ART Project Officer: Job description and application procedure

Summary

The Aire Rivers Trust (ART) wishes to employ a Project Officer for two purposes:

• To deliver the Care River Stewardship project • To develop ART itself to have permanent staff to achieve its aims for the River Aire

Funding is initially available for an 18-month appointment, with the expectation that the postholder will work with the Trustees to win future income to secure long-term continuation of the post.

River Aire Care River Stewardship project

The overall aim of River Stewardship for is to create a sustainable and active network of citizens looking after Bradford’s rivers and supporting flood risk and resilience activities on behalf of the community.

To achieve this, the objectives of Phase 2 of River Aire Care (i.e. 2017-18) are:

1. Create or support at least six “Friends” groups in different areas 2. Engage with local business owners to get them involved in River Stewardship 3. Develop strategies for the groups which combine flood resilience with environmental aspects 4. Successfully bid for continuation funding for 2018-19 and beyond (more detail in Appendix)

The project has two sources of funding. The main funding is from the Environment Agency through a grant issued to Bradford Council from the Flood and Coastal Defence Fund; Bradford have commissioned ART to deliver the programme, working jointly with Bradford and the Environment Agency. The Leeds Community Fund has supplemented this award.

The Project Officer’s role will work approximately two-thirds of their time on River Stewardship on the following activities:

1. Work with existing Friends groups to identify how they can remain viable, develop their strategies, and plan programmes of action. 2. Research the need and opportunities for new groups. 3. Offer support to local groups. 4. Work with the local groups to organise events to raise awareness and increase engagement. 5. Work with local groups, the Environment Agency, CBMDC, Town and Parish Councils and local industry groups (e.g. Chamber of Commerce) to engage riparian owners and occupiers, and other local businesses, in River Stewardship. Establish a programme of clean up days in combination with business owners. 6. Coordinate an “Advisory and Information Group (AIG)” to ensure good communications between the various stakeholders and the Aire Care participants. 7. Research potential funding streams on behalf of the overall River Stewardship activities and the local groups, and to bid for continuation funding for 2018-19 and beyond.

The Aire Rivers Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in England & Wales No: 07464227 and a Registered Charity No: 1145609. Registered office is 38 Morton Lane, , , BD20 5RS Development of the Aire Rivers Trust

The Aire Rivers Trust was formed in 2012. Its aims are to improve the River Aire and its catchment for the benefit of society and the environment. ART has made good progress in achieving its visions for 2022 of:

• A cleaner river • Improved public appreciation for the river and its catchment • Better public access • Improved space for nature and more wildlife • Reduced flooding

In particular, it has driven forward the installation of fish passes on various weirs to enable salmon to return and other fish to move freely. Just recently the Heritage Lottery Fund have supported the joint Environment Agency and ART project ‘DNAire’, a £1.6M project to install passes on the last remaining weirs up to Gargrave, by offering £800K subject to a successful Stage 2 application.

However, volunteer Trustees have mostly undertaken ART’s activities. Other Rivers Trusts have been able to achieve much more once they are in a financial position to have full-time staff. The purpose of the other third of the Project Officer’s role is to work closely with the Trustees to build up ART’s income so that a permanent position for a Director can be created. This part of the role is not fully defined at this time, and the Project Officer will work with Trustees to plan and implement a strategy. This is an opportunity to make a substantial contribution to driving forward and growing an ambitious Rivers Trust.

Stage 1 of DNAire, which will fund a Community Engagement Officer in ART, will run in parallel with the Project Officer’s role, and we expect the two Officers to work closely together.

Details

Job Title: ART Project Officer

Location: to be confirmed but will be in the Leeds/Bradford area

Duration: Initial 18 month contract, with the intention of moving to an open-ended contract if funding can be secured

Salary: circa. £25,000, with annual increment subject to performance, plus appropriate travel and other expenses

Hours of Work: 37 hours per week (there will be a need for flexibility to work some evenings and weekends)

Holiday entitlement: 25 days per year plus bank holidays

Reporting: To ART Board through Barney Lerner, ART Trustee

DBS: We may ask you to undertake a DBS or other relevant check

Start Date: We anticipate that the successful candidate will start in early January 2018, if this would be a problem please explain the situation and your expected start date in your application

2 Essential skills and knowledge

Knowledge

• Qualified and/or experienced in people and community engagement and volunteer recruitment. • A working knowledge and understanding of river ecosystems, flooding and recovery. • Funding sources and application processes.

Skills

• Ability to lead, enthuse and support other people in organising groups and events. • Good at networking and able to maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of people and organisations. • Strong written and verbal communication skills to be able to influence a wide range of stakeholders. These will range from local authorities to community groups and third sector organisations. • Understanding and commitment to equal opportunities and an ability to relate to people across the community. • Experience of working with a small organisation and the public or voluntary sectors. • Proven ability to successfully manage the delivery of projects to time and budget. • A good eye for and attention to detail. • Self-motivated and able to work unsupervised with good administration, organisational, and time management skills. • An ability to work outdoors in all weathers. • Good IT skills with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and social media. • A current driving licence and a vehicle suitable for travelling around the project area

Desirable skills and knowledge

• Working knowledge of GIS data systems such as ARC GIS • Familiar with appropriate Health and Safety requirements • Ability to deliver public presentations • Experience in the management and coordination of volunteers • The ability to drive current ART objectives and contribute to developing future strategies. • Familiarity with the River Aire and it’s associated communities from Leeds to Gargrave. • Ability to raise substantial match funding for projects.

How to apply

To discuss any aspects of this post please email [email protected]

To apply for this post please send a current CV and covering letter explaining why this position is of interest to you, illustrating how you have demonstrated the skills and experience requirements of the post and any other information you consider relevant to [email protected]

Closing Date for applications is 20th November 2017 at 5pm.

Interviews will be held 30th November in Shipley.

3 Further details of the River Stewardship project

The proposed approach centres on a full time coordinator. Their role will be:

1. Work with existing Friends groups to identify how they can remain viable, develop their strategies, and plan programmes of action. These groups include: a. Friends of Bradford’s Becks b. Friends of the Worth (a new group being formed after Phase 1 of Aire Care) c. Groups which may not consider rivers as their primary goal, such as Northcliffe, Heaton Woods, Higher Coach Road)

2. Research the need and opportunities for new groups in areas such as: a. Upper b. -Cottingley c. - d. Windhill- e. f. Harden Beck g. (-Burley-)

3. Offer support to local groups such as: a. Setting up the group (bank account hosting, constitution) b. Practical support (loan of ppe, sharing key contact info, sign-posting to expertise) c. Funding support (sign-posting to funding, help writing bids) d. Help with organising activities (see below)

4. Work with the local groups to organise events to raise awareness and increase engagement (target 12 events). These might include: a. Photographic or other competitions b. Flood warning and resilience workshops c. Litterpicks. These cannot take place until spring due to weather and vegetation. Professional support will be needed for activities which require in-river work, earth or masonry works, or movement of heavy objects. d. Educational visits to schools and community groups e. Pollution and invasive species spotting

5. Work with local groups, the Environment Agency, CBMDC, Town and Parish Councils and local industry groups (e.g. Chamber of Commerce) to engage riparian owners and occupiers, and other local businesses, in River Stewardship. Establish a programme of clean up days in combination with business owners.

6. Coordinate an “Advisory and Information Group (AIG)” to ensure good communications between the various stakeholders and the Aire Care participants. Initially this group will consist of: a. Representative of CBMDC Drainage Department b. One of CBMDC’s Ward Officers c. Two representatives of ART d. The Environment Agency’s catchment coordinator e. A representative from Yorkshire Water f. Further members will be added as appropriate

4 7. To research potential funding streams on behalf of the overall River Stewardship activities and the local groups, and to bid for continuation funding for 2018-19 and beyond.

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