Farming and Rural Skills Senior Educator in Cumnock

The King’s Foundation education programmes are designed to be flexible and adaptable to the ongoing needs of industry and the planet with the opportunity to develop innovative and exciting workshops to fill current gaps. This role will suit individuals who are keen to make a positive impact on education approaches and are interested in innovation in curriculum delivery. The post holder will be responsible for overseeing delivery from The MacRobert Centre, under the direction of the Education Manager, helping to realise the vision of The King’s Foundation and support the industry skills gap at local and national level.

The farming and rural skills curriculum sets out to introduce learners to best practice in regenerative farming approaches, animal welfare, and creating a sustainable food supply chain. The MacRobert Centre has two large teaching classrooms which double as small conference rooms as well as a well-equipped outdoor byre. The adjacent Valentin’s Farm is home to rare breeds to allow a broad teaching resource. A mix of learners and programmes can run concurrently due to the size of the centre and a flexible approach to teaching is required. The post holder will be able to create a positive learning environment to pass on farming and rural skills and knowledge to young people 14+, adult new entrants and those already in the profession. Due to the holistic nature of our education strategy, the post holder will have the opportunity to work with colleagues, on interdisciplinary programmes across the curriculum suite.

Key Tasks Specific Duties will include:

• Delivering farming and rural skills workshops and activities to a variety of age groups and abilities.
• Designing and evaluating workshops and activities that are in line with the aims and vision of the curriculum area and wider foundation, including Learning for Sustainability and the vision of Harmony in line with The King’s Foundation mission.
• Keeping up to date with current practices and policies in FRS education and industry, through networking, CPD and personal development.
• Assisting the FRS Education Manager with compiling evidence for annual reports and newsletters for directors, funders and partners.
• Overseeing and maintaining effective administrative systems, policies and procedures to provide an organised and efficient structure for the delivery of programmes and communication within the FRS curriculum area including coordinating timetable of delivery and utilising existing booking systems and attendance records.
• Liaising with external partners and consultants utilised in the delivery of education programmes.
• Preparing and maintaining equipment and facilities to a high standard prior to and following education activity, monitoring and requesting stock as appropriate.
• Carrying out and reviewing risk assessments for education activities, following procedures for first aid and incident reporting.
• Furthering the wider education work of The King’s Foundation through contribution to team meetings, joint education activity and events and cross curricular CPD sessions.
• Overseeing quality control of programmes within an assigned remit.

Person Specification

The essential skills, knowledge and experience required are:

• Relevant HND or degree level qualification combined with strong industry experience.
• Farm animal handling experience (cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs).
• Knowledge of the future of the UK wide FRS sector including skills shortage, growth industries and how these factors impact employers and future employees.
• Knowledge of the education and training environment in relationship to schools and further education, as well as alternative routes into farming and rural skill careers.
• Good understanding of regenerative and sustainable farming approaches.
• Experience working within education related activities with a track record for innovation and enthusiasm.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organisational skills.
• Ability to work proactively and flexibly to achieve set objectives.
• The ability to work well within a team, maintaining positive relationships with the wider education and estate staff.
• Ability to create high quality presentations/visual aids.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software (e.g. PowerPoint, Excel and Word, Windows, Adobe).
• Able to represent The King’s Foundation professionally at all times.

Other

The post will be based at Dumfries House Estate, The MacRobert FRS Training Centre, Cumnock with the requirement to travel on occasion. Salary: Dependent on Experience. Your working hours will be 37.5 hours per week, linked to the target audience needs and will include weekend and evening working at regular intervals in line with curriculum needs. You must have the legal right to work in the UK. This post is considered to be a regulated activity therefore any offer will be subject to a satisfactory disclosure check with the Disclosure Scotland.

Applications

Please submit a cover letter and CV (please note one A4 page maximum each for CV and letter) to Gordon Watson, email address: hr.recruitment@kings-foundation.org and request an application form. Closing date for applications Friday 13th February at 1.00pm. Applications will be reviewed on receipt and interviews may take place before the deadline.