Salary: £29,120 pro-rata (based on a 35 hour a week @ £16/hr)
Mainly Based at: The Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street, London E17 9AH 
Working Hours: between 14 and 28 hours per week, depending on the number of responsibilities taken on. Working days are flexible but Thursday is a core team day
Annual Leave: 30 days per year (pro-rata), including bank holidays

About The Hornbeam:

The Hornbeam is a community organisation based in Walthamstow, London. We work with the community on projects that address food insecurity and climate change. We aim to empower communities to mutually support one another. We are organised in a flat, non-hierarchical structure and are all on equal pay. We believe in principles of solidarity not charity. 

Role outline:

We are looking for someone to help The Hornbeam to function effectively by managing the day-to-day operations of the community centre, as well as leading on the financial processing and planning, and supporting the team’s fundraising and long term strategy. 

The Hornbeam is a small and dynamic organisation so there is a great deal of scope for the candidate to make the role their own, with opportunity to propose new strategies, processes and even create/lead projects of their own.

This is a varied and interesting role which will suit someone who has great interpersonal skills, is highly organised and has solid financial management, knowledge of how small community organisations work, and a passion for supporting local community action. 

We understand that applicants might not have experience in all of the job’s responsibilities, but might bring transferable skills from another sector. We are happy to be flexible with the exact responsibilities of the role, and even to be flexible on the number of contracted weekly hours, depending on whether we split some of these listed responsibilities amongst existing members of staff. 

Job responsibilities

1. Hornbeam Centre Management

• Ensure that the community centre is a well-run, safe and welcoming place for the community to meet and run projects from
• Liaise with our partner organisations (The Gleaners Cafe, Organiclea, The Forest Recycling Project, The Skills Within) with whom we share the space 
• Maintain and build relationships with external stakeholders (e.g. other community organisations, the local council, individual visitors to the Hornbeam, faith leaders, etc)

2. Financial Management and Strategic Support

• Monthly bookkeeping: processing invoices, issuing invoices, bank reconciliation, payroll oversight
• Provide project budget oversight and support to project coordinators 
• Produce the overall organisational budget and management reports, and maintain good overview of organisational financial health
• Co-facilitating quarterly governance meetings with all staff and the Hornbeam’s directors 
• Work with colleagues to coordinate and facilitate meetings around strategic development for the Hornbeam as a whole
• Liaising with accountants in annual accounts preparation
• Other financial tasks as necessary

3. Payroll & HR

• As a non-hierarchical team, we are working collaboratively to develop HR processes and management practices. Every team member is involved in this work. 
• Manage the issuing of employment contracts, and recordkeeping for annual leave and sick leave
• Setting up and inducting new staff who join the team

4. Fundraising

• Support colleagues in fundraising and bid writing – particularly in identifying funding gaps in our budget and finding grants / opportunities to apply for
• Support colleagues with funder reporting as required

5. Facilities management and venue hire

• Coordinating the repairs and maintenance of the building
• Responsible for health and safety, ensuring safety checks and risk assessments are carried out as well as insurance policies updated
• Lead on running the venue hire of The Hornbeam to ensure the community centre is well used and The Hornbeam is generating necessary funds

Equal Opportunities: 

Hornbeam serves a diverse community and encourages applications from women, black and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals so as to reflect the community we work in.

We are committed to supporting people with marginalised identities who are under-represented in our organisation. If you have any questions about the job or how we do things at The Hornbeam before you apply, email [email protected] and we can arrange a phone call.

The Hornbeam Centre: Vision, Mission and Values

The Hornbeam: a community organisation working with a range of partners in Waltham Forest and beyond. We offer:

SPACE for communities to meet in E17 and E4,

TIME and support to develop community initiatives,

SKILLS and knowledge about low cost, low impact living.

Our Vision is of active communities where people have a positive impact on their environment.

Our Mission is to

• Inspire people to think about how we live our lives and use resources
• Empower community-led action and support new initiatives that lead to positive environmental and social change

Our values are what drive us and inform our way of working:

• We are inclusive and people-focused: we believe people of all backgrounds and abilities have a role in achieving a just future for all of us and our environment, and we engage with the concerns and passions of individuals & community groups.
• We are creative and collaborative: we believe that innovation will help us to achieve the change we want to see, and that by working alongside partners and local community groups we will make that change lasting.
• We are committed to the careful use of resources, both environmental and human.
• We are committed to being transparent in our governance and in how we communicate with partners and supporters
• We are committed to remaining relevant to our community and conscious of the priorities of the people we work with.

Deadline: Monday 22nd May 2024 at midday