There used to be a stark contrast between our Central Team and the talent we were able to attract to work directly on our estates. While our central roles were filled with industry-leading experts in investment, natural capital, marketing, and environmental impact, the estate-based roles lagged far behind. The traditional pipeline for Estate Managers was all but empty, the few exceptional ones were happy in senior roles at other prominent Estates, with the remaining majority often defined by outdated priorities (hill farming and / or sporting enterprises) and an approach that simply didn’t align with our vision for the future of conservation.
Our early hypothesis was simple: Scale. Surely it was about the geographic challenge – great people can work from anywhere in the UK if the role is remote, but Estate Management demands proximity. Literal boots on the ground.
But the deeper we looked, the more broken the pipeline became. Estate Managers, as a concept, seemed stuck in an older era – focused on sporting enterprises, tenanted agriculture, and historic land management practices. And it showed. While applications for our central roles routinely arrived in their hundreds, sometimes thousands, those for Estate Manager roles barely crept into single digits. We weren’t just fishing in a small pond; we were casting into one that had already dried up.
We were wanting, and asking for something completely different.
Then something brilliant happened. Charles Owen joined the team as Head of Estate Management. And we had the physical embodiment of what an Oxygen Conservation Estate Manager should be.
Slowly, members of our own central team started raising their hands. “Could I… be an Estate Manager?” Turns out, when you peel back the prejudices (ours and everyone else’s), estate management at Oxygen Conservation is more about entrepreneurialism, people skills, storytelling, logistics, ambition and just enough audacity. Less about clinging to the past, and doing what we’ve always done, and more about creating a better future.
Much like famed football managers Pep Guardiola turning full-backs into midfielders or Klopp creating hybrid wingbacks who could be as impactful in both attack and defence – we realised we were changing the game. We stopped recruiting for the title and started hunting for skills: project management, genuine hospitality, stakeholder engagement, environment impact and a love of adventure and most importantly a passion for a specific place.
This transformation gave our brilliant People Team the blueprint they needed. No longer constrained by outdated job titles or descriptions, they could now search for the skills, attributes, and qualities that define an exceptional Oxygen Conservation Estate Manager. And they did just that. They went out and found them. Individuals with the drive, ambition, and emotional intelligence to lead our Estates with vision and integrity.
As a result, whilst we still get significantly fewer applications for geographically specific roles, the gap that once existed between our central team and our estate team? It no longer exists. That distinction has vanished.
Now? We have Estate Managers who used to run events, consult on business strategy, create woodland, and compete in elite sport. They’ve done academic research, led community outreach, managed ecotourism experiences, and yes, planned so many weddings. What unites them isn’t a CV full of Estate names. It’s a mindset. A love of nature. An obsessive attention to detail. A thirst for meaning and adventure. And a relentless drive to make their Estate something incredibly special.
We stopped looking for Estate Managers – and that’s how we found them.
Which brings me to you…
You’re absolutely not an Estate Manager. Of course you’re not.
But you do love the outdoors. You’re incredibly organised. You love hosting, connecting, listening, and sharing stories. You’re brilliant at bringing people and places together. And, crucially, you want your work to mean something. You care about the natural world, and you do love an adventure.
So no, you’re definitely not an Estate Manager. Unless, of course, you’re exactly the kind of Estate Manager we’re looking for at Oxygen Conservation.
Oh, and have you ever thought about living in the Cairngorms?