Overview

Action for Conservation is looking for an Outdoor Education Officer to join our groundbreaking Penpont Project, the largest youth-led nature restoration initiative of its kind!

Start date: As soon as possible after appointment
Reports to: Penpont Project Manager
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term for an initial period of three years
Salary: £25,250 – £27,400
Work location: Penpont Estate, Brecon, Wales and the surrounding region
Expected travel: Frequent regional and some national travel is expected
Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus public holidays, access to flexible working, a workplace pension and numerous development opportunities outlined below in the ‘Why work with us’ section below

How to apply: Complete the online application form
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 16th November at midnight
Find out more: Read the Application Pack or contact us at careers@actionforconservation.org for more information

About Action for Conservation

We are at a critical moment in our earth’s history, and it’s never been more important to empower every young person to fight for their future and the future of the planet. Action for Conservation is an innovative young charity using pioneering approaches to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders. We work with young people from diverse backgrounds to build a youth movement committed to the earth.

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. 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. Currently, the farming sector is the least diverse in the UK and the environmental sector is second, with just 1.4% and 4.8% employees from minority backgrounds, respectively. In Wales, where 88% of the land area is farmed, just 3% of farmers are under 35. 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 projects like Penpont. We therefore encourage applicants from people currently underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply.

Why work with us?

You will 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 will get to experience first-hand the positive impact that your work has. It goes without saying that we work hard, but we also maintain a positive work-life balance and spend lots of time outdoors. Some of the benefits of working at Action for Conservation include:

  • 25 days annual leave in addition to public holidays, increasing by one day for each year served up to a maximum of 5 additional days.
  • Four paid volunteer days per year.
  • Quarterly team ‘action days’ and away weekends in the great outdoors.
  • Access to flexible working.
  • A workplace pension.
  • A bespoke personal and professional development plan, co-developed with you and your line manager, to identify and progress your training, development and career aims.
  • The opportunity to grow into the role, learn and develop on the job, and hopefully progress within the team as opportunities arise.
  • A robust training package, including outdoor first aid, child safeguarding and food hygiene training, with further opportunities to be identified.
  • Developing and building on skills and knowledge like public speaking, youth engagement, group facilitation and management, practical conservation, environmental policy and campaigns and community networking.
  • Opportunities to share your voice and shape the direction of our work, ensuring that our content is relevant and reflective of your interests and the issues facing your community.
  • Mentoring inspirational young people from all walks of life and supporting them to transform their ideas into meaningful action.

About the Penpont Project

Launched in the summer of 2019 on a 2,000 acre estate in the Brecon Beacons, Wales, the Penpont Project is the largest intergenerational nature restoration project of its kind anywhere in the world. It has brought young people, farmers, foresters, landowners and others together to restore nature and culture in this special place. Co-led by a Youth Leadership Group of 20 passionate teenagers from the area surrounding Brecon and across the UK, this game-changing project demonstrates how youth leadership and ambition can advance nature’s recovery at a time of acute ecological crisis. Our aim is to establish Penpont as a nationally significant, transformative educational site where young people can connect deeply with nature and raise their voices to influence the direction of nature recovery across the UK.

As an innovative and unique project in the UK context, the Project has garnered major media attention, including from the BBC and the Guardian.

About the role – Penpont Outdoor Education Officer

This is an exciting role for a self-motivated, inspiring and able communicator, who shares our passion for youth-led solutions to the climate and ecological crisis. You will be responsible for developing and delivering on-site education and environmental action programmes for groups of young people, so that they can learn about and participate in regenerative farming, nature restoration and decision making at the Penpont Project site. In doing so, you will play a vital role in nourishing the present and future of a groundbreaking and unique initiative with the potential to change the landscape of ecological restoration across the UK.

These programmes will showcase Action for Conservation’s flagship intergenerational approach to nature restoration at Penpont and form a central pillar in our efforts to inspire young people from the local area and further afield to initiate similar projects in rural and urban areas. Alongside education and engagement activities on site, you will also lead on the delivery of outreach programmes in local secondary schools, where you will empower young people to connect with nature, engage with the site at Penpont and design and deliver youth-led environmental action projects in their communities.

In this role you will: 

  • Support  AFC’s Penpont Project Manager, Land-based Projects & Policy Lead, and other team members to develop an education and action programme for young people and the wider community at Penpont and in schools and youth groups in the local area, including the South Wales Valleys, Newport and Cardiff.
  • Lead on the recruitment and delivery of the education and action programme, where you will empower young people to connect with nature and take hands-on action to support activities on site and where they live, such as wildlife monitoring, habitat management, tree planting, wetland creation, regenerative farm design and farming.
  • Lead on the coordination of the Penpont Project’s Youth Leadership Group by organising site visits, involving them in activities and in the further development of the project strategy and management plan, and supporting the recruitment and succession of group members to ensure continuity.
  • Coordinate visits for school groups and young people, including managing safeguarding, health and safety, travel logistics, communication with teachers, and the delivery and facilitation of sessions, involving other team members and/or external experts as necessary.
  • Monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness of our work at Penpont and our outreach activities in the wider community, with the support of the Penpont Project Manager.
  • Contribute to the communications output of the Penpont Project through social media, YouTube, blogs, newsletters, articles, policy papers and talks.
  • Support with other tasks as required.

Your skills and experience

The following experience, knowledge and skills are those that we are looking for in candidates for the above role. Those listed as ‘Essential (E)’ are those that candidates must have. Candidates who fail to meet these criteria will not be short-listed. ‘Desired (D)’ skills and experience are those that it would be advantageous to have, although it is not essential.

Experience & knowledge

  • Experience of working with young people, ideally outdoors, in a professional capacity. (E)
  • Environmental knowledge demonstrated through post-secondary education and/or relevant work or volunteer experience. (E)
  • Good understanding of the barriers to young people, and particularly young people from disadvantaged and/or minority ethnic backgrounds, in engaging with environmental issues. (E)
  • Experience organising events, workshops or other activities with members of the public, ideally outdoors, including adhering to safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessment requirements. (E)
  • Experience of supporting young people to design and deliver campaigns or environmental action projects. (D)
  • Good knowledge of the region you will be working in and its unique challenges and opportunities. (D)

Skills & abilities

  • The ability to inspire, motivate and relate to young people, especially those who are different to you, and get them excited about nature. (E)
  • Good communication skills – in writing, verbal and through formal facilitation – with the ability to adapt your communication style to different environments and present to diverse audiences. (E)
  • Solutions orientated, proactive, independent and highly organised, with a friendly outlook and the ability to multi-task across various programmes and respond rapidly to new opportunities. (E)
  • A full clean driving licence and access to a vehicle. (E)
  • Fluent Welsh speaker. (D)
  • Experience in evaluation and monitoring frameworks. (D)

Download a copy of the Job Pack.

Next steps and how to apply

To apply, you must complete the online application form by Sunday 27th November at midnight. 

As part of this application process you will be asked to submit your CV and provide details that demonstrate how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience requirements listed above.

Please be aware that this role requires the completion of an enhanced DBS check, which we will organise for the successful candidate. All applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Please let us know if you have any access requirements of which you would like us to be aware during the recruitment process.

For further information please contact careers@actionforconservation.org.