Salary: £50,860 - £56,920 Inclusive of London Weighting
Contractual Hours: 35 hours per week
Hours of Work/Work Pattern: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Basis: Full -Time, Permanent
Workplace category: Workplace based – some opportunity for hybrid working can be discussed.
Workplace role categories describe our approach to workplace attendance
Attachments: Job Description and Person Specification
We reserve the right to close the advert earlier should we receive a high number of applications. We therefore encourage you to apply early.
This is a rare opportunity to take on a genuine leadership role, championing volunteering and community engagement across some of the UK’s most iconic green spaces. You’ll be a permanent employee of the City of London Corporation, seconded through an innovative partnership to serve as Chief Executive of Heath Hands.
About Us
North London Open Spaces (NLOS) is part of the City of London Corporation’s Natural Environment Division. We care for Hampstead Heath (including Golders Hill Park, the Heath Extension and Parliament Hill Fields), Highgate Wood, Queen’s Park and West Ham Park. Each is a registered charity with the City Corporation as sole trustee.
Our sites include ancient woodland, rich wildlife, a zoo, world-class sporting facilities and heritage buildings, and they are cherished by the communities around them. We’re a team of 135 people with a supportive, collaborative culture, and we invest in our staff’s development.
Last year, volunteers gave more than 15,000 hours to our open spaces, most of them through Heath Hands. For over 25 years, this independent charity has worked alongside NLOS, the City Corporation and English Heritage, running conservation, community, learning and wellbeing programmes across Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood, Queen’s Park, Keats House and the Kenwood Estate.
The Role
As Chief Executive of Heath Hands, you’ll report to its Board of Trustees and Chair and lead the charity day to day. You will:
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Lead the delivery of Heath Hands’ strategy and its four aims: Conservation, Community, Learning and Wellbeing
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Manage a small staff team supporting around 250 volunteers and members, and an annual budget of around £150,000
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Grow income from grants, donations, schools, events, retail and corporate volunteering
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Recruit and support a volunteer base that reflects the diversity of the communities around our sites
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Act as Heath Hands’ main ambassador, leading its communications and building partnerships and local stakeholder relationships
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Act as the main link with NLOS, delivering the Partnership Agreement, managing Heath Hands’ building on the Heath, and ensuring safe, well-coordinated activity on City Corporation land
Your work will contribute directly to the vision of the NLOS open space charities: open spaces that are rich in diversity, conserving nature, creating memories, enhancing lives.
About You
You’re an entrepreneurial, hands-on leader who works equally well at strategic and operational levels. You’ll bring:
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Demonstrated experience and passion for conservation, sustainability or the environment.
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Senior experience in a charity, public body or other complex organisation, including developing and delivering strategy
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Strong experience of volunteer management and of leading and developing staff
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A track record of meeting income targets and establishing new funding streams
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Sound budget management and business planning experience, with experience negotiating agreements
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Experience in communications, marketing and community engagement that builds participation and giving
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Excellent written and verbal communication, including reporting to boards, and the diplomacy to build relationships at every level
The role includes occasional evening and weekend work, with notice.
Why Join Us?
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Lead a well-established charity with a 25-year legacy, supported by the stability of a permanent City of London Corporation role
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Make a real difference for communities and nature across London
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Work in some of London’s most beautiful open spaces
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Competitive salary and benefits package
If you’re excited about connecting communities with London’s most cherished green spaces, we’d love to hear from you.
This role requires a Basic Disclosure & Barring Service check.
Various locations: Main location for this role is Hampstead Heath Parliament Hill but also includes other locations - Queen’s Park and Highgate Wood.
The City of London Corporation is currently undergoing a programme to ensure that our pay and reward practices are competitive and equitable across the whole organisation, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the work that we do.
Closing date: 23:59pm on 14 December 2026
Interviews will be held on W/c 4 January 2027
To apply online please click the Apply online button below.
Alternatively, please contact 020 7332 3978 (24 hr answerphone) quoting reference number OENV1531 if you experience any difficulties. A minicom service for the hearing impaired is available on 020 7332 3732.
The City of London Corporation is committed to Equal Opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
Because our roles are so varied, we don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ policy for workplace attendance. How many days a week you’ll be required to attend your workplace will depend on the requirements of your role. It’s important that you understand the requirements before applying to ensure you are able to meet them. We are committed to considering requests to work flexibly and job share. Requests will be considered by the recruiting manager in line with our policies and business needs.
For more information on our categories for workplace attendance, please view our guide here.
We will be reviewing this policy and approach at regular intervals to ensure we’re meeting our attendance needs.