Country Trust Head of Programmes
Employed contract
- Hours: 21 per week
- Salary/contract rate : £43-45,000 FTE depending on experience
- Location: Ideally within easy reach of Chelmsford. Hybrid/homeworking
- Employed contract – benefits
- Annual leave: 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (FTE)
- Benefits: Workplace pension
- Reporting to: CEO
Possible combination with the Impact and Learning Lead role also being advertised.
About The Country Trust
As a nation we've lost our connection with the land that sustains us all, with big and urgent ramifications for health, sustainability and equality. The Country Trust is changing this through high quality food, farming and countryside experiences that empower children in the most disadvantaged communities across the UK. For 45 years, we've worked with farmers to bring the countryside alive for over 600,000 children least able to access it. Our impactful programmes include the Food Discovery Programme, Countryside Discovery Residentials, Farm Discovery, Farm in a Box and Plant Your Pants.
About the Role
As the Head of Programmes, you will take on a strategic leadership role, managing the team of Programme Managers and deputising for the CEO when required. You will ensure each programme flourishes while encouraging collaboration across teams and with external partners to meet our ambitious objectives. This is a hybrid role, allowing you to work from home and travel to see our programmes in action nationwide.
Key responsibilities include:
- Line managing senior programme staff, including a dispersed workforce
- Overseeing operational demands and change management
- Financial management - budgeting, forecasting, invoices, embracing fundraising
- Actively promoting equality of opportunity and being a powerful advocate for our cause
- Confident communication and stakeholder engagement across sectors
- Supporting strategic direction and deputising for the CEO when required
You will work closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team of 10, and a delivery team of around 40 colleagues.
About You
We are seeking an exceptional communicator and versatile senior leader committed to providing quality opportunities for disadvantaged children. You must have:
- Proven success line managing senior programme staff and a dispersed workforce
- Strong financial management skills, including budgeting and forecasting
- Working with the Impact and Learning Lead to ensure broad and deep understanding and implementation of our Theory of Change and our values, that evaluation and learning are embedded throughout the organisation and that we are known for the quality of our reporting, with all our activities and reporting informed by meaningful data.
- To identify and develop key partnerships to enable us to extend our reach and our impact.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Confidence and competence to act at Board level and deputise for CEO
Additionally, you should have:
- Strategic thinking abilities to balance priorities and find solutions
- A collaborative approach suited to a dynamic team environment
- A desire to support colleagues' growth and development
- The ability to build successful, effective partnerships – our 5 Year Plan goals are dependent on working with and through others
- An understanding of the reality of the lives of disadvantaged children and the barriers they face in developing a first-hand connection with the land.
- Passion for food, farming, and the countryside
This is a fulfilling opportunity to play a vital role in an organisation dedicated to reconnecting children with the land and creating a sustainable, equal future.
Closing date: midnight 5th May
Shortlisting: w/c 6th May
Interviews: w/c 20th May (to be confirmed)
Due to our safer recruitment policy, we cannot accept CVs for this position.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This role will primarily sit within our Capacity Building and Standards (CB&S) function but will work closely with our Innovation and Practice (I&P) and Advocacy and Communications (A&C) functions.
The CB&S function aims to build capacity both inside and outside of public institutions to embed the processes, skills, structures and cultures needed for effective public participation in decision-making. The I&P function is responsible for the deliberative, dialogic and participatory projects and processes that we run. The A&C function aims to build political and public understanding of and support for making participation and deliberation an everyday, integral part of our democracy.
This role will have a thematic focus on public engagement in decision-making within the science, technology and data sectors. Candidates do not need an educational or work background in this sector, although it would be useful, but we would expect the successful candidate to take a keen interest in these topics.
Involve achieves its impacts by growing expertise in sector-specific areas where public engagement is important. Science and tech represent policy areas where citizen engagement on both principles and practice is vital and where public engagement can also open the door to broader deliberative democratic interventions and feedback loops. Technological advancement, including AI, presents risks and opportunities and will be an ongoing priority for government with five critical technologies likely to be central to UK policy for at least the next Government.
Involve has a significant pedigree and is well networked in the area of public engagement in science. Over the last 20 years we have been thought leaders in this space, in particular running the government’s science and tech engagement programme, Sciencewise. We have developed a reputation for best practice public dialogue, deliberation and capacity building.
Given the opportunity to grow this area, our reputation, and the important democratic need, we don’t want to stand still.
As Engagement Lead you will play a central role in leading Involve’s work, and building out our strategy, on public engagement in the science, technology and data field. The job will involve leading on our Sciencewise programme of public dialogue as well as supporting, growing and communicating our science and tech public engagement in general. You will be a proven project leader and strategic thinker looking to make your next move and develop your leadership and profile in this interesting and important area of public engagement in decision-making.
Job Title: Admin/Customer Services
Reports To: CEO
Main Purpose of Job
To ensure the smooth running of the sales floor and main office to offer a high-quality service to donators and customers.
Main Responsibilities
- Serving customers, dealing with enquiries, arranging delivery when necessary
- Processing cash, card and other customer payments
- Arranging for approved donations of furniture to be collected
- Handling product returns and payment refund requests
- Helping with movement, inventory and presentation of stock in the warehouse
- To assist in the movement of stock by road transport, including van driving.
- To assist and support new volunteers as directed. Ensure that volunteers understand the customer service standards that we aspire to as an organisation
- To follow all statutory Health and Safety requirements and those detailed in the organisation’s Health and Safety policy and risk assessments
- Work flexibly and to be prepared to contribute to all areas of work in the organisation
- Collect and share feedback from volunteers, work placement trainees, donors and customers with the CEO
- To undertake any other reasonable tasks as deemed necessary by the CEO
- To promote equal opportunities and value diversity in accordance with Statutory and Sofa’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy
- To undertake any other duties as required by Sofa Trustees which are consistent with the aims and objectives of Sofa
Other Requirements
- Adhere to Sofa’s Health and Safety Policy
- Work flexibly throughout the week excluding Sundays
- Attend occasional meetings
Provide affordable household items, help volunteers get back into employment and save the environment by diverting tone of furniture from landfill