Post: Garden Organic Senior Project Coordinator (Rugby)
Location: This role is based out of our head office in Ryton, with regular travel within Warwickshire, predominantly to projects in the Rugby area. Occasional travel to support projects further afield will also be required.
Reporting to: Head of Knowledge Transfer
Contract Term: Fixed Term - 12 months.
Hours: Full time - 35 hours per week
Salary: £26,000 - £28,890 per annum
Role subject to DBS Check: No

The charity:

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 Senior Project Coordinator to oversee an exciting new project in Rugby and provide support to at least one of our successful projects in the Midlands.

We are a growing charity (literally and metaphorically!) and to service that growth we are looking for a candidate who can take on this new and rewarding role.

You will be supporting volunteers and the the local communities to take positive environmental actions in the form of gardening organically, home composting, waste reduction and supporting biodiversity.

As a Senior Project Coordinator you will work collaboratively and proactively with project colleagues, stakeholders and volunteers. You will identify new partnership and delivery opportunities based on local community and project needs. This role will be based out of our head office at Ryton but you will be building many new relationships, so expect to be out and about locally.

You will work with other senior project coordinators and department leads to ensure that support for all our volunteers exceeds expectation, and our community projects are delivered to an excellent standard. You will contribute to and where appropriate oversee the development of project related resources.

You will support and deliver events and activities by enlisting volunteers and ensuring that they have the guidance and materials they need.

You will deliver workshops and training on topics core to the principles of organic gardening including home composting, waste reduction, and biodiversity, for a variety of audiences.

Evaluation of project impact is paramount for the charity and its commissioners, so you will work with volunteers to collate written feedback and produce detailed reports as required. Your written feedback will require analysis and evidence of the expected or actual impact of your, and your associated volunteers, work.

What we are looking for:

Reporting into the Head of Knowledge Transfer, you will be joining a UK-wide team with a broad range of skill sets, knowledge, and experience. Our ideal candidate will share our passion and enthusiasm to inspire more people to use the principles of organic gardening, whether that’s composting, growing your own, boosting biodiversity or reducing waste.

You will be a strong project manager, with experience of working with diverse communities. You will be a conduit for enabling the greatest possible impact across our delivery and you will be naturally curious to understand our mission and proactively seek out fresh and creative opportunities to expand our reach.

An engaging and proactive communication style is essential, be it, in person, virtually or by telephone and email. Our ideal candidate must also have strong organisational, time management and administrative skills to ensure they can manage a busy workload with multiple simultaneous projects and changing priorities.

You will be a confident and experienced trainer with a proven track record of engaging across a diverse range of people and communities.

You will have experience of using social media and PR to promote project work, you will work closely with our Communication and marketing team to promote our work and engage more people in volunteering and positive environmental behavior.

Applications from candidates with experience of public sector or local councils/government bodies within Warwickshire would be welcomed.

Our ambition:

Our voice is amplified by more than 350 volunteers supported by local colleagues who, in 2023, recorded over 22,000 conversations. Our ambition is to increase the number of volunteers we support and thereby increase our reach, engaging more people in sharing the positive environmental messages of home composting, organic growing, and reducing food waste.

Responsibilities & Main Duties:

Project Management/Coordination

Work effectively with project colleagues internally and externally.
Project lead for our work in Rugby
Providing day to day support for volunteers in Rugby.
Provide line management for at least one of our project coordinators in the Midlands.
Work with department heads, colleagues at HQ and project coordinators in the successful delivery of projects and volunteer coordination.
Collate and provide data and information to feedback on progress and track delivery timescales against project targets.
Work with colleagues to develop agreed resources.

Supporting volunteers

Coordinate the sign up of volunteers in Rugby (utilising our volunteer database system, Better Impact)
Provide resources to support their activity.
Source opportunities for volunteers to reach audiences in their local communities, this will involve liaising with event organisers.
Working alongside colleagues to contribute to the updating of volunteer policies and processes.
Maximise dissemination and PR associated with projects by liaising with the team.
Organise, attend and support a variety of events for and with different communities within Rugby.
Design, develop and deliver training for a range of different audiences.

General

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 flexible way when the occasion arises where tasks are not specifically covered in the Job Description and have to be undertaken.
Occasional evening, weekend and bank holiday working will be required.
Access to reliable transportation is required as this role requires some travel.

Person Specification:

Experience	Essential	Desirable
Experience of coordinating and supporting volunteers	x
Experience of successful project management	x
Experience of line management	x
Experience of connecting with and building trust within local communities, identifying community need, and community partners	x
Experience of facilitating high quality activities and community events	x
Experience of designing, developing and delivering training for a range of audiences	x
Experience of producing relevant written reports	x
Knowledge and Skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills.	x
Knowledge of local organisations/community groups in Rugby		x
Good IT skills (Microsoft Office)	x
Knowledge and understanding of relevant Health and Safety and safeguarding procedures, including identifying and assessing risks and taking appropriate action. (Basic training will be provided)		x
Knowledge of organic growing, composting, biodiversity and/or waste reduction		x
Approach and mindset
Happy to balance being part of a productive team whilst working on own project outcomes	x
Organised and able to prioritise own workload	x
A high level of professionalism, engaging with others respectfully and with appropriate professional courtesy	x
A collaborative, empathetic approach – able to adapt your plans and style to meet the needs of partners, team members and audiences.	x
A commitment and enthusiasm for the principles of organic gardening.	x

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We encourage and promote the equality, diversity and inclusion of all our staff and job applicants to ensure that everyone is always treated with dignity and respect. We want to create a working environment where everyone can make best use of their skills, free from unlawful discrimination or harassment, and where all decisions are based on merit.

We want you to know that any job applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of your age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (your 'Protected Characteristics').

Any applicant is welcome to request a copy of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

Garden Organic is also a Disability Confident Employer and aims to create opportunities wherever possible. It should be noted that some of our roles require travel and attendance at events where accessibility arrangements will vary.

To apply:

For the full job description and person specification please email us.

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 Wednesday 31st July 2024