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

Garden Organic is looking for a Senior Project Coordinator to oversee an exciting new project in Rugby and provide support to at least one of our successful projects in the Midlands.

Post: Garden Organic Senior Project Coordinator (Rugby)

Location: This role is based out of our head office in Ryton, with regular travel within Warwickshire, predominantly to projects in the Rugby area. Occasional travel to support projects further afield will also be required.

Reporting to: Head of Knowledge Transfer

Length & Type of contract: Fixed Term contract – 2 years subject to funding

Hours: Full time - 28-35 hours per week

Salary: £26,000-£29,700

Make Your Garden Matter: Boosting biodiversity across Rugby.

Your role will be to inspire and empower the people of Rugby to make a lasting difference for nature, their communities and future generations through organic growing, composting and everyday environmental action.

You will achieve this by connecting people, developing skills and supporting volunteer-led initiatives that encourage sustainable living and local environmental action.

Main purpose of job: Coordinate and deliver Garden Organic’s work in Rugby – this includes the Rugby Community Champions Project. You will be recruiting and supporting volunteers, developing community growing spaces, and organising workshops and events. Building effective partnerships with local organisations and stakeholders to increase participation, expanding  community engagement and support positive environmental outcomes across the borough.

Training and Development:  You are required to complete all mandatory training, including induction training provided through the Moodle platform. You are also expected to take an active role in your own professional development and seek appropriate opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills.

Main duties

Project Management and Coordination

• Lead the delivery and coordination of Garden Organic’s work in Rugby, working with internal colleagues and external partners.
• Build and maintain relationships with local organisations, stakeholders and community groups, representing Garden Organic across the borough.
• Research and engage local groups, networks and organisations to develop partnerships and opportunities for community involvement.
• Coordinate project communications, including social media, educational resources, monthly updates and promotional content.
• Monitor project progress against targets, maintaining delivery data and capturing impact through photographs, short videos, case studies and feedback.
• Provide regular written reports to funder
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to share expertise, resources and learning across the project.

Supporting Volunteers

• Act as the main point of contact for Rugby Community Champions, coordinating recruitment, registration and ongoing support through Better Impact (Volunteer Management software).
• Foster a supportive and connected volunteer network through shared activities, knowledge exchange and social opportunities.
• Provide volunteers with resources, training and opportunities to develop their skills and lead activities in their local communities.
• Develop volunteering opportunities through partnerships with local organisations, event organisers and community groups.
• Work with colleagues to maximise project promotion and PR.
• Work flexibly to accommodate volunteer availability, including where reasonable and by prior agreement meetings and communication outside traditional ’office hours’. Community engagement and learning
• Plan, organise and deliver workshops, events and training on organic growing, seed saving, composting and nature-friendly practices.
• Support community growing hubs with advice, resources and opportunities to connect and share knowledge.
• Organise, attend and support community events, workshops and volunteer activities that encourage participation and strengthen connections.

Additional or Ad-Hoc duties

• Undertake occasional evening, weekend and bank holiday working as required.
• Develop project-specific resources in line with funder requirements, working with colleagues to produce agreed materials.
• Prepare quarterly reports for funders, documenting project progress and outcomes.

• Support the wider Communities team with volunteer engagement and development, including newsletters, webinars and volunteer policies.

  General Duties

1. Maintain a clean and pleasant working environment
2. Work with professional courtesy and respectfully of other colleagues. 
3. Report any safety concerns immediately to a senior member of staff.
4. Be courteous, helpful and welcoming towards any visitors to site.
5. Have a proactive voice in any discussions relating to the continuous improvement of charity processes and team culture.
6. Remain diligent about your own safety, and that of colleagues at all times, whether on-site, travelling, field based or remote working.
7. Work honestly, openly and ethically at all times.
8. Engage fully and openly with any employee reviews, welfare meetings or performance management discussions.
9. Respect the property and produce of Garden Organic at all times, remaining respectful of the preservation of all growing spaces, processes, recording and storage.

All Garden Organic Employees

Garden Organic is committed to the preservation and development of Organic Gardening practices, and the vital conservation of the UK’s vegetable heritage through maintenance of the Heritage Seed Library. All Garden Organic employees are expected to respect, champion and promote these values and objectives wherever possible.

Garden Organic is also an equal opportunities employer, and all employees are expected to uphold it’s values of providing a safe, fair, respectful and pleasant working environment for all.

At Garden Organic we see employees as our colleagues and as individuals who should be accepted, respected and heard. All colleagues should work to promote an inclusive, collaborative, friendly, fun and professional working environment.

At Garden Organic, our reputation is important to us. We depend on the support of our members, volunteers and patrons and it is vital that we maintain a viable, inspiring and positive presence in the gardening, and wider community. All employees should strive to be positive ambassadors of Garden Organic. 

Application information

All applicants must complete a Garden Organic Application Form found on https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/who-we-are/work-with-us/senior-project-coordinator along with a covering letter explaining why you think you would be a great fit for the role. We pay close attention to covering letters so please do send us one.

Please send all complete applications to hr@gardenorganic.org.uk

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early depending on response levels.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion applications will be anonymised before being submitted to our recruitment panel.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs