Head of Business and Nature

BirdLife International; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

David Attenborough Building location

Pension 12%

25 days holiday

LinkedIn Learning

Cycle to work

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

BirdLife International in Cambridge is seeking a Head of Business and Nature to spearhead the organisation's global engagement with the private sector and lead the development and delivery of BirdLife's Business Engagement Strategy.

You will provide strategic leadership, build a high‑impact portfolio of business partnerships, and represent BirdLife in external fora. The role oversees budget, work-plans and travel will be required.

Qualifications

• Experience at the intersection of business, biodiversity and sustainable development.
• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is expected.
• Experience in business engagement, corporate sustainability, conservation or environmental management.

Responsibilities

• Shape and lead BirdLife's global Biodiversity and Business Engagement Strategy.
• Represent BirdLife with senior business leaders, investors, governments and partners.
• Grow a high-impact business engagement portfolio and manage budgets and governance.
• Lead and inspire the Business and Nature Department and ensure cross-functional collaboration.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Strategic planning

Partnership development

Sustainability

Education

Postgraduate qualification

Job description

Application deadline: Thursday 12 November 2026- 23:59 GMT
Location:Cambridge, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in Cambridge)

Full-time: 35 hours per week
Contract:Fixed-term for 2 years with the possibility to extend

Salary:£75,000 per annum depending on skills/experience, plus competitive 12% pension benefit
Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata in year 1, increasing by 1 day p/a to 28 days

We're BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.

We are looking for a Head of Business and Nature to spearhead BirdLife's global engagement with the private sector and lead the further development and delivery of BirdLife's Business Engagement Strategy.

In this role, you will be providing strategic leadership and insight, building a high-impact portfolio of business collaborations and partnerships and representing BirdLife in various external partnerships and fora. You'll lead the Business and Nature team, overseeing budget management and work-planning.

How you will do this:

Strategic Leadership, External Representation and Influence

• Shape and lead BirdLife's global Biodiversity and Business Engagement Strategy, driving delivery of the Global Strategy.
• Position BirdLife as a leading voice on business, biodiversity and nature finance, identifying emerging opportunities and influencing global thinking.
• Represent BirdLife with senior business leaders, investors, governments and international partners to accelerate nature-positive business.
• Build strategic partnerships that expand our reach, influence and impact.

Business Engagement and Portfolio Development

• Grow and lead a high-impact business engagement portfolio that delivers lasting conservation outcomes.
• Drive innovative approaches that embed biodiversity into business strategy, investment and decision-making.
• Develop ambitious cross-sector collaborations that scale impact for nature.
• Ensure business engagement is underpinned by robust governance, risk management and best practice.

Management

• Lead and inspire the Business and Nature Department, creating an inclusive, high-performing team.
• Provide strategic oversight of BirdLife's global private sector portfolio.
• Foster strong collaboration across global programmes, regions and functions to maximise impact.
• Manage departmental planning, budgets and performance, ensuring delivery against organisational priorities.

This role will require regular national and international travel.

What we are looking for:

Success in this role requires an experienced and influential leader with a strong track record of working at the intersection of business, biodiversity and sustainable development. Alongside significant experience in business engagement, corporate sustainability, conservation or environmental management, you will bring a deep understanding of nature-related risks, opportunities and leading frameworks such as TNFD, SBTN and Nature Positive. A proven ability to build strategic partnerships with businesses, investors and other stakeholders that deliver measurable impact for nature, influence senior decision-makers, and lead complex programmes, teams and budgets across diverse geographies is essential. Equally important is a collaborative and inclusive leadership style, outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, and the ability to navigate complexity, balance competing priorities and deliver results. A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline (or equivalent professional experience) is expected, while experience working with sectors such as renewable energy, extractives, fisheries, agriculture or finance would be an advantage.

See the full job description here.

Some of our benefits:

• We are able to offer a hybrid model of working on-site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work-life balance.
• A chance to work in the award-winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge-based conservation community on a 'conservation campus.'
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high-quality, on-demand courses.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal.

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Find out more about our Diversity statement.

We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We know that everyone's needs are different. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, let us know, we'll do our best to make it happen.