Project Support Officer – Sussex Kelp Recovery

Overview

Department: Conservation
Reporting to: Sussex Kelp Co-ordinator
Place of Work: Woods Mill/option to work from home; travel to locations across Sussex will be required.
Salary: £28,294.27 (pro rata: £16,976.56 for 3 days per week): (Band 6)
Closing date: 27-08-2024

Download the full Recruitment Information Pack (PDF download)

Job Purpose

To enable SWT to deliver effective action for wildlife in Sussex by providing administrative and communications support to the work of the Kelp Recovery Co-ordinator, including raising the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project profile through communications, and ensuring professional and high quality administration with the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project Steering Group.

Sussex Wildlife Trust

Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity for everyone who cares about nature in Sussex. We focus on protecting the wonderfully rich natural life that is found across our towns, countryside and coast.  By working alongside local people, we create opportunities for us all to connect with nature and for nature to thrive in even the most unlikely places.

We are now in a critical decade for change to protect and restore nature with the help of more people taking action for wildlife.  Now is the time for an ambitious action plan to match the scale and urgency of the challenges we are facing. Our new Strategic Plan – Our Wild Sussex – was launched in April and sets out our vision and commitment to turning the tide for wildlife so that by 2030, nature in Sussex will be in recovery.

To deliver our new strategic aims, we have recently completed a comprehensive restructure of the charity to align to our goals.  This restructure has generated a suite of new roles and opportunities which will enable us to achieve our ambitions of restoring and protecting at least 30% of Sussex land and sea for nature, inspiring one in four people in Sussex to take meaningful action for wildlife, building a stronger more inclusive and diverse organisation and becoming a net zero and climate resilient organisation.

In order to encourage diversity and inclusivity within the environment sector, we particularly welcome applications from people who have an ethnically or geographically diverse background, who are non-graduates and/or are living in economically deprived areas.

The Role

Sussex Wildlife Trust is looking to recruit a new role in the form of a Project Support Officer to support our work as part of the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project – the UK’s largest marine rewilding project. The role will assist the Kelp Recovery Co-ordinator with administrative and communications work, to raise the profile of the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project and ensure professional and high-quality administration for the project partnership.

The role requires high quality administrative and communication skills alongside a passion for and understanding of nature conservation. You will undertake a range of duties including creating visual and written content for the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project social media channels and other media communications, and the management of the project’s social media channels, data management systems and the project website. You will manage the admin for the project’s citizen science programme (the ‘Kelp Recording Scheme’) and administer the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project Steering Group. In addition, the role will also log project activity for future reporting, and effectively answer enquiries from a range of stakeholders.

The Person

We are looking for looking for an individual who works well as part of a small team. You will be organised, flexible and creative with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. While extensive experience is not a necessity you will need high quality administrative skills, the ability to prioritise work and excellent IT skills. You will be confident in communicating to a range of audiences and have attention for detail.

It will be important to have a passion for natures recovery combined with a desire to learn more about this, in order to support this pioneering project partnership.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays each year (pro-rated for part time staff)
• Pension – company contribution from 6% and employee contribution of 3%
• Life Assurance – Pension Scheme Members 2 x Salary, Non-Pension Scheme Members 1 x Salary
• 2 days paid leave for volunteering each year
• Flexible working policy
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• EAP
• Employee discounts
• Informal car share arrangements

Responsibilities

1. To support the Kelp Recovery Co-ordinator with administration and project communications.
2. To work with others to develop and share Sussex Kelp Recovery Project materials and virtual communications content.
3. To manage Sussex Kelp Recovery Project social media channels, sharepoint platform, data management systems and website.
4. To administer the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project Steering Group and Sharepoint resources.
5. To manage the admin and communications for the project’s citizen science programme – the ‘Kelp Recording Scheme’.
6. To co-ordinate and log project activity for future reporting.
7. To follow the relevant SWT financial, GDPR and Health and Safety processes.
8. Support the Nature Recovery team and colleagues as required.
9. Ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity.
10. Comply with the requirements of Data Protection and GDPR.
11. Have a flexible approach to working hours, working unsociable hours, evenings and weekends may be required on occasion.
12. Responsible for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirements of Health and Safety Regulations
13. Comply with the Trust’s Policies and Procedures

The above list should not be regarded as exhaustive, from time to time staff may be required to carry out other such duties as determined by the Trust.

Key Relationships

Internal

1. SWT Marine team
2. Nature Recovery Team
3. SWT Communications Team

External

4. Sussex Kelp Recovery Project Steering Group

Experience	Essential	Desirable
Project administration	X
Generation of social media content	X
Experience of working with enquiries		X
IT system management		X
Monitoring and reporting		X

 

Knowledge	Essential	Desirable
Social Media account management	X
Project management systems		X
Sussex Marine stakeholders and activities		X
Administrative systems i.e. for steering groups	X

 

Skills	Essential	Desirable
Professional administration	X
Excellent communication and written presentation skills, being able to convey information clearly and concisely in all written forms and across a range of media	X
The ability to plan and prioritise work and tasks	X
Excellent IT, organisational and administrative skills	X

 

Personal Qualities	Essential	Desirable
A demonstrable personal commitment to taking effective action for wildlife	X
Having diversity and inclusion as core values	X
A self-disciplined approach to work and ability to work independently as needed	X
Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and to support colleagues where appropriate	X
Imagination, resourcefulness, and diplomacy	X
The ability to have challenging and constructive conversations	X