Land Workers’ Alliance – Project Development and Membership Coordinator
The Land Workers’ Alliance are recruiting a Project Development and Membership Coordinator to help build the membership of the LWA and develop our organisational capacity. This role will also work alongside existing staff and the coordinating group to support our campaigning, lobbying and media work.
The Landworkers’ Alliance (LWA) is seeking to recruit an ambitious, experienced and passionate Project Development and Membership coordinator. This is a part-time role of 19 hour/week role paid at £29640 Pro Rata.
Until now, the activities of the LWA have been carried out by a combination of voluntary and paid work by members who are all active farmers, growers and land-based workers with a strong knowledge of the LWA’s vision and objectives. As a producer-led union, it is an important principle that public representation and policy positions are developed and communicated by members, who have a deep and experienced-based knowledge of the issues we seek to address. In order to grow as a union, we now need to employ staff who can work regular hours and do not have the same pressures as people working full time in agriculture.
The focus of this role will be on building the membership and organisational capacity of the LWA as well as supporting the coordinating group to deliver a number of tasks from campaigning and advocacy to recruitment, finances and administration.
The project development and outreach officer will meet with the entire coordinating group regularly throughout the year, and work to an agreed work plan with targets set by the coordinating group. At the moment the LWA does not have a centralised office and staff work remotely however they will be required to attend regular meetings of the coordinating group that take place in various locations around the country. Reasonable travel costs will be covered in addition to the salary.
Job Description
The role includes the following core elements:
• Membership administration – keeping track of new members, monitoring member numbers and profiles, taking payments, sending membership packs and responding to members needs.
• Member recruitment – enlarging the membership of the LWA by creative and effective promotional strategies.
• Fundraising – working with the fundraising team to write funding applications and organise fundraising events.
• Financial monitoring – working with the LWA accountant to monitor spending and income, ensuring the LWA works to agreed budgets.
• Project monitoring – working to monitor the progress of projects according to agreed targets and objectives.
In addition the project development and outreach officer will support LWA coordinating group and LWA staff working on campaigning, lobbying, media work and network building in the following areas:
• Campaigning – With a particular focus on ensuring a better deal for small-scale producers in post-Brexit British agricultural policy.
• Lobbying – working with the coordinating group to organise lobbying meetings and events with key decision makers.
• Media work – working with the communications team to draft and send out press releases, maintaining and updating our website, facebook and twitter sites, building and maintaining contacts in the agricultural media.
• Working closely with allies – developing and maintaining connections with close allies, communicating our campaigns and positions to them, developing opportunities for effective collaboration.
Person Specification
This is a complex role which requires a wide range of skills and experiences. We are looking for someone who has the following skills and experiences:
Essential:
• Strong skills working as part of a diverse team.
• Excellent capacity to self-manage and work autonomously.
• The ability to develop work plans, monitor progress and report on work done to the coordinating group.
• Experience of grassroots union organising and membership recruitment.
• Experience of coordinating and monitoring complex projects.
• Experience of successful securing funds through a range of methods (ie grant applications, events, networking).
• Sound financial monitoring skills.
• Competence using social media and wordpress websites.
• An understanding of the history, objectives and vision of the LWA.
Desirable:
• A solid understanding of the history, politics and practice of agriculture in the UK.
• A solid understanding of organisations working to influence food and farming in the UK.
• A solid understanding of the UK political system and opportunities to influence policy.
• Experience of campaigning and lobbying in the food and farming sector.
• A passion for small-scale, ecological agriculture.
How to apply:
Candidates interested in applying for the role should send their cv and a cover letter confirming that they have a right to work in the UK and explaining how they meet the person specification and what they believe they can bring to the role to landworkersalliance@riseup.net by midnight on Friday 24th March 2017.
Please also include in your cover letter the contact details for two references.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview in Bristol on Friday 7th April.
If you have any questions about the application process please get in touch with us on landworkersalliance@riseup.net
You can download all information here.
Visit the Land Workers’ Alliance website for more information here.
https://www.facebook.com/wwoofuk/
