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The Vacancy
Trainee Wilder Schools and Communities Officer
Part Time – 21 Hours per Week (0.6 FTE)
Salary: £22,932 pro rata gross per annum
Fixed Term Contract for 2 Years
Location: Testwood Lakes, Brunel Road, Calmore, Totton, Hampshire, SO40 3WX
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a grassroots movement working for nature’s recovery and to bring people closer to nature.
‘Our vision for a wilder future is beautiful and vital!’
Our future has to be wilder!
We are seeking a Trainee Wilder Schools and Communities Officer to join our cause.
This role will help children, families, schools and communities connect with nature and take action in support of wildlife. Our education and engagement work plays a pivotal role in our efforts to create a wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight. We know that wildlife is in freefall both locally and globally and we need many more people on nature’s side if we are to tip the balance in favour of nature’s recovery.
Based at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve, this new role will work with schools, groups, communities and visitors from the surrounding area.
Testwood Lakes is one of the Wildlife Trust’s flagship reserves. It is a popular destination for the public and provides essential access to nature for those living in Totton and Southampton, as well as visitors from further afield. This is a multifunctional site used for angling, recreation and dog walking, as well as providing essential habitat and sanctuary areas for wildlife. The Education Centre provides space for visiting school groups as well as meeting space and at weekend hosts a variety of children and family activities.
This role will help us to engage more deeply with the communities surrounding the nature reserve, including local schools – inspiring and motivating them to take positive action, value the nature reserve and be part of ‘Team Wilder’. Our Wilder Schools approach has been developing over the past few years, building on our excellent track record of outdoor education at our sites. This role will support work with local schools, providing advice, guidance and educational sessions both in school and on-site at Testwood Lakes.
The post holder will also support building positive relationships and work closely with local organisations and residents/visitors to make a real difference to people’s connection with nature and encourage pro-nature behaviour change, both on-site and in the wider community.
Wild About Inclusion!
As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.
Disability Confident.
We are proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer. The scheme is helping us recruit and retain great people to meet our workforce needs. As a member of the scheme, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. You can request adjustments including accessible formats of this vacancy by emailing us
To be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme you must:
Identify as being disabled which under the Equality Act 2010 means a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial*, long term** adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities; or a long-term health condition; and;
(*Substantial is more than minor or trivial **Long-term means 12 months or more)
Set out how you meet all the minimum qualifying criteria set out in the person specification for the post at the application and testing stages. This is a requirement for all candidates, not just those applying under the scheme.
We offer a wide range of benefits including a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, learning and development support, 24-hour access to our employee assistance programme, discounted staff travel with our corporate partners Wightlink (subject to T&Cs) and more.
Interview Date: 21 November 2025
To apply for the role, please click on the 'Apply Now' button at the top of the page. In the ‘supporting information’ section, you’ll need to demonstrate, with detailed examples, how you meet the job requirements using the Job Description and Recruitment Pack below. Please note that we may occasionally close vacancies early when we have received enough applications that meet the required criteria.
Please do not use artificial intelligence tools to assist you to complete the application form. We may not accept applications that have been completed utilising AI tools. If you would usually use tools such as these to assist you in filling in a form, please contact us to discuss this further and understand other options.
INDMED
The Company has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years. We have a vast number of employees, and provide support to clients from all over the country. Recently, the company has won multiple workplace environment awards and has an outstanding record of employee satisfaction.
The Benefits
Benefit 1
Benefit 2
Benefit 3
Benefit 4
The Values
We are creative and fearless in our work.
We take ownership of our work and lead from the front.
We collaborate widely and build supportive environments.
Well most importantly you get to work in one of the most magnificent parts of the UK! Here in Hampshire we have globally important wetlands around the coastline of the Solent and medieval heathland landscapes in the New Forest. Our thriving cities and suburbs are surrounded by exceptional places for wildlife including gin-clear chalk rivers, flower-rich grasslands and ancient woodlands. And our jewel in the crown is the Isle of Wight where you can walk all day across downland turf and along spectacular cliffs. That’s our working environment and you could share it with us!
Pay
Whether you are Reserves Officer shaping habitats for wildlife or a Finance Officer crunching the numbers, you are vital to the achievement of our vision for a wilder future. We want to make sure that you stay with us and feel valued, recognised and rewarded. So we benchmark our salaries against similar organisations to make sure we offer a competitive salary for all. We are also a living wage employer.
Pension
Securing your future is as important to us as securing the future for wildlife!
All our employees are auto-enrolled into our pension scheme. Those on permanent contracts, or fixed term contracts for over 2 years, receive 8% contribution from the Trust with an employee contribution of 2%.
Those on temporary or shorter termed contracts are auto-enrolled onto our NEST pension scheme, receiving a 3% contribution from the Trust and paying 5% themselves.
Holidays
Whether you want to hibernate or travel south for the winter, you will receive 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays each year (pro-rated for part time staff). Your holiday entitlement will increase with your length of service to a maximum of 30 days per year.
Flexible Working
As we work to tip the balance in favour of nature, we are keen to ensure that our employees have a healthy work life balance too. We are always ready to talk to staff about ways we may be able to support this. We have a number of staff who work part time, from home and have flexible working patterns.
Health and Wellbeing
Like nature, should you need support to recover, we offer enhanced sick pay above your statutory entitlement.
We also fund counselling sessions for employees who would like help with their mental health and wellbeing as part of our Employee Assistance Programme.
Learning and Development
We ensure that wildlife has a habitat to thrive in and we do the same for our staff. We commit to ensuring that our employees have the skills, knowledge and experience they need in order to excel at their role. We recognise talent and actively support professional and career development.
As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.
Based on our gender pay gap calculations, on average (median) men and women are paid equally at the Trust and our mean calculations report that on average women get paid slightly more than men.
Our Values
Our values are at the heart of who we are and what we do – they propel our culture and shape our priorities, beliefs, and actions. They underpin the decisions we make and are fundamental to how we treat one another and our stakeholders.
Passion
We are inspired by our love for nature and driven by our cause. We are relentless in the pursuit of our Vision and Mission.
Integrity
Honesty and ethics underpin our work. We understand that our individual and collective actions form the essence of our reputation and trustworthiness as an environmental NGO.
Respect
We value our people and treat everyone with dignity and professionalism.
Inclusion
Collectively and as individuals we recognise that it takes people with different ideas, strengths, identities, interests, and cultural backgrounds to make our organisation succeed.
Commitment
We are committed to doing our best for each other and for nature. We persevere through difficulties and setbacks, maintaining our commitment even in the face of challenges.
Collaboration
We support each other and our stakeholders. We feel motivation in shared success as well as individual progress.
Excellence
We are committed to continuous improvement, adapting, and evolving to meet and exceed the expectations of our stakeholders.
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Documents
Email: recruitment@hiwwt.org.uk
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