Chester Zoo

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Chester Zoo
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Community Engagement Assistant x

Reference: JUL20212364
Expiry date: 2021-08-29 23:59:00.000
Location: Chester Zoo
Salary: £9.50 Per Hour
Benefits: Excellent Benefits Package
Duration:6 months

Six-month Kickstart Placement – 25 hours

We are Chester Zoo, and for over 80 years, we've been a leading conservation and education charity and an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction.

We're also a team of passionate, enthusiastic and expert people, doing everything we can to prevent extinction, from caring for animals to discovering new conservation ideas, and giving our 2 million visitors an inspirational day out.

We work hard because we love animals, care about nature, love Chester Zoo, and want to be the best zoo in the world! We would love to hear from people who can help us to achieve that. 

We currently have an exciting chance for a Community Engagement Assistant to join our Conservation Education and Engagement team for six months as part of the government's Kickstart scheme. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to work alongside staff to help run educational activities at the zoo or community venues.

We are holding two virtual open days to give people the chance to learn more about the role before applying; please read to the bottom of the advert for more information. 

What does the role involve? 

  • Interacting with people of various ages and backgrounds in person, by phone or email.
  • Talking to people about conservation and helping them participate in crafts, storytelling, or artefact handling.
  • Helping to set up and set down events, including tidying, preparing or cleaning equipment and organising any resources needed.
  • Helping community participants to collect and return wildlife camera traps 
  • Working with a range of different staff and volunteers in our education, conservation and science teams
  • Maintaining spreadsheets and helping to manage data 

We are looking for people who are:

  • Interested in making things better for people and wildlife
  • Good at communicating verbally and in writing 
  • Experienced using Microsoft Office packages, including Outlook, Word and Excel 
  • Good at working as part of a team and on their own
  • Comfortable working outside in all weathers (appropriate uniform will be provided)
  • Self-motivated and keen to learn new skills
  • Able to follow procedures and demonstrate attention to detail

We will provide full training and development to help the right person succeed in their role. 

The best bits about this role: 

  • Being part of a world-renowned conservation charity 
  • Learning new skills and gaining work experience 
  • Working in a beautiful and inspiring zoo environment 
  • Being a valued member of the Chester Zoo team 

Hours of work and salary: 

  • 25 hours per week, worked 10 days out of 14, including weekends and Bank Holidays as rostered.
  • £9.50 per hour, and in addition, we offer a range of excellent benefits which read more about here:  www.chesterzoo.org/work-with-us/staff-benefits/ 

Eligibility

This placement is part of Race for Nature's Recovery (www.race4nature.org.uk), a new programme working to improve the diversity of the environmental sector. It is open to all young people that are eligible for Kickstart placements. We particularly welcome applications from young people who are: i) From BAME backgrounds; ii) Living in economically deprived areas of the UK; iii) Non-graduates. 

To be eligible for Kickstart placements, you must be 16 – 24 years old and in receipt of Universal Credit. You must be referred by your DWP work coach to apply for this position. Only applicants with a valid DWP Kickstart referral will be selected for interview.

To apply for this position 

  • Ask for a referral from your DWP work coach 
  • Complete the questions in the application form using as much detail as you can

The application form is a great chance to talk about your skills and experience; this can be anything from work or volunteering experience to education or training. It's your opportunity to tell us why you should be considered for our Community Engagement Assistant role, so include examples and help us understand more about you.

Closing date for applications is Sunday 29th August 2021 

Want to find out more about the role before applying?

We are holding two virtual open days to give people the chance to meet Chester Zoo staff, ask questions and learn more about the role in more detail. We want to invite anyone who wants to find out more about the role and meets the eligibility requirements. 

Wednesday 18th August 4:00 pm Click here to register

Or

Monday 23rd August 10:30 am Click here to register.