CPRE Leicestershire
Managing Director
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Location: Leicestershire (hybrid — ad hoc travel around the county)
Contract: 4 days per week (with flexibility on a week-by-week basis), on a freelance contract basis
Reports to: Chair, CPRE Leicestershire
Rate: £2080 per calendar month in arrears (assuming 4 billed days/week)
Application deadline: 9:00 pm, 21 September 2026
About CPRE Leicestershire
CPRE, the Countryside Charity, has been protecting and enhancing England's countryside since 1926. 2026 marks our national centenary, and CPRE Leicestershire has championed local landscapes for 90 years as part of that journey. King Charles III is the national Patron of the charity.
We are a growing branch charity (No. 1164985) combining campaigning and policy work with hands-on environmental action — from hedgerow restoration and biodiversity projects to corporate partnerships and community engagement across the county. Leicestershire is one of England's most productive counties, and with that comes real pressure on hedgerows, habitats and biodiversity. Our work exists to meet that pressure with practical, local investment.
We focus much of our effort on local planning. From influencing local, regional and national policymakers, to supporting local communities who work to protect rural areas and all green spaces in rural and urban areas. We are also starting to promote countryside activities with people experiencing access difficulties, such as disabled people.
Having spent the last two years building our strong foundations — a clear purpose and mission, a vision for the future, a concise and compelling strategy, a small core team and our first delivery programmes — we are now entering a growth phase. We're looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and tenacious leader, ideally with experience at Managing Director level (or other suitably senior influential role) from any sector to lead that next chapter of ambitious growth and determination to play a major part in the future of green spaces across Leicester, Leicestershire and beyond. A passion for the cause is essential if progress is to be made, if challenges are to be overcome and if we are to be as impactful as we need to be.
About the role
As the senior member of the Executive Team, the potential for making a difference is huge. The Board of Trustees will provide advice, guidance, challenge and support to the post-holder as they build a charity whose potential and performance are the defining characteristics of which we can all be proud. The small, but dedicated, Executive Team will report to the post-holder, and they are highly committed individuals who support the cause wholeheartedly as well as being skilled team members.
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This is a newly created leadership role, reporting directly to the Chair and working closely with our Board of Trustees, other branches across England, our national office in London and equivalent organisations in Scotland and Wales. You will lead the branch's executive team and take day-to-day responsibility for turning our strategy and plans into delivery and outcomes reality — growing revenue, building team capacity, and increasing the pace and reach of our campaigns and countryside projects.
You'll take the reins of a small, capable delivery team and a portfolio that already includes corporate partnership programmes (including a hedgerow-planting programme delivered with corporate partners) and community/environmental campaigns, and you'll be responsible for scaling this sustainably. It will be you who will take us to the next level. A journey not for the faint-hearted, but one that will make a huge difference to doing the right thing, finding better ways to deliver and making it happen.
Key responsibilities
- Strategic leadership — work with the Chair and Trustees to translate CPRE Leicestershire's strategy into an operating plan, and take ownership of delivery against it
- Revenue growth — grow and diversify income, including developing corporate and local authority partnerships, sponsorships, and earned-income programmes
- Team leadership — lead and develop the branch's operational, business development and stakeholder engagement functions; build capacity and capability across a small staff and volunteer team
- Stakeholder and partnership management — build and maintain relationships with corporate partners, local councils, landowners, community groups and other conservation organisations
- Governance and reporting — report regularly to the Chair and Board of Trustees on performance, risk and delivery; support good governance practice across the branch
- Campaign and project delivery — oversee and accelerate the pace and quality of delivery across the branch's active projects and campaigns, ensuring they translate into meaningful countryside and community impact
What we're looking for
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- Proven senior leadership or general management experience, ideally including P&L, income generation or business development responsibility
- Experience operating in — or working closely with — a charity, nonprofit, membership organisation or similarly stakeholder-heavy environment
- A track record of building or scaling a small team and putting sustainable operational foundations in place
- Strong relationship-building skills, comfortable engaging everyone from volunteers and Trustees to corporate partners and local authorities
- Genuine interest in and commitment to the countryside, the environment, the local economy and local community
- Confidence operating with a good degree of autonomy in a part-time, contract capacity
Terms
- 4 days per week subject to mutual agreement on a contract freelance basis
- Home-based in Leicestershire or within easy travel to Leicestershire, with regular time at Bull & Hollow Farm (south Loughborough) and travel around the county, as needed; some remote working may be required if meetings with stakeholders require this. Flexible and proactive time management will be essential.
- Initial contract of six months, including a probationary period of three months, with monthly progress reviews from the beginning. Subject to satisfactory performance (notably revenue generation, team growth and delivery pace), the role will cease to be time-limited and will be replaced by a two-month notice period by either party.
- £2080 per calendar month in arrears, assuming 4 billed days/week over 12 months.
While the day rate might not match the levels experienced in the corporate world due to the organisation being a charity without trading income, it is hoped that the cause of promoting, protecting and enhancing the countryside will create a sense of satisfaction and achievement for the benefit of today’s community and future generations, in lieu of a higher rate.
How to apply
Please send a CV and a short covering statement (max one page) outlining your interest in the role to info@cpreleicestershire.org.uk by 9:00PM FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2026.
CPRE Leicestershire is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.
If you would like more information about this opportunity or you have any questions about the role, please email chair@cpreleicestershire.org.uk for a no-obligation informal discussion.
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