CommunityCheck Coordinator

Job Summary

The post holder will put sustainable development into practice at the grassroots, helping volunteers and other people promote and practice more resource efficiency and sustainable consumption. They will coordinate the CommunityCheck Project initially in Leicester City and Rutland, moving on to other local authority areas in the East Midlands region over the next year. They will promote sustainable consumption and resource efficiency to managers, staff, volunteers and users of publicly-accessible premises and open spaces eg. churches, community centres, pubs, schools, health centres. They will also help young people (16 to 25 year olds) become more employable through their volunteering, offering them learning and support.

This post is part of the CommunityCheck Team of 3 paid staff, including a Project Manager and Coordinator for Leicestershire and Rutland, as well as Volunteer Checkers and Champions. The post is funded by DEFRA’s Environmental Action Fund as one of 36 national projects focusing on sustainable consumption, and the only one in the East Midlands.

It offers recent graduates with the right qualities a supported first step on the ladder to becoming an environmental professional. Working in StudentForce, a charity that supports recent graduates as professionals working in sustainable development, you will have additional training, flexible working conditions, other recent graduate colleagues, and networking for you to explore different employment opportunities.

See http://www.studentforce.org.uk for information on our projects including CommunityCheck, YouthCheck and LocalCheck.

Objective

To coordinate the CommunityCheck Project in Leicester City and Rutland in order to develop more resource efficiency and sustainable consumption amongst the Managers, staff, volunteers and users of publicly-accessible premises and open spaces managed by organisations from six sectors, managing CommunityChecks and ReChecks, recruiting, training and supporting Volunteer Checkers and Champions, and supporting, inducting key staff in local authorities who are willing and able to continue the coordination of CommunityChecks from April 2007 onwards.

Personal Specification

Application - Essential

• Degree or professional qualification with module(s) related to environmental management, resource efficiency or sustainable development
• Work experience as or with volunteers.
• Experience of projects involving sustainable development.
• Possession of a clean Driving Licence for more than a year, or a Driving Licence with own car that could be used for work.

Interview and Tests

High – Equally important
• Understanding of environmental management, resource efficiency (of energy, waste, water and purchasing) and sustainable consumption.
• Competence to write, present and persuade clearly, simply and assertively for promotion and marketing. Competence to communicate by sharing information, ideas and arguments with a variety of audiences.
• Competence to coordinate a project with volunteers. Aware of volunteering issues and successful volunteer management. Commitment to helping young people become more employable through volunteering.
• Competence to manage time efficiently, prioritise own tasks, organise own deskspace and complete to deadline. Competence to focus on results by being proactive and taking responsibility for getting things done.

We are looking for a Coordinator who has interest in and commitment to StudentForce’s vision and feel they would fit with our values and culture.

We believe in investing in our staff. As an Investor in People we will offer considerable support and training to the Coordinator and would expect them to continue that culture with their volunteers.