Youth Engagement Officer

Are you passionate about connecting younger people with nature? How about making a real difference to younger people’s lives, empowering them to act for nature around the blue spaces where they live? If so, this might be the role for you.

We are looking for a self-motivated, energetic and friendly person who can lead & deliver our youth engagement programme. The role involves taking an inclusive approach to working with younger people, where you support them to identify & attempt to help/solve environmental issues affecting the Morecambe Bay area, whilst they learn & have new outdoor experiences.

The role requires excellent communication skills, particularly empathy & understanding of the challenges faced by younger people & you’ll need to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the people you are working with. Good organisational skills, the ability to liaise with & deliver in schools, community & youth groups & other settings with younger people & to work in partnership to achieve the best outcomes are all essential to this role. Occasional evening and weekend working will be required to fit the needs of the young people you will be supporting.

About you:

You’ll have a love of working on collaborative community projects and a minimum of 2 years previous professional experience of working with younger people, particularly those experiencing challenges in their lives, through their economic or social situation or through different abilities.

We’d also like to appoint someone who has knowledge of & a love & enthusiasm for the natural world, particularly coastal or blue spaces, with which they can inspire and support community learning in this field.

The role operates around Morecambe Bay, which extends from Barrow in Furness in South Cumbria, to Fleetwood in North Lancashire. Whilst we strongly encourage & incentivise the use of public transport for our staff team, it isn’t always possible due to the work we do, so the ability to drive & have access to your own car for work is important. We reimburse agreed transport costs, of course.

As the role supports younger people to act where they live, & to feel pride & passion for their area, we feel it’s important that you live here too. This also helps to minimise travelling within our large operating area. Due to the funding we have received there will be an emphasis on working with younger people in the Lancaster/Morecambe area of the Bay

Our staff work from home within the Morecambe Bay area, for which a work from home allowance is paid. We offer options to book hot-desking space or meeting rooms to allow effective working for those that need it. We meet regularly on-line and in person at different locations around the Bay, or at our small base at Grange over Sands.

In return for your hard work & dedication to the role, you can enjoy a range of benefits including:

• Flexible working with friendly & supportive charity colleagues where you are trusted to get on with work with minimal supervision.
• Feeling like you are doing something positive & which matters to the place where you live.
• A monthly home-working payment contribution to your internet, heating etc.
• A range of family friendly & progressive policies including a sustainable travel policy which gives up to 4 additional days holiday if you travel abroad without flying.
• 26 days annual leave, with 8 bank holidays added (pro-rata).
• Winter shut down of up to 5 days in addition to annual leave.
• Contributory pension scheme of 5%

For a full list of all the key responsibilities, and the full job description, please download our recruitment pack.