Job Description

County Development Officer

Surrey Federation of Young Farmers Clubs is a membership organisation with approximately 150 members aged 10 to 26 years old. Surrey Young Farmers is a vibrant and inclusive organisation, offering young people in Surrey a unique means of personal development, community involvement and an opportunity to explore rural and countryside issues.

The County Development Officer will be part of the staff team of the Surrey Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, a voluntary youth organisation with 6 clubs throughout the County.

Responsible to:Chairman of the Management Committee

Responsible for: No staff members are currently responsible to this post

1.Job Purpose:

1.1.To enable the development of new and existing programmes and projects at a Club, County, Regional and National level.

1.2.To support clubs to attract new members and volunteers and provide appropriate training opportunities

1.3.To set targets, identify key milestones and provide monitoring and evaluation reports

1.4.To promote the work of Surrey Young Farmers through networking internally and externally

1.5.To increase the number of clubs in Surrey

2.Key Duties and Responsibilities:

2.1.Work with club leaders and members in developing a varied and interesting club programme that will offer a range of personal development and learning opportunities for members. Provide training and development for club leaders.

2.2.Support the evolution of new projects, programmes and areas of work to further strengthen Surrey YFC.

2.3.Be responsible for undertaking effective research and development (R&D) associated with all new projects.

2.4.Initiate and lead the development of resources, training materials, monitoring and evaluation frameworks for programmes and projects.

2.5.Establish clear project (action) plans, targets and milestones and provide regular progress reports for the County Management Committee and to NFYFC Regional and National Staff meetings.

2.6.Develop a marketing plan for Surrey Young Farmers including social media and general publicity and ensure it is regularly updated.

2.7.Offer advice, guidance and support to all club and committee members, including attracting new members and volunteers.

2.8.Support the provision of regular training for all club and committee members, ensuring that members are able to exercise their responsibilities effectively. Regular training needs to be provided in the role of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer etc.

2.9.Network locally and regionally with suitable organisations in order to secure funding, project work and partnership opportunities.To maintain regular contact with partner organisations, such as local colleges and schools, for promoting and delivering the SYFC to the county youth service and other relevant county/regional organisations.

2.10.Lead the development of strong links internally across the organisation, Clubs within the county Federation, neighboring county federations, YFC Area South East and with the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.

2.11.Maintain effective communication with YFC members and colleagues

2.12.Attend YFC Club meetings throughout the county. Most meetings take place in the evenings.

2.13.Any other duties which may be reasonably required from time to time,including attendance at weekend events.

3.Location

3.1.Office / Field based (Something Special, Betchworth)

3.2.Own transport is essential and the ability to use own vehicle for work. The federation operates an expenses policy.

4.PERSON SPECIFICATION.

Applicants for this position should be able to satisfy the following criteria:

Knowledge / Experience

4.1.A minimum of two years development experience in the private, public or voluntary sectors, with a proven track record of delivery

4.2.Experience of providing development support and advice

4.3.Sound understanding of the workings of local government and potential funding bodies.

4.4.Experienced in using office IT products

Personal qualities

4.5.Ability to work on own initiative

4.6.Ability to manage a complex workload including competing priorities, achieve targets and respond quickly and flexibly to changing needs and demands

4.7.Excellent presentation skills and experience of providing training

4.8.Strong team player with a willingness and enthusiasm to work in a flexible way in a small team

4.9.Ability to use judgment to identify the best solution to a range of different problems and issues

4.10.Excellent interpersonal skills, with the capability to communicate effectively with all members associated with Surrey Young Farmers

4.11.Excellent organisational and planning skills

4.12.A good sense of humour