Youth Action Officer

Sussex Wildlife Trust

To deliver our new strategic plan – Our Wild Sussex – we need people with bold and innovative ideas to help us to achieve our ambitions for local wildlife and wild places.

We are committed to restoring and protecting at least 30% of Sussex land and sea for nature, inspiring one in four people to take meaningful action for wildlife, building a stronger more inclusive and diverse organisation and becoming a net zero and climate resilient organisation.

We are looking for the best and most talented people to join our team and help us deliver this exciting and ambitious strategy. We are keen to hear from you even if you don't have all the skills and experience outlined in the Job Description but have the potential to grow into a role. 

So, if you are someone who is determined to see a Sussex rich in wildlife and you have drive, energy and commitment to our values of Innovation, Passion, Collaboration and Inclusion why not apply now to join our great team, working together to deliver Our Wild Sussex.

Please note we are planning to move to new offices which will be more accessible by public transport this year.

To champion wildlife and natural places everywhere in Sussex and inspire people to take action for nature we need to embrace a variety of perspectives by involving more people from diverse backgrounds. Younger people and people from ethnically diverse communities are currently underrepresented in our organisation and across the conservation and environment sector and we are therefore particularly interested in hearing from people from these groups. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete you application or hear about the role of a Youth Action Officer.

The Role

We are looking for someone to support Sussex Wildlife Trust’s commitment to engage and empower young people to take action for wildlife, with a focus on 16-25 year olds. There are two key elements to this role, firstly to support staff across the organisation to ensure that their work is inclusive and engaging to young people. This includes developing a way in which young people can be more involved in decision making at the Trust. Secondly the role includes development and delivery of a programme of events and courses for young people. For example, we have a Youth Ranger group supporting our community led nature reserve in Brighton, and this year we developed a programme of volunteering to support the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.

The Person

We are looking for someone that has experience of working with young people in the environment or conservation sector. They will have suitable youth work, teaching qualification or relevant experience that shows their understanding of how to engage and communicate with young people and support their learning and understanding of nature and the environment. The person will have experience of coordinating people, delivering activities to young people, and evaluating outcomes. They will be confident leading practical conservation tasks to improve habitats using a range of tools. They will also demonstrate their experience of supporting colleagues with advice and ideas on how the Trust can be more accessible to young people. Experience with the responsible use of different social media platforms for engaging with young people and an understanding of safeguarding is essential. Excellent communication skills, verbal and written are essential and the ability to use a range of technology effectively including databases and Microsoft Office 365. A valid driving licence is required. We are looking for people who are committed to our values of inclusion, collaboration, passion and innovation and have heaps of enthusiasm for wildlife and our work.

This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS with Barred List check.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays each year (pro-rated for part time staff)
• Pension – company contribution from 6% and employee contribution of 3% 
• Life Assurance - Pension Scheme Members 2 x Salary, Non-Pension Scheme Members 1 x Salary
• 2 days paid leave for volunteering each year
• Flexible working policy
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• EAP
• Employee discounts
• Informal car share arrangements

For more detailed information see what we offer page in the Recruitment Pack.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and may close the vacancy early so please get your application in as soon as possible.

Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application or hear about the role.