Job Application Pack for the post of

The Environment and Me Project Officer

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are excited to be advertising new roles to deliver a new Big Lottery Funded project, working to support people experiencing mental ill health in Coventry.

This Job application pack is for the role of The Environment and Me Project Officer.

There is also a Project Coordinator Role (being advertised concurrently with this advert) and latterly there will be a Project Finance and Administrator role to be advertised.

Job Description:

Lead practical gardening and conservation tasks across a wide range of sites to support people experiencing mental ill health to feel better, do more and learn new skills.

Accountable to: / The Environment and Me Project Coordinator
Location: / Brandon Marsh Nature Centre, Coventry, Warwickshire with some time to also be spent at Coventry and Warwickshire Mind’s headquarters
Salary: / £20,000 (Grade 2b)3 year Fixed Term Contract (April 2017 – 31.01.20)
Liaison with: / Community, other staff, volunteers, clients, external partners and organisations
Responsible for:
Hours: / Delivering practical conservation work in line with agreed management plans for sites and supporting clients to make positive progress
Full time: 35 hours (5 days a week).25 days leave per annum.with occasional evening and weekend work as required

We are looking for an enthusiastic, passionate and experienced Project Officer our Big Lottery Funded project – The Environment and Me (TEaM).

This project, which is a partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, is a new project for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, but builds on our growing experience of supporting people experiencing mental ill health to feel better using the outdoors. The TEaM project will support 300 people over three years who are experiencing mental ill health to use the outdoors as a means of coping and managing their mental health and ultimately to support them to feel better. TEaM will work across a broad range of sites in Coventry from allotments to community gardens and woodlands.

The Project Officer will work closely with the Senior Mental Health worker (employed by Coventry and Warwickshire Mind) to offer engaging outdoor sessions for clients experiencing mental ill health. They will be responsible for planning sessions across a wide range of sites, leading those sessions, completing all appropriate paper work (risk assessments, management plans) and, importantly, ensuring everyone works safely. They will also be involved in developing clients ‘journeys’ to provide each client with activities which help them progress on to opportunities outside the project (e.g. Friends of Groups).

The post holder will need to have experience of working in a wide range of outdoor settings from allotments to woodlands. They will need to understand and have experience of delivering urban conservation projects and the challenges that can bring. They will also need to have some experience of working with vulnerable people (ideally those experiencing mental ill health) and an understand of the role that the outdoors can play in supporting people to feel better.

The post holder will work closely with staff members, volunteers and local organisations but will also need to be confident working independently and have the initiative required to make this dynamic project a success.

Job purpose:

Lead practical gardening and conservation tasks across a wide range of sites, working to a high standard to meet all health and safety requirements and using every opportunity to improve and promote wildlife within Coventry.

Key responsibilities:

  1. Practical conservation
  2. Deliver gardening, wildlife and conservation sessions across a broad range of sites
  3. Develop appropriate management plans for sites
  4. Ensure that work undertaken on sites is in line with management plans and/or in agreement with land owners
  5. Ensure all clients and volunteers work safely and follow Health and Safety policies and procedures
  6. Be confident in the use of and maintenance of a wide range of tools
  7. Liaise with the WWT Reserves team over sites which are owned by or leased by WWT
  8. Be willing to carry out conservation work in urban settings which can be challenging
  1. Volunteer Management and relationships
  2. Engage and support volunteers to aid in the delivery of the project
  3. Enable volunteers to develop and progress during their time with the project
  4. Develop strong relationships with Friends of Groups in the city
  5. Develop strong relationships with community centres in the city
  6. Follow all volunteer policies and procedures and aspire for best practice in volunteer management
  1. Client support
  2. Work with the Senior Mental Health Support worker and Mental Health Support worker to provide positive and engaging activities for clients
  3. Treat all clients with respect and support their individual needs
  4. Encourage client’s interests and deliver and/or find appropriate opportunities for them to follow their interests
  5. Treat all client information confidentially
  6. Be confident in following safeguarding policies and procedures
  7. Actively support the team with client monitoring and evaluation
  1. Marketing and Communications
  2. Support the Project Coordinator and wider team in positively promoting the project
  3. Utilise social media, where appropriate, to promote positive and engaging stories about the project
  4. Support with the preparation of positive media coverage (press releases, news stories)
  5. Ensure all project marketing and communications are in line with funders requirements
  1. General

5.1Promote the work, mission and vision of the Trust at all appropriate times.

5.2Use every opportunity commensurate with other duties to contribute to the Trust’s membership recruitment, fundraising and engagement of people.

5.3Ensure a high level of customer service in all dealings with the public.

5.4Ensure continuous development of skills and knowledge required for the post, undergoing training and performance review as required by the Trust.

5.5Work within all the policies and procedures of the Trust, ensuring own compliance with the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures and that of any resources for whom you are responsible.

5.6Work at all times within the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and to promote equal opportunities.

5.7Comply with all legal and contractual obligations concerning the responsibilities of your post.

5.8Assist in the preparation of annual budgets, work programmes and reporting requirements for your area of work.

5.9Supervise and support volunteers as appropriate to your role.

5.10Carry out any other reasonable duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of the post, as requested by your line manager or the Chief Executive.

5.11Be available to work out of hours with weekend and evening working a requirement of the role.

Person specification:

The post-holder will have a range of knowledge, skills and experience. The following is a summary indication of the key requirements for this post:

Experience / Essential / Desirable
Previous relevant experience of leading practical habitat conservation work / 
Previous experience of working with people experiencing mental ill health and / or vulnerable adults / 
Experience of working with Friends of Groups or similar community volunteer groups / 
Working with volunteers / 
Experience in dealing with the public in face-to face situations / 
Working as part of a team and in partnership with other organisations / 
Experience of managing and delivering both monitoring and evaluation for projects / 
Health and safety management, including writing risk assessments / 
Knowledge / Essential / Desirable
Relevant degree / postgraduate qualification / 
Knowledge of mental health issues / 
Knowledge of urban wildlife conservation issues / 
Knowledge of methods of encouraging participation from a wide audience / 
Basic knowledge of marketing, campaigning and communications methods and opportunities / 
Interest and understanding of how to engage others in wildlife, wild places, the outdoors, arts and culture / 
Understanding of community structures and organisations / 
Knowledge of the Wildlife Trusts and their work / 
Knowledge of the habitats, wildlife and wild places found in Coventry and Warwickshire / 
Skills / Essential / Desirable
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including public speaking and literacy / 
An infectious ability to enthuse, motivate and engage with diverse audiences. / 
Enthusiasm about the role that the natural environment can play in peoples well being / 
Good organisational and time management skills; able to prioritise workloads effectively, meet deadlines and monitor the outcomes / 
Highly organised, with effective planning skills / 
Ability to take initiative, work alone and within a team / 
Self-motivated, to be able to work confidently on own initiative / 
The ability to think creatively and convert ideas to practical activities / 
IT literate and competent in Microsoft Office packages / 
Flexible approach / 
Full UK driving licence / 
Hold or has the capability to acquire a First aid qualification / 

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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR THE POST OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ME PROJECT OFFICER

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust was established in 1970 and now manages some 65 nature reserves, has 23,500 members and is supported by more than 1000 volunteers. The Trust is the largest local conservation charity working across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.

Our main purpose is to promote the interests of wildlife, wild places and the natural environment for the wider benefit of society, people and local communities.

The Trust is also a member of the network of 47 Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. We are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. With more than 800,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species whether they be in the country, in cities or at sea. More than 150,000 of our members belong to our junior branch, Wildlife Watch. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves covering more than 90,000 hectares; we stand up for wildlife; we inspire people about the natural world and we foster sustainable living. Last year, we reviewed more than 70,000 planning applications. The Wildlife Trusts have a vision to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas for the whole UK.

Further information on the Trust and our strategic plan can be found on our web site:

Selection and Assessment

Please submit a completed application form marked “Private and confidential” to reach us by 5.00pm Tuesday 7thFebruary 2017.

You can send the form either via email to or by post to:

TEaM Project Officer Role, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Brandon Marsh Nature Centre, Brandon Lane, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV3 3GW.

Candidates who appear to best meet the person specification will be invited to attend an interview. We recommend that applicants pay particular attention to demonstrating how they meet the person specification on the application form.

Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be required to do a presentationat interviewdesigned to give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and suitability for the post. Further details on the subject of the presentation will be sent to short-listed candidates.The interviews for this role are currently planned to be Wednesday 22ndtFebruary 2017 (this is subject to change and successful shortlisted candidates will be informed of the date).

Appointment

All our offers of employment are made subject to some pre-employment checks including

  • Satisfactory References;
  • Eligibility to work in the United Kingdom;
  • Checks on relevant certificates and qualifications;
  • A Disclosure and Barring Service check is required.

Salary

Your salary will be £20,000 pro rata. It will be paid monthly in arrears by credit transfer to a bank or building society account.

Location

This post will be based at the Trust’s offices at the Brandon Marsh Nature Centre, Coventry but will be required to work from the Coventry and Warwickshire Mind HQ in Coventry City frequently and will required to travel to a wide range of other projects sites. Employees may be required to work at other Trust or non-Trust sites from time to time. The role will involve some lone working.

Hours of Work

Our employees work a 35 hour week. In view of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s work, employees can be called upon from time to time to work a reasonable period outside of the set hours. No overtime will be payablehowever time off in lieu will be given for any hours worked in excess of your normal working hours.

Holiday Entitlement

Our holiday year runs from April to March. Full time employees get 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays. For permanent members of staff this increases to 27 days after 2 years and 28 days after 5 years’ service.

Pension

You will be automatically enrolled in the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Stakeholder Pension Scheme if you meet the eligibility criteria, though you may opt out. Both the Trust and employee contribute 4% of salary to the scheme.

Notice

If you choose to leave the Trust you will be required to give 1 months’ notice due the grade of the post.

Equal Opportunities

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is committed to equal opportunities and appoints on merit. We welcome applicants from all sections of society regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, marital status, age and religion, perceived community background or political beliefs.

CVs

Please be advised that CV's cannot be accepted and will not be considered if submitted without a completed application form. A completed Warwickshire Wildlife Trust application form only will be accepted.

Responding to Applications

Thank you for showing an interest in this job and for taking the time to apply. Unfortunately, due to administration costs borne by the charity, we regret that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date then please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Any queries regarding the post can be addressed to Anna Squires (Health and Skills Manager) on 024 7630 2912 or by email to
Please submit application forms only to:
TEaM Project Officer Role
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
Brandon Marsh Nature Centre
Brandon Lane
Coventry
CV3 3GW
Or by email to:
CLOSING DATE IS 5.00pm Tuesday 7th February
Interviews will be held week beginning 20th February.

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