Community Engagement Officer (Worcestershire)

Our organisation promotes the know-how and benefits of organic gardening to individual and community gardeners. Showing people how they can encourage ecosystems to flourish in their own growing space has never been more important to stem the decline of plant and insect species and aid nature’s recovery. Our work is set in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and we want to ensure Garden Organic is having demonstrable and measurable positive impact, in particular on SDG 15 – Life on Land.

Why it’s a great time to be joining Garden Organic:

Our charity was founded over 60 years ago, when organic growing was an ‘alternative’ way of life. Today, there is huge interest in how gardeners, consumers and businesses can follow sustainable practices, to do their bit to protect the environment and the biodiversity on their doorstep. With our unrivalled expertise, gained through decades of hands-on organic growing, we are in the best possible position to support people to follow the organic way.

Overall purpose of the role:

Garden Organic is looking for a Community Engagement Officer to work collaboratively and proactively with project colleagues, stakeholders and volunteers on the ground in Worcestershire. As part of the Let’s Waste Less Project in partnership with Worcestershire County Council we support residents to take positive environmental actions and waste less. Every small step you take, and encourage others to take, on your journey to waste less is a step closer to reducing the impact on the environment.

As Community Engagement Officer your work will inspire positive environmental action encouraging waste reduction in communities around Worcestershire.

You will work with our HQ team and the local community to find new and exciting ways to deliver the Waste Less message, you will be responsible for organising and delivering short talks, engagement sessions and activities for a variety of different groups. You will also support volunteers by attending events & ensuring that they have the materials and resources they need.

What we are looking for

Our ideal candidate will be engaging, with lots of positive energy and enthusiasm to inspire audiences in Worcestershire. You will also be willing to learn and gain a good understanding of the principles and goals of this important project. Any prior experience of working within the field of waste reduction or towards positive environmental action would be welcomed.

You will be naturally curious, looking for opportunities to engage with the community and drive the Let’s Waste Less initiative and you will have a proven ability to influence and motivate.

Your role will be fast paced, and you will need to be able to adapt sessional delivery to the needs of partners and audiences. You will be working alongside local project partners and an established network of Let’s Waste Less volunteers. With annualized hours we will look to you to manage your time effectively and in line with the demands of the project.

Our ambition:

Garden Organic have been working in Worcestershire for several years and we are supported on the ground with 20 Let’s Waste Less Volunteers who encourage people in their local community to reduce the amount of waste they throw away. Our ambition is to increase our reach, engaging more people to share and drive forward the positive environmental messages of waste reduction.

Responsibilities & Main Duties:

• Work effectively with project colleagues to identify opportunities to reach audiences in their local communities.
• Deliver sessions on waste reduction and engagement for a range of audiences. You may also be required to design and deliver new sessions as opportunities occur.
• Support volunteers; this could be mentoring, attending events, sharing resources or responding to an individual’s needs as they arise
• Liaise professionally with event organisers.
• Design, develop and deliver sessions for a range of audiences with the principal aims of raising awareness for waste reduction.
• Provide written feedback on progress and track delivery against project targets, with submission of reports as required.
• To maximise dissemination and PR associated with projects by liaising with the Project Coordinator and being alert to any potential opportunities for positive publicity. (All publicity relating to your work will be managed and approved by HQ)

• It is the nature of the work of Garden Organic that tasks and responsibilities are, in some circumstances, unpredictable and varied. All employees are expected to work in a flexible way when the occasion arises where tasks are not specifically covered in the Job Description and have to be undertaken.
• It is likely that some evening, weekend and bank holiday working will be required.
• A valid UK driving license would be useful.

To apply:

For the full job description and person specification please email us at HR@gardenorganic.org.uk .

All applicants must complete a Garden Organic Application Form which can be downloaded here. Please complete and return to us along with a covering letter explaining why you are interested in working for us and why you feel you would be a good fit for the role.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Garden Organic reserve the right to close the advert early depending on response levels.

As part of our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion all applications will be anonymised before being submitted to the recruitment panel. You are welcome to submit an anonymised CV in application for the role however please ensure you provide a contact telephone number or e-mail address.

Application Deadline:

9am on Monday 3^rd June 2024