Senior Programme Officer

Job Title: Senior Programme Officer(East of England)National Education Nature Park
Location:Home-based (within East of England), Hybrid (at Hyde Hall or Peterborough office) with regular travel across East of England
Salary: £32,960
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract:Fixed Term Contract – August 2027
Start Date: August 2024

The RHS is a national charity with a mission to inspire everyone to grow, as it is vital to our wellbeing, the environment and the happiness of us all. We are undergoing an exciting period of development, which includes bringing our work with community volunteers, schools and groups to the heart of what we do.

We have recently launched the National Education Nature Park - a Department for Education funded programme empowering young people to take action on the environment as part of new measures designed to put climate change and sustainability at the heart of education.

As Senior Programme Officer you will build and access networks that support education settings to connect with nature through the programme, and build skills for engaging and influencing nature on their estate. The Senior Programme Officer will also manage a Programme Officer to enable a broad range of schools and education settings to participate in the programme. As a regional team you will work to establish widespread, meaningful and sustained engagement with the programme.

Reporting to the Nature Park Senior Programme and Partnerships Manager, you will map schools in the East of England to identify priority areas, and connect with senior school leaders across the region to engage them with the programme. You will develop partnerships and networks at a regional level with local authorities, businesses, and organisations in the education and charity sectors to provide additional support for schools and help sustain them on their Nature Park journey. You will work with the central programme team and partnership to build support systems for schools and settings that address barriers to participation, which may involve training and tapping in to existing volunteer networks and running events.

We are looking for a collaborative, creative individual with a passion for plants and the environment; someone who is experienced at partnership and network development.

You will work within a multidisciplinary project group including partners and colleagues with specialist scientific and community engagement knowledge and skills. Building and sustaining effective collaboration will be key to success in this role. You will be a confident communicator and listener with excellent planning and organisational skills. The right candidate will share our passion for the benefits of gardening and horticulture in schools and communities.

Details of our great benefits can be found here.

Safeguarding and Inclusion

The RHS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all personnel to share in this commitment. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Please note: We may review applications as soon as we receive them so if you see a vacancy that you are interested in, please apply straight away as the vacancy will be closed as soon as we hire the right candidate. Should you require any additional support with making your application please email Sharon Ellis at sharonellis@rhs.org.uk detailing the position and REQ number reference (found at the top of the advert on our website) that you are applying for.

*About National Education Nature Park

National Education Nature Park is a partnership project led by the Natural History Museum, working alongside the Royal Horticultural Society, the Royal Society, Royal Geographical Society, Learning through Landscapes, Manchester Metropolitan University and additional supporting partners.

The National Education Nature Park engages children, young people and their educators with nature, supporting young people in England to play a driving role in mapping and monitoring biodiversity on their grounds using citizen science and, critically, taking action to enhance it.

From creating pollinator friendly habitats where biodiversity can thrive, to creating planting schemes that support climate resilience. The project will showcase what can be achieved on the Education estate. 

The Nature Park will also provide opportunities for young people to take part in community science, identifying local impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss and developing key skills to solve these problems. 

Find out more by visiting the National Education Nature Park websitehere.