Managing Director

The Community Forest Trust is seeking a full-time Managing Director to lead its operations in Manchester, UK. The role focuses on supporting England's Community Forests to address climate change by delivering a new business plan and managing stakeholder relationships. Responsibilities include organizational leadership, funding strategy development, and project support. Candidates should have senior management experience and strong leadership skills. The position allows for remote work with monthly travel requirements.
Hours: Full-Time – 36 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Remote (travel to London, Birmingham and Forests required monthly)

This is the opportunity to play an influential and impactful role in one of the most important causes of our generation – the climate emergency. Trees will enable 25% of the UK's 2050 net zero ambition and this role sits at the heart of this, supporting one of the UK’s largest woodland creation partnerships, England’s Community Forests.

The Community Forest Trust (CFT) is a charity that supports, enables and champions England’s Community Forests (ECFs). Across England there are 15 Community Forests that deliver social, economic, and environmental impact through woodland creation and restoration. In 2024/2025 they will plant over 2.5 million trees, most of which are funded through Defra’s national tree planting programme, the Nature for Climate Fund Programme.

The Managing Director will have the drive, rigour, and organisational and stakeholder management skills to develop and deliver a new CFT Business Plan. The current Business Plan was developed in 2022 and runs to March 2025. It has now been delivered.

The Managing Director will be responsible for providing the overall leadership and management of CFT and ensure effective governance and compliance with all legal requirements. To fulfil this aim, the Managing Director must ensure that robust structures and systems are in place to deliver CFT’s strategic priorities and CFT’s charitable aims and objectives.

A few key responsibilities of the role include:
• Take ownership of delivering the future direction and shape of CFT and deliver the CFT vision
• Provide organisational leadership for CFT, establishing and implementing business objectives through a business plan
• Work closely with the Chair of the Board, Trustees and staff, building positive working relationships in a constructive and consultative environment
• Manage the agreements (service delivery) with the ECFs with who CFT has a specific and formal arrangement
• Deliver the services and outcomes to the ECF Network, the Forests that CFT supports and those Forests that CFT runs
• Support project development work taking place at local level to support the Northern Forest programme
• Develop and lead funding strategies and write or assist with writing funding bids when required

This list is not exhaustive, please contact our HR Team for a full job description.

To be successful in the role, the postholder must have previous senior management and leadership experience gained at an organisation of comparable scale and complexity. A track record of developing and implementing Business Plans is also a must, along with experience of representing an organisation to external stakeholders and forming effective partnerships, working effectively with a board of trustees or equivalent, and managing contracts and service providers.

The postholder will have outstanding leadership skills with the ability to develop strategic plans and motivate and inspire others, knowledge of financial management, including budgets/cashflow, income generation and writing successful funding applications, and knowledge of community engagement and mobilisation.

In return, you will receive some great benefits which include:
• Competitive rates of pay
• Remote and flexible working
• 25 days annual leave per year, plus bank holidays
• An enhanced pension scheme
• Possible funded training opportunities

We welcome individuals with a general interest in the environment and its preservation. We are also an equal opportunities employer who consider applications from all communities.

Should you be interested in this role we would be pleased to hear from you via a CV and a covering letter. Please submit this by the closing date of 18th April 2025.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £60,000.00-£70,000.00 per year

Benefits:
• Work from home

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Manchester M17

Application deadline: 18/04/2025