Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Programme Manager

Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Programme Manager
Part time (0.6 FTE), remote

About the Real Farming Trust

The Real Farming Trust (RFT) runs a number of programmes which bring people of all food
and farming backgrounds and experiences together to build the case for agroecology. One of
these programmes is the Oxford Real Farming Conference. We are a small charity, and value
honesty, empathy, care and compassion in our interactions with each other in the organisation
and with the partners we work with. 

About the Oxford Real Farming Conference

The Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) is a much loved and highly valued
movement-led conference with a special character and a space for networking, knowledge sharing
and direction setting. The annual conference has grown from a gathering of 50 delegates in 2010
to a two-day meeting of 1,800 in 2024, plus a further 3,000 online. The programme is the result
of a Call for Proposals, which are selected by a team of farming partners and
experts. 

In addition to the annual conference in January, ORFC has grown to include in-the-field
events. Held in partnership with a farm, ORFC in the Field brings together around 70
participants for two days of in-depth, hands-on workshops, plus a day of farm visits. ORFC in
the Field is held in different parts of the UK, with the next event taking place in Scotland
this October.

About the role

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to lead the ORFC team organising the annual
Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) helping it continue to evolve and be at the forefront of
change and innovation. Your role will be to work with stakeholders across the agroecological
movement to create and deliver the in-person and online conference, which will next take place
8th – 10th January 2025.

The ORFC team includes an Event Coordinator, Communications Coordinator and Programme
Coordinator who will report to you. You will report directly to the ORFC Director.

Along with members of the ORFC team, you will work closely with our partners to devise
and curate a topical, radical, balanced and inclusive programme, as well as provide an array of
cultural and networking opportunities for our delegates.

This will include (but is not limited to):

• Working with partners and the ORFC team to set the direction and priorities of ORFC
  2025 and ensure it aligns with the current needs of the movement
• In collaboration with ORFC team and partners, consider the Call for Proposals and
  decide on the sessions to take forward to ORFC 2025, suggesting collaborations, identifying
  gaps and exploring ways to address these
• To work with the ORFC team to programme up to 150 sessions across nine venues,
  including spaces for social, cultural and reflective activity
• To work with the live-stream production team to produce and oversee the delivery of
  the online conference
• Oversee the budget and pursue further funding for the conference to ensure that it
  maintains its ambition to reach out to new audiences through a radical bursary
  programme.

We are looking for a creative, energetic, strategic and empathetic person who enjoys
working alongside multiple partners – both in the UK and around the world – to support the
creation of a conference that reflects and inspires the movement for agroecology and food
sovereignty.

You will thrive in this role if:

• You are a strategic yet creative thinker able to visualise new and exciting ideas
  and have the energy and confidence to see them through
• You have a good understanding and knowledge of the key issues and people involved
  in the agroecological movement and have a passion for what it is trying to achieve
• You have a background in finding, curating, producing or editing content for large
  audiences
• You are a confident team leader able to take responsibility for making difficult
  decisions and communicating them to those affected
• You have experience in managing a wide array of relationships, sometimes with
  conflicting interests, across a sector
• You are able to juggle many moving parts while still keeping an eye on the
  detail
• You are able to work flexibly and respond quickly to emails and other last minute
  demands
• You are adaptable and understand the ever-changing nature of large-scale live
  events
• You are confident leading a large operational team over the ORFC delivery week and
  making decisions quickly and calmly
• You are interested in developing systems and processes that foster inclusive,
  radical gatherings.

A typical week will involve (for example):

• Frequent Zoom meetings with RFT/ORFC staff, contractors, partners, session
  organisers etc.
• A lot of emailing with session organisers, speakers, staff, freelancers, AV team
  etc
• Contacting and liaising with musicians, storytellers, artists etc.
• Creating and then constantly changing a spreadsheet of 150 + sessions
• Consideration of other events in this space and how we might complement and work
  with them.

Key Responsibilities

• Working with the Programme Coordinator to ensure that the Call for Submissions
  reaches out to new audiences and potential delegates
• Working with the Programme Coordinator, partners and other members of the team to
  review the submissions
• Following up on the submissions with session organisers to further refine
  successful proposals, elicit further information and find collaborative ways to take
  forward
• Ensuring session organisers have what they need to provide a well produced session
  for the conference
• To work with the ORFC team and partners to consider the ‘gaps’ in the conference
  and explore ways to address these.
• Working with partners and the team to explore other content for the conference,
  including key speakers, international guests, cultural and social possibilities
• Working with the Event Coordinator to visit all the venues for ORFC 2025 in order
  to have a good visual knowledge of their size and limitations
• Working with the programme team to develop the programme and decide on where
  sessions will be hosted
• Oversee the ORFC budget and seek further funding where there is a
  shortfall
• Plan and produce an opening and closing ceremony which captures people’s attention
  and encapsulates the tone and content of the conference
• Work with the comms team to pull key themes, messages, and announcements from the
  programme as it develops and ensure they have all the content they need to reach out to
  press and for other comms channels
• Write a final report for partners and funders that sums up the successes and
  learnings of ORFC 2025

What else you need to know:

• We do not have an office. We all work remotely from home but come to Oxford for two
  to three meetings prior to the conference
• You will need to provide your own laptop
• We all work flexibly, but you will be expected to do the majority of your work
  weekdays between 8am and 6pm. Some evening and weekend work may be required in the run-up
  to the conference from about mid-October
• You will need to be available during the full week of the conference, with long
  days (16+ hours) during the conference
• The conference takes place shortly after the winter holidays, so some work (~3
  days) between Christmas and New Year is expected
• September through January are critical months, and the majority of annual leave
  should be taken outside of this period
• This role is a fixed term contract through to the end of January 2025, with the
  possibility of extension, subject to funding. If extended, the Programme Manager role will
  include the organising of ORFC in the Field events from February onwards.

The terms of the contract are as follows:

• Salary: £38,000 pro rata (0.6 FTE)
• 20 days annual leave, plus Bank Holidays, pro rata increasing by 2 days for every
  year of completed service up to a maximum of 25 days (33 including bank holidays)
• Flexible working to suit your other commitments during the week
• Employer matched pension of 4%
• Annual personal development / training budget of £250. 

How to apply

Please email your CV, two referees (including at least one work reference), and a
covering letter (no more than 1 page) detailing why you think you are suitable for the role and
why you would like to join our team to Brittany Oakes at [email protected] by 12pm BST (midday) on Tuesday, 26th
March 2024. If you have questions about the role, please contact Francesca Price on [email protected].

What will happen after you have sent in your application

• We will let all applicants know if they have been shortlisted for an interview by
  Thursday, 28th March 2024.
• Interviews will take place online on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd April 2024. If
  these dates or timings are difficult for you, please tell us in your application
• We will share all of the interview questions in advance with you. The aim of the
  interview is to help you show us how you would do the role, not to catch you out.
• We will let you know in advance who will be on the interview panel and their role
  within the RFT.

Equity and Anti-Oppression

We are committed to becoming a more inclusive workplace with a diverse staff body. We
believe this is essential to our effectiveness as an organisation and our ability to fulfil our
mission of “good food for everyone, forever”. We need to address both inequity and oppression
within our work if we are to meet our aim. There will be tensions that this work creates and
difficult questions that we need to address both internally and externally.

We know that people with certain backgrounds and characteristics are underrepresented
in our team and in the alternative food and farming movement, and we want to address this. We
are committed to working proactively to dismantle these systems of oppression and ensure equal
opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background.

We have started to do this work internally, but we know there is much more to do. Every
member of RFT staff is involved and part of this work. We have an internal Equity and
Anti-Oppression Group that leads and monitors this work and reports to the Board.

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form

The Real Farming Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity in line with
the Equality Act 2010, providing an inclusive and co-operative environment in which all
individuals feel respected. Filling in this equality and diversity monitoring form is
voluntary. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be used for
monitoring purposes. Please don’t enter any information that would identify you. This form is
kept separately from your application and will not be seen by interviewers.

Please note that due to the volume of applications we usually receive, we regret that
we are unable to offer feedback to individual applicants.

Thank you for your interest in the Real Farming Trust.