Programmes Manager

Job Description

Job title: Programmes Manager
Employer: Thames Chase Trust
Location: The Forest Centre, Broadfields, Pike Lane, Upminster, RM14 3NS
Contract & hours: Fixed Term (Until March 31st 2027), potential to become permanent
Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
Reporting to: Deputy Community Forest Director
Responsible for: 2 x Senior Programmes Officers 1 x Programmes Officer

Background

Thames Chase Community Forest was established in 1990 and is one of 15 national Community Forests which form a network known as England’s Community Forests (). Covering an area of 98 square miles on the edge of east London and south-west Essex, Thames Chase continues to ‘transform landscapes and transform lives.’

Since 1990, the creation of Thames Chase has been driven by its Forest Plan: The Thames Chase Plan (). This essential strategy continues to govern the work of Trustees, staff and volunteers and provides a mandate for many partners to engage with the Community Forest. Thames Chase remains at the forefront of landscape regeneration and its base, at the heart of the Forest, is known as the Thames Chase Forest Centre.

The vision for Thames Chase is contained within the Thames Chase Plan:

‘By 2050, Thames Chase Community Forest will be recognised as an inspirational example of landscape regeneration where enhanced, connected woodland and green space has made a clear difference to wildlife and peoples’ lives.’

Summary of the role

After 35 years of successful landscape-scale working, the Trust has a unique and exciting, but challenging opportunity to accelerate the continued creation of Thames Chase Community Forest. The Programmes Manager will lead a team of three Programmes Officers to deliver the requirements of the Thames Chase Plan.

The role will help to support the Thames Chase Deputy Community Forest Director in leading an enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers, committed to improving the environment across Thames Chase for people and wildlife. The role will work in partnership with a diverse range of stakeholders, bringing inspiration, innovation, and practical management knowledge to deliver the Thames Chase Plan.

Key areas of responsibility

Management and coordination

• Working with the Community Forest Director, drive your team of Programmes Officers to deliver their programmes of work, sustaining a positive connection between the work of the Forest Centre and the wider Community Forest
• Working closely with the Deputy Community Forest Director and Finance Officer, support the management of programme and project budgets
• Line-manage the team of Programmes Officers
• Working with the Deputy Community Forest Director steer and manage other contracts and posts as required from time to time

Landscape regeneration

• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to develop and deliver the next phase of landscape regeneration in Thames Chase, either through direct delivery of projects and programmes or helping to create coherence between the projects and programmes of other partner organisations
• Under the direction of the Community Forest Director, drive your team to deliver the Thames Chase Trust Trees for Climate programme, substantially increasing tree planting and woodland creation activity across the Community Forest, including planting design plans, GIS, mapping, agreements with landowners, funding administration, reporting & procurement
• With the agreement of the Community Forest Director, represent the Trust on programme and delivery groups that are seeking to develop landscape-scale regeneration projects and programmes
• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to deliver the legacy of the Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership Scheme (LPS)
• Work with the Trust over renewing and championing the Thames Chase Plan to meet the Community Forest’s vision and objectives.
• Prepare and develop programme management and design briefs for specific projects and programmes

External relations

• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to develop and maintain clear and convincing programme connections between the Community Forest and partners’ agendas
• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to establish and sustain positive relationships with all the Thames Chase local authorities and Mayoral authorities for London and Essex
• Maintain good programme-level working relationships with the appropriate local Government officers within each of the local authorities
• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to develop and sustain positive working relationships between the Trust, environmental NGOs and representatives of the Community Forest user groups who are stakeholders in Thames Chase
• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to develop good working relationships with landowning and farming organisations, including those engaged in landscape-regeneration
• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director to prepare programme-level reports and, if required, presentations for the Community Forest Strategic Partnership Board

Fundraising and marketing

• Work with the Deputy Community Forest Director and your team of Programmes Officers to identify new funding opportunities for landscape regeneration, activity, and community engagement projects, including from national and local Government, landfill tax, national lottery, and charitable foundations
• Working with the Community Forest Director, make fundraising bids and deliver successful projects and programmes in line with priorities in the Thames Chase Plan, either directly or through collaboration with partners

General: Knowledge, skills, and experience

Knowledge

Essential

• A good education to tertiary level and/or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
• Working knowledge of project and programme delivery at a landscape-scale, positively influencing green and blue infrastructure
• Partnership working and team management
• Successful track record of programme and project delivery
• Community/urban forestry and to have delivered tree and woodland planting schemes
• Tree and woodland scheme design
• Working knowledge of the main national and regional organisations which support landscape regeneration and environmental issues

Desirable

• Understanding of the Thames Chase Plan and the overall functions, aims and objectives of Thames Chase Community Forest
• GIS and mapping
• Planning and managing events
• Member of a relevant professional institute or working toward this
• Management/training qualification
• Fundraising experience and knowledge of mechanisms: Public sector, corporate, voluntary, charitable

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communicator, including writing and public speaking
• IT literate
• Good team motivator
• Able to work on own initiative, planning time effectively and working to deadlines
• Innovator and lateral thinker
• Project and programme management
• Full, clean driving licence

Desirable

• Facilitation
• Aptitude for figures and budget control
• Qualitative research and analysis

Experience

Essential

• Managing staff and volunteers
• Project and programme management
• Tree and woodland planting schemes (inception to completion)
• Meeting targets and KPI’s

Desirable

• Events organisation
• Managing design and production of interpretation and print
• Fundraising
• Dealing with the media

In return for your dedication to the role you can expect

• Salary of £34,628
• 3% Employers pension contribution
• 33 days annual leave, including 8 bank holidays
• To be part of a welcoming and enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers, dedicated to the continued growth of the Forest Centre complex and the Thames Chase Community Forest
• To work in an attractive environment at the Thames Chase Forest Centre and to play an active role in promoting the work of the team across the wider landscape of the Community Forest

Your work hours and work location

• This is a full time role (37.5 hours per week)
• The role requires occasional evening, weekend and bank holiday working.
• You will be based at the Thames Chase Forest Centre, RM14 3NS with allocated office space in the Peter Wilkinson House.

Closing date and interviews

By 12pm Monday 29th September 2025. Interviews will take place at the Thames Chase Forest Centre the week commencing 6th October.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss this role, please contact: Aisling Woodhead via email at [email protected]