Species Reintroduction Strategic Lead

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; Matlock; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is seeking a bold Species Reintroduction Strategic Lead to drive Wilder 2030, restoring lost species and rebuilding ecosystems across the county.

You will work with communities, landowners and funders, turning ambitious plans into credible, action-oriented programmes while leading a small team and managing budgets. This hybrid role combines office work with extensive field activity for practical conservation outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience developing and delivering landscape-scale species reintroduction or nature recovery programmes.
• Proven track record leading teams and creating positive working cultures.
• Strong ability to secure external funding through grants, bids or partnerships.
• Ability to build and maintain wide stakeholder partnerships with communities, landowners and funders.
• Knowledge of species reintroduction, nature recovery and nature-based solutions.
• Strong communication skills to influence and engage diverse audiences.
• Experience managing programmes and budgets and delivering against strategic objectives.
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in a relevant discipline.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for species reintroduction and recovery across Derbyshire.
• Lead development of a strategic framework for reintroductions across Priority Programmes.
• Develop and deliver a pipeline of evidence-led projects contributing to Wilder 2030.
• Build partnerships with communities, landowners, public bodies, funders and conservation groups.
• Secure external funding and investment through grants, tenders and partnerships.
• Oversee programme budgets, monitor delivery against objectives and reporting.
• Lead, inspire and develop a small team, fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Represent the Trust at local, regional and national forums championing reintroduction and nature recovery.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Team leadership

Funding procurement

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Budget management

Education

Degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline

Job description

Can you lead our bold vision to bring back Derbyshire's lost species and help rewrite the story of nature's recovery?

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to play a central role in delivering Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Wilder 2030 strategy, leading ambitious species reintroduction work at the heart of one of the most inspiring areas of nature recovery. As Species Reintroduction Strategic Lead, you will shape and drive forward a bold programme to bring back lost species, restore thriving ecosystems and create a wilder future for Derbyshire.

Working with colleagues, communities, landowners, partners and funders, you will develop a strategic framework for species reintroductions and creating a pipeline of impactful projects that contribute to our Wilder 2030 ambitions. This is an opportunity to lead transformational change for wildlife while helping people reconnect with nature and build resilient landscapes across Derbyshire.

To be successful, you will combine strategic leadership with practical delivery, turning bold ambitions into credible, well-planned action. You will bring people with you by building trusted relationships with communities, landowners, funders and partners, communicating the vision clearly and creating the confidence and support needed to maximise impact.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will provide strategic leadership for species reintroduction and recovery across Derbyshire. You will:

• Lead the development of a strategic framework for species reintroductions across the Trust's Priority Programmes.
• Develop and deliver a pipeline of evidence-led species reintroduction and recovery projects that contribute to the Trust's Wilder 2030 vision
• Build strong partnerships with communities, landowners, public bodies, funders and conservation organisations to support nature recovery.
• Secure external funding and investment through grant applications, tenders and innovative financing opportunities.
• Oversee programme budgets, monitoring delivery against agreed objectives, outcomes and reporting requirements.
• Lead, inspire and develop a small team, creating a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture.
• Represent Derbyshire Wildlife Trust at local, regional and national forums, championing species reintroduction and nature recovery.

About you

This role might be right for you if:

• You have experience developing and delivering environmental, species reintroduction or nature recovery programmes at a landscape scale.
• You have successfully led and developed teams, creating positive and effective working cultures.
• You have a strong track record of securing external funding through grants, bids, tenders or partnership funding.
• You are skilled at building and maintaining partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders, from communities and landowners to funders and public bodies.
• You have a strong understanding of species reintroduction, nature recovery, rewilding and nature-based solutions.
• You are an excellent communicator who can influence, inspire and engage a wide range of audiences.
• You have experience managing programmes and budgets and delivering against strategic objectives.
• You hold a degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline or have equivalent professional experience.
• You are passionate about creating a Wilder Derbyshire and enabling nature's recovery at scale.

We are happy to talk flexible working!   

This role will be based at our office in Middleton whilst with a very large amount of field work. A balance of home and office working will also be allowed. We are a local charity so applicants should be easily able to access our office and other locations around the county.  

Interviews are planned for the 26th of October in person at our Middleton Office in Derbyshire

We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may want to use it to help you format your CV, create responses to application questions or even help you prepare responses. AI can be a powerful enabler and we are open to you using it to apply for roles with us, but we ask you to ensure anything you submit truly represents your capabilities and viewpoint. We value honesty, integrity and creativity and want to understand whatyouwill uniquely bring to our team.