JOB DESCRIPTION
River Waveney Trust – Community Engagement Officer
Salary: £21,522 (FTE £27,666)
Hours: 4 days week, 7.5 hours day.
Duration: 1-year contract from May 2024 until May 2025, with intention to extend or make permanent.
Location: Blended model: home working plus office space in Bungay provided. Candidate must be based within easy travelling distance of the Waveney Catchment.
The River Waveney Trust is an environmental charity dedicated to improving and protecting the River Waveney, making it a better place for people and wildlife. We are part of the Rivers Trust movement, a network of over 60 Rivers Trusts across the UK. We work on a variety of projects with partners, communities and volunteers to deliver a wide range of projects including river restoration, natural flood management, farm advice, river access, river monitoring, volunteer events, community engagement and education.
This is a great opportunity to join our team as a part-time Community Engagement Officer for an initial 12-month contract. The Trust currently comprises four members of staff and is running many varied environmental and community projects with further work in development. The team is welcoming, open and inclusive and places a high value on supporting each other to work to the best of our abilities.
The role will suit an approachable and collaborative individual with experience of community projects and working with volunteers, ideally also with experience in river focused conservation projects.
We are committed to providing equal opportunities and welcome applications from all groups, communities and personal circumstances.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work with and support long-term River Waveney Trust (RWT) volunteers to continue their work along the river, including management of Frenze Beck, a 15-acre County Wildlife Site in Diss.
- Support Frenze Beck volunteers to offer the site as an educational resource.
- Inspire, recruit and train new volunteers to enable successful RWT volunteer groups.
- Coordinate an effective volunteer’s database, newsletter and online volunteer’s space.
- Set-up and run a long-term citizen science water quality testing programme, including inspiring, recruiting and training new volunteers.
- Set-up and run a one-off citizen science ‘outfall safari’ in Diss, including inspiring, recruiting and training new volunteers.
- Use the results from the outfall safari to address issues such as misconnections causing river pollution.
- Attend and support community events to represent the project.
- Support five community ‘On the River’ family taster events as part of our bathing water project at Falcon Meadow near Bungay – including kayaking, paddleboarding, coracle building, angling and open water swimming.
- Provide outreach sessions to Falcon Meadow during the busy summer period to promote water safety and water quality.
- Work with local schools to promote water safety and water quality, giving talks in assemblies.
- Support the application process of applying for bathing water status at Falcon Meadow, carrying out river user counts and consultations with the local community.
- Retain volunteers and support them to continue volunteering with RWT. This will include sending regular updates on projects and attending some social sessions.
- Ensure a high standard of health and safety at all times by volunteers, knowing when a situation is not safe and following all risk assessments.
- Support the Rivers Project Officer with event planning/delivery and administration duties as necessary on the bathing water project.
General
- Attend relevant team and partnership meetings as necessary.
- Contribute to reports as required for internal reporting and funders.
- Contribute to/write funding bids as required to ensure sustainability of the project.
- Carry out all duties and responsibilities with reasonable care for the health and safety of oneself and any other persons and co-operate fully with the River Waveney Trust in health and safety matters.
- Any other duties as reasonably required by RWT.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential criteria
- Valid driving licence and own car insured for business use.
- Experience of working with volunteers.
- Computer literate in all basic software packages and use of databases.
- Knowledge of river conservation.
- Knowledge of citizen science.
- Experience in practical outdoor group sessions.
- Experience in health and safety for the above.
- Previous experience of organising and running events.
Essential Personal Skills and Qualities
- A friendly, approachable and collaborative approach.
- An ability to listen to and act upon other peoples needs.
- The ability to work together as part of a small team and be adaptable to different working styles.
- A willingness to learn together and support each other.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision, manage time, prioritisie and meet deadlines.
- A commitment to the vision and values of the River Waveney Trust.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the causes of river pollution and the use of citizen science data to inform action.
- Experience of working with children and young people.
- Experience of supervising and managing volunteers.
- Experience of health and safety related to water.
- Knowledge of the Waveney catchment.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Salary: £21,522 (FTE £27,666) with progression in the role expected for the right candidate.
Contract period: The position is part time, on a 1-year contract, with the intention to extend or make permanent.
Reporting to: Director or Senior Project Officer of the River Waveney Trust.
Annual leave: Annual leave entitlement is 20 days holiday + 6 bank holidays (FTE 25 days + 8 bank holidays)
Hours of work: A working day is 7.5 hours, generally from 9am-5.30pm, with an unpaid hour-long lunch break. Flexible work hours are fully acceptable for personal circumstances and we are happy to accommodate any requirements needed in order to make the role work for the right candidate. Please note there will be up to 10 weekend work days expected over the year, with time offered in lieu.
Place of work and ethos: A blend of home, office and other site visits/meetings is expected. Flexibility is encouraged to achieve a good work life balance, in exchange commitment, honesty and integrity are expected from the candidate. The candidate must be based within a reasonable distance of the Waveney Catchment. We cannot accept applications from candidates who are based remotely or who do not have the right to work in the UK.
Pension: 9% employer pension offered.
Driving licence and vehicle: A full driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential. Due to the remote nature of the work we cannot accept applications from individuals who do not have a driving licence or access to a car. The candidate is expected to insure their own vehicle for work-use (this should not increase the premium). Mileage expenses are paid at £0.45 a mile. Mileage does not cover commuting to the office but will cover agreed commutes from home within the catchment.
Application Process: Please send your CV and a cover letter explaining why you are interested and how your experience links to the job. At most two sides A4 recommended for each. We also accept videos in place of the cover letter. Please send your completed application to info@riverwaveneytrust.org
Please note an enhanced DBS check will be required for the role.
If you have any questions about the role, please contact Martha Meek, The Trusts Director martha@riverwaveneytrust.org or 07903 243108.
Application deadline: Monday 15th April 11.59 pm
Interview venue and format: Wednesday 24th April in the Waveney Catchment
If you have missed the deadline, or are unsure if you fit the criteria for this role, but still feel you would be a good fit for working with our Trust, please do forward on your CV which we will keep on record for future roles that may come up.
The role is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Norfolk County Council, Anglian Waters’ Get River Positive Initiative and the Broads Catchment Partnership.
