Biodiversity Volunteer Coordinator Remote
Job description
The Worcester Environmental Group is a small, dynamic and friendly grassroots organisation at the cusp of significant growth.
Job Summary
The Worcester Environmental Group (WEG) is a charity with a mission to protect and enhance the biodiversity of Worcester, educate the residents of Worcester on the biodiversity in our area, and improve the wellbeing of residents by creating more opportunities to connect with and take care of our local environment. We are looking for a proactive individual who shares our passion and wants to help expand our reach and increase our impact, at an exciting time of growth in the organisation.
We are recruiting for a Biodiversity Volunteer Coordinator to be responsible for increasing the number and diversity of volunteers, managing volunteering opportunities, improving volunteering administration and policies, and developing the volunteer support offer.
Responsibilities and Duties
Increase and manage volunteering opportunities
You will be asked to organise a wide variety of environmental conservation tasks for volunteers to undertake, ensuring that all necessary support and equipment is in place. This includes liaising with Worcester City Council to agree a work plan for the year, and bringing in workers with specialist skills as needed. Activities may include planting and maintaining trees and hedges, creating wildflower meadows and installing habitats. You will not be required to attend these sessions as part of the funded role, but you would be very welcome to join in.
Increase volunteer numbers
Alongside the increase in volunteering opportunities, you will recruit volunteers and manage retention, building up numbers over the course of the year. This should include outreach to underrepresented groups. The target over the 12-month period is to reach an average of 40-60 volunteer work hours per week. This will enable us to make a huge difference to the environment around Worcester.
Develop the volunteer support offer
As well as increasing volunteer numbers, and to assist with this, you will be asked to develop the support made available to volunteers. This could include onboarding and introductions, understanding volunteers’ motivations and meeting their needs, exploring opportunities for training and development, organising social events, and reaching out to understand the reasons for people ceasing to volunteer in order to improve practice.
Develop volunteering policies and administration
You will need to ensure that all relevant volunteering policies are in place and updated, and undertake risk assessments for volunteer activities. You should also develop current methods of data recording for volunteers, including personal information, emergency contacts and hours worked. This should comply with all data protection laws and be supportive of engagement with volunteers.
Reporting and Management
You will be required to meet with the WEG trustees on a quarterly basis to discuss progress, issues and good news stories, as well as to produce a similar report for Worcester City Council and the benefactor funding the role. The role will be managed by one of the trustees.
Skills and Experience
The most important attributes you can bring to this role are an ability to take initiative, organisation and planning skills, and an interest in protecting and improving biodiversity. You will need to be able to communicate effectively with professional contacts such as the City Council, community groups and corporations, as well as individual volunteers.
Previous experience in administration, coordination, volunteer management and/or environmental conservation work is desirable, but not essential.
How to Apply
Please submit a CV in Word format or similar, including two references, and please get in touch should you have any questions about the role.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Wednesday 29th March. Selected candidates will then be invited for an interview.
Please note that the successful candidate will need a DBS check to be undertaken.
For more information on the Worcester Environmental Group, please visit www.theweg.org.uk
Job Types: Part-time, Fixed term contract, Freelance
Contract length: 12 months
Part-time hours: 10 per week
Salary: £15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexitime
Schedule:
- Flexitime
Work Location: Remote
Application deadline: 29/03/2023
Expected start date: 01/05/2023
