Project Manager in Chard

Full Time – 37.5 hrs per week

Reference: B2W001

Salary: £34,000 subject to experience/qualifications. 6-month probationary period & annual review.

Hours: Full time Core hours will be 37.5 per week. Flexibility of hours sometimes required, i.e. earlier mornings, evenings or weekends depending on need.

Location: Time shared in various projects in Chard and Crewkerne. Main office location Watch CIO, The Hive, Essex Close, Chard TA20 1RH

Reports to: Operations Manager and CEO's

Bridges to Wellbeing is an exciting and collaborative project between WATCH CIO ARK at Egwood, Open Doors Somerset and Chard Community Hub funded by The National Lottery. We all aim to promote every aspect of wellbeing; physical, emotional, mental, social and financial. We are also firmly committed to working with the health of our planet and getting people to connect in with the natural world not only to look after our environment but also to benefit personal wellbeing. Through our activities we aim to reduce isolation and loneliness in Somerset as well as empower people to reconnect with their own innate resilience, enjoy being part of a community and secure peer friendships along the way and to bring about hope.

The Bridges to Wellbeing Manager will provide strategic leadership, coordination and oversight of the Bridges to Wellbeing programme, taking responsibility for the success of the project, oversee and support the work of the Peer Pathways Coordinators and ensure the smooth running of the project delivery as well as capture information and data for reporting. This new role will aim to develop and deepen connections between projects, develop and share best practice, and deepen links in our communities across south Somerset.

Values:

• Inclusivity – We strive to provide equal access and opportunities for all, providing participation and inclusion.
• Equality – We treat everyone as an individual and ensure that every individual has an equal opportunity to be the best that they can be.
• Person-Centred – We believe that each person should be placed at the centre of their world and treated as an individual.
• Expertise – We understand that each person is an individual and promote self-efficacy to support them to realise their own potential.
• Choice – We believe that everyone has the right to choose and have control over their own lives.

We’re excited to be offering an opportunity for a Project Manager – Bridges to Wellbeing Programme to join a group of forward-thinking community-based organisations. The ideal candidate will enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life; primarily attendees, volunteers and staff. We’re looking for someone who has experience of managing community place-based projects, has experience of successfully identifying and applying for grant funding and is interested in creating an inspiring and therapeutic atmosphere and welcoming, supportive environments which promote wellbeing for the local community as a whole. We’re 'all ears' when it comes to fresh ideas and we hope that the community as a whole will be encouraged, given autonomy and believe they can express their ideas and needs and their suggestions will be valued and taken forward.

We want the Project Manager to feel valued, so in addition to working in positive environments, with fabulous staff and volunteering teams and the full-time salary we are offering the following:

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays
• Automatic enrolment to an Employee Assistance Support Scheme
• Work based pension
• A fun and friendly environment to work in
• Polo shirts and fleeces
• Expenses for travel

Bridges to Wellbeing will be responsible for covering the cost of the following:

• Enhanced DBS
• Safeguarding training
• First Aid training
• Other relevant training as required

Key Tasks:

1. To support and work in partnership with the Project Coordinators at WATCH CIO, ARK at Egwood, Open Doors Crewkerne, and Chard Community Hub, in line with the Bridges to Wellbeing (B2W) National Lottery funded three-year project.
2. Create a project funding plan with finance team members, identifying needs and applying for grant funding that can be used for current or future collaborative projects in each organisation.
3. Schedule fortnightly meetings with all project coordinators to review and capture data including beneficiary numbers, concerns and progress as well as plan, and organise, co-ordinate and minute partnership meetings.
4. Maintain shared documentation, action logs and communications, and report monthly to the CEO Peer Group and compile an annual report for The National Lottery.
5. Make longer term arrangements for monitoring the whole project and governance, as well as using data sharing systems (ensuring GPDR compliance). Also to maintain strategic oversight to ensure alignment with project aims, values, and outcomes.
6. Risk monitoring and issue escalation.
7. Book in a skills audit so our capacity for Y2 & Y3 is more honed focusing on what’s achievable throughout the duration and put in plans to review each year.
8. Oversee volunteers’ input in all organisations and provide the opportunity to volunteer in different places. Work towards aligning the strengths of our volunteer processes, making sure boundaries and safeguarding are aligned.
9. Spend proportionate time in each project supporting the project coordinators, service delivery and identifying needs.
10. Supporting partnership learning, problem solving and sustainability discussions.
11. Ensure consistency of key policies in each project that each project is operating with clear and robust Safeguarding procedures.

To contribute towards Risk Assessments and other procedural or policy work as required.

Person Specification:

Values & Approach

• Commitment to person-centred, inclusive practice in relation to the Bridges Two ‑centred, inclusive practice
• Belief in potential of everyone to learn and grow
• Appreciation for the positive impact of peer support
• Warm, creative, approachable, non‑judgemental and empathetic

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Excellent communication skills, tactful but able to be clear and decisive when necessary
• Proficient IT skills in order to record achievements, update support plans and risk assessments
• Demonstrable experience of managing projects and facilitating group learning—arts, wellbeing, or vocational topics
• Social media or communications experience for outreach and marketing
• Experience working with vulnerable adults or marginalised groups (e.g. mental health, learning differences, economically disadvantaged)
• Understanding of AQA or other accredited learning pathways
• Good presentation skills
• Proven experience of successfully applying for grant funding and required monitoring for project funding
• Experience of working in or with the VCSFE sector
• Experience of managing small teams and/or providing supervision to individuals
• Clean driving licence and own car.

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication & numeracy
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to build respectful relationships
• Ability to collaborate with external bodies (e.g. local authority, health services, funding agencies)
• Competent in IT: recording progress, data capture and monitoring
• Ability to co‑ordinate a small delivery team (project coordinators)
• Organisational, scheduling and time management skills

Personal Qualities

• Energetic, enthusiastic, positive and creative
• Reliable, self-aware, with strong professional boundaries
• Flexible and pragmatic; able to adapt to changing needs
• Non-judgemental with an empathetic approach
• Good organisational skills and time keeping
• Self-aware with a willingness to learn and continuously develop
• Understanding of your own professional role and boundaries
• Action orientated and able to see tasks through to completion
• Work in a team and on your own, unsupervised
• An understanding of the challenges and issues for Somerset and towns/villages our partners operate in.

If you are a happy people-person, organised, creative and passionate about learning, wellbeing and making a real difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Please send completed application forms to

For an informal chat about this role please contact Julie Matthews, CEO Watch CIO, on or

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 4th March 2pm.