Contents 2

Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Officer Recruitment Brochure

Protecting Wildlife for the Future Contents 2

From the Chair 3 About us • Leicestershire and Rutland 4 • The Trust 5 • Land and Habitats 6 • The People 7 The Opportunity 8 Job Description 9 Person Specification 10 Key terms and how to apply 11

Ross Hodinott/2020Vision From the Chair 3

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust The Trust has made significant and substantial is seeking a new Chief Executive to shape progress during the tenure of our out-going future strategy and develop our organisation, Director, Simon Bentley. The successful working to deliver the Trust’s charitable aims candidate will build on this solid legacy, of protecting our wildlife and wild places, and shaping a new path for the Trust in the face of bringing people closer to nature. future challenges to the natural world.

In a political and regulatory landscape beset They will be supported by a strong and active with change, and with local wildlife in need of Council of Trustees, and will lead a team protection as never before, expanding the reach of skilled and highly-motivated staff and of our charitable work is crucial. The new Chief volunteers. Executive’s task will be to ensure we meet this challenge. My fellow trustees and I firmly believe that this post presents a tremendous opportunity to play We are looking for someone with a passion a vital and rewarding part in helping to protect for nature conservation and wildlife, and an and restore wildlife in the heart of England. If appreciation of the charity sector and its ethos. you share this view, and are keen to take up a Inspiring and dynamic, they should have a key role in an enthusiastic organisation wanting proven track record of strategic leadership to move forward, then we look forward to and delivery of major programmes of work, receiving your application. and have the confidence to represent the Trust externally at the highest levels. Andrew Cotton Chair, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust About Us 4 Why Leicestershire and Rutland?

Our two counties are at the heart of rural England. In a national landscape where wildlife and wild places are challenged as never before, Leicestershire and Rutland can be proud of important natural characteristics which make their environment unique and important, including:

• major river systems

• ancient woodland

• rare and threatened habitats

Our two counties provide a mix of highly-developed urban areas with vibrant multicultural communities, as well as traditional market towns and quiet villages. There is ancient history here, but we also have major industries and a fascinating industrial heritage. And throughout, the counties’ strong agricultural sector gives the Leicestershire and Rutland landscape its characteristic appearance of rolling hills and quiet valleys.

This varied combination of people and location, and the underlying geology, geography and biodiversity, makes our two counties an attractive area to live and work. And the diversity of features can be a challenge, but also real opportunity, to the Trust’s key work in protecting natural habitats and engaging people with nature.

Tom Marshall About Us 5

The Trust Established in 1956, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (‘the Trust’) is the leading nature conservation charity across our two counties, working to protect and enhance the wildlife and wild places of Leicestershire and Rutland and engage people with nature. Governance is provided by a Council of 14 trustees, elected from the membership. The Council is responsible for overall strategy and policy, with day- to-day implementation led by the current Director and around 30 members of staff. The Trust’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Leicestershire Wildlife (Sales) Limited, is the Trust’s trading arm for retail sales and consultancy work. The Trust forms part of ‘The Wildlife Trusts’, a national movement which operates throughout the country, working at a grassroots level to put wildlife at the heart of modern life. This national partnership currently involves 46 individual Wildlife Trusts and more than 800,000 members. In addition, the Trust works closely with Wildlife Trusts in neighbouring counties on matters that affect us all. About us 6 Land and habitats The Trust’s landholdings have grown progressively over the years and we now manage 35 nature reserves covering 1,234 hectares (3,048 acres), including 19 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, two National Nature Reserves, and a Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site. Our land portfolio contains a rich diversity of animal and plant life within woodlands, wetlands, grasslands and heaths, many rare and endangered.

A number of our nature reserves are former quarries and mineral extraction sites - the legacy of industrial activity across the two counties now turned to the benefit of nature. In fact, the geological features of Leicestershire and Rutland mean that our two counties are famous for their globally important geological and fossil records. They include ‘Charnia’, a Precambrian fossil of one of the oldest lifeforms known to have inhabited our planet, which was first discovered in the rocks of Charnwood Forest.

The Trust has a well-developed Living Landscape programme, which currently concentrates on the major river systems of the Soar and Wreake, and the heathland of the Charnwood Forest area. This network is capable of expansion to cover even more habitats, including the Leighfield Forest of East Leicestershire, the limestone grasslands of North-east Leicestershire and Rutland, and the National Forest which is one of the most rapidly changing areas of Leicestershire.

Living Landscapes are a key part of the Trust’s wider conservation strategy to restore and enrich wildlife across the two counties. In addition to work on these projects and on land managed by the Trust, our Conservation Team works with and advises landowners how to manage their land for the benefit of wildlife. About us 7 People

The Trust is currently supported by nearly 16,000 members, and over 700 people volunteer to help us with a variety of tasks, including habitat management, wildlife recording, public engagement and learning events. Our income from membership subscriptions has grown strongly in recent years, as has our volunteer base.

The help of our volunteers increases our ability to undertake essential surveys and studies to inform conservation policy and practice, assisting the overall campaign for the protection of local biodiversity and allowing the Trust to play a key role in local decision-making (particularly key planning decisions) and advocacy. The Trust organises an annual conference for wildlife recorders and produces the annual Leicestershire and Rutland Recorder journal.

Public engagement is a key aim of the Trust, and we have developed a full and inclusive programme of events and activities to bring people of all abilities and backgrounds closer to nature. Our Education Team works closely with students and groups of all ages, and with parents, teachers and pupils of local schools, to raise their interest in the natural world. Our Wildlife Watch activities – part of an initiative carried on by Trusts across the UK - help young people find out more about nature, make friends and have fun.

Mindful that nature needs the conservation experts of the future, not just of the present day, the Trust runs activity and mentoring groups for young people to help them continue with their interest in wildlife after they have left school, and increase their practical experience to support a possible future career in conservation. We also maintain ‘Trainee Reserve Officer’ posts across the Trust for young people just starting out in their careers.

The Trust is particularly proud of its Volunteer Training Centre. This unique and superbly-equipped ‘state of the art’ facility, located at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, offers regular training events for volunteers, a well-equipped base for operations, and has the potential to act as a hub for practical nature conservation and activities across the region.

The Trust is known nationally and internationally through its management, on behalf of Anglian Water, of the renowned Rutland Water Nature Reserve, regularly voted as one of the best places to watch birds in the UK. The Reserve is also the location for the annual ‘Birdfair’- organised by the Trust and the first, and largest, event of its kind in the world. In 2018, Birdfair raised £322,000 for BirdLife International’s Mar Chiquita project, and over the course of its 30-year history it has raised more than £5 million for nature conservation worldwide (in itself leading to international projects obtaining further match-funding of around £50 million).

The Trust is also widely recognised for its long-standing and highly successful Rutland Osprey Project – the first to return ospreys as a breeding bird to England. Part of this project involves engagement with schools both locally and internationally, building a network of young nature-lovers across the world. The Opportunity 8

The Trust commands a high degree of respect for its conservation work which has both local and international impact on wildlife. We want to achieve even more.

• We want to push forward our plans for public engagement, helping more people of all ages and abilities get closer to and be inspired by nature, through events, education and volunteering.

• We want to make sure our important nature reserves remain exemplars of the very best in conservation management, and at the same time ensure we expand our work within the wider countryside, helping more landowners to improve habitats for nature, and extending our successful Living Landscapes projects to cover even more of our two counties.

• We want to engage more fully with supporters of all kinds, to help grow the Trust’s financial base and build the sustainable resources we need to support the level of work we want to do. Our new Chief Executive will be spearheading the delivery of all of this, and will lead a process of change and growth within our organisation. • We want our staff and volunteers to find satisfaction This will be directed by: in the work they do to further the Trust’s charitable mission, and to allow them to develop and build their • Our long-term Development Strategy; own competencies. • Our five-year Strategic Planning Cycle, with a new Plan to be • We want our membership to be proud of our developed over the coming year; achievements and be enthused about their support for • Our recent Organisational Review, the findings of which now need to the Trust in whatever form that takes. And we want to be implemented in full. build that membership even more. Taking forward these tasks is an exciting role that will require • We want to ensure that our two counties, right in the inspirational leadership, and imagination and enterprise in planning, heart of England, play their own important part in implementation and delivery. returning -nature to our landscape, and in bringing it back into people’s lives. Claire Install Job Description 9

Strategic Leadership role, to include: Overall responsibility for risk management relating to the Job Title • Strong and visible strategic leadership for the Trust as corporate group Chief Executive Officer, a whole, and leadership and motivation of staff and Overall responsibility for public engagement Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife volunteers programmes, including education Trust (‘the Trust’) • Spearheading the development and implementation of the Trust’s long-term strategic plans, including its Governance to include: Working Base Vision and five-year operational strategy • Overall responsibility for compliance with relevant The Old Mill, Leicester • Identification and prioritisation of development legislation and policy, in particular that relating opportunities and funding for the Trust in line with its to health and safety, employment, charities, data Overall Responsibilities strategic Vision protection and the environment To provide inspirational and • Overall responsibility for supporter development and • Establishing and maintaining excellent and supportive working relationships with the Chair effective leadership, including the wider public engagement • Development of strategic partnerships and alliances of Council and other Honorary Officers, Trustees, setting and delivery of strategic • Overall management of the corporate group President, and Vice-Presidents, and with volunteers goals, providing clear direction, comprising Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife and the membership as appropriate and managing change, for Trust Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary • Facilitating meetings of Council and ensuring that Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Leicestershire Wildlife (Sales) Limited other Trust committees operate effectively Trust, in accordance with the Trust’s • Undertaking all other duties appropriate to the post, charitable objects, and in line with Organisational and Operational Management to as delegated by the Chair of Council its Vision and Mission Statement. include: Ensuring the Trust has appropriate and effective People Contacts and Representation to include: Accountable to organisational and management structures, including: • Representing the Trust in a wide range of local, Council of Trustees through the • Health and safety national and international settings, acting as an Chair of Leicestershire and Rutland • Human resources management ambassador to promote the organisation and its work, and to raise its profile Wildlife Trust • Communications and public relations • Membership (CRM) systems • Ensuring positive relationships with key partner • Data protection organisations, including Statutory Agencies, Local Line Management Authorities, corporate bodies, funders, NGOs and Ultimate overall responsibility Overall responsibility for financial management and others, seeking to influence their policies and for staff within the Trust’s internal financial controls, including: activities for the benefit of wildlife, and to secure organisational structure, together • periodic budgets, forecasting, management resources for the Trust to deliver its objectives with direct reporting lines from accounting and delivering financial targets • Engaging with key decision-makers including MPs, the Head of Conservation, and • compliance with all relevant legislation relating to Local Authorities and local councillors, industry from key staff responsible for the Trust’s finances and to its statutory financial leaders, and community champions, to position the Membership Support, Public statements Trust and promote its objectives Engagement and Education, • development and delivery of business plans for the • Ensuring the Trust effectively participates in the work Supporter Development, and corporate group of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, including cooperation with other Wildlife Trusts as appropriate Finance. • effective liaison with auditors, bankers, investment managers and other appropriate institutions to ensure the most effective operation of the Trust’s finances Person Specification 10 All criteria are essential unless otherwise stated. Strategic Leadership and Management Skills Communication and Representation Skills • Initiative to take the Trust forward, and to develop policies and strategies to achieve this • Ability to foster external relationships: influencing, • At least 5 years’ experience in a senior management negotiating and building alliances and partnerships position • Excellent communication skills in a range of contexts • Proven track record of: • Experience of representing an organisation to a wide • leadership variety of audiences including the media (Desirable) • strategic planning • delivery to specified targets Personal Qualities • managing organisational change • The ability and dynamism to inspire and motivate others • Proven record of developing projects and raising funds • Excellent organisational and self-management skills Specialist Knowledge, Skills and Experience • Appreciation of the charity sector and its ethos • Enthusiasm for nature conservation and the wider • Degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline environmental movement • Substantial experience of working within the voluntary or charitable sector (Desirable) • High level of personal integrity and professional standards of behaviour • Experience of working in the environmental sector (Desirable) • Confident public speaker • Experienced in financial management, including budgeting, financial controls and reporting • Experienced in managing charity finances (Desirable) • Proficient in the use of information technology (including the Microsoft suite) and communication media • Experience of Customer Relationship Management systems (Desirable) Key Terms & How to Apply 11

Key Terms How to Apply • Employer: Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Applications should be made through the Networx portal and include a CV together with a supporting statement (no more than two sides of A4 in length) to demonstrate • Primary place of work: The Old Mill, 9 Soar Lane, your suitability against the Job Description and Person Specification. Leicester LE3 5DE If you require further information about the role, please contact Dr Anthony Biddle • The package will include a salary of £63,000 pa (Vice Chair) [email protected] or Maggie Morland (Honorary Secretary) 07531 569 566. • The post is permanent and full-time, with a standard working week of 35 hours excluding lunch breaks, No agencies at this stage please. and with flexible working to include evenings and weekends Closing date for applications is 09:00 Tuesday 2nd July 2019

• The Trust operates an Auto-enrolment Pension Interviews will take place on Thursday 25th July at our Volunteer Training Centre Scheme and pays an employer contribution of up at Rutland Water, Oakham Road, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AD to 7% of gross salary contingent on a 50% matching contribution from the employee. Annual Leave Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is an equal opportunities employer entitlement is 25 days plus bank holidays and concessionary days Thank you for your interest in Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

• Death in Service cover is provided at three times annual salary

• There will be a need for regular travel across the two counties, particularly to our various nature reserves and to our offices and the Volunteer Training Centre at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. There will be occasional travel across the country

• A full, current driving licence is essential