Hop Spots Project Manager

AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVATION TRUST; Lower Blandford St Mary; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust seeks a Hop Spots Project Manager to lead England's national education programme, funded with National Lottery support. You will supervise a dispersed team and coordinate education, outreach and learner engagement across Dorset, Merseyside, and East Anglia.

The role requires strong project leadership, partnership building with schools and organisations, and delivery of educational outcomes aligned with ARC priorities.

Qualifications

• Experience leading projects or programmes.
• Experience delivering education programmes.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Hop Spots national education programme across England.
• Oversee three Education Officers and two interns.
• Coordinate education, outreach and engagement with partners.
• Manage programme budget and reporting to funders.
• Ensure learning, feedback and evidence of impact are captured throughout the programme.

Skills

Project management

Education outreach

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Job description

Listed below are our current vacancies:

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Hop Spots Project Manager

Role:Hop Spots Project Manager

Team:Communications and Outreach

Location:ARC Head Office, Boscombe, Bournemouth, with regular travel throughout Dorset and Hampshire and occasional travel to Merseyside and East Anglia

Salary:£40,000 - £42,000 per annum

Working pattern:Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Contract type:Fixed term for approximately four years, withan anticipatedstart date as soon as possible

Closing date:13/11/2026
Shortlisting:Throughout, to be completed by20thNovember
Interviews:Interviews are expected to be held in person at ARC’s Boscombe office in the latter half of November, with exact dates to be confirmed. Shortlisted candidates will be given as much notice as possible.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receivea sufficient number ofsuitable applications, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to leadHop Spots, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’s national education programme for England, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Hop Spots is an ambitious four-year programme designed to reconnect children and young people with nature through environmental education, conservationtrainingand wellbeing-focused engagement. The programme will work across three distinct regions of England – Dorset and surrounding areas,Merseysideand East Anglia – each selected for its importance for amphibians and reptiles and the opportunities it provides to engage children, youngpeopleand communities with nature.

At the heart of the programme is a learning pathway that supports children and young people toConnect with, Learn about and Act for amphibians,reptilesand the natural environment. Through this, Hop Spots will promote nature connection and its benefits for wellbeing and development, place native species at the heart of environmental education, and help young people develop conservation skills and explore future opportunities in the environmental sector.

As Hop Spots Project Manager, you will have overall responsibility forleading and managing the deliveryof this ambitious national programme. You will lead a geographically dispersed project team and oversee delivery across all three project regions, while providing national oversight to ensure the programme aligns with best practice and delivers resources and learning that can be shared across the UK. Working closely with colleagues, project partners, schools, colleges, universities, communityorganisationsand other stakeholders, you will ensure activities are delivered consistently and to a high standard.

You will line manage three Hop Spots Education Officers, based in Dorset and surrounding areas, Merseyside and East Anglia, together with two interns who will join the programme in its later stages. You will work closely with the Education Officers and key delivery partners, including theNational Trust, GreenSeftonand the Zoological Society of East Anglia, to coordinate education,outreachand engagement activity across the programme.

This is a varied and rewarding role offering the opportunity to lead across all aspects of project delivery, including team management, partnership working, programme coordination, budget management, monitoring and evaluation,communicationsand reporting to funders. You will also oversee key consultancy contracts, including the project’s independent evaluator and videographer, and ensure learning, feedback and evidence of impact are captured throughout the life of the programme.

Based at ARC’s Head Office in Boscombe, Bournemouth, you will work closely with colleagues across ARC’s Communications, Reserves, Species, Science, Finance and Administration teams, ensuring that Hop Spots is integrated with ARC’s wider conservation,engagementand organisational priorities.

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