Project Officer – Mourne Park

The Woodland Trust is looking for a Project Officer – Mourne Park. The successful candidate will be required to work for the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland (WTNI or the Trust) on the development and through third party management; the delivery of woodland creation, restoration and other forestry operations, natural and built heritage and countryside access projects, local habitat auditing and assessment programmes. They will undertake the successful delivery of The National Lottery Heritage Fund project, Mourne Park – 500 years of undiscovered natural heritage, to target and budget.

This is a fixed term contract until December 2029.

The Role:

• Lead the delivery of conservation and habitat restoration projects across the estate, including woodland creation, ancient woodland restoration, species recovery and heritage conservation activities.
• Plan, procure and oversee contracts and site works, ensuring all activities are delivered safely, efficiently and in line with Woodland Trust standards, FSC requirements and environmental legislation.
• Drive evidence-led conservation management through ecological surveys, habitat assessments and monitoring programmes that inform land management decisions and measure environmental outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with landowners, partners, agencies and local stakeholders, promoting collaborative approaches to nature recovery and sustainable land management.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship, securing and managing all necessary consents, licences and permissions before works commence.
• Maintain effective project and financial management, keeping accurate records, monitoring budgets and reporting progress to support organisational and funder requirements.
• Champion community engagement and advocacy, representing the project and the Woodland Trust at meetings, events and public forums to raise awareness of conservation achievements and opportunities.
• Support and coordinate volunteers, colleagues and wider projects, contributing to funding bids, visitor engagement, corporate events and the successful delivery of Woodland Trust objectives across Northern Ireland.
• This is a homebased role, requiring regular travel to locations within the Mourne Park landscape and wider Northern Ireland, sometimes to remote locations. You would be expected to live within reasonable travelling distance of your area of responsibility. Occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays will be required.
• This is a home working position with regular travel to Mourne Park. Occasional travel to other offices, remote locations and overnight stays may also be required.

The Candidate:

• Strong project delivery experience, with a proven track record of managing complex, multi-disciplinary projects and coordinating a range of stakeholders to deliver successful outcomes on time and within budget.
• Practical forestry, woodland creation or conservation land management expertise, including experience delivering habitat improvement projects and engaging volunteers and local communities. Additionally, delivering safe, inclusive and engaging activities for children, young people and vulnerable adults across a range of settings.
• Experience building and managing effective partnerships, working collaboratively with landowners, contractors and other organisations to achieve shared objectives.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to confidently engage a wide range of audiences through presentations, reports, consultations, events and digital communications.
• Commercial awareness and sound decision-making ability, ensuring projects deliver maximum impact while achieving value for money and balancing organisational priorities.
• A collaborative and innovative approach, with the ability to develop new ideas, work effectively across teams and identify opportunities to strengthen project and partnership outcomes.
• Highly organised and self-motivated, able to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines and work independently while maintaining a positive, solutions-focused mindset.
• Relevant qualifications and practical requirements, including an HND or degree in a land, environmental, countryside or forestry-related discipline, strong IT skills, and a full driving licence with the ability to travel as required.
• The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Background Check, as part of our pre-employment screening.

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 8th September 2026.

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