Summary

We're looking for a natural people person who loves to listen, to meet and talk, bringing people together to help solve problems and realise opportunities. Someone who values working with local communities through developing mutually beneficial long-term relationships.

As our new Project Community & Volunteering Manager at Clandon Park, You'll lead and deliver targeted community engagement and involvement, exploring ideas to bring a historic house back to life following a devastating fire. Alongside this, the role will also develop opportunities for volunteering and participation in the project, including training, responding to the unique opportunities presented at the property.

The role will report to the Senior Project Manager. 

Contract: This is a full time, fixed term contract up until 28th February 2024 with potential for extension.

Internally this role is known as Volunteering and Community Manager. 

What it's like to work here

Clandon Park is looked after by The National Trust, the largest conservation charity in Europe, supported by over 11,000 staff and 40,000 volunteers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For over 125 years, The National Trust has looked after coast and countryside, gardens and historic houses for everyone to connect with and enjoy.                        

Clandon Park was built in the early 1730s to impress and entertain. However, in April 2015 a huge blaze gutted the house, leaving it open to the skies.  The fire destroyed much of the house’s interior – revealing how it was constructed and crafted by people and materials from across the globe.

Our project seeks to bring the house back into use, creating a place to explore the history and making of a great house that once drew people together. We want to re-establish the relevance of Clandon Park to people today, rooted in a heritage rich in global stories, craftmanship and arts. 

It’s one of the biggest heritage challenges the National Trust has ever tackled, and we’re proudly bold and creative in our approach.

What you'll be doing

At the National Trust our ambition is to be For Ever, For Everyone. We know we have a traditional identity and want to build on this to expand our relevance to new audiences. The house post-fire is not like any other National Trust property and we believe offers the opportunity to be more creative and welcome a wider range of people to engage with us on their terms.

You’ll be working in collaboration with experts in construction, heritage, communications, curation and visitor experience, helping us define and develop our strategy for meaningful long-term community engagement and involvement.

This will include:

• Leading on defining the project approach to participation and community engagement
• Embedding the National Trust’s objectives for inclusion into the Clandon project
• Helping us realise the opportunities in the project for training and skills development
• Producing, with input from the Project Team and Clandon Operations team, a costed, sustainable plan for long-term community engagement and volunteering activity.
• Liaising closely with other members of the team to ensure that volunteering and engagement plans and activities are fully integrated with wider project management and planning.
• Embedding engagement and participatory ways of working within the Operations Team to create a realistic, achievable and sustainable participation programme.
• Enabling the wider project team to adopt appropriate participatory processes in their activities through coaching

The post will be supported by national and regional specialists within the National Trust.  The Project Team undertake a mixture of remote and onsite work, from Clandon or a National Trust hub, likely to be Wisley or London. The role will be based at Hatchlands, (near-by National Trust property) with the wider Project Team, although some home-based working can be explored if preferred.

The post-holder will be required to work flexibly, in order to develop relationships with communities, volunteers and stakeholders that are required for the success of the project. Due to the nature of the role, access to a car is preferable, although not essential.

Who we're looking for

We're looking for someone who is able to demonstrate the following;

Experience:

• Working with a wide range of communities, partners and stakeholders to meaningfully consult and engage on projects
• Track record of embedding engagement and participatory ways of working
• Working to engage local and excluded communities
• Strong awareness of current trends in volunteering and community engagement
• Developing delivery partnerships with community groups and stakeholders
• Producing and implementing engagement and activity plans, including setting and managing budgets

Capabilities:

• Able to meaningfully engage with community groups while managing project sensitivities
• Credibility and presence to enthuse and enable others to adopt engagement and participatory approaches where appropriate
• Ability to identify community assets through different approaches
• Able to manage the needs and expectations of different groups

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you – and it doesn’t matter if you’re jam first, cream first, or even if you don’t like scones at all. Everyone is welcome.

Benefits for working at the National Trust include:

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Free parking at most locations

• Free entry to our properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.