An exciting opportunity has come up to lead our Green Social Prescribing Service; Roots to Wellbeing. In this role you get the opportunity to unlock the therapeutic power of nature for those who really need it. You get to work with a diverse range of people across communities and leading organisations as well as being a leading figure in a growing movement that champions the impact nature connection can have to improve health and wellbeing and combat loneliness.
We are looking for a creative, compassionate and enthusiastic leader who can help us not only reach but exceed our goals for this project and be the nurturing force to help Roots to Wellbeing develop and grow.
Roots to Wellbeing project aims:
- Provide a safe and inclusive space for participants to receive weekly support.
- Help participants to connect with nature and socialise with others to feel happier, less anxious and less isolated.
- Support participants to access other beneficial services, where appropriate, including health, social and financial.
- Support participants to move onto outdoor work or volunteering with friends of groups where appropriate.
- Facilitate a positive journey through the service for participants to ensure as many people as possible can access the service.
The role
The roles has four main areas of work:
1. Leadership and management:
- Lead the Roots to Wellbeing team to reach its goals.
- Line manage and support three Mental Health Officers, each delivering Roots to Wellbeing on one site.
- Work with local communities and other team members to explore new opportunities for the project and develop solutions.
- Work with CEO and Head of Fundraising to secure funding for project development.
2. Project management:
- Oversee the delivery and development of the project to meet key KPIs.
- Collate qualitative and quantitative data and produce impact reports for funders.
- Support team to ensure administrative records are kept up to date, including but not limited to: maintaining accurate participant records, work programme, incident reporting, risk management, external outreach, website.
- Develop a thorough communications strategy and build on current local referral relationships to further embed the programme within the VCSE & Health sector.
- Ensure service standard and quality is consistent across sites and policies and procedures are followed.
- Recruit and induct volunteers to support session delivery.
- Work in partnership with stakeholders within and across the organisation to deliver project goals.
- Attend networking meetings and community events to raise awareness of the project and demonstrate its impact.
3. Session delivery at Hartcliffe Millennium Green:
- Continually build and maintain relationships with local referral partners to achieve a consistent referral rate into the project.
- Deliver weekly Roots to Wellbeing sessions by; planning and facilitating delivery of sessions and activities in line with 5 pathways to nature connectedness and that are accessible to all participants, organising logistics of sessions such as travel, food and equipment, acting as safeguarding lead during sessions, liaising with co-facilitator, leading peer-support style check in at the beginning of the sessions and the grounding and meditation at the end.
- Lead on all direct communication with participants at Hartcliffe Millennium Green. Support them to create personalised development plans, signposting and referrals where needed.
4. Other:
- Support the work of the wider charity and specifically the South Bristol team as required.
- Representing the charity externally through media work and presentation where necessary.
Equality & diversity
We are looking for dedicated and passionate people to join our team. We want to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. If you share our values and enthusiasm for access to parks, you will find a home here. All applicants will be treated equally but we want to build our level of lived experience of barriers to parks.
Therefore, we are particularly interested in received applications from people who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, Disabled people and people from low-income households.
Helping everyone access parks and their transformational wellbeing benefits.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Title: Ecologist
Advertised Salary: £32,427
Base Location: Home-based with requirements for national travel.
We're the charity who look after and bring to life 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, because we believe that life is better by water. Every role across the Trust plays its part in transforming our canals and rivers into spaces where local people want to spend time and feel better, bringing wellbeing benefits to millions.
We currently have an opportunity for an experienced Ecologist to join our Environment and Climate action team within the S&I Directorate and is responsible for delivering the Trust’s strategy and policy on all environment and climate related sustainability issues, including environmental compliance as a minimum, improvement of our protected sites and achieving a net gain in biodiversity across our canal network.
The Ecologist will be responsible for providing professional technical input into the Trust’s strategic activities around nature recovery. This includes collecting and analysing information and data to support a long-term action plan to move more of our protected sites towards favourable condition and support projects that increase biodiversity and the abundance of protected species across the network.
The Canal & River Trust is in an ideal position, as a large landowner with blue and green corridors connecting habitats across the landscape, to carry out environmental enhancements using our local volunteer workforce to ensure that we improve habitats and support biodiversity. Planting the right trees in the right places, reconnecting old hedgerows and restoring or creating wildflower meadows and linear species-rich grasslands to provide a safe haven for wildlife and a destination for people to retreat to from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Reconnecting people with the nature on their doorstep and offering them opportunities to get involved in looking after ‘their patch’ through guided walks and talks.
Our aim is to support the work of the Trust as a whole, while conserving and enhancing the environment of the inland waterway network. Finding simple and innovative solutions/methods of work to ensure that the modern-day use of the waterways, their historical importance, the Trust’s legal obligations and strategic priorities are met through sustainable development, conservation and enhancement of the natural environment.
Location
The role will be based working from home, with the expectation to attend main regional hubs either at Milton Keynes, Birmingham, or Little Venice (Paddington), for collaborative working. This is a national role, requiring collaboration with teams in all six of the Trust’s regions. There will be an expectation that the successful candidate will be able travel to attend meetings or fieldwork throughout the regional waterway network.
Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience
Key accountabilities:
- Provide ecological technical advice as requested. This includes input into Trust EMS standards and tools and nature recovery projects.
- Contribute to the Trust’s Nature Recovery Strategy and associated sustainability initiatives, with a view to increasing biodiversity across the Trust’s network
- Contribute to national programmes of engagement with customers, volunteers, stakeholders and the general public to promote the value of waterways and the work of the Trust to increase the Trust’s reputation and influence and secure additional resources for our work, focusing on our key sustainability priorities.
- Work with regional ecology teams to implement relevant inspection/monitoring and maintenance programmes for environmental/soft estate assets within their geographical remit, (re-)prioritising work to suit available resources and within delegated authority levels.
- Contribute to the implementation of an environmental management system (EMS; including associated processes & standards) especially with responsibility for monitoring national uptake
- Collaboration with regional teams to maintain ecology and nature recovery performance data (e.g. GIS layers, ecological baseline and species location data)
- Assist in the development of environmental training & competency
- Contribute to corporate targets on raising public awareness of and support for the Trust especially through interest in our environmental assets.
- Contribute to external engagement and fundraising nationally to secure additional resources for the Trust, especially through interest in our environmental assets
- Displaying the Trust values and behaviours at all times
- Ensuring that diversity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of Trust life and promoting inclusion by challenging behaviour, practices, actions, or decisions that are counter to the objectives of the Trust’s policies and values
Knowledge, Skills & experience
- Degree or equivalent in relevant discipline.
- Associate member of relevant professional institution, e.g. CIEEM, CIWEM, CIWM, IEMA, etc
- Proven postgraduate experience in application of technical knowledge within a business environment.
- Able to negotiate effectively with internal and external contacts to achieve desired outcomes for the Trust.
- Able to support other areas of the Trust’s business in an appropriate manner, taking account of overall business priorities.
- Knowledge of, and practical experience of operating within, UK & European environmental policy and regulatory frameworks
- Experience of operating within a customer service environment
- Understanding of Trust governance, financial controls and systems of compliance
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
What We Offer
Compensation is made up as follows: £32,427. Additionally, we also offer a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, great holiday entitlement (increasing with years of service) and numerous other employee benefits.
- 25 days paid holiday, increasing to 27 days after 3 years.
- Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
- Annual £200 personal learning & growth award to spend on any learning related activity – hobbies; aspirations etc.
- Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues – health; financial; lifestyle; well-being; domestic & neighbourly matters.
- Access to a range of employee benefits including – store discounts; boating holiday discounts; holiday purchase scheme.
- Expansive maternity/paternity provisions.
- Progressive access to learning tools and CPD.
- 2 days paid volunteering leave, volunteering for local community project work.
At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of. All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.
We believe that continuous personal & professional development are important, and through many Trust internal & externally supported development programmes we are pleased to support your ongoing growth and development in this role.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.