County Farming Adviser – Kent (East Region)

NFUonline; England; Remote; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Company car or car allowance

Health cash plan

Pension

Employee benefits and discounts

Job summary

NFUonline is seeking a County Farming Adviser for Kent (East Region). The role is home-based with travel across the East region and requires leading NFU activities in the county, recruiting and supporting local Group Secretaries, and influencing policy with regional colleagues and HQ.

You will engage with farmers and rural producers, build networks with stakeholders, and promote NFU policy work while ensuring member voices are heard locally.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge and experience of farming businesses.
• Experience in agricultural, supply chain or rural roles.
• Ability to build professional relationships and influence policy.
• Persuasive communicator who can engage with people at all levels.
• Willingness to drive extensively within county and region.

Responsibilities

• Lead NFU activities in the county and manage local structures.
• Recruit, manage and develop local NFU Group Secretaries.
• Represent NFU publicly, liaise with regional HQ and stakeholders.
• Campaign on regional/local matters including farming, rural environment.

Job description

County Farming Adviser - Kent (East Region)

Regions

Permanent

35 hours per week

Starting salary c. £41k (Dependant on Skills and Experience) plus company car or car allowance

Home Based Agile - With East of England Travel

Job Title: County Farming Adviser - Kent (East Region)

Salary: c. £41k (Dependant on Skills and Experience) plus company car or car allowance

Location: Home based, covering Kent, within the East region

Working Hours:35 hours per week

Contract Type:Permanent

Purpose of the role & how you will contribute:

Leading a team of NFU Group Secretaries (who also have a role with the NFU Mutual as an insurance agent), you'll support local farmers, growers and food producers by managing the NFU's work in your allocated county. That means developing plans to recruit and retain members and ensuring their voice is heard by lobbying and influencing on their behalf with a range of stakeholders across the county.

You will lead all NFU activities in your county, supporting and managing the local NFU democratic structures. As the key local NFU representative, you'll also lead the recruitment of local NFU Group Secretaries, manage their performance, supporting and advising them on all member engagement activities. As an influential local voice for the NFU, you'll promote our policy work, to our members and liaise regularly with regional colleagues and HQ colleagues to advise and campaign on a range of regional and local matters, including farming, food, rural matters and the environment. You will build a strong network of local stakeholders, media and political contacts across your county and oversee local NFU lobbying. You will support the work of the NFU across the region by taking the regional lead on certain aspects, including policy work in specific commodity areas (e.g. crops, dairy, livestock or poultry).

What you'll bring:

You will have strong knowledge and experience of farming businesses, and further experience in agricultural, supply chain or other rural professional roles and/or wider supply chains would be an advantage. You'll be used to building and managing effective professional relationships and influencing and delivering agricultural or rural policy. This means you'll need to be a persuasive communicator, with the ability to manage objections calmly and speak confidently to people at all levels, both in person and through the media.

With proven experience of managing, recruiting, motivating and developing a remote team, you'll be adept at thinking on your feet and evaluating complex issues effectively to reach the best decision. You'll also need the flexibility to work irregular hours and drive extensively throughout your allocated county and region.

Why choose us?

Join us and you'll find an organisation that encourages and enables you to achieve your full potential. In return you will be rewarded with a full range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance (starting at 25 days a year + Bank Holidays, rising to 30 days with length of service), plus 1 annual Christmas company day
• Option to buy and sell up to 5 days annual leave
• Company funded health Cashplan
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
• Performance-related pay
• Competitive Pension and Life assurance
• Access to interest-free loans for cars, bikes, season tickets and driving lessons
• Employee Assistance program to help you deal with lives challenges
• Discounts on new vehicles, holiday rentals, wellbeing and lifestyle and many more

Who we are

The National Farmer's Union (NFU) is the biggest farming organisation in the UK. We're proud to make a difference for all our members, by shaping attitudes towards British farming and leading the charge on a range of major issues, from climate change and food standards to rural crime and broadband rollout.

Every day, we're the voice of around 43,000 British farmers and growers who produce food, making sure their concerns are heard at the heart of government both online and locally. This means developing strong relationships with everyone from NFU colleagues to government ministers. So, as well as having a high profile in both the media and Westminster, we work with and support local members across England and Wales.

We are the face of the NFU to local members, our focus is to understand their day-to-day concerns and influence the local and national agendas on their behalf. It's about developing strong working relationships with everyone from the members themselves to local councils, constituency MPs and national NFU teams.

We're committed to recruiting a diverse and highly-talented workforce. We'll support you by providing you with extensive learning and development opportunities and build a career that balances your professional ambitions with your personal commitments.

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