Grants Officer – Rural Payments

The Woodland Trust is looking for a Grants Officer – Rural Payments. This role will work collaboratively as a member of the Land & Property team and members of connected teams in Nature Recovery to help deliver on our plans to reduce adverse herbivore impacts and improve Woodland Ecological Condition, contributing to our work to protect woodland biodiversity and nature recovery.

The Role

• Identify, secure and maximise income from government and non-government funding streams to support woodland creation, conservation and priority species work.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key external stakeholders including DEFRA, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Forestry Commission, Forest Research and other sector partners.
• Provide expert advice and year-round support to Estate Managers, Site Managers and regional teams on grant opportunities, applications, scheme delivery and compliance.
• Lead the administration of environmental funding schemes, including annual claims, record management, remittance reconciliation and oversight of historic agreements.
• Maintain accurate land and scheme records through the Rural Payments online portal, ensuring compliance with eligibility requirements and timely updates to land ownership, parcel and land cover information
• Keep abreast of evolving rural funding programmes, including SFI, CSMT and CSHT, providing guidance on opportunities and implications for the organisation.
• Use GIS and LandApp to design, validate and map funding schemes, supporting high-quality submissions and successful outcomes.
• Apply strong analytical, IT and problem-solving skills to resolve funding, land management and scheme administration issues, while working closely with operational and nature recovery teams to achieve strategic objectives.
• This is a hybrid position with a mix of home working and from our head office in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Head office attendance would be required once a month on average. Occasional travel to other offices and remote locations may also be required.

The Candidate

• Good understanding of and ideally experience working with, environmental and land-based grant schemes that support nature recovery, conservation and woodland management objectives.
• Experience developing, coordinating and delivering grant-funded projects or schemes, working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes to demonstrate delivery, compliance and impact.
• Experience producing high-quality grant applications and supporting documentation, with the ability to coordinate contributions and deliver to deadlines.
• Knowledge of, or experience within, the conservation, environmental, forestry or charitable sectors.
• Strong team-working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively across an organisation while also managing your own workload independently.
• Confident using a range of IT systems and software, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage information accurately.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, alongside an understanding of project management, budgets and resource planning. Degree-level qualification or equivalent practical experience in a conservation, fundraising or related environment.

Benefits and Wellbeing

Joining our team means you’ll be part of our fight for a greener, healthier planet for people and wildlife. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:

• Enhanced Employer Pension
• Life Assurance
• Flexible and hybrid working options (7am – 7pm)
• Generous annual leave – 25 Days plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part-time)
• Buy and sell holiday scheme
• Enhanced parental pay
• Employee assistance programme

To support inclusivity and remove barriers for candidates, we publish all salaries upfront and proudly follow the We Show the Salary pledge. The salary listed is the set salary for this role, and we don’t ask applicants to state their current pay or expectations. If you choose to apply, we’ll take that as confirmation that the advertised salary meets your expectations.

About Us

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. We want to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make a difference by protecting, restoring and creating woodland and getting more trees in the ground.

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

To achieve our mission, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.

Application information and advice

For fairness we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, and we do not ask for your CV at application.

Make sure that your personal statement clearly shows how your skills and knowledge link to the specifications in the job description and you share with us your passion for the role.

Completed applications will be reviewed by a hiring manager and/or a member of the recruitment team, and you will receive an update on the outcome of your application via email.

Acceptable Use – Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools.

Apply now

If you’re ready to make a difference and grow with us, apply today. We might close advertising early if we get a lot of applications, so it’s a good idea to apply soon. If we do close the advert early, and you have an application in progress, we will email you prior to closing to give you time to complete.

Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams on the 30th of September 2026.

For queries about this role, reasonable adjustments, or support with your application, please contact: [email protected]