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Outdoor Education Training Officer (Part-Time) Flexible within West Midlands

Reference: OCT20212636
Expiry date: 2021-10-28 15:46:38.683
Location: Birmingham Office
Salary: £22,986.00 - £25,500.00 Pro Rata
Benefits: Pension, 34 days Annual Leave (pro-rata), Life Assurance
Duration:15 months - This role is part-time, 22.5 hours per week
Attachments: CandidateGuidanceNotes(1).pdf

This is a great opportunity to play an important role in the development and delivery of a teacher training programme in Birmingham that will build confidence and action in teachers. We are looking for someone who has experience of delivering nature-based outdoor learning and can use these skills to support teachers to deliver more and more impactful activity for pupils from diverse social backgrounds, deepening their connection to nature and encouraging them take action to help it.

Part of the Naturally Connected Communities Birmingham project - a Green Recovery Challenge funded initiative - this role is part of a team led by the Birmingham Community Project Manager and will work alongside RSPB education specialists and the Birmingham Teacher Training Officer (Primary Education Specialist).

The pilot project will develop and deliver a new teacher Continuous Professional Development (CPD) offer to teachers in a way that is effective, impactful, and inspiring. It will test and trial ways to effectively engage and empower teachers so that their curriculum-based lessons develop an emotional connection and feelings of compassion for nature in children.  The pilot will provide learning and insight to inform the potential future roll-out of this work, so that more teachers from across the UK can benefit from the programme.

You will work with the primary education specialist to deliver training sessions – primarily online but also face to face – and provide ongoing support, using your experience and skills to demonstrate effective ways that teachers can take their curriculum-based learning outdoors so that they improve children’s connection to nature. You will ensure the programme meets teacher needs, using research & insight to effectively engage teachers to recruit them into the programme and working alongside them to help co-create content to ensure it is relevant and supportive, whilst ensuring the creativity and hands on experiences of outdoor learning and the need to connect children to nature is not lost.

You may have knowledge of the curriculum that will enable you to ensure the programme meets curricula objectives, however this is not essential for this role. It is key that you can use your skills and experience to make outdoor learning attractive and accessible for teachers; for example, by demonstrating techniques, relieving concerns and busting myths. You will use your passion for nature education to increase understanding and confidence in teachers to deliver more learning in the outdoors, exploring how barriers relating to outdoor education can be overcome.

What we need from you

The successful candidate should have experience of delivering nature-based outdoor learning and will likely have an understanding of how curriculum outcomes are assessed for quality in the outdoors, or a willingness to learn more about this. You will have the confidence and skills to deliver webinars as well as face to face training with adults and will understand how coaching can support an adult’s individual development.

Highly proficient in MS Office systems, with excellent planning and organisational skills and experience of playing a role in delivering projects effectively, you will be able to work independently and as part of a team, inspiring others and building strong working relationships both internally and externally. You will be able to also apply these skills to working with volunteers.

Importantly, we are looking for a candidate who understands the both the importance of outdoor education, as well as the reasons why outdoor education is often over-looked and undervalued.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Experience of delivering outdoor, nature-based learning
  • Skills and confidence to deliver online and face to face training for adults and an understanding of using coaching to support adult’s development
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  • Excellent planning and organisational skills
  • Proficiency in MS Office systems

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Experience of delivering outdoor learning with National Curriculum outcomes and assessing against these in the outdoors
  • Experience of managing and working with volunteers

Ideally based in the West Midlands area, the successful candidate has the option to be based at home with travel to the RSPB’s central Birmingham office as the business need requires, or to be fully based in the Birmingham office if preferred. Occasional travel within the Birmingham area will also be required.

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

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on the 1st December on Microsoft Teams, with a view of the most suitable candidate beginning the role on January 4th 2022.

This role is 0.6FTE (22.5 hours/3 days per week) from the beginning of January 2022 until the end of March 2023. This is a total of approximately 192 days’ work, which we would be open to structuring around existing commitments – for example term time only. We would be happy to discuss flexible working options prior to interview. 

Please note that you will be required to upload a CV and complete a short application form. If you wish to tell us why you are best suited for this role please include a cover letter on the same document as your CV.

Before applying to this role we would encourage you to read through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.

Should you have any queries about this vacancy, please contact Emma Knight, England Education, Families and Youth Manager - emma.knight@rspb.org.uk

*We are actively recruiting for this role and reserve the right to close this advert at any time.