Head of People & Operations (Maternity Cover)

We are looking for a new colleague to work with us from January 2026.

With exceptional organisational abilities you will have the ambition to help take ANT to our next level of impact, as we prepare for exponential growth over the next year. Head of People & Operations is a senior leadership, multidisciplinary role requiring project management expertise,
operational skills, and experience in human resources. A great people person, you will be able to hit the ground running with a solutions focused attitude and approach.

Avon Needs Trees is a fast-growing organisation that started in 2019 with four volunteers and has grown to a staff team of twenty six, over 1,000 volunteers and ownership of 600 acres of land that will grow woodlands of over 160,000 trees.

Main Responsibilities

• Work as part of the Senior Leadership Team on organisational strategy, project development and workforce planning, helping to guide ANT through a period of business transformation and growth
• Line-manage and oversee the work of our project managers, and governance and operations staff to ensure our people are well-supported and our projects are impactful
• Lead on key areas of operations including HR, recruitment, staff wellbeing, safeguarding, health & safety, cyber security, and operational finance 
• Monitor and report on key areas of operations
• Lead on any necessary policy/process development
• Ensure our staff and (as relevant) volunteers are trained and aware of their responsibilities, supported in their implementation, and that awareness of these responsibilities remains high
• Lead on project management best practice across ANT, oversee project plans, budgets, funder requirements, legal compliance, performance monitoring, milestones and delivery, risk management, and project governance
• Lead or work on new projects, initiatives and workstreams as required, including a potential Round 2 Landscape Recovery project (subject to funding)
• Be a strong advocate, internally and externally, for ANT’s projects and the benefits they will deliver

Your legacy will be a tangible impact on slowing down climate change, helping nature recover by overseeing and bringing out the best in both our people and our projects, enabling us to plant hundreds of thousands of trees and enhance complementary habitats. You will have management oversight of our woodland site and (subject to funding) a Lower Chew Landscape Recovery project that will see thousands of acres of local land managed in harmony with nature.