Full job description
FreshWater Watch Community Engagement Coordinator
Location: Oxford / Oxfordshire (with travel to community areas as required for the role)
Direct reports: None
Salary: up to £24,000, gross (full time salary), this salary will be pro-rated depending on agreed hours
Contract: Fixed term, starting as soon as reasonably possible in early March, until 31 August 2024
Hours: 21 – 28 hours per week, Monday – Friday (some occasional weekend work may be required)
Closing date: 05 March 2024
Interviews: As soon as reasonably possible, via Microsoft Teams – we strongly encourage those interested to apply as soon as possible as applications will be assessed whilst the vacancy is open and we reserve the right to close the role early
To apply, please visit our website: https://earthwatch.org.uk/job/freshwater-watch-community-engagement-coordinator/?#gf_8
Role Purpose:
To support and inspire community-led action to improve freshwater quality and habitats. To identify, connect and engage communities, and provide general project support.
Key Tasks
- Working with the Freshwater Programme team to develop and deliver an engagement plan for FreshWater Watch citizen science community groups. This would be in partnership with the local communities.
- Develop and support partnerships with national and other relevant groups such as River Action and River users (e.g. swimmers, anglers, rowers, etc).
- Support the delivery of specific projects such as the Evenlode Catchment Partnership and the Thames Campaign.
- Actively seeking out our priority audiences to encourage them to be part of the FreshWater Watch community group network.
- Seek out and building positive relationships with existing FreshWater Watch community groups, local activists, leaders and representatives to share objectives and support the creation of new groups.
- Support existing community group leaders to create community action plans, identify priority activities and facilitate peer support within the Network.
- Train new and existing groups and other users of FreshWater Watch platform, tools and resources as required.
- Support monitoring, reporting and evaluation activity as required, including regular reports for internal and external use, to ensure that project and community engagement outcomes are captured and communicated in line with programme requirements.
- Support project fundraising and communications within the delivery area, including collection of case studies and sharing of national and local achievements and outcomes.
The above list of job deliverables is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post
REQUIREMENTS
Essential
Experience & Knowledge
- Experience of working with community members and/or community organisations to enable change
- Knowledge of water quality and the challenges being faced in the UK.
- Knowledge of best practice in community engagement, organising and empowerment and understanding of the challenges and barriers to community participation, and barriers to people taking action
- Experience of developing and supporting community activities, events and projects which connect people to their local environmental or community, ideally working with diverse communities, and supporting them to overcome barriers to participation in activities.
- Your experience could be community-based, personal, paid or voluntary. This role could suit someone at the start of their community or environmental career.
- Working knowledge of water quality monitoring based on citizen-science.
- Familiarity with all relevant health and safety and equalities legislation, needed to deliver an inclusive programme of engagement, ensuring the safety of self, participants, and co-workers.
Personal Qualities
- Approachable, with the ability to build rapport, establish trust and build strong and consistent relationships with diverse audiences
- A commitment and willingness to work with others to co-develop local actions and activities that seek to enhance local communities and connect them to building community led projects to support water quality improvements.
- Commitment to the mission and values of Earthwatch
Skills
- Strong communication skills, including maintaining good operational relationships within a dispersed project team, and the ability to produce clear written outputs including reports and case studies.
- Ability to work independently and manage own workload within an overall project plan and programme.
- Excellent organisational skills – able to prioritise and manage a varied workload to tight and competing deadlines.
- Willingness to work flexibly across time and location in order to deliver project outcomes as accessibly as possible within communities.
Other information
In order to work in schools and with young people and vulnerable adults in communities, the post-holder will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check.
The role will involve some evening and weekend working, and also occasional lone working, and the post-holder will be required to comply with appropriate local safeguarding systems to ensure their own safety.
Earthwatch is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences. We welcome and encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply, and we will consider all applications fairly and consistently.
We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment – a place where individuality is embraced and everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We value the benefits that different backgrounds, working approaches and ways of thinking can bring.
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK; Earthwatch is unable to support visa applications.
Earthwatch is committed to making any adjustments we can for short-listed candidates, to facilitate participation in our interview process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Don’t meet every single requirement?
We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they feel they don’t meet all the essential criteria. We understand that what we think we need could be limiting those that have skills, experience and behaviours that we have not considered relevant or transferrable. So, if you can do most of what we’re looking for, or believe you have suitable experience that we don’t know about, please still apply and let us know what you could bring to the role in your covering letter.
If you have any questions about the role, please reach out to Charlotte Henderson via uk.hr@earthwatch.org.uk.
What we offer
- Flexibility on start and end times
- 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays) for full time, increasing to 28 after three years continuous service
- Flexibility to work from home
- Voluntary Healthcash plan
- Employee assistance programme and mental health first aiders
- Quarterly all staff ‘get together’ days
- Enhanced sick pay increasing with service length
- 5% employer pension contributions
- Life assurance for 3 times your annual salary
- Cycle scheme, transport loans
- Study leave
For more information and to apply, please visit our website and apply with a covering letter and CV: https://earthwatch.org.uk/job/freshwater-watch-community-engagement-coordinator/?#gf_8
Job Types: Part-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 5 months
Salary: Up to £24,000.00 per year
Expected hours: 21 – 28 per week
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Flexitime
- Work from home
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Oxford, OX2 7DE
Application deadline: 05/03/2024
