Director of Nature Economy and Green Finance

We’re looking for a Director of Nature Economy and Green Finance to shape how nature recovery is funded, delivered and scaled across Derbyshire.

In this role, you’ll lead our work on Biodiversity Net Gain, nature-based markets and emerging green finance, building a high-integrity, place-based offer that delivers real outcomes for wildlife, climate and communities. You’ll also drive income, investment and strategic partnerships, positioning Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a leading voice in credible, values-led nature markets.

To be successful, you’ll bring strong commercial judgement, strategic clarity and exceptional relationship-building skills, alongside a commitment to integrity, long-term thinking and community-rooted impact. You’ll thrive in complexity, balance opportunity with risk, and lead with the values that sit at the heart of our mission.

What we can offer you:

• Flexible working options, we have adopted a 9-day working fortnight meaning all full time staff get a non-working Friday every fortnight
• 33 days annual leave including bank holidays, we also have a festive shutdown so all staff get the days between Christmas and New Year off in addition to their leave entitlement
• Sustainable Travel Employer (extra leave granted for staff using more green, sustainable transport)
• 9.5% employer pension contribution
• Electric bike and car salary-sacrifice schemes available
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Personalised Development programme designed to enhance your knowledge and progress your career
• A multi-disciplinary business, with opportunities to work on a wide range of projects, developing your experience and skills
• A close-knit, friendly and supportive team, with a relaxed office atmosphere

Our Values

Our work towards a Wilder 2030 is shaped by three core values:

• Collaborative – We work together with colleagues, volunteers and communities because lasting change happens when everyone is involved.
• Curious – We ask questions, explore new ideas and stay open to learning so we can keep improving and adapting for nature.
• Courageous – We take bold action, challenge the status quo and stand up for what wildlife and people need.

If these values feel like you, you’ll thrive here.

About you

You’ll bring a blend of commercial acumen, strategic thinking and values-driven leadership. We’re looking for someone with a proven ability to win work, build partnerships and navigate complex or emerging markets while keeping long-term impact at the centre of decision-making. You’ll be confident operating at a senior level, influencing diverse stakeholders and shaping opportunities that deliver for nature, climate and communities.

This role might be right for you if:

• You have a strong track record of securing partnerships, winning work or developing new markets.
• You bring commercial and financial confidence, with the ability to balance opportunity, risk and long-term outcomes.
• You’re skilled at building trusted relationships across sectors — from developers and investors to local authorities and landowners.
• You thrive in complex, evolving policy or regulatory environments and can bring clarity where others see ambiguity.
• You’re motivated by integrity, impact and place-based, community-rooted approaches to nature recovery.

We are happy to talk flexible working!

This role will be based at our office in Middleton although a balance of home and office working will be allowed. We are a local charity so applicants should be easily able to access our office and other locations around the county.

First round virtual interviews are planned for 14th May.

For more information please refer to the job description and key terms on our website. If you have any questions about the role which are not answered in the documents, or require adjustments to the application process, please either email [email protected] or call 01773 881188.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

We’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and believe that everyone should have access to nature. We expect people to work harmoniously with each other and with volunteers, and to provide help and guidance to others when needed. As a small charity, our employees need to be willing to be flexible about working arrangements and willing to provide occasional cover for absent staff. We want people to develop professionally and personally while working with us and employees are encouraged to participate in the range of opportunities available to enable this.

We are proudly a Disability Confident Commitment employer. The scheme is helping us recruit and retain great people to meet our workforce needs. As a member of the scheme we interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role. You can request this and adjustments including accessible formats of this vacancy by emailing [email protected]

We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may want to use it to help you format your CV, create responses to application questions or even help you prepare responses. AI can be a powerful enabler and we are open to you using it to apply for roles with us, but we ask you to ensure anything you submit truly represents your capabilities and viewpoint. We value honesty, integrity and creativity and want to understand what you will uniquely bring to our team.