Position Details
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK.
Grade: 6
Full time – 37.5 hours per week
Fixed‑term contract up to 2 years from start date
Salary: £33,002 – £35,608 (potential progression to £39,906)
Role Summary
The successful candidate will support citizen science initiatives that train and equip volunteers in monitoring river health. The role is split across two programmes; 60% (3 days per week) will be spent establishing and delivering the new Rugby River Champions alongside Rugby Borough Council, and the remaining 40% will support the existing Birmingham River Champions, focusing on communities in east Birmingham as part of the BLOSSOM project. The candidate will manage volunteer networks, provide training and resources, develop communications, gather community feedback, and represent the project within both the University of Birmingham and Rugby Borough Council, including field visits to Rugby Town Hall and the university campus.
Responsibilities
- Volunteer Engagement and Support
- Identify and connect with potential volunteer networks across the Rugby area.
- Deliver training on ecological and water‑chemistry citizen science techniques related to river‑health monitoring.
- Support volunteers in monitoring activities via field supervision and email communication.
- Communicate project developments and volunteer achievements via social media platforms.
- Gather volunteer perceptions and feedback through basic social‑science research.
- Project Reporting and Delivery
- Set short‑term priorities for own work to maximise quality, efficiency and continuity.
- Assist in analysing citizen‑science outputs, preparing spreadsheets and calculating basic statistics.
- Prepare progress reports for project leads and other meetings.
- Disseminate project updates to volunteers via newsletters and community events.
- Act as primary contact for procurement, contracts and invoicing where relevant.
- Project Management and Administration
- Monitor progress on volunteer numbers and fulfilment, identify potential issues and recommend improvements.
- Support budget monitoring and management, including reporting.
- Assess and, where appropriate, raise issues and risks with project managers.
- Other Responsibilities
- Assist with stakeholder management, maintaining regular contact with internal and external stakeholders.
- Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource‑efficient working.
- Endorse Rugby Borough Council’s Climate Emergency agenda through reporting to meetings and officers.
- Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Perform other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
- Degree level education (or equivalent qualifications); if no equivalent, significant practical experience in a similar role.
- Significant practical experience in project management and/or administration.
- Experience working with community groups, volunteers or citizen‑science initiatives.
- Project coordination experience, including administration, scheduling and resource management.
- Experience producing newsletters, reports or outreach materials.
- Literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly and analyse information and data.
- Strong organisational and project‑management skills, prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage and motivate volunteers.
- Experience with budgetary management.
- Highly proficient IT skills, including MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint).
- Social‑media communication experience (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn).
- Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders (community, academic, local government).
- Willingness to work outdoors in varying conditions when supporting volunteer field activities.
- Flexible and adaptable approach to work, including occasional evenings or weekends for community events.
- Familiarity with social‑science research methods (desirable).
- Understanding of freshwater ecology, water‑quality monitoring or related environmental issues (desirable).
- A full UK driving licence (desirable).
- A high degree of initiative, judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility and a self‑motivating approach.
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics and ability to ensure equality and fairness in daily activity.
Equal Opportunity: The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, reflecting the communities we serve. All qualified candidates are considered without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age or any other protected characteristic.
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