Head of Estate and Programmes - North

The Woodland Trust; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced Pension

Life Assurance

Hybrid working

Annual leave 25 days

Holiday buy/sell

Parental pay

Employee assistance

Job summary

The Woodland Trust in the North of England seeks a Head of Estate and Programmes - North to lead our North England estate team and related programmes to the highest professional standards.

You will provide strategic oversight of woodland estate management, lead a multidisciplinary team, manage a multi-million-pound budget, and build strong partnerships with funders and land managers, ensuring compliance and delivery of landscape-scale conservation outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex estates and multi-project programmes.
• Strong financial management on multi-million-pound budgets.
• Understanding of England's land-use and forestry policy landscape.
• Full driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic management of woodland estate in the North.
• Shape and deliver estate-based programmes with external partners.
• Provide leadership to site managers and programme staff.
• Oversee budgeting, governance, health and safety.
• Represent the Trust at senior levels and with external bodies.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

GIS

MS Office

Driving licence

Education

Degree in forestry or land management

Institute of Chartered Foresters membership

Tools

GIS software

Job description

The Woodland Trust is looking for a Head of Estate and Programmes - North to join our North England Team. The Head of Estate and Programmes will lead the Trust’s estate team and related programmes of work in North England. They will take a strategic overview, identifying and shaping new initiatives to ensure that the estate and associated programmes are developed and managed to the highest professional standards and in accordance with the Woodland Trust’s management approach, policies and standards.

The Role:

Lead the strategic management of the Trust’s woodland estate across the North, ensuring the highest professional standards, regulatory compliance, and delivery of landscape-scale conservation outcomes.

Shape and deliver major estate-based programmes and projects, working collaboratively across teams and with external partners to achieve the Trust’s strategic objectives.

Provide inspiring leadership to a multidisciplinary team of site managers, project managers, and programme staff, fostering a high-performance, values-led culture.

Oversee the effective planning, management, and governance of a multi-million-pound estate budget, ensuring excellent value for money and efficient use of resources.

Take overall responsibility for health, safety, risk management, and operational excellence across the Trust’s northern estate activities.

Develop and implement the North’s long‑term estate plans, aligning woodland, forestry, conservation, and land management priorities with the Trust’s UK strategy.

Act as a senior ambassador for the Trust, building and strengthening relationships with partners, funders, stakeholders, land managers, and public bodies to maximise impact.

Champion innovation, knowledge sharing, and partnership working, representing the North at a senior level and contributing to UK-wide initiatives that advance the Trust’s vision and influence.

This is a homeworking position with regular travel around the North of England. Occasional travel to other offices, remote locations and overnight stays may also be required.

The Candidate:

Experienced leader with a proven track record of managing complex estates, large‑scale programmes, projects and multidisciplinary teams to deliver ambitious strategic outcomes.

Strong understanding of woodland, forestry, conservation, land management and the operation of large estates, with knowledge of ancient woodland management highly desirable.

Commercially and financially astute, with experience managing significant budgets and balancing strategic priorities, operational performance and value for money.

Confident in leading health, safety, risk management and governance activities within geographically dispersed operational environments.

Skilled at building influential relationships and strategic partnerships, with the credibility to engage effectively with funders, land managers, public bodies, conservation organisations and other key stakeholders.

Good understanding of England’s land‑use, environmental and forestry policy landscape, particularly across the North, and the ability to translate this into practical outcomes.

Highly organised and adaptable, with strong project management skills, confidence using MS Office and GIS systems.

Professionally qualified to HND, degree level or equivalent in forestry, land management or a related discipline, with membership (or working towards membership) of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Additionally, hold a full valid driving licence.

Benefits and Wellbeing:

Joining our team means you’ll be part of our fight for a greener, healthier planet for people and wildlife. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:

Enhanced Employer Pension

Life Assurance

Flexible and hybrid working options (7am - 7pm)

Generous annual leave - 25 Days plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part‑time)

Buy and sell holiday scheme

Enhanced parental pay

Employee assistance programme

To support inclusivity and remove barriers for candidates, we publish all salaries upfront and proudly follow the We Show the Salary pledge. The salary listed is the set salary for this role, and we don’t ask applicants to state their current pay or expectations. If you choose to apply, we’ll take that as confirmation that the advertised salary meets your expectations.

About Us:

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. We want to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make a difference by protecting, restoring and creating woodland and getting more trees in the ground.

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

To achieve our mission, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. People of colour and disabled people are currently under‑represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.

Acceptable Use - Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools.

First round interviews will take place via teams on 10th and 11th of November 2026.