South Downs National Park Authority
Director of Landscape and Operations
Location: Midhurst, West Sussex
Salary: £91,507 to £107,095
The South Downs is England’s newest National Park and sits in a beautiful part of Southern England. While the Authority might be new - established in 2010 - the 1,600km2 of England’s most valued lowland landscapes have been shaped over millennia by the environment and people who live and work here. Its inspirational and varied landscapes, internationally important wildlife, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant market towns and villages all hold a special place in the hearts of millions.
The Authority has three clear priorities, Nature Recovery, Climate Action and a National Park for All and delivery of these is coupled with and underpinned by the performance of our statutory planning function. We are innovative, forward-thinking and deliver real impacts on the ground by working with our wide-range partners to improve our landscape, restore nature, cut carbon, benefit our communities and businesses, and all those who visit and enjoy the Park.
We are now looking for a Director of Landscape and Operations to join our Senior Leadership Team and lead our work on Nature Recovery, Climate Change, People and Place. This role sits right of the heart of our organisation and provides our ‘engine room’, making sure all our work is aligned and well-planned and its impact monitored and measured, through delivery of our brand new ambitious five-year Partnership Management Plan, which we are currently out to consultation for.
Leading a team of circa 50 staff including our rangers, you will be responsible for maintaining and nurturing strong long-term relationships with our partners so that we can develop an exciting programme of projects together to achieve our common goals, whilst also making sure we have a strong and clear monitoring, evaluation and reporting system in place so we can be sure to maximise value for money and robustly measure and report on our impact.
The role calls for a resilient values-driven leader, who has a proven track record of leading organisational planning and corporate reporting, including project and performance monitoring, and who has developed and delivered a wide range of strategic and policy objectives, whilst working effectively with a wide range of partners. We will need you to show us that you have experience of leading diverse teams to success, nurturing wellbeing, and championing inclusion, and that you can be a confident and persuasive ambassador for the South Downs National Park.
Whilst experience in a protected landscape context would be an advantage, it isn’t by any means essential – providing you can show us you appreciate the value and importance of National Parks.
If you believe you have the right qualities and experience, and the prospect of securing this new role genuinely excites you, we very much look forward to hearing from you.
To find out more, please contact our recruitment team for a confidential discussion:
* Katherine O’Donnell: katherine.odonnell@gatenbysanderson.com
* Michelle Atkinson: michelle.atkinson@gatenbysanderson.com
* Julie Myers: julie.myers@gatenbysanderson.com
Closing date: Friday 1 August at 12 noon