region (Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight), ensuring the delivery of defined access objectives in this region.

In this exciting role you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work closely with our trained team of voluntary Access and Bridleway Officers and take a coordinated approach to moving access to the next level in this region. You will fuel the region’s work to research and record the lost routes in in the area. You will coordinate Equestrian Access activities and meetings which aim to secure routes on the ground and recruit more volunteers.

We are a voice for our industry, lobby at national level, engage with local communities, and work closely with partner organisations to ensure every equestrian has access to safe, off road routes today and in the future, and you will assist us to do this in the region.

What you’ll be doing :

• Working with external stakeholders to improve off road riding and multi-use access
• Helping horse riders and carriage drivers find safe places to go
• Fueling the region’s work to research and record lost routes in the area
• Working with our voluntary Access and Bridleway Officers to preserve, protect and extend access
• Engaging with local communities to ensure access to safe, off road, routes today and in the future
• Responding to development and transport plans, rights of way improvement plans and path orders

What you won’t be doing :

• You will never be bored, no two days are the same in this role
• Wondering what to do next, Access queries and their resolution find us
• Ever looking at the spaces around you in the same way again, all land is full of potential for access!

This is a great role for you if :

• …you have experience of access legislation and local government
• …have a passion for mapping!
• …love horses
• …enjoy working closely with volunteers
• …you want to work in an organisation that supports you to bring your full, authentic self to work and is working really hard to be a beacon of inclusion in the equestrian sector.

We’re excited that you’re thinking about applying to British Horse Society. To help you make the strongest impression, here are a few friendly tips :

• AI tools can be handy, but they don’t always hit the mark when it comes to the specific stuff we’re looking for
• We really want to hear your voice : your experiences, your skills and what makes you, well, you!
• If you lean too much on AI-generated content, your application might end up sounding a bit generic and that could hurt your chances.

So, keep it real, keep it personal and show us what you’re all about.

How to apply :

Please follow the link below to apply for this role.

For further details on this and other opportunities, please visit bhs.org.uk .

British Horse Society is committed to achieving equity for all current and prospective employees and doesn’t condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse workforce because, in our view, diversity enables better organisational outcomes. We also believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, brings better outcomes for all employees.

We strongly encourage suitably experienced people from a wide range of backgrounds to apply.

Only suitable candidates will be contacted directly about this position. We won’t store or process the data of candidates for longer than is necessary for the recruitment process.