Head of Engagement

This is an exciting new focus for our Head of Engagement as part of the restructuring of the
senior leadership team at Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) to enable the organisation to grow and
achieve more for nature’s recovery in Somerset.

Head of Engagement

Salary: £35,000 – £42,000

Contract type: Permanent
Working hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

Location: Taunton, Somerset with opportunities for hybrid working

The main aim of this role is to lead development and coordination of delivery Goal 2 of the
Trust’s Wilder Somerset 2030 Strategy through:

• Support, influence and innovate 1 in 4 people to take positive action for nature’s
  recovery.
• Lead the development and delivery of large-scale community programmes to achieve SWT
  strategic goals.
• Coordinate community engagement programmes across the Trust to inspire and support people
  to take action to support nature’s recovery at scale.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

Leadership & Management:

The Head of Engagement will be part of the Senior Leadership Team and Operational Management
Team, partnering the Directors and CEO, to:

• Be an informed and passionate advocate for the essential role of people in nature’s
  recovery. Inform and influence SWT’s strategic planning to ensure the Trusts role to support,
  inform and enable people to take action for nature is considered at all levels and across
  teams.
• Provide the link between strategic and delivery, helping the engagement team to prioritise
  and maximise impact of their work to best deliver SWT’s strategic objectives, whilst also
  feeding back team insight on gaps in delivery, issues, achievements and ideas to a strategic
  level to inform future planning.
• Influence and mentor the teams within the Action for Nature department and across the whole
  of SWT to deliver Team Wilder as an organisational strategic goal.
• Oversee financial management of a number of cost centres including setting & managing
  budgets, resource allocation and income generation.
• Influence and mentor the wider Action for Nature team and oversee financial management of a
  number of cost centres including setting & managing budgets, resource allocation and income
  generation.
• Work with the Marketing and Communications Team and act as a media spokesperson where
  required.

Responsibility 1: Overall Engagement Strategy

• Identify and develop strategic opportunities to deliver goal 2 including bringing together
  engagement journeys, developing approaches to deliver Team Wilder across the whole county and
  identifying funding to realise those opportunities.
• Provide effective leadership, mentoring and support to build strong working relationships
  across all areas of the charity, to ensure integrated engagement activities and the embedding
  of the Team Wilder ethos to achieve the maximum impact for biodiversity and for people.
• Champion a high and consistent standard for working with communities and volunteers.
• Work with the central team and partners on collecting, collating and analysing data
  (demographics, nature connection etc.) and acting upon relevant insights in programmes of work.
• Forecast delivery needs and work across teams to develop projects and activities that
  directly deliver strategic requirements and retain, develop and recruit high-performing staff.
• Lead on strategic planning, forecasting and decision making to identify and secure
  county-wide capacity building funding and other incoming generation to deliver SWT engagement
  goals.
• Develop positive external relationships and influence with local authorities, partners and
  other organisations across sectors, acting where needed as a ‘collective voice’ for the desire
  and need for change. Use working relationships and technical expertise to overcome barriers and
  enable partners to implement changes to enable people to take action for nature in their lives
  and communities.
• Keep abreast of national and regional developments that may impact the Trusts work with
  communities. This includes developing a proactive relationship with the new Unitary Authority,
  and engaging as appropriate with initiatives such as LNRS, LCNs, Somerset Tree Strategy etc.
• Lead on the design and delivery of effective monitoring of the impact of the Trusts
  engagement activities that both demonstrate biodiversity gain and lead to individual behaviour
  change and the importance of connection with nature for people and communities.

Responsibility 2: Wilder Communities

• Oversight of the “Wilder Communities” workstreams which cover: volunteering, community
  organising, community networks and advice, individual actions for nature (e.g. gardens),
  training and resource development.
• Manage and support the Wilder Communities Manager and Wilder Projects Coordinator to
  identify and develop opportunities to enable, support and coordinate communities to manage
  public and private land to benefit biodiversity and enhance Somerset’s nature recovery network.

Responsibility 3: Wilder Lives

• Oversight of the “Wilder Lives” workstreams which cover: health and wellbeing, youth,
  children and families, visitor experience and events.
• Manage and support the Wilder Lives Manager to identify and develop opportunities to
  enable, support and coordinate work that promotes the value of nature and its importance to
  people’s health and wellbeing, and influences the health, social housing and employment sectors
  to use nature-based preventative and therapeutic solutions.

Somerset Wildlife Trust Benefits

Fantastic benefits of working with us:

• Matched pension up to 7%
• Life insurance
• An annual professional institution subscription
• Flexible and agile working
• Wellbeing support – EAP, wellbeing champions
• Diversity networks through RSWT/TWT
• Pool car and mileage allowance
• Paid volunteer days
• Continuous Professional Development opportunities
• 33 days of holiday (25 + bank holidays)

The opportunity to make a real and positive difference to nature, communities and the climate.

Closing date: Monday 12 February 2024

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed
to our website to complete your application for this position.

Somerset Wildlife Trust has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and is committed to
continuing to improve the equality, diversity and inclusion of every aspect of our work; we
know we need to engage with everyone to live our values and achieve our goals. We welcome
applications from everyone and are happy to discuss any accommodations or arrangements that
would make the recruitment process better for you, and the working environment should you be
employed.

No agencies please.