Community Engagement Officers – Adopt a Tributary – 3 x roles in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea/Neath Port Talbot
- Gross annual salary of £24,000-28,000, depending on experience
- 5 days/ 40 hours per week, flexible working
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Fixed Term Contract – One year. Possibility of extension subject to funding.
Do you want to connect people with their local river and wildlife as part of an exciting engagement project? Do you see the opportunities for connection with nature to improve people’s health and wellbeing? Do you have the skills to deliver a wide-ranging and varied volunteer and community engagement programme? Do you share our passion for improving our rivers?
West Wales Rivers Trust (WWRT) has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund for three new roles to continue our efforts to better connect communities living in West Wales with their local rivers, understand their needs and concerns, and deliver a range of volunteer projects and events that will improve their health and wellbeing, as well as the health of the river. One role is available for Pembrokeshire, one for Carmarthenshire, and a further role to cover both Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
As Community Engagement Officer, it will be your job to continue and expand our ‘Adopt a Tributary’ project, supporting the formation of new community river groups and upskilling existing groups to become eyes and ears on our rivers and to deliver a range of river restoration improvement activities. You will also deliver informative and engaging educational visits to schools and other local organisations such as angling clubs, conservation groups, extra-curricular groups, wellbeing groups, corporate groups and councils. You will build new relationships, consult existing volunteers and better understand how our rivers can form a more meaningful part of people’s lives. You will be required to attend local stakeholder meetings as required to ensure that the interests of local communities are considered in the multi-organisational planning of works in the catchment. We want to ensure community input and benefit are at the heart of all our projects and you will be given significant autonomy to explore and develop new ways of making this happen.
Essential criteria are an ability to work independently and creatively as part of a small team, good people skills and a committed, professional, and flexible approach to your work. We are looking for individuals with experience of delivering and managing an array of practical community engagement activities such as walks, volunteer conservation activities and/or educational workshops. You will be an approachable and friendly communicator who will be able to lead and inspire others to preserve and respect the natural world whilst building strong relationships and partnerships to achieve outcomes on the ground.
The Community Engagement Officers will report to the Adopt a Tributary Programme Manager.
Although most of your work will fall between normal business hours, community engagement events and meetings can be held in the evening and at weekends. A reasonable commitment to out-of-hours working will be required and compensated with time off in-lieu. The Trust does not have an office, and desk-based work will require home working. Due to the large number of local events that will be held as part of this project, we would expect applicants to live in or very close to the counties for the role in which they are applying for.
Essential candidate skills:
- Experience in environmental education and community engagement
- Strong social and inter-personal skills
- Excellent organisational and networking skills
- Self-motivated with the ability to work un-supervised
- Project and/or budget management experience
- Situated within the project catchment
- Full driving license and own vehicle
- Strong computer literacy (Microsoft Office, Social media & email as a minimum)
- A genuine desire to improve the aquatic environment
- Welsh Language skills or the desire to learn throughout the duration of employment
Desirable candidate skills:
- Knowledge of and connection to the area you are applying for and its settlements
- Experience of work to develop funding bids
- Academic training in a related environmental science (conservation, biology, geography) with knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and conservation
Initially these roles are five day per week positions for one year, with the potential to extend with successful fundraising.
If you would like to discuss the posts further, please contact: Harriet Alvis, CEO at harriet@westwalesriverstrust.org
To apply for this post please send your CV with a covering letter (both 2 sides of A4 maximum) to Harriet Alvis, setting out your experience and qualifications and confirming which of the three locations you are applying for a role within. Closing Date for applications is 12pm, Friday 22nd September 2023.
Pembrokeshire role funding:
Carmarthenshire role funding:
Swansea & Neath Port Talbot role funding:
