Community Development Manager - Environment and Climate Change

The Active Wellbeing Society is a community benefit society and cooperative working to develop healthy, happy communities living active and connected lives.

Our vision is for a society where people have the autonomy, capacity, resources and skills to become the architects of their own destiny; where our individual wellbeing is recognised as being bound up in our collective responsibility to and dependency on each other; and where all of us feel empowered as agents of social change to make a difference – whether at an individual level or more widely.

By working collaboratively with communities we aim to bring about sustainable change on an social, environmental and economic level; to do the social knitting required to create stronger and more resilient communities and to support communities to identify, mitigate and remove the barriers that prevent them from living active and connected lives.

Our mission is to ‘Use physical activity, guided by innovation, collaboration and insight, to do the collaborating and development required to create stronger and more resilient communities’.

You may like to watch this introductory video which showcases the positive work of The Active Wellbeing Society: TAWS Launch October 2018 - YouTube

Introduction to the role

In this strategic post you will have the opportunity to input into business strategy and budgets for our environment and climate action work. You will be responsible for the management of our environment and climate action work, which is of significant importance to the business. You will need to have a confident understanding of the implications of new developments and opportunities in the areas of environmental and climate action work, across multiple agendas. We are looking for an individual that demonstrates clear leadership and the ability to influence and persuade across multiple disciplines and arenas. 

 Introduction to the team

The Community Food and Sharing Directorate works to build trust and support communities to become better connected to the people and places around them. We work closely with communities to understand the barriers and challenges they may be facing and co-create a number of free interventions, including cooking skills, recipe kits, growing workshops and sharing projects, to support them to become more physically, socially and civically active. Our pay-as-you-feel Community Cafés and Share Shacks (Library of Things) provide platforms for people to come together, build new social connections and take part in local activities. These platforms create opportunities for people to gain skills and experience and connect with other services and activities.

MAIN DUTIES

1. Represent The Active Wellbeing Society across a variety of forums working in this space, including the City of Nature Alliance, Birmingham Growing Network and emerging opportunities across the city and wider 
2. Manage the operational delivery of a range of programmes including Future Parks Accelerator, Common Ground, Sustainable Food Places and ERDF  
3. Work closely with colleagues in the Healthy Communities Team to ensure complementary activities with the Green Social Prescribing offer 
4. Work with colleagues in Birmingham City Council and others to influence, challenge and create systems change around how land is used within urban settings 
5. Bring the environment and climate action to all we are doing in The Active Wellbeing Society (e.g. community gardens and composting in our cafes) 
6. Work with our Funding and Resources team to identify new opportunities around climate change/just transition 
7. Bring to life the challenges and barriers communities are facing around equal access to their local environment in a meaningful and influential way  
8. Support in the development of operational and strategic plans for a key area of our work

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

1. Confident understanding of the implications of new developments and opportunities in the areas of environmental and climate action work
2. Leadership ability, with the confidence and skill to influence and persuade others across multiple disciplines and arenas.  
3. Line management experience
4. Experience of working with a range of stakeholders
5. Previous experience of working in community development
6. Competence in developing and increasing access to green space
7. Experience in programme management
8. Ability to manage budgets
9. Ability to develop and oversee delivery plans linked to both community and funder requirements. 
10. Competent group facilitation skills
11. Excellent IT skills including competence in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint
12. Excellent written, verbal, listening and presentation skills.
13. Experience in report writing
14. A confident and professional approach to working with a variety of stakeholders and ability to forge new positive working relationships
15. The ability to work autonomously where needed and to plan, prioritise work under pressure and adapt to new models of working.
16. A commitment to equal opportunities and an understanding of the impact on individual’s, families’ and communities’ health and deprivation.
17. A positive and can do attitude
18. Have mutual respect for everyone we work with, work for and support through our services.  
19. The ability to work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.
20. To undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner.

Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.

STAFF BENEFITS

• Nest Pension – 8% employer contribution - 3 % employee contribution.
• Heath Cash Plan – giving you discounts on everyday healthcare such as dental, optical, physio, prescriptions & more.
• Employee Assistance Programme (counselling and DRs on call 24hrs a day)
• Death in Service – x4 your salary paid to beneficiary.
• Annual Leave – 25 days FTE (increasing to 29 days with service) plus 5 wellbeing days
• Flexible working
• Hybrid working options
• Bring your own device - £20 towards your phone bill monthly
• Fantastic volunteering opportunities within The Active Wellbeing Society every month

APPLICATION DETAILS

When writing your cover letter we would suggest include an introduction of your experience of the 'Main Duties' and 'Skills & Experience' sections of the advert, but as a minimum please address the following:

1. Confident understanding of the implications of new developments and opportunities in the areas of environmental and climate action work
2. Leadership ability, with the confidence and skill to influence and persuade others across multiple disciplines and arenas.  
3. Experience of working with a range of stakeholders
4. Previous experience of working in community development
5. Experience in programme management
6. Ability to manage budgets
7. Ability to develop and oversee delivery plans linked to both community and funder requirements. 

Closing Date: 23rd January 2022

Interview Date: TBC

Due to the high numbers of applications we received for our job vacancies, we may close application windows early, so we would encourage you to submit your application ASAP

Successful applicants will be required to be DBS checked prior to starting.

We will provide all applicants with an outcome on your application, this will usually be within 1 week of the application window closing.

APPLY HERE

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we, in recruiting for our team we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring. The Active Wellbeing Society is committed to being an equal opportunity employer, we recruit based upon capability and all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. At The Active Wellbeing Society we are searching for people who share the passion for what we do with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, collectively making a difference.

If there is anything we can do to assist you in your application or preparations to be interviewed for one of our job vacancies please let us know and we can ensure you have a positive and comfortable experience.

Thank you for your interest in working for The Active Wellbeing Society, we look forward to receiving your application.

Should you have any questions relating to this job vacancy please contact : jobs@theaws.org and we will be happy to help.