Green Space for Health Programme Director (Maternity Cover)

Green Space for Health Programme Director (Maternity Cover)

Lead the future of our nature-based health programme and help secure the funding, partnerships and innovation needed to grow our impact across healthcare settings and communities.

Fully remote (with monthly travel to Oxford for team days)
Part time – 4 days per week
Salary: £46,350 per annum (plus contributory pension).
Pro rata Salary (0.8FTE): £37,080
Fixed term for 8 months with potential to extend to 12 months depending on funding
Start date: Mid-January 2027
Apply by midnight 25th Oct 2026, interviews will take place w/c 2nd Nov.

Why join us?

The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, inspires and empowers people to transform healthcare for a sustainable future. Our Green Space for Health programme transforms NHS sites into vibrant outdoor spaces that support biodiversity, wellbeing, and connection.

As Green Space for Health Director, you will oversee our Green Space team and programmes, working to promote and demonstrate the importance of the natural world in a sustainable healthcare system. Nature has been shown to create healthier communities, help people recover quicker, and support staff wellbeing. Our Green Space for Health programme works to bring nature to the people and places that need it most.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We warmly welcome applications from people of colour, disabled people, and those with lived experience of marginalisation. If you need any adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, just let us know — we’ll do everything we can to support you.

About the role

This is an exciting senior leadership opportunity for someone who is passionate about the power of nature to improve health and wellbeing. Covering a period of maternity leave, you will provide strategic leadership for our Green Space for Health programme, helping to shape its future direction, strengthen partnerships and secure the resources needed to grow its impact.

Our Green Space for Health programme promotes the value of green space for physical and mental health, both at healthcare sites and in the wider community. Through initiatives including the NHS Forest and Nature Recovery Rangers, we support healthcare organisations to create and enhance spaces that benefit biodiversity, staff wellbeing, patient recovery and community health. We also undertake research, develop resources, provide expert advice and support a growing community of practice.

Alongside overseeing the delivery of our existing projects, you will play a key role in developing the programme’s future sustainability. Working closely with colleagues, partners and funders, you will help shape and deliver an income generation strategy, identify and secure new funding opportunities, build strategic partnerships and support the long-term growth of our Green Space for Health work.

We are looking for someone who combines strong leadership and relationship-building skills with experience of income generation, fundraising or business development. Your background may come from any sector, including charity, health, environmental, sustainability or public sectors. The most important thing is that you will share our belief that greener healthcare environments can create healthier people, places and communities.

The role leads the Green Space team, including 11 rangers and core programme staff, and works closely with the Green Space for Health Project Manager to ensure successful delivery of existing projects while exploring opportunities for innovation and future growth.

Key responsibilities

The Green Space for Health Director works across:

Leadership and management:

Providing strategic leadership for the Green Space for Health programme and supporting its future development.
Leading, supporting and developing the Green Space team, including line management of key staff members.
Building and strengthening partnerships that increase the reach, impact and sustainability of our work.
Representing CSH and the Green Space for Health programme at conferences, events, meetings and stakeholder forums.

Finance and fundraising:

Developing and implementing an income generation and funding strategy to support the long-term sustainability and growth of the programme.
Identifying, cultivating and securing funding opportunities from trusts, foundations, sponsors, public bodies and other sources, and supporting CSH’s membership programme.
Managing and presenting the Green Space team budget to Senior Management Team meeting and the board.
Fundraising is a collective effort at CSH. All roles have a responsibility for raising revenue through building relationships with funders, donors and partners, contributing to our sales pipeline and/or funding application processes.

Project oversight, governance, and reporting:

Overseeing programme budgets and ensuring strong financial management across projects.
Working alongside the Green Space for Health Project Manager to oversee project delivery and the development of new initiatives.
Coordinating reporting across the programme, including reporting to funders and the CSH Board of Trustees.

Service development:

Supporting the development and delivery of our Green Space for Health training course, as well as resources and other learning opportunities.
Actively contributing to CSH’s Senior Management Team, supporting organisational strategy, development and culture.

A Day in the Life

No two days are quite the same in this role. One day you might be developing a major funding proposal or meeting potential partners to explore new opportunities for the NHS Forest, and the next you could be supporting your team, presenting at a conference, making a site visit, or helping shape the future direction of our Green Space for Health programme.

This is a highly autonomous role with plenty of variety. You’ll have the freedom to manage your own workload while working closely with our CEO, Senior Management Team, partners and Green Space colleagues across the UK.

A day in the life of the Green Space for Health Director might include:

A morning meeting with the Green Space team to work through priorities together and celebrate progress
Meeting with a potential NHS Forest sponsor to discuss funding, partnership opportunities and ways their staff could get involved through volunteering
Developing a funding application with partners, bringing together ideas and evidence
Reviewing programme budgets and updating financial forecasts ahead of an upcoming senior management meeting
Preparing an impact report for a funder, showcasing how greener healthcare spaces are improving wellbeing and supporting nature recovery
Working with colleagues to develop new ideas, resources or training opportunities that help grow the programme’s reach and impact
Delivering a presentation or speaking at a conference about the role of nature in creating healthier people, places and communities
Signing off the day with a 1:1 conversation with a team member, offering support, guidance and encouragement

About you

We are looking for a collaborative and entrepreneurial leader who can combine strategic thinking with practical delivery. You are right for this role if you are motivated by creating positive change and excited about the potential for nature-based approaches to improve health outcomes and create more sustainable healthcare systems.

Essential skills and experience

Experience developing income generation, fundraising or business development strategies and securing funding from a range of sources.
Experience leading programmes, organisations, departments or significant projects through periods of development and growth.
Strong leadership and people management skills, including experience supporting, motivating and developing teams.
Excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to establish productive partnerships and networks.
Experience of financial management, budget oversight and resource planning.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including developing compelling funding applications, proposals, reports and presentations.
Strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to identify opportunities and translate ideas into action.
Experience overseeing the successful delivery of complex programmes or projects.
The ability to solve problems, manage competing priorities and make informed decisions.
A commitment to staff wellbeing and inclusive leadership.
Professional experience, knowledge of, or a strong interest in one or more of the following areas: nature, biodiversity, sustainability, climate action, health improvement or healthcare.
An understanding of, or ability to quickly develop an understanding of, CSH’s mission and the Green Space for Health programme.
Confidence working remotely and managing own workload
Competence with Microsoft Office suite and Sharepoint/Teams systems.
Right to work in the UK

We recognise that excellent candidates do not always meet every requirement and we welcome applicants with transferable skills.

Desirable skills and experience

Experience or qualifications in ecology, conservation, environmental management or a related field.
Experience of working with or within the health sector.
Experience managing geographically dispersed or remote teams.

Location

The role is primarily home-based but will require some travel within the UK for visits, meetings, and conferences. We encourage the use of sustainable travel wherever feasible. CSH is based in Oxford, UK and staff are expected to attend office meeting days in person once a month. Travel costs for attending these meetings are reimbursed.

Benefits

CSH is a registered charity, and our salary levels are competitive within the charity sector. We aim to increase salaries in line with cost-of-living at least annually. Working with CSH has many additional advantages: CSH cares for every staff member as a whole person and as a valued part of the team; CSH provides support for people working in different circumstances and is flexible in terms of working patterns to accommodate individual needs.

CSH values the well-being of its employees, offering a supportive environment, flexible working patterns, and a range of staff benefits like online yoga classes, monthly team days in Oxford, and more. If you are passionate about sustainable healthcare and looking for a rewarding, impactful role, this is your chance to make a difference!

What to expect from the recruitment process?

While the exact process may vary by role, it typically includes:

Application and CV review
Shortlisting
Assessment preparation (relevant to the role)
Interview stage (questions and a chance to present/discuss your assessment), approx. 45 mins – 1 hour long
2nd round of interviews (only if there are a high number of applications received)
Offer and onboarding

We aim to review applications within two weeks of the closing date, although this may take longer if we receive a high volume of applications.

Interviews are held via Microsoft Teams, and we’ll share interview questions in advance so you can prepare.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best. If you need any adjustments or alternative arrangements during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll work with you to meet your needs.

You’ll have opportunities to ask questions throughout the process. We aim to provide feedback after interviews wherever possible, although this may not always be possible when application numbers are high.

AI and Recruitment

At CSH, we do not use AI to make recruitment decisions or to screen, read or assess CVs, Cover Letters and applications. Your application will be reviewed by people, and recruitment decisions are made by our people.

We recognise that AI and assistive technologies can be helpful in supporting people with their application. We encourage candidates to use technology in ways that help them communicate their skills and experience. However, we value authenticity and encourage you to ensure that your application reflects your own experiences, skills and voice.

Equal opportunities and eligibility to work in the UK

As an equal opportunities’ employer, The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and actively encourage applications from people from underrepresented backgrounds, including candidates with disabilities, those from global majority backgrounds, and people of all gender identities.

All applications are assessed fairly and consistently against the skills, experience and criteria outlined in the job description. Recruitment decisions are based on merit and evidence provided through the application and interview process.

Where candidates are assessed as equally qualified, we may take positive action in line with the Equality Act 2010 to help address under-representation within our organisation.

The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare aspires to be a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages suitably qualified applicants of the global majority, people with disabilities and men to apply, as these groups are currently under-represented in the organisation.

If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the application process, please contact recruitment@sustainablehealthcare.org.uk

Please note, we have a legal responsibility to ensure that all our workers and employees have the legal right to live and work in the UK. As such you may be asked to provide proof that you have the right to work in the UK.

Data Protection

CSH is committed to ensuring your data is protected and is only used in line with GDPR guidelines, and we do not collect unnecessary personal data from applicants during the recruitment process. Data collected as part of the recruitment process is held securely and accessed by, and disclosed to, individuals only for the purposes of managing the recruitment exercise effectively to decide to whom to offer the job. Please see our privacy policy for more information.