Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Event Coordinator

Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Event Coordinator
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 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 an exciting opportunity to join the core team organising the annual Oxford Real
Farming Conference (ORFC). Your role will be to support the ORFC team coordinating logistics
for the in-person and online conference, which will next take place 8th – 10th January
2025.

You will work closely with the Real Farming Trust (RFT) Operations Manager to
coordinate internal and external logistics for smooth conference delivery, as well as the ORFC
Programme Manager to co-ordinate the operational support needed to deliver an exciting,
inclusive and radical programme for all delegates. 

 This will include (but is not limited to):

• Event coordination across staff, freelancers, AV, venues, volunteers, exhibitors,
  caterers, partners, speakers, interpreters
• Some administrative responsibilities (updating policies, contracts, and risk
  assessments)
• Budget tracking and maintaining clear records of any spending 
• Research into online conferencing options, and setting up ORFC online 
• Building on on-going work to develop event processes and culture that reflects our
  values.

We’re looking for a detail-oriented, organised, caring and thoughtful coordinator with
a passion for creating inclusive, equitable spaces to support the movement for agroecology and
food sovereignty.

You will thrive in this role if:

• You are detail-oriented, organised, efficient and methodical
• You have strong written communication skills
• You are proficient in working with spreadsheets 
• You have experience organising large events and understand the varied hours and
  responsibilities of a role like this
• You are happy remote working and enjoy working with a small team
• You remain calm under stress
• You can prioritise tasks to meet deadlines under pressure
• You are interested in developing systems and processes that foster inclusive,
  radical gatherings
• You are passionate about the food and farming movement.

A typical week will involve both internal operational coordination and external
liaising. Your time will be taken up with the following key tasks (for example):

• Regular Zoom meetings with the ORFC team, including creating agendas and managing
  the note-taking rota
• Frequent Zoom meetings with RFT/ORFC staff and contractors
• A lot of emailing with staff, freelancers, AV team, partners, volunteers, venues,
  exhibitors, delegates, etc
• Creating and/or updating in-person and online conference materials (eg, signage;
  volunteer and staff forms, schedules, info packs and help resources [for both in-person and
  online]; exhibitor forms, briefings and info packs; speaker briefings; etc)
• Overseeing the online ticketing system to respond to queries, track registration
  numbers, and issue invoices or refunds where needed
• Managing processes for exhibitors, volunteers and bursaries

What else you need to know:

• We do not have an office. We all work remotely from home and meet twice a year
  in-person for a couple of days each time. All staff are expected to attend.
• 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 November.
• 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 Years Eve is expected. 
• 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 Event Coordinator role would
  include supporting the organising of ORFC in the Field events.

Key Responsibilities

Administration & Finance

• Obtaining event insurance
• Completing and managing a risk assessment
• Reviewing and updating conference policies (terms and conditions, covid-19, safer
  spaces policy)
• Preparing job descriptions for freelance staff
• Updating the budget and facilitating regular budget meetings with the conference
  team and RFT directors

Event coordination

• Liaising with 10+ venues in the run-up to, during and after the event, including
  overseeing contracts
• Identifying tech requirements and working closely with the AV producer to ensure
  requirements are met 
• With support from the communications coordinator, setting up and managing the
  online conference environment
• Working closely with the communications and programme coordinators, inputting into
  speaker comms, website updates, and the ORFC programme 
• Coordinating 15+ staff across the online and in-person conference, including
  recruitment, scheduling, training, on-the-ground coordination and follow-up
• Coordinating 130+ volunteers across the online and in-person conference, including
  recruitment, scheduling, training, on-the-ground coordination and follow-up
• Coordinating 20+ exhibitors across the online and in-person conference
• Arranging catering across the event, including for staff and volunteers
• Arranging accommodation for ORFC staff, AV crew and guests
• Gathering feedback after the event, summarising event attendance data, and writing
  an operations report

Development and culture

• With the conference team, reviewing organising processes throughout, and reflecting
  on post-event feedback to inform future conference planning
• Support ORFC to build policies and processes that align with our values and
  maximise impact 

The benefits you will get

• Salary: £28,802 (pro rata at 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, email Brittany at
the above address.

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
  Wednesday, 3rd April 2024
• Interviews will take place online on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th 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.