Community Project Officer

The project will run for three years. The initial fixed-term contract will be for 12 months, with a potential extension for a further two years subject to funding.

Context and purpose of role

By 2034 Ramblers ambition is that everyone in England and Wales will be able to join a Wellbeing Walk close to where they live – for communities to come together and experience the health and wellbeing benefits of walking. This work is part of the strategic plan and business objectives of Ramblers GB.

The role will deliver the Walking Together Project across communities in north London, Slough and Reading. The role will engage directly with the most disadvantaged communities, where loneliness, social isolation and inactivity could be prevalent, through a ‘Getting Started’ Wellbeing Walks programme. This is a community delivery role to work with local communities to establish walks and find potential walk leaders within the community to sustain walking.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver the Ramblers Getting Started element of the Walking Together Project
• Maintain positive working relationships with local and regional partners to deliver the project
• Maintain positive working relationships with local members/volunteers
• Attend Community/Borough or Town Council, steering group and other partner meetings and events and use to deliver the project
• Ensure relevant policies and procedures, compliant with current legislation and in line with Ramblers’ approach, are supported
• Set up a total of four community walking programmes in the identified areas each year
• Deliver and coordinate training opportunities for the communities who sign up to the project
• Support the Community Development Officers in identifying further opportunities in the area
• Manage and record project expenditure
• Provide regular progress reports
• Undertake such other duties as may be reasonably required of the post
• Engage and proactively develop excellent working relationships across the organisation

The person

Qualifications

• Lowland Leader or working towards (Desirable)

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience working with a wide variety of groups and communities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with demonstrable attention to detail and the needs of different audiences
• Experience of successfully managing projects or programmes delivering against agreed objectives
• A proven track record in recruiting and working with volunteers
• Experience of designing and delivering training and support resources
• Excellent IT skills, including social media and web skills, and an ability to support others to use software and programmes
• Interest in/knowledge of walking/physical activity/public health
• Ability to appropriately collect data for monitoring and evaluation purposes and collation of associated reports

Skills

• Ability to work with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including volunteers, managing requirements and expectations
• Ability to develop and lead a project with the related co-ordination, planning and organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Skills to enable the leading of safe and inspiring group walks
• Facilitation and training skills – in-person and online
• Ability to diagnose problems, provide solutions and make logical, timely decisions
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team to achieve common goals

Personal Attributes

• Interest in walking and a commitment to the principles of inclusion and enabling everyone to feel welcome in the outdoors
• Flexible and resilient with the ability to balance competing demands
• Willing to travel and spend some evenings and weekends working
• Willing to undertake training and professional development to ensure skills and knowledge are up to date

The Ramblers promote diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Values and Behaviours

Our values are the core principles that guide us daily in our work and our membership of the Ramblers. We all share the passion that walking is for everyone and by living our shared values we can ensure the Ramblers is an organisation to be proud of. Our values will earn trust for the Ramblers brand which will allow us to open up a world of walking opportunities for even more people.

• Inclusive - We make everyone feel welcome and part of the Ramblers community. We make sure we all feel respected and accepted and know our contributions make a difference in achieving our mission.
• Inspiring - We strive to inspire people through the way we act and the things we say. We channel our passion and ambition so others are moved to help us achieve our mission.
• Empowering - We empower and encourage each other to make a positive contribution to our teams and the Ramblers. We do all we can to make sure everyone has the ability, and feels confident, to take action.
• Responsible - We take responsibility for ourselves and those around us seriously, by always acting in a safe and supportive way. We care about the environment and make sure we do what we say we will do.