Job Summary
We need someone with excellent writing skills and a keen eye for a story to help us promote our charitable education work. Trees and woodlands provide us with so many benefits for the economy, for our health, wellbeing, and for our environment; they have never had a more important role to play to mitigate the negative impacts of our rapidly changing climate. But our trees and woodlands are facing multiple, serious threats including a lack of people with the skills and knowledge needed to properly care for trees, an increasing number of pests and diseases, and increasing incidences of severe weather brought about by climate change. Come and join our friendly and dedicated team and play your part to help protect trees and woodlands in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Location
Home based, hybrid working or on site (choice for the right candidate) at The Royal Forestry Society, The Hay Barns, Home Farm Drive, Upton Estate, Banbury, OX15 6HU.
Salary
Part-time, 28 hours a week; £25,400 (equivalent to £31,750 FTE)
Reporting to
RFS Development Manager, Jen Turner
About the RFS
For more than 140 years, the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) has dedicated itself to sharing knowledge on the art and science of woodland management so that the accumulated wisdom and experience of landowners, foresters, arborists and others is transferred from one generation to another. You can find out more about the RFS on our website www.rfs.org.uk.
Transparency, honesty, and equity are really important for our small team. Everyone is supported and valued for the important role they play in our charity. Authenticity is also very important to us, and we pride ourselves on forming and building meaningful, human relationships with our members and supporters. For this reason, we would always rather hear an authentic voice in the content we share, rather than something that has been written or edited using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
We are flexible and accommodating in the way that we work together and home working and flexible hours could be accommodated in this post if required. The successful candidate will receive a tailored training package and will be supported in their progress and development by their line manager.
Responsibilities and Duties
As our RFS Communications Officer, you will support the Development Manager and the Digital Communications Manager to promote the work of our Charity. You will plan and write engaging content for Press Releases, magazines, blogs, and newsletters to support our regular communications and special campaigns. Your work will help to keep our members and supporters engaged with (and informed about) the charity’s activities and promote the work we do to the wider sector and members of the public. Core activities, are described below:
· Communicate strong, positive, and informative messages about the value of forestry in its broadest sense, and the work of the RFS to our membership and to a broader audience.
· Research, commission, and place articles in target publications.
· Create and write (or commission) press releases, case studies, and blogs.
· Forge or strengthen contact with identified media and political/policy sources, including being a first point of contact for television and radio broadcasters.
· Write the news section for each issue of the RFS’s Quarterly Journal of Forestry (QJF) and identify appropriate contacts for possible future articles that the editors can follow up.
· Liaise with representatives from other forestry sector organisations to enable knowledge exchange and collaboration.
· Play an active role in promoting RFS events and initiatives.
· Track press coverage regarding the RFS, our staff, volunteers and supporters.
· Represent the RFS at other external events when required.
There is considerable scope within this role to develop creative skills in marketing and develop as a leader. Knowledge of, or an interest in (and a willingness to learn about) the following areas of our work would be highly desirable:
· Advocating for good woodland management in the face of a changing climate and with increased threats from tree pests and diseases.
· Communications campaign planning, including campaign development, budgeting and risk management.
· Marketing innovation and trends.
· Production of engaging and well-designed printed marketing materials
Person specification
Essential skills and attributes
· Meticulous attention to detail, especially in written communication (including formal and informal writing styles). This is the single most important attribute for this role.
· It might sound obvious, but we are looking for a candidate who has a real passion for trees and woodland management.
· Although a university degree is not a prerequisite for this role, we are seeking a candidate who can operate at this level. You will need to be able to demonstrate that you have advanced your skills in all forms of communication, critical thinking, working in teams and personal responsibility.
· This is a development role with significant scope for progression. A willingness to understand and get involved in other areas of our charity will accelerate your learning.
· You must be personable, outgoing, positive, and capable of developing good professional relationships with our stakeholders.
· A measured approach to managing workload and multiple time-critical projects. and excellent problem-solving skills will allow you to innovate and help the team diversify and strengthen our income streams.
· You will need to be confident using some standard Microsoft software (including Word and Outlook).
Desirable skills and attributes
· A university degree (or equivalent) in a subject with relevance to the role (either showing technical understanding of forestry/countryside management issues or giving a solid foundation in the principles of PR and marketing).
· Confidence creating and posting engaging content on social media channels (particularly YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).
· Experience of writing for different print publications.
· A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel
Recruitment process
RFS values diversity and inclusivity and are willing to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process as we are able. If you feel you meet the majority of our job description but have questions or concerns please do reach out and we will do out best to assist. We know that some candidates are put off if they don’t perfectly match a job description. We encourage you to get in touch if you want to know more or if you have any questions or concerns about our recruitment processes.
Please apply by submitting your CV and a covering letter, explaining why you would like to work for our organisation (in this role), and what skills, experience and attributes you can bring to the role. Please send these electronically (via email) to Jen Turner, Development Manager at [email protected]. To book a video call or a phone call with Jen for an informal chat about the role please email [email protected]. Unfortunately we are unable to accept paper or posted applications. Applications must be received by 9am on Monday 6 July 2026. Applications that are not accompanied by a covering letter will not be considered.
If you are selected for interview, we will notify you by email and may need to confirm your attendance by phone. Interviews will be held (in person) on Tuesday 14 July 2026 at our Head Quarters near Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Pay: £25,400.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Employee mentoring programme
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Banbury OX15 6HU
