Come join our team: work that works

Campaign for National Parks is currently recruiting for a Development Manager and a Senior Campaigns Officer. Both roles are advertised as flexible positions and we’re open to a range of working patterns – from part-time to full time, office-based to homeworking or hybrid. Campaigns and Communications Manager Laura Williams explains…

The pandemic has changed the way we live and work and, as a charity and an employer, Campaign for National Parks is adapting to this to help nurture and grow a strong team. We’re looking to potentially double the size of our small, impactful team to help us rise to the challenge of campaigning to protect and improve National Parks in England and Wales; we have two key roles which we need filling and, in order to attract the best talent, we’re fully open to discussions around working patterns.

Work that works

As a mum to two young children who has been campaigning for flexible work and childcare since pregnant with my eldest son almost a decade ago, I jumped at the chance to secure a part-time, remote-working job with Campaign for National Parks in 2020.

As someone who lives in Bristol, I’d previously been excluded from so many jobs because they were London-based and, even were I able to afford it, I have no interest in moving to London (I commuted through – 6-7 hour round trip on the bus – for a 2 day a week job for almost a year, but that wasn’t sustainable). The pandemic changed this.

Campaign for National Parks was happy for me to be a home worker and for me to work part-time, to allow me to do freelance work and spend time with my toddler. They gave me the kit I need to do my job, and I meet up with the team when I go to London, or to a National Park. I feel part of the team, even though I live hundreds of miles away. It’s brilliant.

Not just for parents

I’d tried, and failed, to secure truly flexible work in the past. “Oh no, this has to be based 5 days a week in our HQ – maybe you could leave a few hours early on a Friday”, “We just can’t have managers on part-time hours”, “We need someone in London full-time so they can network”, etc. It was really frustrating to see management so wedded to the status quo and unprepared to trial new ways of working. Thankfully, it’s a different story at Campaign for National Parks.

This isn’t just about being flexible for working parents either, there’s a wealth of other reasons people would benefit from reduced hours – as currently being tested by the four-day working week pilot – from caring for older family members and pursuiing sporting endeavours to playing live music and volunteering. Moving from a clockwatching culture to a more efficient, productive space as people deliver more in fewer hours is better for all involved.

Come join us!

Our new Chief Executive Rose O’Neill joined us a few months ago and, along with our part-time Policy & Research Manager Ruth Bradshaw and part-time Partnerships & Supporter Engagement Officer Katja Pesari, we’re finding our way with a new hybrid way of working – some remote, some in person in our London office, some in the stunning surrounds of a National Park. We’re navigating online meetings, shared spaces and introducing new processes to ensure things run smoothly. Our small team size means we can be agile and make adjustments to suit everyone. Come and join us!

I finally broke free of the regional roles for a national-focused job which I could manage alongside parenting, freelance and my other interests (as a freelance journalist, I also review music festivals in the UK and Europe). The job felt like gold dust. I’m still counting my blessings. Which is why I can say, with confidence, that the two roles we’re currently recruiting for – Development Manager and Senior Campaigns Officer – are rare examples of truly flexible roles to fit around your other commitments. And that’s before we even get to the great cause you’ll be working for!

Find out more, and apply, here.