Head of Public Engagement

South West Community Chaplaincy; Stratford-upon-Avon; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Heart of England Forest is seeking a Head of Public Engagement to lead the development and delivery of a bold engagement strategy across education, volunteering, community heritage and outdoor learning. You will manage three specialist teams, shape a unified offer, and drive participation while ensuring accessibility and safeguarding.

The role requires strategic vision, strong stakeholder relationships, and proven leadership at scale, with a focus on impact, inclusivity and financial

Qualifications

• Experience leading public engagement, community learning, volunteering or audience development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a compelling public engagement strategy that brings our organisational vision to life.
• Lead and inspire three specialist teams, creating a collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Design exceptional visitor, participant and volunteer experiences across both physical and digital environments.
• Use audience insight, data and feedback to expand participation and remove barriers to engagement.
• Oversee a diverse portfolio of programmes including school visits, volunteering, community engagement, heritage activity, outdoor learning and public events.
• Drive innovation, improve delivery models and ensure services remain relevant, accessible and impactful.
• Manage budgets, business planning and resource allocation to maximise both reach and value.
• Build strong partnerships with schools, community organisations, funders, stakeholders and sector leaders.
• Ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, health and safety, accessibility and compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Change management

Data-driven decisions

Communication

Job description

Who we are

The Heart of England Forest is creating and conserving a vast, connected forest across Warwickshireand Worcestershire. Through the restoration of woodland, grassland, and wetland habitats, we arehelping nature recover and supporting rare and threatened species across the West Midlands.

Our vision is to grow the Forest to 12,000 hectares, planting 12 million trees. Creating a resilientlandscape for generations to come - a place where wildlife can flourish and people can find peace,connection, and community.

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a newly created leadership role and play a defining part in delivering an ambitious five-year strategy. As our new Head of Public Engagement, you will bring together our volunteering, community and heritage, and outdoor learning teams to create meaningful experiences that connect people with nature, heritage and environmental action.

Working across the organisation, you'll ensure our public engagement activities are innovative, inclusive, impactful and financially sustainable.

What you'll be doing

Working closely with the Director of Fundraising and Engagement, you will:

• Develop and deliver a compelling public engagement strategy that brings our organisational vision to life.
• Lead and inspire three specialist teams, creating a collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Design exceptional visitor, participant and volunteer experiences across both physical and digital environments.
• Use audience insight, data and feedback to expand participation and remove barriers to engagement.
• Oversee a diverse portfolio of programmes including school visits, volunteering, community engagement, heritage activity, outdoor learning and public events.
• Drive innovation, improve delivery models and ensure services remain relevant, accessible and impactful.
• Manage budgets, business planning and resource allocation to maximise both reach and value.
• Build strong partnerships with schools, community organisations, funders, stakeholders and sector leaders.
• Ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, health and safety, accessibility and compliance.

Who we're looking for

We're seeking an accomplished engagement leader who combines strategic vision with strong operational delivery.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience leading public engagement, community engagement, learning, volunteering, visitor experience or audience development functions.
• A proven track record of developing and implementing successful strategies that deliver measurable impact.
• Experience leading managers and multidisciplinary teams through change and growth.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with responsibility for budgets, planning and sustainable service delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to build influential partnerships.
• Confidence using insight, evaluation and evidence to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
• Outstanding communication and leadership skills, with the credibility to represent the organisation externally.
• A genuine passion for connecting people with environmental, heritage or place-based initiatives.

Why join us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape this new position at a pivotal moment in our development. You'll have the autonomy to influence strategy, build a unified engagement offer and create lasting impact for communities, visitors, volunteers and future generations.

If you're an inspiring leader who believes in the power of engagement to drive environmental and social change, we'd love to hear from you.

The Heart of England Forest is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Applicants must be willing to undergo protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and a DBS disclosure.