Elephant and Small Elephant Hawk-moths

Join us!

If you are passionate about the environment, conservation and tackling biodiversity loss you couldn’t be in a better place!

Butterfly Conservation is committed to delivering the biggest possible impact for nature, playing a leading role within the conservation sector. Our strategy defines how we are doing that. 

About Butterfly Conservation

Butterfly Conservation is a vibrant, inspiring place to work and we're passionate about connecting people to nature. We're looking to recruit passionate ‘can-do’ people who can help us to create a world where butterflies and moths thrive and can be enjoyed by everyone, forever.

  • Butterfly Conservation is a charity dedicated to saving butterflies, moths, and our natural environment. We are a leading authority on the conservation of these beautiful creatures – key indicators of a healthy ecosystem – and we have achieved numerous successes for them locally and nationally.
  • Our people are at the heart of what we do. Our work is only possible thanks to the commitment and dedication of our supporters, volunteers, and staff. 
  • We employ world-class conservation scientists, making us the world’s largest research institute for butterflies and moths. Our data is used by government and policymakers to make a long-term difference for the environment. 
  • We are actively involved in hands-on conservation throughout the UK, at every level from individual households to landscape-scale habitats, working tirelessly to make a difference for butterflies, moths, and our environment – and to benefit all wildlife and the ecosystems upon which life depends.    
  • We have 32 volunteer-run local branches, making a huge difference in their communities as well as operating 29 nature reserves in England, Scotland, and Wales, 
  • We run projects to protect threatened species, and we are involved in conserving hundreds of other sites across the UK.
  • We are proud to be supported by more than 40,000 members who share our passion for butterflies and moths. Every year we run one of the biggest citizen science projects in the world, the Big Butterfly Count, to engage more and more people with the natural world.


Our values

To help us stay true to our vision and mission we have worked together to define our values.

They are who we are and who we strive to be. Working together in unison, they inspire us to be the best we can be and help us to make good decisions today while building momentum towards a future where butterflies and moths can thrive.

We deliver Excellence

We use our wealth of scientific evidence and practical experience to deliver positive change for butterflies, moths and nature. We are the experts you can trust to give you the information you need.

We are Passionate

Nature is at the heart of all we do. We are dedicated to delivering positive change to conserve butterflies, moths and our environment. We are relentless in the pursuit of our vision, seeking new ways to make a difference.

We are Inspiring

We take action and speak up for what we believe in; we enable people to understand, enjoy and care for butterflies and moths.

We are Collaborative

We will achieve our vision by building networks, communities and partnerships, to deliver success for nature. Our culture champions and promotes inclusion, equality and diversity.

Butterfly Conservation is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and feels comfortable to be themselves. We employ amazing people from a wide variety of backgrounds, but who all share one thing in common, the desire to save butterflies, moths, and our environment.  

What’s in it for you

Join us at Butterfly Conservation and do something meaningful. Whatever role you want to apply for, whether it be fundraising, finance, or conservation, you will be contributing to saving the natural world.

We also offer a generous package of benefits for all our employees:

  • Flexible working. Our staff tell us that they appreciate the flexibility offered at Butterfly Conservation. Many of our people work out in the field or remotely, and we also have a thriving office in the beautiful location of Lulworth, Dorset for our more corporate roles, as well as access to regional office spaces for our teams based across the UK. Our flexible working approach ensures everyone can achieve their own version of a work life balance.
  • 8% employer pension contributions. According to the Office of National Statistics, around 80% of employing organisations of a similar size pay less than 8% contributions. That puts us in the top 20% of small organisations.
  • 28 days annual leave. Our generous annual leave allowance plus bank holidays means you have plenty of time to do the things you love outside of work. Annual leave will be calculated pro rata for any part time roles.
  • Wellbeing. All employees and their immediate families have 24-hour access to our Employee Assistance Programme. This is a confidential portal which offers expert advice and compassionate guidance 24/7, covering a wide range of issues that could be affecting your home life or work life, health and general wellbeing.
  • Learning and Development. We have a comprehensive basic training package for all staff to cover the range of topics you need to know about whilst working for us. In addition, we are currently reviewing our learning and development programmes and aim to offer a variety of opportunities for personal and technical skills development for all our staff.
  • We're a living wage employer. This means that we're committed to paying not just the minimum wage but the real Living Wage for all staff and sub contractors. The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually, based on the cost of living in the UK. You can find out more about the Living Wage by visiting www.livingwage.org.uk

How to Apply and the Appointment Process

You can now apply via our online portal where you can populate your application form on-line with details taken from your CV (including personal details) that will be retained to assist if applying for more than one vacancy.

Our privacy notice is available to view or download in the documents section at the bottom of this page.

Your application form plays an important part in our selection process. We have created this applicant guidance to help you formulate your application. Please ensure that your completed form relates as closely as possible to the requirements of the job, detailed in the Job Description and the Person Profile. C.V.s will not be accepted. 

If you are not able to complete your application online, please contact [email protected] and we will be able to supply you with an application form in Word format.

We will correspond with you by email and phone. Please ensure that you provide us with an email address and phone number that you are happy for us to use for this purpose. Please provide a mobile phone contact if possible. 

If you require any further information, please email us at [email protected] .

We aim to be an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We will ensure no applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, race, or any other protected or other characteristics.

Current Vacancies

It is an incredibly exciting time to be joining us. If you are passionate about the environment, conservation and tackling biodiversity loss you couldn’t be in a better place!

Over the next five years, Butterfly Conservation is committed to delivering the biggest possible impact for nature, playing a leading role within the conservation sector, with our new, ambitious strategy. 

Please see our current vacancies below: 

  • Youth Engagement Officer (Maternity cover)
  • Engagement Officer Big City Butterflies (Fixed Term)
  • Wild Spaces Officer
  • Wales Marsh Fritillary Recovery Project Officer (Fixed Term)

Youth Engagement Officer (Fixed Term)

Salary:                Grade C, £28,148 - £32,519 depending upon experience plus 8% employer                                               pension contribution
Contract:            1-year Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover)
Location:            Home based/flexible with some occasional travel within the UK
Hours of work:   Full time (37 hours per week) 

It is an exciting time for Youth Engagement here at Butterfly Conservation. We have recently recruited our first ever Youth Panel, an initiative which is at the forefront of our intention to make a real change to the way we engage young people in our work. We recognise that young people are currently underserved in terms of the opportunities available to participate in our work and the missed opportunity this presents as we work towards our vision of a world where butterflies and moths thrive and can be enjoyed by everyone, forever.

We are looking for a dynamic and motivated person with a strong background in youth participation to join our team to lead this next phase for our Youth Panel and our wider youth engagement work. You will be joining us in a maternity cover role, so must feel comfortable picking up work that has already been set in motion, although there will be plenty of opportunity to apply your own ideas and experience. 

If you are a passionate advocate for the development of young people and for their participation and empowerment in the conservation sector, then we would love to hear from you. Please read through the job description and person specification, to see if you have the right skills to join the team. Click here to apply.

If you are interested in the role and want an informal chat, please contact Kate Merry, Head of Engagement via [email protected]

Butterfly Conservation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. We are dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture. Please tell us if there are any reasonable adjustments, we can make to help you in your application or with our recruitment process.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: midday Wednesday 10th April 2024

Interviews will take place on Thursday 25th April 2024. 


Engagement Officer (Big City Butterflies) - Fixed Term

Salary:    Grade C, £28,148 - £32,519 depending upon experience plus 8% employer pension contribution (consideration will also be given to the requirement to live in London)
Contract: Fixed term contract until 31st March 2025
Location: Home based (London Region) with frequent travel within inner London
Hours of work: Full time (37 hours per week)

 

Big City Butterflies is a National Lottery Heritage funded project, delivered across inner London and now in its fourth and final year. This exciting project delivers a busy and effective programme of conservation and engagement activities, supporting Londoners to discover butterflies and moths through their local green spaces. The people we reach through the project have opportunities to learn about butterflies and moths, to enjoy them and to help them thrive in their neighbourhoods.


We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic individual with experience of engaging people and communities in nature. They will lead the engagement elements of the Big City Butterflies project plan in this important last year. The post presents a fantastic opportunity to inspire people to discover and enjoy butterflies and moths and to take action to protect them.

If you have a passion for nature, the ability to engage and inspire others and experience in project delivery, we look forward to hearing from you. Please read through the job description and person specification, to see if you have the right skills to join the team. Click here to apply.

If you are interested in the role and want an informal chat, please contact Kate Merry, Head of Engagement via [email protected].

Butterfly Conservation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. We are dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture. Please tell us if there are any reasonable adjustments, we can make to help you in your application or with our recruitment process.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: midday Wednesday 17th April 2024

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 30th April 2024


Wild Spaces Officer

Contract:        Permanent
Hours:            37 hours per week (1fte)
Location:        Remote / Hybrid
Salary:            Grade C, salary range £28,148 to £32,519 pa (dependent on experience), plus 8% employer pension contribution

Are you are passionate about engaging and inspiring people to connect to nature and helping tackle green space deprivation in communities across the UK?

Wild Spaces is Butterfly Conservation’s flagship engagement programme. It provides a simple and easy way for everyone to get involved and make a difference to help butterflies and moths. 

Wild Spaces are all around us. They are the flowers in our window boxes, the pots on our patios, the patches of weeds in our gardens or allotments, and the wildflower meadows in our churchyards and parks. They provide space for nature to thrive and places for people to access and enjoy.

Butterfly Conservation has set a strategic goal to create 100,000 Wild Spaces by 2026, including through delivery of flagship projects across the UK. 

This role will coordinate the development and delivery our Wild Spaces Programme by working on a range of projects and activities.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Steve Gray - Head of Wild Spaces, via the HR team at @email 

You can find the job description here. To apply for this role, please use our application portal.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Closing date: Midday Friday 19 April 2024

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 29 April 2024


Wales Marsh Fritillary Recovery Project Officer (Fixed Term)

The Heritage Fund and Welsh Gov partner logo

 

 

Contract:        Fixed Term until December 2025
Hours:            37 hours per week (1fte)
Location:        Home based / flexible, with frequent travel across South and West Wales and occasional to North West Wales.
Salary:            Grade C, salary range £28,148 to £32,519 pa (dependent on experience), plus 8% employer pension contribution

This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.

We're looking for an enthusiastic, driven, and self-motivated individual to join Butterfly Conservation as Wales Marsh Fritillary Recovery Project Officer.

The ideal candidate will have experience of leading volunteers on species and habitat surveys and liaising with partner organisations and private landowners. They will also be able to use GIS mapping to create spatial data to inform future conservation efforts.

In this role you'd be working with partners and landowners, leading and coordinating volunteers undertaking metapopulation surveys and habitat assessments of core Marsh Fritillary sites to update mapping layers. This will create a landscape-scale focus, identifying opportunities to create recommendations and costed plans for habitat connectivity projects.

The successful candidate will also help create a ‘Marsh Fritillary Recovery Partnership’ with key stakeholders across Wales.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to request an informal chat, please contact Alan Sumnall - Head of Conservation Wales and Northern Ireland, via the HR team at @email 

You can find the job description here. To apply for this role, please use our application portal.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Closing date: Midday Monday 22 April 2024

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 29 April 2024


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