Thank you for your interest in the role of Animal & Land Manager at Camphill Village Trust.
You will be joining a Trust with a long history of social farming and nature‑based practice.
The expectations are high because the work matters. Our communities rely on strong leadership, sound judgement and a practical understanding of what excellent animal welfare and regenerative land management look like day to day.
This role is both strategic and hands‑on: you will set direction, support managers, and ensure our farms and land‑based services operate with integrity, compliance and purpose.
We are honest about the scale. The remit is national, the teams are dispersed, and the environments are complex. But for the right person, this is a rare opportunity to shape sector‑leading practice, strengthen our farms, and ensure that the people we support continue to have access to safe, structured and meaningful land‑based opportunities.
If you share our commitment to high‑quality farming, inclusive practice and nature‑based therapeutic work, and you can lead with steadiness, clarity and respect, we would welcome your application.
Purpose
To provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for all land‑based activities across Camphill Village Trust, ensuring that farming, animal management and countryside work deliver meaningful, purposeful opportunities for the people we support. The role leads the management of the Trust’s farms at Botton (North Yorkshire – YO21 2NJ) and Larchfield (Middlesbrough), the Countryside North Team (Botton), Ashfield Gardens’ (Stourbridge) animal‑based activities, and land‑based opportunities at Grange Village (Gloucestershire).
To drive the development of the Trust’s land‑based services through regenerative land management and the advancement of social farms and gardens. The role positions the Charity as a sector leader in social farming and nature‑based therapeutic practice, ensuring safe, effective and high‑quality environments in which Social Farms can thrive.
Location & Travel:
Community Based – within Botton or Larchfield Community, with national travel to other communities. Occasional overnight stays may be required.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Main Responsibilities:
People:
- Ensure all animal‑based activities are designed and delivered to meet the needs of adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs.
- Champion inclusive practice that enables meaningful participant involvement while maintaining safety and welfare.
- Provide expert guidance, coaching and professional development to staff and managers on animal care, husbandry and participant engagement.
- Act as the Trust’s senior subject matter expert for animal welfare, representing the organisation externally where required.
- Lead Trust‑wide training programmes on animal handling, biosecurity, safe working practices and land‑based risk management.
- Support managers to ensure staff competence, confidence and safeguarding awareness, embedding a culture of safe and meaningful practice.
- Provide strategic oversight of the beef & dairy herd, sheep flock and pigs, ensuring operational plans align with Trust priorities.
- Lead the development and governance of policies, procedures and risk assessments for all land‑based operations.
- Provide leadership and direction to the Countryside North Team, ensuring alignment with Trust strategy and delivery expectations.
Natured-based Therapy Programmes:
- Provide strategic oversight of farming and land management operations across all communities, ensuring alignment with Nature‑Based Therapy (NBTS) principles and programme outcomes.
- Work collaboratively with NBTS colleagues to ensure participants have meaningful, structured and safe tasks that contribute to seasonal work planning and food production.
- Champion the role of participants in land‑based activity, ensuring opportunities are purposeful, embedded and reflective of the Trust’s ethos.
- Provide senior oversight of health and safety across all land‑based areas, including dairy/creamery operations, ensuring policy compliance, communication and training.
- Lead the development, implementation and evidencing of departmental policies, procedures and risk assessments, ensuring they meet regulatory and organisational standards.
Animal Welfare & Farm Management:
- Provide strategic leadership for animal welfare and husbandry across all Trust sites, ensuring consistently high standards and regulatory compliance.
- Set and oversee Trust‑wide animal care protocols aligned with legislation, industry best practice and organisational policy, ensuring consistent implementation across communities.
- Ensure robust farm and land management plans are developed, resourced and delivered across the Northern Farms, with clear performance measures and accountability.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with vets, nutritionists and external specialists to support continuous improvement in welfare and productivity.
- Lead a programme of assurance through regular inspections, compliance monitoring and corrective action planning (DEFRA, RSPCA, Red Tractor and other frameworks).
- Ensure statutory compliance for animal movements, identification, record‑keeping and medication; oversee digital systems including Herdwatch to ensure data integrity.
- Lead Trust‑wide biosecurity strategy, ensuring proactive risk management and rapid response to emerging threats.
- Oversee investigation and reporting of incidents involving animals, staff or participants, ensuring learning is embedded across sites.
- Direct livestock procurement and sales in line with operational, welfare and financial priorities.
- Provide national oversight across Botton (North Yorkshire), Larchfield (Middlesbrough), Ashfield Gardens (Stourbridge) and Grange Village (Gloucestershire) to ensure consistent standards, practice and culture.
Financial:
- Hold accountability for relevant budgets, ensuring financial discipline, accurate forecasting and transparent reporting.
- Oversee procurement and supplier management to ensure value for money, ethical sourcing and minimisation of waste.
- Identify, assess and manage financial risks associated with land‑based operations.
- Lead major land‑based capital projects (e.g., SFG investment), acting as senior project lead and ensuring delivery to scope, budget and timescale.
- Embed robust systems for financial planning, risk management and performance reporting across land‑based services.
Service Development:
- Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of the role.
- Seek out opportunities for continual service improvement.
- Building and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders, including people we support, customers, suppliers, family members, colleagues and partners/visiting professionals, while ensuring the Camphill Village Trust ethos is clearly communicated.
- Assess actions, activities and decision making in the context of our ethos of co-production.
- Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders to position the Trust as a respected, land based “green” care provider, creating simplification from a complex environment, whilst maximising the potential of our unique community settings and services.
- Strengthen existing partnerships with National Parks and Forestry England and proactively seek new partnerships that enhance the Trust’s mission and impact.
General:
- Contribute actively to the leadership of the Land, Opportunities & Skills team.
- To understand and be supportive of the charity’s founding principles.
- To help keep all vulnerable adults safe by adhering to the Trust’s safeguarding policy.
- To comply with the Trust’s Policies and Procedures, including Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Equality & Diversity and Data Protection.
- To comply with the statutory provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
- To ensure that confidentiality is respected and maintained at all times.
- To attend and participate in Team Meetings, 1-2-1 Supervision sessions and other meetings as required in line with the post.
- To undertake appropriate CPD in relation to job responsibilities as identified.
- To undertake any other duties which are consistent with this post, as directed by line management.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of the department.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.
Camphill Village Trust is an equal opportunity employer.
Camphill Village Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to complete the relevant pre-employment checks including a DBS check.
Pay: £50,000.00-£55,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Do you have a full, valid, UK driving license with access to your own vehicle?
- Please provide your email address and postcode (if they do not feature on your CV).
- Please provide details of your right to work in the UK. If you are a visa holder, please ensure you tell us your visa type and EXACT expiry date. We will not be able to progress your application if you do not provide this information.
Work Location: In person
