The RSPB has an exciting new role working a 3 day week (22.5 h/w) within the England Engagement Team to explore the links between health and nature. 

The relationship between nature and our own wellbeing has never had such a sharp focus.  The pandemic has highlighted how much the natural world means to millions of people.  We aim to identify opportunities to link nature to new, more holistic approaches to health care.

The RSPB manages some of the most inspiring nature locations in the country.  This role will be in the perfect position to showcase the value of nature to our health and wellbeing across the environmental sector and to reach and inspire more people. 

If you have a passion to help those with health problems, a background in the public health sector and would like to lead a pioneering area of work, this role needs you!  You’ll work with our key contacts in England to review existing work, develop new health and nature projects, recruit volunteer roles to support trials to demonstrate the health benefits of nature and make recommendations for how this vital area of work can make a difference to more people across England. 

Specific tasks

• The point of contact for key Green Social Prescribing (GSP) staff based in the NHS in England, attend meetings concerning our involvement in these and other developing partnerships.
• Research existing H&W work to complement our own.
• Devise guidance for England teams on how to operationalise GSP and other H&W interventions, with learnings shared with the other three UK countries and UKHQ.
• Capture learnings and develop an interim country activity model to deliver quality H&W interventions, to be scaled up and further developed by UKHQ.
• Report progress via highlights reporting to RSPB governance structures.
• Devise and share an interim monitoring and reporting system for H&W work in England.
• Provide guidance and expertise on quality H&W interventions to area teams.
• Set up a working group of England staff currently working in H&W and build a collaborative culture and way of working.
• Represent the RSPB at additional Health and Nature forums as appropriate.
• Liaise with communications staff to identify stories/outcomes which highlight this work.
• Recruit and line manage the Events Officers and the volunteer project assistant to develop new interventions for H&W activities.
• Identify and develop training needs for RSPB staff and volunteers.
• Liaise with key stakeholders within the RSPB – EDI, Movement Building Department etc.

Essential skills, knowledge, and experience:

Please describe how you meet each of these within your application.

• Experience of working within the health sector, with demonstrable knowledge of NHS structures and ways of working.
• Experience of developing and implementing new initiatives relating to health and wellbeing.
• Project Management experience, including data gathering and report writing.
• Networking – internally and externally – liaise with a range of contacts throughout England, bringing people together to a shared vision, integrating health and nature.
• Ability to develop a coherent framework for the RSPB’s H&W work for area teams.
• Experience of volunteer recruitment and management.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills with the ability to manage and deliver a diverse workload ensuring effective prioritisation and balancing of the needs of a range of stakeholders.

We are committed to making our organisation diverse and inclusive and are keen to encourage applications from people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities.

Please note that you will be required to complete an online application form only.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on 2 July 2021.

Should you have any queries about this vacancy, please contact Richard.bashford@rspb.org.uk

Before applying for this role we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of the advert.