Essex Wildlife Trust are the county’s leading conservation charity, committed to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature; and we would love you to join our committed and enthusiastic team. By 2030 we aim to protect and connect 30% of land and sea and inspire 1 in 4 people in Essex to take action for wildlife.
We have an opportunity for a passionate individual to join us at Essex Wildlife Trust as an Education and Community Engagement Officer at our Belfair’s Nature Discovery Centre.
As an Education and Community Engagement Officer, you will deliver formal and informal nature-based learning programmes to a diverse range of audiences, promoting the work of Essex Wildlife Trust. Whilst being based at Belfair’s, this role will involve supporting delivery across our sites in South Essex.
You will deliver an education programme for school groups of all ages, including our popular KS4 and KS5 programme. You will also plan and deliver an engaging and inclusive programme of activities for children, families and young people as part of our successful informal learning programme. This may include Nature Tots and Babies, after school clubs, birthday parties and school holiday events.
The successful applicant will work alongside our Wilder Learning colleagues at Essex Wildlife Trust in a dynamic, inclusive, and inspiring environment. You will have a passion for engagement and enjoy delivering formal and informal sessions for a range of audiences. You will have highly developed organisational and relational skills, experience of leading groups in education activities and an infectious, driven energy for our work. You will also have the same passion as us for widening access to nature.
Essex Wildlife Trust has nine Nature Discovery Centres across Essex. The post holder will work alongside the team in South Essex to share ideas and collaborate to ensure our planned activities and events continue to be an engaging experience for the children and young people attending.
This role provides an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about making a difference to wildlife and people, helping to build our profile as one of the largest providers of county-based outdoor education.
This role is well suited to applicants with prior experience in wildlife conservation or environmental science, together with formal or informal education delivery. A Level 3 Forest School qualification is desirable but not essential.
It is essential that the successful person is passionate about wildlife, nature and providing age-appropriate engaging activities within a safe environment for a charity that protects wildlife for the future and people of Essex.
The position is a permanent role, working 37.5 hours per week and based at Belfair’s Nature Discovery Centre near Leigh on Sea. The starting salary for this role is £27,444 per annum.
Please note that delivery will be at Belfair’s and other locations across our South Essex cluster of Nature Discovery Centres.
Please complete an application form via our website by 9:00am on Wednesday 09 September 2026. Interviews will be held on Thursday 24 September.
Our values are Impactful, Collaborative, United and Proactive.
Annual leave entitlement starts at 26 days per annum increasing annually to 29 days plus Bank Holidays. We provide company sick pay increasing with length of service, an employee assistance programme, a combined 8% contribution pension scheme, staff social days, colleague nomination scheme and discounts in our Nature Discovery Centres.
Essex Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we know how important diversity is, both in our natural world and amongst the people we employ. We want everyone to feel valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature”.
As a Disability Confident employer, please make us aware you have a disability as we are committed to offering an interview that meets the minimum criteria for the post. If you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible, please make us aware.
We are proud to be an employer that supports the Armed Forces Covenant and are committed to supporting those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families. As part of this commitment, Armed Forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for an advertised role will be guaranteed an interview.
