Job opportunities
The importance of being Ernest
Our founder, Ernest Cook, had great wealth thrust upon him. Combining this good fortune with a passion for conservation, he bought several country estates which were eventually bequeathed to The Ernest Cook Trust – the educational charity he established in 1952.
The importance of being you
The important work he began continues to thrive today. This success emanates from a diverse range of people who share the wealth of their skills and abilities, working together for one of the UK’s foremost providers and funders of Outdoor Learning.
Our work is vital, challenging, and increasingly effective when done collaboratively with like-minded people and organisations. We love connecting with people as much as we love connecting with nature, so please take a look at job opportunities detailed below, as they become available.
Join us
If you’d like to be part of this important work, any current job opportunities are shown here, as they become available.
Head of Finance
We’re looking for a Head of Finance to join our team at our Head Office in Gloucestershire, who will be able to direct the accounting and compliance functions for the organisation whilst providing high quality financial insight and supporting informed decision making.
This is a unique opportunity to join a well-funded grant making trust based in the Cotswolds. The Ernest Cook Trust manages land assets of £270m and an investment portfolio of £60m, which fund grant-making activity of £4,000,000 per annum in purpose of its charitable objective.
Poised to deliver significant change as a part of the 2026-29 strategy, the Trust is undertaking a fundamental review of business systems to deliver efficiencies as well as embracing the opportunities of AI. The Head of Finance will play a key role in the project team, helping us to deliver change across the whole organisation and provide a platform for future growth and diversification.
Our person will be adaptable and thoughtful, able to integrate and develop relationships, share understanding, listen and laugh. We are a small part of a whole team and we work in an exceptionally beautiful, slightly remote, location. We do not have a mobile phone signal but we do have cows, sheep, and great colleagues.
Application deadline: Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 23:59
About us
What can I expect, working for the Trust?
I love going to work every day!Game & Wildlife Management Apprentice
As a land-based educational Trust, our people fulfil a wide range of roles across our land, in partnerships with others, and at our Head Office in Gloucestershire.
Bring your wellies!
Whatever the job, working for us will involve wellies, because we firmly believe that everything is better outdoors!
The variety and geographical spread of our roles means that we often work apart, so the Trust’s calendar includes events that regularly bring us together. We are a community of individuals with one aim – to support the charitable impact of the Trust.
As a people-centred organisation, the wellbeing and ongoing development of each person is vital. We invest in each individual for the benefit of the whole team.
