Team: Communications and Outreach 

Location: ARC Head Office, Boscombe, Bournemouth, with regular travel throughout Dorset and Hampshire and occasional travel to Merseyside and East Anglia 

Salary: £40,000 – £42,000 per annum 

Working pattern: Full time – 37.5 hours per week 

Contract type: Fixed term for approximately four years, with an anticipated start date as soon as possible 

Closing date: 13/11/2026
Shortlisting: Throughout, to be completed by 20th November
Interviews: Interviews are expected to be held in person at ARC’s Boscombe office in the latter half of November, with exact dates to be confirmed. Shortlisted candidates will be given as much notice as possible. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. 

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead Hop Spots, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’s national education programme for England, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

Hop Spots is an ambitious four-year programme designed to reconnect children and young people with nature through environmental education, conservation training and wellbeing-focused engagement. The programme will work across three distinct regions of England – Dorset and surrounding areas, Merseyside and East Anglia – each selected for its importance for amphibians and reptiles and the opportunities it provides to engage children, young people and communities with nature. 

At the heart of the programme is a learning pathway that supports children and young people to Connect with, Learn about and Act for amphibians, reptiles and the natural environment. Through this, Hop Spots will promote nature connection and its benefits for wellbeing and development, place native species at the heart of environmental education, and help young people develop conservation skills and explore future opportunities in the environmental sector. 

As Hop Spots Project Manager, you will have overall responsibility for leading and managing the delivery of this ambitious national programme. You will lead a geographically dispersed project team and oversee delivery across all three project regions, while providing national oversight to ensure the programme aligns with best practice and delivers resources and learning that can be shared across the UK. Working closely with colleagues, project partners, schools, colleges, universities, community organisations and other stakeholders, you will ensure activities are delivered consistently and to a high standard. 

You will line manage three Hop Spots Education Officers, based in Dorset and surrounding areas, Merseyside and East Anglia, together with two interns who will join the programme in its later stages. You will work closely with the Education Officers and key delivery partners, including the National Trust, Green Sefton and the Zoological Society of East Anglia, to coordinate education, outreach and engagement activity across the programme. 

This is a varied and rewarding role offering the opportunity to lead across all aspects of project delivery, including team management, partnership working, programme coordination, budget management, monitoring and evaluation, communications and reporting to funders. You will also oversee key consultancy contracts, including the project’s independent evaluator and videographer, and ensure learning, feedback and evidence of impact are captured throughout the life of the programme. 

Based at ARC’s Head Office in Boscombe, Bournemouth, you will work closely with colleagues across ARC’s Communications, Reserves, Species, Science, Finance and Administration teams, ensuring that Hop Spots is integrated with ARC’s wider conservation, engagement and organisational priorities. 

This is a unique opportunity to lead a major four-year national programme, work with partners across England and help create a lasting legacy for children, young people, communities and the conservation of amphibians and reptiles. 

About us 

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles and the habitats on which they depend. 

Our work combines practical conservation, habitat management, science, species recovery, education, public engagement and advocacy. We work with communities, volunteers, landowners, conservation organisationsand other partners across the UK to protect some of our most threatened native species and help more people engage with the natural world. 

Hop Spots represents a major investment in ARC’s work with children and young people and will create new opportunities to connect communities with amphibians, reptiles and their habitats across England. 

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Hop Spots is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to develop new opportunities for children and young people to connect with nature, learn about native amphibians and reptiles and develop the skills to take action for their conservation. 

For full details of the role, responsibilities, person specification and organisational relationships, please download the Hop Spots Project Manager Job Description. 

How to apply: Please submit a covering letter explaining your interest in the role and how you meet the person specification, plus a completed application form, via the Apply Here button below by 12:00 on Friday, 13th November 2026.