Volunteer and community engagement manager jobs

Location: Home-based, delivering sessions in schools and farms across Essex and surrounding areas
Contract: Self-employed, renewable subject to annual review
Start: Delivery from February 2026

This vacancy is recruited on a rolling basis and may close early if a suitable candidate is appointed, so early application is encouraged. Previous applicants need not apply.

We’re looking for a passionate and confident Food and Farm Discovery Coordinator to inspire primary-aged children through hands-on food, farming and countryside learning. You’ll deliver engaging cooking, gardening and farm visit experiences, working closely with schools, farmers and food producers - particularly in areas of disadvantage.

What you’ll do

• Deliver Farm Discovery Days and the Food Discovery programme in schools
• Plan and lead farm visits, cooking and gardening sessions
• Build and maintain strong relationships with schools and farm hosts
• Manage session planning, equipment, health & safety and safeguarding
• Work independently as part of a supportive national team

Time commitment & pay

• Around 80–90 paid days per year (seasonal variation)
• £171.48/day for Food Discovery delivery
• £163.77/day for Farm Discovery delivery
• Plus expenses and mileage (45p per mile)
• Estimated annual earnings: £14,000–£15,000, with potential to grow

You’ll need

• Experience working with primary-age children and schools
• Confidence delivering hands-on cooking, gardening and outdoor learning
• Enthusiasm for food, farming and the countryside
• Strong communication, organisation and relationship-building skills
• Full UK driving licence, access to a car, and suitable IT setup

Job Title: Programme Lead

Reporting to: Senior Programme Lead

Location: London

Salary: £27,000

Contract: Permanent, term-time only, full-time

Annual Leave: 50 days paid holiday each year which must be taken during school holiday

“The facilitator is a friend and teacher mixed into one… she gets the reasoning from the teacher and the understanding bit from the friend.” - Power2 Rediscover Young Person

Power2 is a fast growing and energetic children and young people's charity that has supported 27,000 young people since 2001. We are based in the North West of England and London and deliver early-intervention asset-based programmes to children and young people who have mental wellbeing challenges and are disengaged from school and more widely. We are well-known for our accredited Teens and Toddlers programme and are supporting young people via Power2 Rediscover, an intensive 1:1 crisis response programme. 

With our support, children and young people who are experiencing vulnerabilities and disadvantages improve their wellbeing, re-engage with school and learning, build networks and access opportunities.

We’re committed to equality and operate within a culture and structure that recognises diversity and strives to be fair. We live by our values of Brave, Expert and Passionate and we aim to have an entrepreneurial and flexible approach to work.

We are looking for new Programme Leads to deliver our programmes so that all children and young people, regardless of their needs, feel they belong and can prosper.

Our new Programme Leads will be trained to deliver all our programmes and will primarily work in schools to support young people, their families, and school staff to ensure that at-risk pupils make the most of their education and improve their life chances. Work will include 1:1 support based in a school or in the community and delivery of Power2’s group programmes. The successful candidates could be based in one school or travel between multiple schools.

The relationships you cultivate with the young people you work with are at the heart of our success – so recruiting the right people is paramount. Our facilitators work with significant autonomy and authority and must embrace responsibility and be accountable for their work. They work collaboratively alongside young people, operating as a mentor as they empower young people to develop self-esteem, become resilient and engage with school and their own future. They give each young person the time, the confidence and skills to engage with their education and their future life plans.

Successful applicants will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check (child workforce) and provide details of two referees.

Please apply online with a CV and a personal statement. In your personal statement please describe how your skills and experience match the role description and provide your notice period.

Your CV and personal statement are submitted on the second page of the application process. Applications without a personal statement will not be considered.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Power2 strives to be a diverse and inclusive place where we can ALL be ourselves. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We work to ensure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. If we can make the application process more accessible to you, please let us know.

Safeguarding

Power2 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to have an enhanced DBS certificate (child workforce) in place. We may undertake an online search if you are shortlisted.

Job Title: Programme Lead

Reporting to: Senior Programme Lead

Location: North West

Salary: £23,500

Contract: Permanent, term-time only, full-time

Annual Leave: 50 days paid holiday each year which must be taken during school holiday

“The facilitator is a friend and teacher mixed into one… she gets the reasoning from the teacher and the understanding bit from the friend.” - Power2 Rediscover Young Person

Power2 is a fast growing and energetic children and young people's charity that has supported 27,000 young people since 2001. We are based in the North West of England and London and deliver early-intervention asset-based programmes to children and young people who have mental wellbeing challenges and are disengaged from school and more widely. We are well-known for our accredited Teens and Toddlers programme and are supporting young people via Power2 Rediscover, an intensive 1:1 crisis response programme.

With our support, children and young people who are experiencing vulnerabilities and disadvantages improve their wellbeing, re-engage with school and learning, build networks and access opportunities.

We’re committed to equality and operate within a culture and structure that recognises diversity and strives to be fair. We live by our values of Brave, Expert and Passionate and we aim to have an entrepreneurial and flexible approach to work.

We are looking for new Programme Leads to deliver our programmes so that all children and young people, regardless of their needs, feel they belong and can prosper.

Our new Programme Leads will be trained to deliver all our programmes and will primarily work in schools to support young people, their families, and school staff to ensure that at-risk pupils make the most of their education and improve their life chances. Work will include 1:1 support based in a school or in the community and delivery of Power2’s group programmes. The successful candidates could be based in one school or travel between multiple schools.

The relationships you cultivate with the young people you work with are at the heart of our success – so recruiting the right people is paramount. Our facilitators work with significant autonomy and authority and must embrace responsibility and be accountable for their work. They work collaboratively alongside young people, operating as a mentor as they empower young people to develop self-esteem, become resilient and engage with school and their own future. They give each young person the time, the confidence and skills to engage with their education and their future life plans.

Successful applicants will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check (child workforce) and provide details of two referees.

Candidates are encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn’t precisely match the job description for this role. Your experience, skills and passion will set you apart so tell us your achievements, irrespective of whether they are personal or work-related and how this has shaped you, including things you’ve learnt along the way.

We are specifically interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of the issues we seek to address (childhood experience of having low family income, being disengaged with school and learning, experiencing poor wellbeing/mental health, being care-experienced, involved in gangs and violence). It is also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

Please apply online with a CV and a personal statement. In your personal statement please describe how your skills and experience match the role description and provide your notice period. Your CV and personal statement are submitted on the second page of the application process. Applications without a personal statement will not be considered.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Power2 strives to be a diverse and inclusive place where we can ALL be ourselves. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We work to ensure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. If we can make the application process more accessible to you, please let us know.

Safeguarding

Power2 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to have an enhanced DBS certificate (child workforce) in place. We may undertake an online search if you are shortlisted.

Salary: up to £55,000 per annum 

Location: Newark, Nottinghamshire - Hybrid working with regular travel to other places of work.  

Office opening days are Tuesdays to Thursdays 

Full time: 35 hours per week  

Permanent 

Closing date for applications: 1 February 2026 

First interview: : 13 February 2026 

Second interview: 23 February 2026 

About Us 

The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. We have more than 945,000 members, over 33,000 volunteers, 4,100 staff and 600 trustees. There are 46 individual Wildlife Trusts, each of which is a place-based independent charity with its own legal identity, formed by groups of people getting together and working with others to make a positive difference to wildlife and future generations, starting where they live and Work. 

Every Wildlife Trust is part of The Wildlife Trusts federation and a corporate member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, a registered charity in its own right founded in 1912 and one of the founding members of IUCN – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Taken together this federation of 47 charities is known as The Wildlife Trusts. 

The next few years will be critical in determining what kind of world we all live in. We need to urgently reverse the loss of wildlife and put nature into recovery at scale if we are to prevent climate and ecological disaster. We recognise that this will require big, bold changes in the way The Wildlife Trusts work, not least in how we mobilise others and support them to organise within their own communities. 

About You 

Are you a creative storyteller who loves bringing ideas to life through brilliant copy, photography, video and social-first content? We are seeking an experienced content specialist to lead the production of high-impact communications that help more people connect with The Wildlife Trusts’ cause and put nature into Recovery. 

Our Head of Communications plays a leading role in enabling The Wildlife Trusts to deliver inspiring, impactful and brand-aligned engagement with our target audiences. 

You will bring your experience of translating strategy and audience insights into content that gets people talking, to help strengthen our brand and inspire more people to take meaningful action for nature. 

You will be responsible for leading and developing teams tasked with content creation (including publications, events, graphic design and film), social media management and ambassador and influencer relations. 

An excellent writer, with a flair for design and the ability to commission compelling photography and video content, you will be brimming with fresh ideas, alongside having a strong track record in delivering to agreed strategic priorities and timeframes. 

You will be well-versed in managing creative teams, both in-house and agency, and overseeing the production of high-quality content that reinforces the brand and meets audience needs 

The Wildlife Trusts value passion, respect, trust, integrity, pragmatic activism and strength in diversity. Whilst we are passionate in promoting our aims, we are not judgmental and are inclusive. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities. 

RSWT take our Safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. Please click here to read our commitment statement. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For applicable roles, applicants must be willing to undergo checks with past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the eligible level. 

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to offering an interview to anyone with a disability that meets all the essential criteria for the post. Please let us know if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible.  

RSWT are committed to increasing the diversity of its staff through its Levelling the Field recruitment pledge and will put any ethnic minority applicants that meet all the essential criteria for the post through to the next stage of recruitment. 

At RSWT, we are committed to creating a safe environment where discrimination, bullying, and harassment are not tolerated. We expect everyone to uphold, respect, and support our zero-tolerance policy. 

Please be aware we may not accept applications if we have reason to believe they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools. 

Do you want to support people with mental health issues?

Are you calm, non-judgemental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?

Can you demonstrate our values of Hope, Courage, Together and Responsive and want to be part of our mission to create opportunities for individuals to make choices, find their own solutions, build resilience and manage their whole life and wellbeing?

If the answer to all of these is yes, we want to hear from you.

Peer Support Workers
Reference: 326
Responsible to: Peer Support Team Lead
Working hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: One Year Fixed Term (Subject to Contract Extension)
Salary: £25,233 to £26,000 per annum FTE
Based: Closest Herts Mind Network Wellbeing Centre to home, but role involves travelling across Herts county

We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for two Peer Support Workers to join our thriving team.

About the Peer Support Services

Our Peer Support Service started 14 years ago, Since then, we have seen our service grow and we now offer Peer Support across the whole of Hertfordshire.

Working in co-production with clients, staff, volunteers and stakeholders, we were able to create our own Peer Support Charter Values (this can be found on our website).  These values form the ethos we work towards within our peer support team.  These values also complement HMN’s values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness and Responsive, which form the basis of all the work we do as an organisation.

About the Role

Working with the team to offer 1-1 peer support to anyone accessing HMN. The Peer Support service provide tailored support for individuals to support their needs. This includes using different tools and techniques to help an individual improve areas of their life they may be struggling with. Having a lived experience of mental health issues or supporting someone who has is a key element to what makes this service so unique.

The Peer Support approach includes empathy, warmth, acceptance, authenticity and compassion. Peer Support is based on the recognition that there is no better person to support the path towards recovery, than someone who has walked a similar path as that person.

To meet client needs, and work to this personalised approach, we do support people out in the community, within their home, as well as in one of our Wellbeing Centres.

The successful candidate will need a personal understanding of mental ill health, either from your own lived experience or by caring for someone with a mental health condition and have awareness of issues in mental health service provision.

Peer Support Workers will also provide support within our Peer Support Groups, Peer Support Learning Sets and Peer Support Academy when needed.

We offer:

• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 28 days after 5 years employment (plus 8 days Bank Holidays)
• An additional day of leave each year for your birthday following completion of probation period.
• Ongoing training relevant to your role.
• An Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health cover (after 6 months employment) – compensation payment for Optical, Dental, Chiropody and Therapy Treatments.

Being able to drive and having access to your own vehicle (or equivalent) is essential for this role.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 16 February 2026.
Shortlisted Applicants will be notified of an interview date.
Please note: Due to high numbers of expected applicants, we may close this advert early.

N.B. Please quote reference number 326 when completing your application for this role.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation. In addition, during the various stages of recruitment, specific measures can be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities or special needs.

Hertfordshire Mind Network is committed to the Disability Confident and Mindful Employer charters. We actively recruit staff who have a lived experience of mental ill health. Our inclusive approach recognises the unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that lived experience brings to our team.

No agencies please.

This role is an exciting opportunity for a passionate, digitally confident person to join our growing charity and create content for a new online resource hub, currently in development. We have big plans for this hub and want to pack it with expertise from brilliant chefs, leading educators and celebrities passionate about school food.

Our charity is growing again - this time we’re transforming online learning for school food. You’ll help shape and create resources for our new online hub. This hub will become a central point for schools, kitchen teams and caterers to seek inspiration. You’ll be creative and confident enough to work with busy chefs, celebrities and educators who all care deeply about feeding children brilliant school food. This role will sit in our communications team and focus on creating clear, engaging and practical resources that help people take action, whether that is a headteacher looking to improve their whole school to food or a school chef looking to transform their school meals.

You will help turn complex ideas, research and on the ground practice into user friendly content, in a range of formats, that reflects our brand, showcases the work of our chefs, schools, patrons and partners, and puts the wellbeing of children and young people at its heart. 

This is a hands-on creative role, well suited to someone starting out in content creation or design who wants to build their skills while helping future generations thrive.

Who we are

Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. We believe every child has the right to eat and learn about good food in school. 

We focus our efforts in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, where more than a third of children are entitled to free school meals, and diet-related disease is driving further inequality.

We support and train school kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share learning and resources, aiming to inspire and enable others to follow our lead.

We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education, setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.

About you and the role

This role will initially support the set up and roll out of a national school food resource hub, supporting the creation of resources for the platform, working closely with internal teams and external partners. With the hub still in development, you will be joining at a crucial point to help shape what goes live, how it looks and sounds, and how useful it is for the people we most want to reach.

Our aim is that schools and the wider school food community can quickly find practical, trusted resources that help them improve food in schools. That might be a headteacher looking for a simple starting point, a school chef wanting a clear guide to implement new practices, or a teacher looking to introduce food education. 

Your role will focus on creating and maintaining high quality resources for the hub. You will turn ideas, evidence, and stories into clear content in different formats, including short one to two pagers, multi-page guides, videos, photographs and interactive resources. You will adapt your writing and framing to different audiences, keeping content aligned with brand guidelines.

This role sits within our comms team but works closely with our school transformation and membership teams. You will work with internal and external stakeholders to gather information and develop content, including supporting interviews and capturing case studies. You will also help manage the day to day flow of content into the hub, keeping resources organised, up to date and easy to navigate, while bringing a curious, practical mindset that helps us keep improving what we publish. You’ll identify any resources that could be a wider engagement tool to draw more people to the hub.

The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we urge you to apply anyway. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and for us the most important ‘experience’ is passion for our mission. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented communities, to apply.  

We want to get to know you at the interview and understand we can do this best if you’re at ease. We’re an inclusive employer and work hard to create a welcoming working environment for everyone, including appointing a neurodiversity champion to help us identify how we can make our work environment work for everyone. If you need adjustments to the interview process please let us know.

As we work with children & young people, an offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS clearance, in line with our safeguarding policy.

Key responsibilities: 

• Work with internal teams and external partners to develop and produce resources for the resource hub, aligned with project priorities and timelines.

• Turn existing programme materials, case studies and evidence into clear, attractive resources for different audiences (e.g. school leaders, kitchen teams, young people, parents, funders, policymakers).

• Write and edit copy for 1–2 pagers, multi page guides, slide decks, toolkits and the resource hub’s webpages.

• Work with colleagues to storyboard, script and produce short films for the resource hub. Where the resources could appeal to a wider audience, you will link up with the comms team to promote the hub.

• Create and maintain website content for the resource hub, writing clear copy for landing pages, navigation and resource descriptions, and working with the CMS to keep content up to date and well-organised

• Create short videos and films on your phone and capture photography in schools and at events.

• Work with the programme teams to build simple infographics, charts or visuals that explain impact and evidence.

• Ensure all content follows our brand guidelines, tone of voice and accessibility standards.

• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including teachers, chefs, young people and partner organisations, to gather information, quotes and approvals.

• Support interviews with pupils, school staff, chefs and partners, including preparing questions, note taking and transcribing.

• Support the management of content on the resource hub content management system, including tagging, links and basic SEO.

• Help maintain a content calendar for the resource hub and keep track of versions, approvals and review dates.

• Support testing of resources with users (e.g. short surveys, feedback sessions with teachers or pupils) and feed learning into future content.

• Contribute to wider communications activity, including newsletters, social media and events, as needed. 

• Ensure all resources comply with our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

• Help to maintain basic documentation for resource creation, such as user guides and internal process notes.

 Essential skills & experience:

• A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and to centring the voices of lived experience and the school chef workforce in our work.

• You have interest and belief in our mission to improve kids’ health through improving food and food education in schools

• Experience of creating content or resources, through work, volunteering, study or personal projects.

• Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to explain ideas in clear, simple and engaging language for different audiences.

• An eye for good design and layout, and confidence using basic design tools (for example Canva, PowerPoint or similar).

• Some experience of filming and photography, for example on a smartphone or basic camera, and an interest in improving these skills.

• Awareness of brand, tone of voice and visual identity, and the ability to apply agreed guidelines consistently.

• Confident interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues, schools, young people and external partners.

• Curious and proactive, willing to ask questions, gather information and turn it into practical, user focused resources.

• Good organisational skills, able to manage your time, juggle several pieces of work and keep clear records of versions and approvals.

• Comfortable working as part of a small, busy team, taking feedback on board and working collaboratively to improve content.

Desirable skills & experience:

• Knowledge of basic SEO

• Experience in education, charity or public sector comms

• Experience working with children

• Experience of using google drive and trello

• Video editing skills (Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, CapCut) 

Benefits

You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who work hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We were voted one of CODE Hospitality’s happiest places to work in 2024. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.

We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays, 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period as well as wellbeing days over the summer school holidays.  We also have a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.

We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.

Application process

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we invite candidates to answer a series of questions related to their day-to-day job. Please follow this link to answer the questions and submit your application along with your CV.

We recommend that you develop your answers offline and copy them in when you’re ready to ensure you don’t lose your work if interrupted.

Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers. A long list of candidates will then additionally have their CVs reviewed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30 mins online interview. Successful candidates will be invited to attend a second, in-person interview at our office in Brixton, London.

Expected duration of this application process: 4-6 weeks

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we will invite candidates to interview based on their answers to a series of questions related to their day-to-day job.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online 30-minute interview to take place on the 26th or 27th February. 

Successful candidates will be invited to an in-person second interview to be held at our office in Brixton, London on March 10th. The interview overall will take a maximum of one hour.

The deadline for applications is 23.30 on Fri 6th Feb.