Land-based Project Coordinator (North West)

About us

Action for Conservation is a grassroots charity using pioneering approaches to inspire and
empower young people from diverse backgrounds, between the ages of 12 and 24, to become the
next generation of environmental leaders. We have recently embarked on an inspiring and
ambitious new, three-year project funded through the National Lottery Community Fund:
Intergenerational Action for Nature and Climate. This will see us working across two sites,
Grow Wilder in Bristol and Heartwood, near Matlock in Derbyshire, and using our proven
intergenerational land stewardship approach to restore biodiversity and connect young people to
nature, empowering them to become life-long climate activists and advocates for nature.

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team and be a part of the project from the very
beginning, playing a key role in its success. You will work closely with other members of the
project team, as well as our site partners Heartwood Social Farming Centre, to support the development and
successful delivery of the project at Heartwood

Through regular online engagement and quarterly residential visits to Heartwood, you
will support the North West Programme Manager and Land-based Projects and Policy Lead to
facilitate an intergenerational co-design process using eco-cultural mapping and other
participatory methods. Involving key stakeholders, including Heartwood Social Farming Centre, a
Youth Leadership Group of young people aged 13-18 living locally to the project site, local
knowledge holders and the wider community, this process will enable participants to
collectively develop an ambitious vision for the future of Heartwood. One of the outcomes of
this process will be a shared plan for restoring nature and improving biodiversity at
Heartwood, which will be implemented throughout the lifetime of the project and
beyond.

In collaboration with our partners Heartwood Social Farming Centre, you will be
responsible for coordinating all project activities on behalf of Action for Conservation,
providing high-quality administrative and organisational support to the project team. You will
also directly contribute to project delivery, leading or supporting a variety of engaging
sessions, webinars and hands-on activities with the project partners, young people, community
groups and other project stakeholders.

Start date: as soon as possible, ideally mid/late October

Contract: Fixed-term for three years, with scope to extend subject to funding

Starting salary: £16,872.76 – £17,590.75 (equivalent to £28,121.27 – £29,317.92 FTE) depending on experience
Location: Greater Manchester / Derbyshire (hybrid working). This role requires regular travel (at least quarterly) to the project site near Matlock, as well as occasional national travel for partner exchange visits, away weeks, etc. (2-3 times per year)
Working hours: Part-time, 21 hours / 3 days per week. This role
requires regular evening work (2-3 times per month) and residential visits (4-6 times per year). Time
off in lieu (TOIL) can be taken for work outside of usual office hours.

Key responsibilities (you can see the full job description and person
specification in the Recruitment Pack):

• Support the North West Programme Manager and Land-based Projects and Policy Lead to design and
  facilitate an intergenerational co-design process using eco-cultural mapping and other
  participatory methods to develop a future vision for Heartwood.
• Plan, coordinate and deliver quarterly residential visits of the Youth Leadership Group to
  Heartwood.
• Facilitate the activity of the Youth Leadership Group outside of visits to Heartwood to ensure
  young people are equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage fully with the
  project.
• Plan, coordinate and deliver community nature restoration action days at Heartwood.
• Support monitoring and evaluation activities to understand the impact of the project and
  facilitate learnings.

What we are looking for

Essential skills and experience are listed as (E) and desirable ones as (D). If you don’t have
all of the skills and experience listed below but think you will be a good fit for the role, we
would encourage you to apply. 

Experience

• Working with, engaging, motivating and supporting young people from diverse backgrounds,
  ideally aged 12 to 18 (E)
• Facilitating in-person and/or online group events and activities, including practical
  activities in an outdoor setting (E)
• Organising events and activities from start to finish, including liaising with partners,
  managing logistics, safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessments (E)
• Supporting young people with additional needs (D)
• Monitoring and evaluating programmes and activities, including using Salesforce to record
  data (D)

Knowledge

• Environmental knowledge demonstrated through post-secondary education and/or relevant work
  or volunteer experience (E)
• Good understanding of qualitative research methods, such as interviewing, surveying and
  co-design (E)
• Good understanding of how to remove barriers to participation that young people,
  particularly those from minoritised and marginalised backgrounds, experience (D)
• Knowledge of the area you will be working in and its unique challenges and opportunities
  (D)

Skills and abilities

• Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to plan ahead, work
  across multiple tasks and prioritise effectively to meet deadlines. (E)
• A positive, proactive and self-reliant approach to work with proven ability to work
  independently, problem-solve and take initiative to achieve results. (E)
• Good teamwork skills and willingness to help out colleagues (E)
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills (E)
• Good IT skills, ideally using Google Workspace applications or equivalent (e.g. Gmail,
  Word/Docs, Excel/Sheets, etc.) (E)

Personal attributes

• Commitment to working with young people as equal partners and supporting their leadership
  (E)
• Willingness to work outside of usual office working hours to meet the needs of the young
  people we work with (E)
• Commitment to Action for Conservation’s vision, mission and values (E)

Why work with us?

You’ll be joining a young, mission-driven team who truly love what they do. Working with young
people is always rewarding, sometimes challenging and never boring, and you’ll get to
experience first-hand the positive impact that your work has. We work hard whilst maintaining a
positive work-life balance and spend lots of time outdoors.

In 2023, we were recognised by Escape the City as one of the top progressive places to work
from over 13,000 nominations, after a rigorous assessment across multiple criteria, including
Mission, Impact, People, Planet and Innovation.

Some of the benefits of working at Action for Conservation include:

• 33 days of annual leave (including public holidays), plus one additional day for each year
  served up to a maximum of 38 days
• Up to 5 days of paid professional development leave and up to 4 paid volunteer days each
  year
• A workplace pension with 3% employer contributions
• Access to flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Regular team and organisational away days in the great outdoors
• Joining a growing organisation with the possibility to progress within the team as
  opportunities arise
• A robust training package and a development plan to support your progression and career
  aims
• Opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge as part of your work
• Opportunities to share your voice and shape the direction of our work
• Seeing the impact of what you do, as you transform young people’s lives.

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline for applications is Monday, 26 August at midnight. To apply,
complete our online application form. For further details, see the Recruitment Pack.

We will hold first interviews on 10-12 September and second interviews on 16-17 September. Both
rounds will be held remotely via Zoom.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

Diversity is one of our core values as an organisation and we are committed to creating an
inclusive working environment where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity.
Currently, the environmental sector is the second least diverse in the UK, with just 4.8% of
employees from ethnic minority backgrounds. We also recognise that the climate and ecological
crisis disproportionately impacts minority and/or marginalised communities – yet these voices
are largely underrepresented in the sector. If the environmental movement is to succeed in
creating a greener future that supports society as a whole, we need diverse voices at the heart
of our programmes. We, therefore, encourage people from demographics that are currently
underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply.

GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME

We particularly encourage applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds or living
with a disability or long-term health conditions. We will offer an interview to any candidates
from ethnic minority backgrounds or living with a disability who opt into our Guaranteed
Interview Scheme when applying and who meet the essential criteria for this role.

If you would like further information, support with access requirements, such as an
adjustment to the application or interview process, or an informal chat, please contact us by
email at [email protected].