Ceredigion Community Engagement Officer – Adopt a Tributary

Community Engagement Officer – Adopt a Tributary (Ceredigion)

West Wales Rivers Trust (WWRT)

• Gross annual salary of £28,000
• 5 days/ 40 hours per week, flexible working
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Fixed Term Contract – One year. Possibility of extension subject to funding.

Website www.westwalesriverstrust.org

Email: [email protected]

Do you want to connect people with their local river and wildlife as part of an exciting
engagement project? Do you see the opportunities for connection with nature to improve people’s
health and wellbeing? Do you have the skills to deliver a wide-ranging and varied volunteer and
community engagement programme? Do you share our passion for improving our rivers?

West Wales Rivers Trust (WWRT) wish to continue our efforts to better connect
communities living in Ceredigion with their local rivers, to understand their needs and concerns,
and deliver a range of volunteer projects and events that will improve their health and
wellbeing, as well as the health of the river. 

As Community Engagement Officer, it will be your job to continue and expand our ‘Adopt a
Tributary’ project, supporting the formation of new community river groups and upskilling
existing groups to become eyes and ears on our rivers and to deliver a range of river
restoration improvement activities. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity
Fund, supported and delivered by Ceredigion County Council. You will also deliver informative and engaging educational
visits to schools and other local organisations such as angling clubs, conservation groups,
extra-curricular groups, wellbeing groups, corporate groups and councils. You will build new
relationships, consult existing volunteers and better understand how our rivers can form a more
meaningful part of people’s lives. You will be required to attend local stakeholder meetings as
required to ensure that the interests of local communities are considered in the
multi-organisational planning of works in the catchment. We want to ensure community input and
benefit are at the heart of all our projects and you will be given significant autonomy to
explore and develop new ways of making this happen.

Essential criteria are an ability to work independently and creatively as part of a small team,
good people skills and a committed, professional, and flexible approach to your work. We are
looking for individuals with experience of delivering and managing an array of practical
community engagement activities such as walks, volunteer conservation activities and/or
educational workshops. You will be an approachable and friendly communicator who will be able
to lead and inspire others to preserve and respect the natural world whilst building strong
relationships and partnerships to achieve outcomes on the ground.

The Community Engagement Officer will be part of an existing team of Community Engagement Officers covering the other counties in our catchment, and will report to the Adopt a Tributary Programme Manager.

Although most of your work will fall between normal business hours, community engagement events
and meetings can be held in the evening and at weekends. A reasonable commitment to
out-of-hours working will be required and compensated with time off in-lieu. The Trust does not
have an office, and desk-based work will require home working. Due to the large number of local
events that will be held as part of this project, we would expect applicants to live in or very
close to the County of Ceredigion.

Essential candidate skills:

• Experience in environmental education and community engagement
• Strong social and inter-personal skills
• Excellent organisational and networking skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to work un-supervised
• Project and/or budget management experience
• Situated within the project catchment
• Full driving license and own vehicle
• Strong computer literacy (Microsoft Office, Social media & email as a minimum)
• A genuine desire to improve the aquatic environment
• Welsh Language skills or the desire to learn throughout the duration of employment
• Knowledge of and connection to the area you are applying for and its settlements

Desirable candidate qualities:

• Experience of work to develop funding bids
• Academic training in a related environmental science (conservation, biology, geography)
  with knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and conservation

Initially this role will be for a five day per week position for one year, with the potential to
extend with successful fundraising.

If you would like to discuss the posts further, please contact: Harriet Alvis, CEO at [email protected]

To apply for this post please send your CV with a covering letter (both 2 sides of A4 maximum)
to Harriet Alvis, setting out your experience and qualifications. Closing Date for applications is 12pm,
Monday 15th January 2024.