Site Manager

Essex Wildlife Trust are the county’s leading conservation charity, committed to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature; and we would love you to join our committed and enthusiastic team. By 2030 we aim to protect and connect 30% of land and sea and inspire 1 in 4 people in Essex to take action for wildlife.

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and passionate Site Manager to join us at our Nature Discovery Centre at Thameside, in Stanford-le-Hope. Our Nature Discovery Centre is located on top of the former Mucking Marshes Landfill in Thurrock, a reserve home to many species including barn owls, short eared owls, water voles, harvest mouse, skylark, cuckoo and shrill carder bee in addition to local cattle that graze the grassland during the year.

The Site Manager will be responsible for delivering the day-to-day operations covering administrative, retail and food and beverage, overseeing maintenance, inventory, budgets, people management, event planning and ensuring commercial targets are met as well as working alongside the project team and the conservation department to line manage the Ranger for Thameside.

This role is well suited to applicants with prior experience of working in a commercial, visitor attraction environment with F&B, hospitality and retail. We are looking for a site manager who can lead from the front and motivate the team to engage proactively with the audience, manage people, understand health and safety, including food preparation and storing compliance together with event planning. A passion for, or interest in wildlife would be advantageous.

The position is a permanent role working 37.5 hours per week between Monday and Sunday (five out of seven days) on a rota basis that includes regular weekend and Bank Holiday working and some evenings for events and activities. The starting salary is £32,472.95 per annum.

To make an application, please complete an online application form on our website by 9:00am on Tuesday 24 March 2026. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 31 March 2026. We reserve the right to close this advert early. Please submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Our values are Impactful, Collaborative, United and Proactive. Annual leave entitlement starts at 26 days per annum increasing annually to 29 days plus Bank Holidays. We provide company sick pay increasing with length of service, an employee assistance programme, a combined 8% contribution pension scheme, staff social days, colleague nomination scheme and discounts in our Nature Discovery Centres.

Essex Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we know how important diversity is, both in our natural world and amongst the people we employ. We want everyone to feel valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature”.

As a Disability Confident employer, please make us aware you have a disability as we are committed to offering an interview that meets the minimum criteria for the post. If you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible, please make us aware.

We are proud to be an employer that supports the Armed Forces Covenant and are committed to supporting those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families. As part of this commitment, Armed Forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for an advertised role will be guaranteed an interview.