Deputy CEO

Location: London or Bath (hybrid working at either location)

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Salary range: £65,000 - £75,000 (dependent on experience)

EJF is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

About the Role Environmental destruction and human rights abuses are rarely separate crises - they are cause and effect. The Environmental Justice Foundation was founded on this understanding, and for two decades we have fought to protect the natural world and the people whose lives and freedoms depend on it.

We are seeking an exceptional Deputy CEO to help lead EJF into its next phase of growth and impact. This is an extremely rare opportunity to take on a crucial leadership role at a highly respected international NGO at a pivotal moment.

As Deputy CEO, you will play a central role in shaping EJF's strategic direction, team leadership and operational excellence, working in close partnership with the CEO and senior team to scale our impact, strengthen our global presence, generate new income, and ensure the organisation continues to deliver courageous, evidence-led change.

The Deputy CEO will take on critical tasks to enable the CEO to focus on delivering the strategic vision, providing vital leadership and development of EJF's programmes and governance. You will assume specific, nominated areas of programme management, supervising and guiding campaign and communications teams and providing a clear line of decision-making and direction.

The role will work closely with the CEO and senior leadership to continually improve the organisation's efficiency and effectiveness, entrench the ethos, vision and values that define our working culture, and help deliver the positive impact for the natural environment and the human rights that depend on it.

From strengthening governance and organisational performance to driving innovation, growth, and collaboration, you will be instrumental in maintaining an agile, resilient, impact-driven organisation capable of confronting some of the world's most urgent environmental challenges.

This role calls for an experienced and confident manager and leader with strategic vision, operational rigour, communications acumen and a deep commitment to biodiversity conservation and environmental justice. You will bring people together across cultures and disciplines, empower emerging leaders, and foster a high-performance, inclusive organisational culture. Externally, you will help represent EJF with credibility and influence, building alliances with funders, policymakers, partners, and frontline communities to accelerate systemic change.

Key Responsibilities 1. Mission and Purpose

• Alongside the CEO and Founding Director, continuously reaffirm and embed EJF's Mission, Vision and Values, ensuring they are deeply embedded across all programmes and teams to foster cohesion and strategic alignment globally.
• Safeguard our core mission of environmental justice and strengthening grassroots capacity in the Global South, ensuring that the organisation, across its multiple geographies and jurisdictions, adheres to this core purpose and scope.
• Articulate and deliver the highest possible professional standards, working culture and practice across all aspects of EJF's work.

2. Campaign Delivery, Amplification and Impact

• In close partnership with the CEO, guide and oversee the organisation's strategic and tactical approach across its operations and campaigns.
• Provide additional guidance, recommendations and scrutiny on the planning, production and release of reports, films and other campaign materials.
• Help shape EJF's external positioning, ensuring coherence between evidence, advocacy, partnerships and communications.
• Strengthen EJF's visibility and reach by engaging the media, attending and presenting at high-level meetings, liaising with key contacts and major funders, and acting as a spokesperson in the CEO's absence.

3. People, Culture and Leadership

• Help to further develop and support a high-performing Senior Management Team (SMT), individually and collectively, fostering accountability, collaboration and strong leadership practice.
• Guide and mentor teams to ensure they remain focused on delivering EJF's mission and priority objectives with strategic impact.
• Ensure fairness and equity for staff across the organisation, alongside consistently high standards of management.
• As directed by the CEO, serve in his absence to ensure the campaigns and programmes continue uninterrupted, working closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT).

4. Operations and Funding

• Work with the Operations Team to ensure EJF's exemplary operational efficiency across all areas of its work, championing continuous improvement of systems, processes and tools to strengthen efficiency, resilience and internal knowledge sharing.
• Work with the CEO, Founding Director, COO, and other team members to secure funding to support all our operations. This will require direct liaison with key donors, identifying new funding streams and ensuring compelling proposals, grant reports and updates are delivered on time.
• Ensure our operations across geographies and jurisdictions adopt a unified approach in all aspects of our work while respecting local contexts and needs.

5. Risk and Security

• Ensure that robust security and safeguarding measures are in place, regularly reviewed and actively embedded across teams.
• Contribute to organisational risk management, providing an additional oversight role for legal, reputational, political and operational risks across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring guidance and support are in place to secure compliance with relevant laws, regulations and ethical standards in all operating contexts.

Essential Experience, Skills and Attributes We are seeking a values-driven, strategic leader with the judgement and organisational capability to help guide EJF through its next phase of growth and impact.

You will bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience (typically 10+ years), ideally 6+ years within the charity or not-for-profit sector.
• Proven success in programme design and delivery and organisational management, including oversight of complex budgets and resources.
• Strong financial acumen, with the ability to improve cost-effectiveness and maximise impact.
• Outstanding communication skills, including exceptional written English and the ability to engage diverse audiences, from teams to funders and senior decision-makers.
• Sound judgement and strategic thinking, with the ability to navigate complexity and make high-quality, values-led decisions, including in fast-moving or high-stakes environments.
• Strong people leadership, with experience building inclusive, high-performing teams, supporting senior colleagues, and developing emerging leaders across cultures and geographies.
• Experience contributing to organisational strategy, change, and governance, with confidence engaging boards and leading through growth or transition.
• A collaborative, diplomatic approach, combined with resilience, adaptability, and composure under pressure.
• Experience working in international or distributed organisations, and building effective external partnerships, including with donors, business partners and grassroots groups.
• An ability to travel internationally, occasionally at short notice.
• A clear commitment to EJF's Vision, Mission and Values, and to fostering a culture of excellence, equity, safeguarding, and impact.

While not essential, the following would be a strong advantage:

• Additional languages, particularly French, Spanish, Portuguese, or German.
• Professional media or communications experience, with demonstrable skills in shaping narratives, engaging audiences, and supporting organisational visibility.
• Experience in field research and/or investigations, ideally in complex or international contexts.
• Proven ability to manage projects, people, and budgets remotely, including supporting geographically dispersed teams.

What We Offer In return for your leadership and commitment, we offer a rewarding package designed to support your well-being, flexibility, and professional growth:

• 30 days annual leave (including public holidays), increasing with each year of service, plus additional paid leave between Christmas/New Year.
• Generous pension scheme, with employer contributions increasing over time.
• Hybrid working (minimum 3 days in the office).
• A dynamic, supportive, and inclusive working environment, with genuine opportunities for professional development and career progression.
• The chance to play a senior leadership role in an organisation delivering real-world impact for people and planet.

Join Us EJF's strength lies in a rare combination: deep, trusted relationships with grassroots communities on the front line of environmental destruction, and the expertise to turn that local knowledge into major campaigns that protect our oceans, our climate, and the ecosystems that sustain us all. As Deputy CEO, you will help ensure that strength keeps growing - sharpening the leadership, systems and teams that connect community action to global impact, from coastal fishing villages to the corridors of international policy.

At EJF, leadership means courage, integrity, and impact. As Deputy CEO, you will help steer campaigns that expose environmental crime, defend those on the front lines . click apply for full job details