Community Organiser

Shropshire Wildlife Trust; Craven Arms; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Flexible working

Employee assistance

Staff discounts

Training & development

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Shropshire Wildlife Trust is hiring a Community Organiser to work mainly in the Craven Arms area on a landscape-scale project. The role is hybrid, with at least one day a week in our Shrewsbury office and regular travel across Shropshire.

You will build trusted relationships with community groups and leaders, co-create activity plans, and support delivery of events, workshops and activities within the Shropshire Hills Landscape Connections project.

Qualifications

• Commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Experience building relationships with diverse communities and organisations.
• Ability to listen, understand perspectives and adapt to community needs.
• Strong project management with stakeholder, deadline and budget tracking.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Confident communication and ability to present to varied audiences.
• Proficient IT skills, including Microsoft programmes.
• Full UK driving licence for regular travel across Shropshire.
• Familiarity with the Shropshire Hills Landscape and its communities desirable.
• Passion for nature and empowering communities to act.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with community groups, organisations, local authorities and project partners.
• Engage with underrepresented communities and ensure their voices are heard.
• Use a community organising approach to connect people with nature.
• Work with volunteers and sessional staff to deliver events and activities.
• Capture and share insights to shape the activity plan.
• Support communities to engage with The National Landscape and take action for nature.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, reporting and budget management.

Skills

Relationship building

Stakeholder management

Project management

Communication skills

Organisation

IT literacy

Driving licence

Diversity & inclusion

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The role is flexible and hybrid with at least one day a week in our Shrewsbury office and regular travel within Shropshire. At Shropshire Wildlife Trust, we want more people to feel empowered to take action for nature across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. We believe that small changes in attitudes can lead to big changes in behaviour, helping more people enjoy, benefit from and protect the natural world. We're delighted to be part of the partnership delivering the Shropshire Hills Landscape Connections project. This ambitious, multi-year project aims to create transformative change across the Shropshire Hills by bringing farmers, land managers, volunteers, young people and community groups together to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our communities and natural environment - from climate change and biodiversity loss to economic instability, social isolation and unequal access to nature. As part of the project's development phase, we're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Community Organiser to work primarily in the Craven Arms area. You will build trusted relationships with community groups, leaders and champions, listening to their experiences and working alongside them to co-create an activity plan for the project's delivery phase.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with community groups, organisations, local authorities and project partners.
• Engage with underrepresented communities and ensure their voices and experiences are heard.
• Use a community organising approach to understand local needs, barriers and opportunities to connect people with nature.
• Work with volunteers and sessional staff to deliver events, workshops and activities.
• Capture and share community insights to help shape the project's future activity plan.
• Support communities to engage with The National Landscape and take action for nature.
• Contribute to project monitoring, evaluation, reporting and budget management.

Requirements

• A strong commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Proven experience of building and nurturing relationships with a wide range of people, communities and organisations.
• The ability to listen, understand different perspectives and work flexibly around the needs of communities.
• Strong project management skills, including experience of managing stakeholders, deadlines and budgets.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise your time effectively.
• Confident communication skills, with the ability to present and summarise information clearly for different audiences.
• Confidence using IT, particularly Microsoft programmes.
• A full UK driving licence, as the role involves regular travel across Shropshire.
• Familiarity with the Shropshire Hills National Landscape and its communities would be desirable.
• You’ll be someone who genuinely cares about nature and people, and who believes that connecting communities with nature can help address the climate and ecological crises., Experience of community organising and an understanding of its principles and approaches.

Contract

• Fixed Term Contract ending on 31st August 2028.
• Full Time (35 hours per week).
• However, there is a strong likelihood of funding being secured for the delivery phase of the project, which will require a similar role.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays and Service related holiday (pro-rated for part time staff)
• Salary sacrifice benefits
• Life assurance
• Generous pension - company contribution 7%, employee contribution 3%
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• Flexible working policy
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff discounts
• Employee away days
• Enhanced pay for maternity and adoption leave
• Coaching
• Support with training and development to assist career progression
• Inclusive & supportive work atmosphere

Shropshire Hills Landscape Connections is a project bringing people, nature and heritage together to create a more connected and resilient landscape for future generations. It is part of a wider programme of Landscape Connections projects aimed specifically at protected landscapes (National Parks, National Landscapes and AONBs) across the UK. The project will deliver transformative change across the Shropshire Hills, addressing the pressing issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, economic instability, social isolation, and unequal access to nature. Over ten years (made up of a two-year development phase and an eight-year delivery phase) the project will deliver activity across three themes: Climate Resilience, Farming & Nature, and Unequal Access to Nature. This is a partnership project led by National Trust with key delivery partners being Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team, Severn Rivers Trust and Shropshire Wildlife Trust. Project ideas have been developed collaboratively by a wider partnership including Upper Onny Farmers Group, Environment Agency and Natural England, informed by consultation with other local farmers, community groups and other stakeholders. The project has been awarded development funding through The National Lottery Heritage Fund's Landscape Connections programme, made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) has a vision of a thriving natural world, where Shropshire's wildlife and natural habitats play a valued role in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, and people are inspired and empowered to take action for nature. We combine projects across Shropshire (including Telford & Wrekin) with advocacy and campaigning to restore nature and to engage people. We manage over 40 nature reserves and have almost 50 staff, 300 volunteers, and over 9000 members. SWT is an autonomous charity, but we are increasingly working collectively, as part of The Wildlife Trusts (TWT), to ensure that our local actions have a national impact and help to address global issues. We value courage, respect, integrity, trust and responsibility. Whilst we are passionate in promoting our aims, we are not judgemental and are inclusive. We want our people to be as diverse as nature, so we particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to offering an interview to anyone with a disability that meets all the essential criteria for the post. Please let us know if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible.