Estate Manager – Manor Farm, Shropham

About the Role

Manor Farm needs someone who can lead ambitious environmental delivery and run a rural estate like the business it is — not simply maintain it. A live Biodiversity Net Gain programme spans both land and water here, an ecotourism offering is growing fast, and a property portfolio including listed and residential buildings needs diligent attention. This is a role for someone who thinks like a project manager, cares like a conservationist, and is ready to take genuine ownership. The breadth of this role is intentional. No single background covers environmental delivery, property, agriculture, and hospitality all at once, so we're not expecting you to arrive with experience in every one of them. What matters most is the ability to deliver projects to a high standard, adapt as priorities shift, and bring real care to the landscape and people involved. Estate management experience is useful, but it's absolutely not the only route in. Joining us as we move into this next phase, you'll have real freedom to shape the estate's future — from deepening the nature recovery work already underway to growing what ecotourism at Manor Farm could become next. No two days will look the same, and that's exactly the point.

About You

This role suits people from a range of backgrounds — project management, environmental or conservation delivery, hospitality or ecotourism, or something else entirely. You don't need direct experience in every area below; we're just as interested in transferable skills and clear potential as we are in a perfect match on paper. Whatever your background, we'd love to hear from you if you think you can make a real difference with Oxygen Conservation and the communities where we're fortunate to work.

• Environment: A love for the natural world and rural environment and a genuine commitment to its ecological restoration.
• Impact: Experience in project management, environmental delivery, or a related field — ideally with a track record of delivering projects to a high standard, or clear potential to get there. Confidence managing estate finances — budgets, forecasting, grant applications, and compliance with relevant legislation and governance requirements. A genuine commitment to your own continued development.
• Adventure: Comfortable with hard, practical work in all weathers, and confident picking up hands‑on maintenance tasks when needed. Genuinely fueled by adventure, the environment, and the chance to see the tangible impact of your work.
• Togetherness: Proven ability to build collaborative relationships with landowners, farmers, contractors, regulators, tenants, and neighbours. A confident communicator, calm under pressure, and comfortable representing the estate professionally to a wide range of people. And let's be honest, you have to be kind too. Sharing snacks on long journeys or a packed lunch whilst out in the rain is mandatory!

Key Responsibilities

• Project Management & Environmental Delivery: Lead delivery of the estate's live Biodiversity Net Gain programme in accordance with an approved scheme which has created one of Norfolk’s largest registered habitat banks. Terrestrial enhancement work spans nutrient stripping, wildflower meadow creation, deer management and conservation grazing. Lead delivery of the estate's aquatic restoration work including a live project restoring the Stow Bedon Stream, working closely with our natural capital and ecology specialists. As this work nears completion, expect the terrestrial programme to become an increasingly central focus of the role. Coordinate delivery of estate capital and infrastructure projects tied to these programmes, and more widely across the estate, working closely with our natural capital and ecology specialists. Champion the estate's ongoing recovery of species‑rich grassland and habitat alongside its Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement supporting organic management.
• Property & Ecotourism: Manage existing residential tenancies and tenant relationships. Oversee maintenance of the estate's built property assets including a number of listed buildings. Work with contractors to ensure that repair and maintenance demands are completed to a high standard. With support from our property team, engage with planning stakeholders around opportunities for residential development on the edge of the village (a planning application for around 21 homes will be submitted this summer). Lead the continued growth of the estate's ecotourism offering (‘Honeypot Meadow’) and help shape what future guest experiences on the estate could look like as landscape restoration matures. Manage bookings, facilities, and guest engagement to deliver a consistently excellent visitor experience, using feedback and insight to continuously improve the seasonal offering.
• Estate Management & Agriculture: Oversee the day-to-day running of the estate, scheduling and managing planned maintenance across land, buildings, and infrastructure. Manage external consultants and contractors, and deliver hands‑on reactive maintenance where necessary. Oversee conservation grazing and stewardship management across the estate's farmland. Lead the continued organic management of the estate, and manage any livestock enterprise, alongside conservation‑led land use.
• Finance, Governance & Compliance: Support the forecasting, managing, and reporting of annual budgets. Identify and apply for grants and funding relevant to conservation, restoration, and estate projects. Implement systems of work that keep the estate compliant with relevant legislation, with accurate physical and digital records.
• Health & Safety (HSW): Manage contractor documentation and estate safety inspections. Assess and manage public access risk, particularly relevant as guest numbers grow through ecotourism. Ensure the safety and security of the property at all times, including safe lone working practice.
• Stakeholder, Community & Engagement: Act as the key interface between the central Oxygen Conservation team and local suppliers, tenants, and the wider community. Welcome investors and guests to the estate, managing bookings and engagement to deliver an outstanding ecotourism experience. Support the (re)development of homes, local jobs, and community opportunities tied to the estate.

Beyond these headline areas, expect the scope of this role to flex — from reporting and admin to the hundred fascinating things that pop up in any given week. You'll be backed by a team of industry‑leading specialists across natural capital, habitat restoration, ecology, marketing, and logistics, and you'll work closely with landowners, farmers, tenants, contractors, and regulators, acting as the trusted link between Manor Farm and the wider Oxygen Conservation team.

About Us

Oxygen Conservation was founded in 2021 by the Oxygen House Group and Dr Rich Stockdale with a clear mission: Scaling Conservation. We acquire land at scale on behalf of asset owners to deliver transformative environmental and social impact — creating profit as a result of what we do. In just a few years, we've completed twelve transactions, assembling a portfolio of over 43,000 acres dedicated to restoring and protecting nature. Our vision is intentionally aspirational: by 2030, we aim to have £1 billion of natural capital assets under management, enabling us to protect and restore 250,000 acres of land for people and wildlife. By combining our scale, reputation, cutting‑edge data, and exceptional people, we're redefining what conservation can look like. Our work hasn't gone unnoticed. We were named Start‑Up of the Year at the Business Leader South West Awards in 2022, Team of the Year at the 2023 Edie Awards, and our nature financing agreement with Triodos won ESG Deal of the Year at the 2024 Insider South West Dealmakers Awards. Our founder and CEO, Dr Rich Stockdale, features on the ENDS Power List of the UK's most influential environmental professionals, and was shortlisted for Edie's Leader of the Year Award in 2024. At Oxygen Conservation, we're scaling impact, creating opportunities, and leading the charge for a nature‑based economy that works for people, wildlife, and the planet.

Key Information

• Term: Full time, permanent
• Location: Shropham, Norfolk
• Accommodation: May be available on the estate for the right candidate, though this is not guaranteed
• Closing date: Monday 7 September 2026