Community Organiser (Landscape Connections)

Community Organiser (Landscape Connections)
The Cut, 193 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, plus regular travel within South Shropshire
£31,841 per annum + 7% pension contribution

Fixed Term Contract ending on 31st August 2028. Full Time (35 hours per week)
However, there is a strong likelihood of funding being secured for the delivery phase of the project, which will require a similar role.

Closing date: Monday 2nd November at 8pm
First interviews: Thursday 12th November
Second interviews: Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th November

The role is flexible and hybrid with at least one day a week in our Shrewsbury office and regular travel within Shropshire.

At Shropshire Wildlife Trust, we want more people to feel empowered to take action for nature across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. We believe that small changes in attitudes can lead to big changes in behaviour, helping more people enjoy, benefit from and protect the natural world.

We’re delighted to be part of the partnership delivering the Shropshire Hills Landscape Connections project. This ambitious, multi-year project aims to create transformative change across the Shropshire Hills by bringing farmers, land managers, volunteers, young people and community groups together to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our communities and natural environment - from climate change and biodiversity loss to economic instability, social isolation and unequal access to nature.

As part of the project’s development phase, we’re looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Community Organiser to work primarily in the Craven Arms area. You’ll build trusted relationships with community groups, leaders and champions, listening to their experiences and working alongside them to co-create an activity plan for the project’s delivery phase.

What you will be doing:

As Community Organiser, you’ll work alongside communities in the Craven Arms area to build trusted relationships, understand local needs and help shape the future delivery of the Landscape Connections project.

You will:

• Build relationships with community groups, organisations, local authorities and project partners.
• Engage with underrepresented communities and ensure their voices and experiences are heard.
• Use a community organising approach to understand local needs, barriers and opportunities to connect people with nature.
• Work with volunteers and sessional staff to deliver events, workshops and activities.
• Capture and share community insights to help shape the project’s future activity plan.
• Support communities to engage with The National Landscape and take action for nature.
• Contribute to project monitoring, evaluation, reporting and budget management.

About You

You’ll be someone who genuinely cares about nature and people, and who believes that connecting communities with nature can help address the climate and ecological crises.

You’ll bring:

• Experience of community organising and an understanding of its principles and approaches.
• A strong commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Proven experience of building and nurturing relationships with a wide range of people, communities and organisations.
• The ability to listen, understand different perspectives and work flexibly around the needs of communities.
• Strong project management skills, including experience of managing stakeholders, deadlines and budgets.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise your time effectively.
• Confident communication skills, with the ability to present and summarise information clearly for different audiences.
• Confidence using IT, particularly Microsoft programmes.
• A full UK driving licence, as the role involves regular travel across Shropshire.
• Familiarity with the Shropshire Hills National Landscape and its communities would be desirable.

If you’re passionate about people, communities and nature, and want to help shape a project that puts local voices at its heart, we’d love to hear from you.

Why work for us - benefits we offer:

• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays and Service related holiday (pro-rated for part time staff)
• Salary sacrifice benefits
• Life assurance
• Generous pension - company contribution 7%, employee contribution 3%
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• Flexible working policy
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff discounts
• Employee away days
• Enhanced pay for maternity and adoption leave
• Coaching 
• Support with training and development to assist career progression
• Inclusive & supportive work atmosphere

About the Project

Shropshire Hills Landscape Connections is a project bringing people, nature and heritage together to create a more connected and resilient landscape for future generations. It is part of a wider programme of Landscape Connections projects aimed specifically at protected landscapes (National Parks, National Landscapes and AONBs) across the UK.

The project will deliver transformative change across the Shropshire Hills, addressing the pressing issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, economic instability, social isolation, and unequal access to nature. Over ten years (made up of a two-year development phase and an eight-year delivery phase) the project will deliver activity across three themes: Climate Resilience, Farming & Nature, and Unequal Access to Nature.

This is a partnership project led by National Trust with key delivery partners being Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team, Severn Rivers Trust and Shropshire Wildlife Trust. Project ideas have been developed collaboratively by a wider partnership including Upper Onny Farmers Group, Environment Agency and Natural England, informed by consultation with other local farmers, community groups and other stakeholders.

The project has been awarded development funding through The National Lottery Heritage Fund's Landscape Connections programme, made possible thanks to National Lottery players. This funding will support the partnership in developing detailed plans for a transformational long-term programme of work across the landscape.

About us:

Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) has a vision of a thriving natural world, where Shropshire's wildlife and natural habitats play a valued role in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, and people are inspired and empowered to take action for nature. We combine projects across Shropshire (including Telford & Wrekin) with advocacy and campaigning to restore nature and to engage people. We manage over 40 nature reserves and have almost 50 staff, 300 volunteers, and over 9000 members. SWT is an autonomous charity, but we are increasingly working collectively, as part of The Wildlife Trusts (TWT), to ensure that our local actions have a national impact and help to address global issues.