Engagement and Partnerships Officer

This is a new role and the first of its kind for the Chilterns National Landscape, aimed at
developing more inclusive access to the countryside. It provides an exciting opportunity to
join a multi-disciplinary team in one of the country’s finest and most high-profile National
Landscapes.

The Chilterns National Landscape’s size and ambition has grown in recent years, and this
pivotal role has been created to help us reach diverse new audiences in the Luton and Dunstable
area. Despite having plentiful urban greenspaces and outstanding countryside on the doorstep,
a recent
study by the University of Bedfordshire on how diverse communities engage with greenspaces
and the countryside, found that only 33% of participants in the Luton/Dunstable area visited
greenspaces weekly. Older individuals, those facing various challenges, and people from
minority ethnic backgrounds are the least frequent users for a range of reasons. We are
committed to developing a more inclusive approach in how greenspaces are used across diverse
communities, and to leading the way in developing approaches that align with our EDI
ambitions.

Your role will be to take this work forward in Luton and Dunstable to help engage new diverse
audiences through a number of projects and creative partnership approaches. A central part of
your role will be overseeing the flagship Nature Calling programme
hosted by the Chilterns National Landscape and based in Luton. This is part of a £2 million
groundbreaking national initiative funded by Defra and Arts Council England, with local
partner Revoluton Arts, designed to connect and
deepen people’s engagement with the landscape. It will lead to a co-created season of arts
taking place May to September 2025. Through Nature Calling our ambition is to engage with
communities we have not worked with before, providing opportunities to connect with green
spaces and heritage.

We are seeking a highly motivated and dynamic individual to lead our efforts to reach new
diverse audiences in Luton and Dunstable, bringing experience and expertise in championing
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). You will be comfortable working flexibly with limited
supervision and passionate about making countryside access more inclusive. You will have the
energy, enthusiasm and experience to proactively develop community links and strategic
partnerships. You will need excellent communication and engagement skills and be adept at
managing a demanding and varied workload.

Role Purpose

You will take forward our EDI ambitions in the North Chilterns, developing and delivering
projects, partnerships and targeted engagement activity to reach diverse audiences through a
collaborative partnership approach. Priorities will include:

• Delivering engagement initiatives to reach diverse audiences in the Luton/Dunstable area,
  directly and through partners. This includes delivering the flagship Nature Calling programme.
• Developing and contributing to new engagement projects and partnerships including the North
  Chilterns Partnership. Through these partnerships, you will help to secure support and funding
  for a targeted outreach programme.
• Encouraging and facilitating greater diversity and inclusion across all our work.

You will work closely with the Head of Engagement & Partnerships and others in the
Chilterns National Landscapes team. Partnership working is key to how we achieve our
objectives, and you will be collaborating with some key partners and partnerships including: