Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

Business Manager – Grow Together Bucks

Grow Together Bucks are seeking a highly motivated Business Manager, with a passion for and experience of community growing, to run and develop our operation and projects – to share the joy and magic of growing food with children, families and the community in High Wycombe and South Bucks.

Since 2020 our small team has established a successful community allotment, valuable projects/strands of work with local schools and organisations, a wonderful team of volunteers and good relationships with key funders and stakeholders.

Could you help progress the work of Grow Together Bucks and continue to offer community growing opportunities to local audiences?

We are looking for someone to join us on a freelance basis initially, on a 6-month, minimum 3 day a week (subject to funding) fixed term contract, in an operational role and at Director level to manage the business, deliver and develop our projects and to secure the future direction of community growing in High Wycombe. The role will be home-based/onsite. A local candidate, with knowledge of the communities in Wycombe, who can attend our community allotment sessions and projects on a regular basis, would be highly desirable.

Please contact us with your CV and covering letter to info@growtogetherbucks.co.uk – by Sunday 29th March. We will be reviewing applications as they come in so we encourage early applications. We will be inviting suitable candidates for first interviews in late March/early April.

 

Job Description

Business Manager – Grow Together - Bucks CIC

Fixed Term 6-month contract – initially freelance (with possibility to progress to employed role – subject to funding) minimum 3 days/22.5 hours per week 2026 – remote/onsite. Strong preference for someone who is local.

£40,500 FTE (circa £24,300 pa for 3 days p.w.)

The role

As an experienced Business, Programme, Operations or Project Manager, you will be responsible for the operational management of Grow Together Bucks as a not-for-profit CIC. Joining the board as a Director, you will oversee and plan our programmes of community and schools growing work, coordinating partnerships with key stakeholders and approaching funders and generating income to help continue our projects and core work. You will be responsible for managing and monitoring budgets, outputs, reporting on and publicising our key strands of work.

Company Overview

• Grow Together Bucks is a small not for profit Community Interest Company (CIC). Our community projects include:

• A 400sq.m Community Allotment in High Wycombe which enables community volunteers to experience the joy and importance of sharing, growing and consuming wholesome food. Any food surplus is donated to The One Can Trust.

• Working with schools, providing practical growing programmes to teach and inspire the next generation to nurture the soil and grow their own food.

• Connecting businesses with community groups in need of help by brokering, developing and delivering Corporate Volunteering Days.

Duties and responsibilities

• Programme Manager across concurrent projects that span the work of GTB -driving opportunities to promote and grow our not-for-profit business and its strands of work
• Drive consistent standards of project management and champion operational management processes to meet funder and governance requirements
• Manage relationships and recruit partners, contractors, staff and volunteers to deliver and communicate project outputs and outcomes – overseeing and managing project delivery as required
• Develop and build effective partnerships with funders, community organisations, the local authority and other stakeholders
• Use evidence and best practice approaches to generate income to sustain and develop new projects, writing funding bids or work with grant bid writers
• Develop and implement project budgets, working in collaboration with Finance systems, forecasting and taking responsibility for project spend
• Evaluate project outcomes and best practice and drive continuous process improvement.
• Maintain project documentation in collaboration with project teams
• Lead meetings
• Produce progress reports to the Directors
• Champion collaborative, open and inclusive engagement with internal and external stakeholders and funders
• Ensure a risk management approach is adopted and reviewed through the project lifecycle, ensuring a suitable level of mitigation is in place in line with GTB policies, escalating concerns as appropriate
• Monitor and review appropriate performance indicators and report outcomes.
• Ensuring safeguarding principles and procedures are always followed to protect the welfare of young people, including identifying, responding and reporting any safeguarding concerns

You will be responsible for all aspects of operational management of the business, the delivery programme and promotion. You will:

· be a self starter, an excellent communicator, with the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues, volunteers and programme partners, funders and other key stakeholders

· have strong organisational, financial, IT and time management skills, with a keen eye for detail and the ability to manage a varied workload

· have the ability to self-motivate, allied with possessing strong team working and collaborative skills

· be an enthusiastic networker

· have experience of fundraising/ development

· have experience and passion for gardening, outdoor, school or horticultural projects

· have good knowledge and awareness of High Wycombe and the local communities

· have a full driving license

· have an understanding or willingness to learn about “no-dig” practices and growing without chemicals

· have a passion for including and empowering others and a desire to bring the wellbeing benefits of growing to all

We're eager to meet people that believe in our mission to inspire and engage communities to grow food using sustainable, nature friendly methods. We would love to hear from you if you feel you could contribute to and lead our team. Even if you don't feel that you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

Please contact us, enclosing your CV and covering letter, to info@growtogetherbucks.co.uk by Sunday 29th March, applications will be reviewed as they are received so we encourage early applications. Interviews will take place in April. Please contact us if you would like to arrange an informal chat about the role.

Application information

Please contact us, enclosing your CV and covering letter, to info@growtogetherbucks.co.uk by Sunday 29th March, applications will be reviewed as they are received so we encourage early applications. Interviews will take place in April. Please contact us if you would like to arrange an informal chat about the role. Local candidates will be strongly preferred. 

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs