Project Manager: My Nature Play

Job Title: Project Manager: My Nature Play

Location: Hybrid, flexi working.

Salary: £36,000 pro-rata (actual £29,189)

Hours: 30 hours per week, worked over 4 or 5 days per week, year-round.

Contract: Funded project contract ending October 2028.

Line Manager: Chief Operating Officer

About us:

Learning through Landscapes is the UK's leading school grounds charity, dedicated to enhancing outdoor learning and play for all. Our vision is a society where the benefits of regular time outdoors are valued and appreciated, and outdoor learning, play and connection with nature is recognised as a fundamental part of education, at every stage, for every child and young person.

We have unrivalled expertise based on three decades of experience, practical action and research. With offices in England and Scotland and staff based across the UK, our team and our accredited network of outdoor learning experts have the capacity to work nationally and internationally.

The project

Our new My Nature Play programme helps young children fall in love with nature by improving their outdoor experiences in their Early Years settings. We want every child across the UK to have the opportunity to play, explore and learn outdoors, every day.

Over the course of a term, practitioners take part in six, fun, practical training sessions designed to build skills, confidence and inspiration for high-quality nature play. Together, we'll discover simple, creative ways to bring outdoor learning to life, both within settings and in local green spaces. Delivered throughout England, Wales and Scotland across 170 Early Years settings, My Nature Play will create a long-term legacy of confidence, creativity and connection to nature.

We'll also work closely with parents and carers, helping them to find joy in spending more time outside with their children and creating memories that nurture curiosity, confidence and connection to the natural world.

What you'll be doing:

As Project Manager for My Nature Play, you will play a pivotal role in delivering one of LtL's most ambitious and exciting Early Years projects. You will coordinate a national delivery team, manage staff and LtL accredited network, support evaluation, and ensure that the project achieves measurable impact for practitioners, children and families.

You will report to the COO and work closely with the wider management team, funders, partners and evaluation specialists to ensure the project's success.

Key responsibilities

• Leading day-to-day management of the My Nature Play project across England, Scotland and Wales.

• Manage and create project plans, budgets, financial reports, risk registers and timelines, in line with funder requirements.

• Line management of the My Nature Play team of 6 delivery staff and 1 administrator.

• Coordinating recruitment of participating settings.

• Support and coordinate the LtL accredited delivery network to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery.

• Producing high-quality written outputs, including reports, case studies, promotional content and project updates.

• Ensuring all delivery meets LtL's standards for safeguarding, health and safety, equality and inclusion.

• Working with LtL's Communications team to share project stories, impact and learning.

Early Years expertise and practitioner support

• Draw on your deep understanding of Early Years pedagogy, child development and play-based learning to guide the design and delivery of training content.

• Support delivery teams to model high-quality Early Years practice that builds practitioner confidence in outdoor, child-led and nature-connected play.

• Champion the role of outdoor play in supporting communication, language, social and emotional development, wellbeing and school readiness.

• Ensure the project reflects the needs of the Early Years workforce across settings.

• Provide insight and leadership on Early Years frameworks, curriculum links and policy developments across England, Wales and Scotland.

Partnership and stakeholder management

• Act as the primary point of contact for our funder, policy stakeholders and Early Years sector partners.

• Coordinate and support the project's Steering Group and Practitioner Panel, ensuring meaningful engagement and shared learning.

• Represent LtL and the project at national networks, conferences and events, promoting outdoor play in Early Years education.

Monitoring, evaluation and future development

• Lead on the collection and collation of monitoring data and qualitative feedback from settings and practitioners.

• Work closely with external evaluators to ensure robust evidence and impact.

• Use evaluation findings to inform project improvement, influence policy and contribute to national conversations around Early Years practice and outdoor play.

• Support the development of long-term sustainability models for My Nature Play, including commercial and local authority partnerships.

• Identify opportunities to share learning and expand Early Years training and development across LtL's wider portfolio.

What you need:

Essential skills and experience:

• Experience of managing large-scale, multi-site or multi-partner projects (ideally within education, environment or charity sectors).

• Experience of managing budgets of £1m+.

• Strong understanding of project planning, delivery and reporting processes.

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to manage complex timelines and multiple priorities.

• Experience of monitoring and evaluation, including data collection and reporting.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to engage diverse audiences.

• Strong partnership and relationship-building skills.

• Experience of working / qualification in yearly years education, Family work or play work.

• Commitment to the highest level of safeguarding and a clear DBS or PVG check.

• Ability to travel across the UK, including overnight stays, and work occasional evenings.

• A passion for the importance of Early Years.

• Commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of outdoor learning, play-based pedagogy, or nature connection.

• Experience of staff or network management.

• Qualification in project management (e.g. Prince2, Agile, or similar).

• Understanding of the devolved nations and their early years policy

• Enjoy working as a part of a close-knit team.

• Open-minded, self-motivated and proactive.

• A curious and playful nature.

If you don't have all the essential skills and experience but feel it could be the role for you, talk to us!

What we offer:

• Flexible working, subject to operational needs.

• Holiday (pro-rata) of 28 days + bank holidays + a "birthday gift" day

• Laptop, phone

• All mileage, travel & subsistence expenses.

• Berghaus & Helly Hansen uniform of waterproofs, fleece, hat and polo.

• Family & carer friendly policies.

• Annual training package including: LtL Professional Accreditation in Outdoor Learning and Play, LtL Climate School 180 Network Training package.

• Sick pay.

• Salary sacrifice pension scheme - 5% employer contribution

• Subsidised Christmas meal.

• A supportive and welcoming team of colleagues.