Seasonal Environmental Education Officer

Seasonal Environmental Education Officer at The Hive, Epping Forest

• Salary: SC5 (£32,535 – £34,488)
• Contract type: Full time, Fixed term ending 4 September 2026
• Working hours per week: 36
• The Hive, Church Road, High Beach, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4AJ
• Application deadline: 2 February 2026
• Proposed interview date(s): W/C 9 February 2026
• Preferred start date: 17 March 2026

About us

The Hive is a dynamic climate education centre committed to fostering a love for nature and empowering communities to make positive environmental choices. We have a beautiful 7-acre site including ponds, meadows and a variety of habitats which offer inspiration and natural resources for our educational delivery. Our recently developed site includes a traditional building which has been retrofitted to increase sustainability as well as a brand new eco lodge and camping pods. Inside, we have our classroom animals which also provide a valuable learning resource.

What we are looking for

We are seeking a motivated and passionate Seasonal Environmental Education Officer to join our team. This entry-level position involves assisting with the planning and (following training) independent delivery of high-quality environmental education activities, primarily outdoors, aimed at children and young people. The Seasonal Environmental Education Officer will contribute to fostering an understanding of the climate emergency, ensuring safety during activities, and supporting outreach sessions in schools and community venues.

You will have a knowledge and understanding of the natural world and be willing to continually learn.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A passion for environmental education.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work well in a team.
• Basic understanding of environmental issues.
• Flexibility to work weekends and out-of-hours.

Terms and conditions

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks
• Satisfactory declaration of interest
• This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults
• Satisfactory Enhanced DBS check
• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply now’ button. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: – Promoting equality of opportunity – Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage – Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. – Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact information

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Emma Lewis at [email protected] or 02085080611.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at [email protected].

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email [email protected] so we can arrange an alternative application method.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.