Overview

We are looking for an energetic, creative, and enthusiastic person to help us deliver landscape scale change that benefits people as well as nature.

Wareham Arc Community Engagement Officer (Fixed Term)
Reference: MAY20232766
Location: Wareham/Hybrid
Salary: £25,723.00 – £27,614.00 Per Annum
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Fixed-term ending 31st Dec 2024
Benefits: Pension, Life Assurance, 26 days annual leave

What’s the role about?

The RSPB has been awarded government funding to develop a Landscape Recovery Scheme in South-East Dorset centred on Wareham to the west of Poole Harbour.  We, alongside our project partners, will have two years to explore how we can support and fund nature’s recovery across over 3,700 hectares of land.  The project is known as Wareham Arc.

We are looking for a Community Engagement Officer for the development phase of this project.

You’ll work closely with local communities, the project team and a range of consultants to design and test new opportunities for people to engage with nature. That might mean creating social media content, organising health and wellbeing events or producing community artwork. If you enjoy variety and you love working with people, this could be the role for you.

You don’t need a wealth of knowledge of birds or wildlife to do this job (we have plenty of people who can help you there!). However, we do need you to be passionate and enthusiastic about doing what you can to help us to tackle the joint climate and nature crises. You’ll be part of our mission to inspire and empower people to help create a world that is richer in nature, where birds and other wildlife are thriving for the benefit of everyone.

What we need from you

The Community Engagement Officer will drive the following activities:

  • Developing and implementing a programme of activities that raise awareness and understanding of habitats and species in and around Wareham, Dorset.
  • Building relationships with local community groups and developing opportunities to engage those groups with nature in ways that work for them.
  • Facilitating partnerships to support long term community engagement with nature.
  • Working with consultants to develop the long-term social outcomes, stakeholder engagement plan and communications plan for the project.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Community engagement experience – organising and delivering consultations or events for the public.
  • Basic knowledge of and enthusiasm for wildlife, habitats and key species (sufficient to be able to manage public engagement activities in a credible way).
  • Computer literacy – Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher, Teams and transferable skills for the use of other online packages.
  • Interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage with a wide range of people face to face.
  • Ability to enthuse and motivate themselves and others.
  • Ability to drive/access locations in the Wareham area.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Geographical knowledge of location.
  • Budget management.
  • Partnership working.

Additional Information

This role may involve evening and weekend working.

We will consider flexible working arrangements.  The role could be primarily office-based at RSPB Arne, Dorset, a project partner’s office or a hybrid working model of office and home-working.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Closing date: 23:59, Friday, 2nd June 2023
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 12th June 2023.

Interested? 

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position. 

We will be running online open briefings for those interested in applying for this role.

This advert can be made available in a more accessible format on request.

We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments ahead of interview.

As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK to be offered an employment contract.

No agencies please.