Senior Project Officer

The Conservation Volunteers; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused charity based in London is seeking a Senior Project Officer to lead community engagement activities and manage events at a community garden. The role involves overseeing volunteers, maintaining safety standards, and delivering various community events. Ideal candidates will have experience in gardening or community management and possess excellent interpersonal skills. This full-time position is based on-site with limited remote working.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing a community facility or garden.
• Ability to work with a diverse range of people.
• Initiative and friendliness in engaging with the community.

Responsibilities

• Lead charity projects and community activities.
• Plan and deliver family weekend events.
• Maintain site Health & Safety standards.
• Manage volunteer-led gardening tasks.
• Complete administrative tasks on time.

Skills

Community engagement

Event delivery

Practical gardening experience

Friendly interpersonal skills

Job description

Overview

The Meridian One Community Garden is a meanwhile space which primarily grows fruit, salad and vegetable crops. We engage local people in the garden through weekly volunteer gardening sessions, school visits and other community events. TCV are looking for a Senior Project Officer who has skills and experience in community engagement, delivering events and experience of managing a community facility. The community garden was established one year ago, and the site includes an office, community meeting/education room, toilets and a large polytunnel.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of charity projects and community activities, including planning and delivering a large family weekend event and ensuring site Health & Safety is maintained.
• Lead volunteers in practical tasks such as making large, raised wooden planters, and help maintain the garden plants during the Spring and Summer growing period.
• Complete administration tasks on time, including procurement of materials, creating risk assessments, updating social media posts and completing task reports.
• Deliver the under 5's Nature Explorers outdoor playgroup activities, school visits, themed evening events and weekend family events.
• Deliver corporate volunteering sessions and provide holiday cover for the weekly Green Gym gardening session.
• Contribute to wider events such as Women’s Pampering and Enrichment evenings, Repurpose, Recycle, Reinvent workshops and a Black Women in Conservation and Horticulture photography exhibition.
• Plan and lead weekend family events that provide free food, music and arts and crafts activities.
• Lead occasional practical food growing and conservation activities with volunteers.

Usual working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The role requires working from the garden during these times; home working is limited except in exceptional circumstances. Weekend family events occur on Saturdays four times a year and there are approximately six evening events between April and September. The post holder will plan and lead the delivery of those evening and weekend events.

This role would suit someone with previous practical experience of day-to-day management of a community garden or community centre.

Person Specification

Ideally, experience of gardening and/or nature conservation is desirable. More important are initiative, friendliness, a welcoming attitude, and the ability to work with a wide range of people. Applications from candidates who can demonstrate those personable qualities, perhaps with experience of working in a community centre, are welcome.

About Us

Our mission is to connect people together to protect and restore nature, delivering lasting benefits for both. Since 1959, The Conservation Volunteers has been a charity creating opportunities for people to create, improve and care for nature in the green spaces around them across the UK. Our projects cover a bit of everything involving nature, with volunteers working in parks, community gardens, woodland, sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, schools and hospital grounds, helping create a network of protected green space across the UK. This work connects people with nature, and that connection delivers powerful results. Join in, feel good.