Chief Executive

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire

  • Location Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire
  • Sector Central Government
  • Client Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
  • Job Type Permanent
  • Salary/Remuneration £95,278 - £106,925
  • Reference GSe128520
  • Closing Date 5pm on Friday 30 January 2026

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a living, breathing, working landscape of extraordinary beauty and cultural heritage. Rolling green hills, dramatic limestone cliffs, and tranquil valleys create a setting that inspires millions of visitors each year and a place over 22,000 people call home. From the rugged heights of the Three Peaks to landmarks like Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove and Aysgarth Falls, together, nature and people have created a special landscape of immense beauty and character.

The Dales cover over 2,178 km² across North Yorkshire, Cumbria, and Lancashire and is the second largest national park in England. It is home to internationally important habitats, rare wildlife, and traditional farming landscapes that have shaped the region for centuries.

Working for the Authority offers the opportunity to contribute directly to landscape-scale conservation, public engagement, sustainable tourism, and community development. It’s a chance to play a part in managing internationally important habitats, promoting responsible access, and ensuring that the Yorkshire Dales remains a cherished place for both locals and visitors alike.

We are looking for our next Chief Executive.To be successful, you will epitomise the values and ethos of Yorkshire Dales National Park, providing honest, open, inspiring and visionary leadership to our staff and volunteers and in local, regional, national and international contexts.

You will need to be authentic, passionate and committed to delivering for people, place and communities and have an understanding of the importance of protected landscapes. A strategic thinker with political acumen, you will have good story-telling abilities, know how to build effective partnerships with others and have a natural aptitude for collaboration. To help ensure our organisation remains fit for the future, you will bring an entrepreneurial mind-set, an open mind about new ways of working and pragmatism as to how to secure maximum impact from scarce resources of all kinds.

Above all, you will be honest, straight-talking and ambitious to lift up others.

If you believe you can lead us towards our vision, whilst living our values and supporting our culture, we very much look forward to hearing from you.

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