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 and experienced individual to join us in the management of the Trust’s nature reserves within the south-west of Essex.
The Area Officer (SW) role is responsible for planning, implementing and coordinating the practical conservation land management work within the nature reserves of South-West Essex. The role will support the Senior Ranger and Reserves Manager in completing conservation infrastructure maintenance works and be the key link with Volunteer Wardens and the practical conservation volunteers. The post-holders may also assist and/or support Rangers of individual nature reserves or nature discovery parks, as required.
The postholder will manage the day-to-day work of Volunteer Wardens and volunteers across the Trust reserves in their geographic area, as well as regularly assisting the Senior Ranger to plan annual work programmes, make adjustments as required and agree land management and conservation infrastructure priorities.
The Area Officer will also assist the Senior Ranger and Reserves Manager in reviewing longer-term management/action plans to enable work to be prioritised for the most appropriate period within the future annual work programmes.
The position is a permanent role with a starting salary of £30,424.76 per annum. The hours of work are 37.5 hours per week (five out of seven days).
To apply for this opportunity, please submit an application via the website by 9:00am on Friday 03 July 2026.
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.
