Garden project lead (maternity cover) jobs

Sustainable Merton, Merton's award winning environmental charity, is recruiting a dynamic individual to oversee our Community Changemakers initiative and deliver grassroots acitivity in Pollards Hill, Mitcham.  If you are passionate about sustainability, volunteering and making a difference in a local community, we would love to hear from you!

This role combines volunteer leadership with project management. The successful candidate will split their time between:
- Project management and delivery of the WeRPollards project (2 days/week), a grassroots local initiative running from September 2025 to September 2026
- Volunteer and operational management (1 day/week), supporting the charity as a whole
You will work closely with Moat Housing to deliver the WeR Pollards Community Changemaker project and also lead the development and implementation of a new volunteering strategy, support colleagues to adopt new volunteer processes,
and oversee our charity policies to support compliance and our organisational growth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
WeRPollards project management
1. Group Development and Coordination
● Coordinate and facilitate monthly volunteer meetings at the Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio.
● Attend the Wellbeing Studio on a weekly basis, attend schools and community pop-up events to increase awareness of and community engagement in the project
● Support volunteers with soft and technical skills development on their path to becoming Community Changemakers.
● Encourage retention and progression of existing volunteers whilst increasing group membership from 15 to 30.
● Liaise with Moat Foundation officer and project tutors to establish a pathway into volunteering and increasing membership of the WeRPollards group
● Work with colleagues at Sustainable Merton to align this grass roots work with their borough wide initiatives such as Merton Garden Streets, Mitcham Community Orchard, Repair Cafes, Preloved Studio and Merton’s Community Fridge.

2. Community Engagement
● In partnership with Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio team, develop and implement a local engagement strategy to recruit and retain volunteers to become WeRPollards Community Changemakers.
● Design and deliver an induction and training programme for new volunteers.
● In collaboration with the PH Wellbeing Studio team conduct regular listening sessions to identify resident needs, interests and connect volunteers to, or help them develop, relevant community activities.
3. Project and Event Delivery
● Lead the volunteer group to plan and deliver community activities aligned with the 3R’s agenda, that are run out of the Wellbeing Studio, including:
○ Sewing Skills Workshops (Monthly, 10 sessions)
○ Community Gardening Sessions (Min. 5 sessions)
○ Repair Shed Sessions (Monthly, 9 sessions)
○ Street Planting Engagement & Delivery (Min. 3 events)

4. Capacity Building and Progression
● Deliver at least 6 training workshops including SMART goal setting and planning.
● Support residents to lead and take ownership of initiatives and to become Community Changemakers.
● Build a clear, accessible pathway for participation and leadership within the group and studio.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
● Track Key Performance Indicators including:
○ Volunteer numbers, growth and retention (Target: 30 volunteers, 60% retention)
○ Number of volunteer hours contributed
○ Number of accredited or certified training courses completed
○ Number of volunteers progressing into leadership roles
○ Attendance and engagement in all community sessions
● Conduct volunteer satisfaction surveys and gather qualitative feedback.
● Report quarterly on progress to PHCC meetings, outcomes and impact to the Pollards Hill Community Committee.

Volunteer and operational management - Sustainable Merton

● Develop and implement a volunteering strategy covering recruitment, retention, induction, training, and development
● Identify and recruit a cohort of Community Changemakers
● Draft volunteer role descriptions across all projects
● Conduct annual volunteer surveys
● Plan and deliver twice-yearly recruitment drives
● Establish a volunteer recognition scheme
● Build partnerships with local organisations
● Create centralised onboarding systems
● Maintain and manage safeguarding policies and training records
● Collaborate with volunteers and staff on fundraising campaigns and applications
● Ensure our policies are kept up to date
● Oversee risk register
● Support reporting and KPI tracking
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential

● Experience of managing and supporting volunteers
● Community Engagement experience
● Understanding of environmental issues & the 3R’s agenda
● Project coordination and planning
● Knowledge of volunteer database management and GDPR for volunteers
● Excellent organisational and communication skills
● Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
● Proficiency with Google Suite
Desirable

● Budget monitoring or financial oversight experience
● Bid writing experience
● Knowledge of Merton and the Pollards Hill area