Date posted: 27 February 2020
Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday 25 March 2020

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE:
Due to the current situation with Coronavirus, we are suspending the recruitment of this post for the time being. If you were interested in applying but had not yet done so, please send an email to [email protected] by the deadline of 5pm on Wednesday 25 March 2020 to express your interest in the role. We will keep your details on file and contact you when we resume the recruitment to invite you to apply then.

Details about the post – for reference only at this stage

HOURS: 15 hours per week (0.4 FTE)
START/END DATE: Fixed-term contract to end February 2021 (with potential to extend subject to additional funding)
SALARY RANGE: £21,000 – £24,000 a year (full time equivalent)
LOCATION: Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET

Our new Community Carbon Literacy Training Coordinator will take overall responsibility for our new Community Carbon Literacy project. It’s a hugely exciting project for us – a widespread programme of events on climate science and solutions, including open home events and carbon literacy training courses across Cumbria. You’ll recruit and train community volunteer trainers and coordinate and support them to deliver training in their communities. The postholder will also coordinate volunteer open home hosts to deliver five open home events.

Application & Interview Process

As noted above, recruitment for this post is currently on hold due to the Coronavirus situation.

Please follow the instructions above to register an interest and we’ll get in touch when recruitment opens.

Job description

THE EMPLOYER:  Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)

LOCATION:  Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET

REPORTS TO:  Zero Carbon Development Manager

HOURS:  0.4 FTE or 2 days a week = 15hrs per week

SALARY RANGE:  £21,000 – £24,000 per annum (full time equivalent)

DURATION:  Fixed term contract to end February 2021 (with potential to extend subject to additional funding)

 

CAfS ROLE AND PURPOSE:

Our vision is a zero carbon Cumbria and we strive to bring about a better way of life, in balance with our environment. Our mission is to empower and enable people, communities and businesses to live and work more sustainably by sharing our knowledge, practice, skills, networks and practical experience.

ABOUT CAFS:

We manage and deliver events, advice, training and practical projects across the county as well as providing specialist consultancy services to enable individuals, communities, businesses and local authorities to drive a shift towards a zero carbon Cumbria.

Our team of fourteen highly skilled staff work with a pool of 25 specialist contractors and 30 volunteers to deliver around 20 major, transformational low-carbon projects each year. CAfS is the leading organisation in Cumbria showcasing low carbon living, energy efficiency improvements, renewable technology and reduced use of fossil fuels, both on a domestic scale and in the community. The charity is driving the shift towards a zero carbon Cumbria and provides information, advice and motivation through events, site visits and practical projects. Now celebrating our 21st year, CAfS is the first point of reference in the county for information on sustainability.

CAfS is a dynamic, pro-active and responsive organisation, continually striving to deliver effective projects that make an impact and which create a ‘shift’.

BACKGROUND TO THE COMMUNITY CARBON LITERACY PROJECT

This project will develop, recruit and train a brand-new network of twenty community trainers, to run a widespread programme of events on climate science and solutions, including open home events and carbon literacy training courses across Cumbria.

A training package of information and interactive exercises will be developed and the network of community trainers will be supported to deliver this training to those they wish to influence, including businesses, councils, schools, churches and other organisations. All community trainers will receive an induction, a full day of training as a group, one-to-one support, opportunities for additional training and learning and opportunities to socialise and support each other.

Individuals will also be supported to become open home hosts to showcase sustainable living, renewable energy and other solutions to support community knowledge sharing. The project is funded by a grant from the Emergence Foundation.

Project Outcomes

  • 20 community trainers and 5 open home hosts will report improved quality of life, reduced feelings of helplessness about climate crisis and increased sense of purpose, confidence, empowerment, and agency.
  • 20 communities-of-interest report that their community has been enhanced through stronger networks, reduced feelings of isolation, increased opportunities to socialise, shared learning across groups and peer support.
  • 400 individuals (trained by community trainers) report shift in consciousness, increased knowledge of climate science and solutions, and ability to make positive changes. Increased agency, sense of purpose and responsibility.
  • 400 people (trained by community trainers) make substantive pledges to benefit the environment through taking action to reduce emissions and tackle climate change in their own lives and in their workplace or community.

MAIN PURPOSES OF ROLE:

We are seeking a Community Carbon Literacy Training Coordinator to take overall responsibility for CAfS’ new Community Carbon Literacy Project. Specifically, to:

  • Recruit and train community volunteer trainers and coordinate and support them to deliver training in their communities.
  • Coordinate volunteer open home hosts to deliver 5 open home events.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an individual to make a real impact in increasing awareness, confidence, agency and knowledge of climate science and solutions in Cumbria. Every opportunity should be taken to ensure this work is integrated into the other work that CAfS delivers so that benefits are maximised.

TASKS WILL INCLUDE:

Volunteer/community trainer coordination and support

  • Ensure that 20 training events are run by community trainers and 400 people are trained by community trainers within one year
  • Recruit and induct 20 volunteer community trainers
  • Develop clear offer for community trainers
  • Complete volunteer agreements with community trainers
  • Ensure all community trainers attend full day accredited carbon literacy training
  • Coordinate 3 or 4 focused one hour training sessions (which will be delivered by the Zero Carbon Development Manager) for community trainers
  • Support community trainers to move on to join our pool of professional trainers if they wish, and if they show capability
  • Direct community trainers to further opportunities for learning and development
  • Coordinate opportunities for community trainers to socialise and support each other
  • Ensure that community trainers represent a diverse range of groups, reflective of Cumbria’s population
  • Manage enquiries about training courses and direct to community trainers

Supporting development of, and leading delivery of (a small number of) training sessions directly:

  • Mentor and support community trainers at the first session they deliver, if needed
  • Update and improve training materials as needed
  • Support community trainers with answers to queries
  • On occasion, deliver short one hour sessions on climate science and solutions

Open Homes event programme coordination

  • Coordinate and attend five open home events
  • Liaise with marketing to team to promote open home events, manage bookings and donations
  • To recruit and liaise with event hosts
  • To attend and introduce events where needed
  • To be responsible for ensuring that a risk assessment is completed for every event

Administration

  • Administer trainer expenses claims, manage room bookings, refreshments, etc.
  • Negotiate partnerships and free venues and refreshments wherever possible

Project Management

  • Manage project budget
  • Develop monitoring and evaluation approach
  • Ensure that community trainers complete all required monitoring and evaluation
  • Liaise with and report to funder

General

  • Provide updates for CAfS Zero Carbon Development Manager as required
  • To be a conduit for information to individuals on wider CAfS projects
  • To contribute news articles, web content and other information about the project to the Marketing Team for publicity and CAfS profile raising
  • To contribute to the on-going work of CAfS generally including attending appropriate networking meetings, team meetings and training sessions and carry out other tasks or projects required from time to time, as directed by the manager or trustees

Person Specification

Essential skills and attributes:

  • Confident knowledge of climate science, sustainable living and low carbon solutions
  • Experience of volunteer coordination and support
  • Highly organised with experience of planning, scheduling and delivering projects and events
  • Ability to host and attend events and speak confidently in front of small groups
  • Experience of delivering training sessions or presentations
  • Ability to work flexibly including evening and weekend working
  • Highly motivated and independent worker requiring minimal supervision
  • Ability to work cooperatively as part of a small team
  • Good knowledge of Cumbrian geography and the ability to travel independently throughout rural Cumbria, although many elements of the role could be completed from home or the CAfS office

The following are desirable but not essential:

  • Experience of managing grant-funded projects
  • Knowledge of, and contacts across Cumbria’s network of sustainability groups
  • Experience of managing budgets