Engagement Officer in Newcastle upon Tyne

Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have a joint Nature for Climate Fund tree programme for England to support the forestry sector, farmers, landowners and communities in the delivery of these ambitions. This role will support the regional promotion and engagement plans, and help to build strong partnerships with local stakeholders to drive the woodland creation agenda across Yorkshire and the North East.

If you are passionate about the role forestry can play in creating a better future for England, and want to play a part in that, we want to hear from you. You will be joining a team of committed colleagues, and you will have the opportunity to build on a wealth of expertise to take our ambitious programme of woodland creation forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to revolutionise how we reach new audiences and influence the woodland creation agenda.

The Engagement Officer will provide direct support to the Regional Promotion and Engagement Manager, Land Use Advisors, and the wider team in relation to any Promotion & Engagement (P&E) activity. This role will be part of a team of Engagement Officers providing support across the five area teams. This may range from coordinating events, to conducting desk-based targeting research, to triaging customer enquiries. Additionally, they will provide help and support to external stakeholders and customers, working together with the regional P&E and wider Area team, to help us reach the largest number of people amongst our target audiences.

• Work with Regional Promotion and Engagement Managers to help deliver the Promotion & Engagement regional implementation plan and respond to any arising promotion and engagement opportunities.
• Coordinate business development activity, working together with Land Use Advisors, for example: research opportunities and manage attendance at networking events, farm clusters or local marts; help arrange farm walks.
• Manage event organisation and attend events where required, working with Area colleagues.
• Create localised content such as case studies and newsletters, working with the national P&E team and Area team.
• Undertake lead generation activities with new and existing audiences, which will range from researching new leads and proactive targeting of larger landowners, to early stage follow up of leads, to co-ordinating localised engagement with stakeholders.
• Help coordinate collaboration with other advisors.
• Triage incoming enquiries where required, working together with Area colleagues as per agreed regional enquiry process.
• Maintain a list of, and coordinate Area engagement with, all localised farmer and landowner forums/networks/groups, working within broader Area stakeholder engagement plan.
• Support regional stakeholder engagement in line with agreed plans, including maintaining stakeholder mapping databases and recording meeting actions.
• Own local usage of Lead Tracker/CRM system, supporting Area colleagues as necessary and ensuring leads are followed up.
• Ensure any new leads generated at events are logged in the Lead Tracker/CRM system.
• Run regular reports on system data and identify trends and areas for improvement/opportunity.
• Provide administrative support for P&E colleagues and any staff conducting P&E activity within the Area, for example sending out materials, arranging meetings/events, coordinating private agent engagement, formatting farm audit reports, etc.

Some travel will be required, mainly across Yorkshire and North East area. This may involve occasional weekend work when supporting agricultural shows. Please note that this vacancy requires a minimum of 30 hours to be worked per week. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply but your preferred working pattern may not be available. The role will report to the Regional Promotion and Engagement Manager.