Community Outreach Manager

  • Central
  • Band C Starting from £26,000 (FTE £32,500)
  • 20 days ago
Job Description

Are you a talented individual looking to develop your career in a progressive conservation organisation? The reason the John Muir Trust exists - to conserve, protect and repair wild places for the benefit of everyone - has never been more important.

The John Muir Trust is recruiting a Community Outreach Manager to lead on the Trust’s work across our Central Region wild place zones. We have hubs of environmental restoration and engagement around our four properties in the region, and now we’re looking for someone to reach out into communities beyond these areas.

In this role, you will spend 2 days a week coordinating the Connect Outdoors project, which is an educational hiking programme that inspires and educates. The project is a partnership between JMT, Tiso and Mhor Outdoors, and our mission is to introduce new people from under-represented communities to wild places through sustainable, educational, and empowering outdoor activity that inspires long-term engagement and care for this natural heritage.

Your responsibilities will include leading on monitoring and evaluation, project coordination, liaising with participant organisations, and financial and project management. You will work closely with internal teams, external partners, and community stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of Connect Outdoors.

You will spend a further 2 days a week supporting our national engagement work to increase access to wild places, provide opportunities for young people to gain employment skills for a nature-rich future, address inequalities by progressing an inclusion agenda in our engagement activities and advocating for outdoor learning through the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan.

We’re looking for someone with a good understanding of outdoor education practice and delivery, who is skilled in project management, and is passionate about land, people and communities. You should be confident in engaging a wide range of individuals in wild places and connecting them to the work and ethos of the John Muir Trust.

If successful, you will be a key member of our Central Region team. You will report to the Regional Manager for the Central Region, working alongside our Property teams at Ben Nevis, East Schiehallion, Glenlude and Helvellyn, and our John Muir Award staff.

The John Muir Trust is committed to working together to promote a more inclusive environment and we need a diverse team to realise this. Applicants are welcome from all walks of life with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to support our work on behalf of wild places.

Main responsibilities

 Key duties

• Project delivery: Support the planning and delivery of Connect Outdoors programmes.

• Project management: Support the project coordination including ensuring smooth delivery of the project in line with the objectives set out.

• Monitoring and Evaluation: Lead the collection, analysis and reporting on project data, including the creation of surveys and impact reports.

• Conservation knowledge: Contribute conservation knowledge and ensure responsible engagement in the outdoors as a key pilar of the project.

• Safety and Risk Management: Take proactive measures to mitigate risks and ensure the safety and well-being of all participants and staff.

• Respond and contribute to the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan

• Embed EDI across our outdoor learning work and support the creation of an EDI Policy and Action Plan

• Integrate pro-environmental behaviours into our education programmes

• Support our stakeholder network of outdoor educators by representing the Trust at external meetings

• Support the provision of volunteering opportunities to strengthen nature-based skills in the region

• Support cross-party working groups to ensure outdoor education remains on the curriculum in Scotland Person specification

Essential skills, knowledge and aptitude

• Demonstrated knowledge of responsible outdoor engagement and conservation, including leave-no-trace principles, outdoor access code, Scottish biodiversity and health and safety.

• Good understanding of data analysis and reporting for monitoring and evaluating the project.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with diverse audiences and build partnerships.

• Demonstrated ability to deliver project outcomes in a timely manner and within budget.

• Commitment to working with communities and connecting them to wild places • Ability to follow the John Muir Trust Health & Safety policies and risk assessments

• Strong organisational skills with ability to manage own workload and achieve objectives

• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to work well with others as part of a team

• Ability to travel to wild places, such as Schiehallion or Glenlude.

• Flexibility to travel and work occasional evenings or weekends as needed. Desirable skills, knowledge and aptitude

• Hold an Outdoor First Aid qualification or be willing to obtain one

Other details

Type of contract: 2 years with the possibility of extension, starting on 1 January 2024

Hours: 28 hours per week

Salary: Band C starting from £26,000 (£32,500 FTE)

Pension: 5% employer contribution to a group auto-enrolment pension scheme

Reporting to: Regional Delivery Manager - Central

Location: Flexible in the Central Region – can include a combination of home working with time in our offices in either Pitlochry, Edinburgh or Selkirk. There will also be delivery of educational sessions in wild places.

Holidays: 34 days per year plus 2 wild/sustainable travel days

John Muir Trust standard terms and conditions of employment apply. johnmuirtrust.org