Project Development Officer

This is an exciting opportunity to join St John and play a key role in helping to continue to rebuild our youth programmes post-Covid. The purpose of the role is to engage with new and diverse communities and take ownership of our strategy to increase membership to 20000 young people. The Project Development Officer will be responsible for driving work within these new communities, recruiting new adult volunteers into youth unit teams, promoting SJA youth programmes and building positive relationships with partners and local communities.

Do you want to make a difference and be part of a vibrant and inclusive organisation that has been helping save lives for more than a century? As one of the country’s best-loved charities, St John Ambulance played a pivotal role in responding to the pandemic as well as ‘everyday’ health emergencies, training, supporting communities, and improving young people’s lives.

This is an exciting opportunity to join St John and play a key role in helping to continue to rebuild our youth programmes post-Covid. The purpose of the role is to engage with new and diverse communities and take ownership of our strategy to increase membership to 20000 young people. The Project Development Officer will be responsible for driving work within these new communities, recruiting new adult volunteers into youth unit teams, promoting SJA youth programmes and building positive relationships with partners and local communities. This is an initial 12 month FTC with the possibility to extend subject to funding.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. The role benefits from a competitive salary, generous pension, hybrid, flexible working, 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) – increasing to 38 days over 5 years, options to buy and sell holiday, free first/mental aid first aider courses, Blue Light and NHS online shopping discounts, cycle to work scheme, life assurance, flu jab, eye care, mental health and wellbeing tools and volunteering days.

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply)

About You:

• Experience of working with young people
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Experience of supporting teams of people to deliver agreed outcomes
• Experience of community development and evidence of working to engage diverse communities
• Experience of managing a project within a set geography and inputting into a project budget

About The Role:

• Supporting local volunteer teams to write and deliver project plans that promote successful and sustainable growth within their local areas
• Planning, facilitating and delivering forums and working groups ensuring engagement with young people and/or volunteers in all activities to ensure the effective delivery of the project
• Developing, maintaining and reviewing partnerships and networks within the target areas to identify and pursue opportunities for expanding St John Ambulance’s work with young people.
• Consulting with young people, internal and external to St John Ambulance, to promote youth voice at all levels of decision making
• Proactively seeking to recruit new adult volunteers and young people by undertaking recruitment activities including; holding welcome evenings, attending recruitment fairs, and supporting screening.

About Us:

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,700 employees and over 30,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response, Falls response, Night Time Economy and Homelessness outreach) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, NHS Cadets and Young Responders programmes).

Find out more about us, including our new Ask Me campaign, at

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have several networks including Multi Culture, Disability and Accessibility, Pride, Family and Carers and Women’s groups. We do nottolerate any form ofdiscriminationandengendera sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship.We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy.

Recruitment Agencies:We are not utilising the services of recruitment agencies for this vacancy and will accept direct applications only.

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