Biodiversity and Business Partnerships Manager in Cambridge

Application deadline: Friday 17 April 2026 – 23:59 BST

Location: Cambridgeshire, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in Cambridge)

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Contract: Fixed term for 2 years with the possibility of extension

Salary: £45,000 per annum depending on skills/experience, plus competitive 12% pension benefit

Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata in year 1, increasing by 1 day p/a to 28 days

We are BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.

We are looking for a Biodiversity and Business Partnerships Manager to support the delivery of BirdLife's Global Business Engagement Strategy. The position is situated in the Global Policy and Business Engagement Division.

How you will do this:

• By leading the coordination of BirdLife's global business partnerships, serving as the project manager and main contact point for select business relationships as well as developing new relationships as agreed.
• By supporting further development and implementation of BirdLife's Business Engagement Strategy, contributing to the development of our offering to the private sector and of strategies for priority sectors aimed at driving wider sector-wide transformative change.
• By representing BirdLife in various external priority partnerships such as the IBAT Alliance, the KBA Partnership and working groups of the Nature Positive Initiative, providing expert input.

This role will require national and international travel for up to 10 weeks per year.

What we are looking for:

• Success in this role requires a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject.
• You’ll need a strong understanding of the business case and drivers for the conservation of biodiversity, alongside knowledge of key frameworks and standards such as Nature Positive, TNFD and SBTN.
• Proven experience in developing and managing NGO–business partnerships that deliver measurable impact, including stakeholder engagement, due diligence and collaborative project delivery is a must; alongside solid proposal writing and project management skills, including budget oversight.
• Familiarity with sectors such as extractives, renewable energy, fisheries, agriculture or finance is an advantage.
• The role requires the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, coordinate remote teams, and build effective relationships across diverse cultural contexts.
• Strong problem‐solving and conflict resolution skills are essential, as is experience preparing strategic documents and briefing senior leadership.
• The successful candidate will be highly organised, able to manage competing priorities, and consistently meet deadlines.

Some of our benefits:

• We are able to offer a hybrid model of working on‐site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work‐life balance.
• A chance to work in the award‐winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge‐based conservation community on a 'conservation campus.'
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high‐quality, on‐demand courses.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal (webinars, nutritional advice, 4‐week programmes, financial wellbeing and more).

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We know that everyone's needs are different. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process to help you shine, just let us know, we'll do our best to make it happen.

Interviews: Interviews will be held during the week of 27 April 2026.