Food & Health Development Worker (Community Development)

Job Description

Food & Health Development Worker (Community Development)

Context:

Edinburgh Community Food, established in 1996, is developing as a centre of excellence for Food and Health work in the city. We provide a range of services and activities promoting healthy eating, increasing access to affordable food and tackling health inequalities across the city particularly with people on low incomes and with marginalised communities of interest. In addition we operate a social enterprise selling fresh fruit, vegetables and a range of other produce.

Job purpose:

The post will cover various aspects of Food and Health work delivered by Edinburgh Community Food (ECF) across the city. The key aspects will be the development and delivery of a programme of food and health training, cooking and nutrition courses, development work to increase access to affordable food and work relating to food poverty issues.

Key job tasks:

1.  Food and Health Development

1.1. To create and deliver a sustainable programme of activities addressing food and health issues in the community.

1.2. To deliver training courses relating to food and health and food hygiene.

1.3. To work in partnership with other local agencies to support and develop food and health initiatives.

1.4. To enable community members to engage in community food activities.

1.5. To identify and develop resources to support community-based food and health work.

1.6. To develop the ECF model and routes for accessing affordable food.

2.  Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality

2.1. Undertake routine monitoring and regular evaluation.

2.2. Plan, implement, and evaluate community programmes relating to food and health.

3.  Other

3.1. Carry out necessary administrative work connected to the position

3.2. Provide regular reports relating to the work.

3.3. Develop a variety of health education materials for different groups, such as newsletters, leaflets and other publications

3.4. Participate in relevant networks and forums.

3.5. Undertake any other appropriate duties as required, which are within the competence of the post holder.

Terms & Conditions

The salary will be £22,851 per annum.

The post is for 35 hours per week. There will be some degree of flexibility required in hours worked, dependent on the needs of the post. Evening and weekend work will occasionally be required. Annual leave entitlement is 25 days + 10 days public holidays. .

Food and Health Development Worker Person Specification

Qualifications/ Education/ Training:-

·  Degree in Community Learning & Development, Nutrition or relevant community health degree or equivalent.

Knowledge:-

·  Knowledge and understanding of the barriers to healthy eating, causes of health inequalities, knowledge of interventions to bring about health improvements through dietary changes.

Experience of:-

·  Working within local communities using a community development approach.

·  Working in partnership with other agencies

·  Building community capacity.

·  Working to break down health inequalities.

·  Working with people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people experiencing mental health issues, people affected by disability.

·  Working as part of a team as well as on own initiative.

Skills, Abilities & Personal Attributes:-

·  Ability to manage and prioritise a varied and complex workload with minimal supervision.

·  Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team

·  Flexible and adaptive approach

·  Excellent organisational skills.

·  Empathetic approach to working with communities

·  Ability to prepare and cook healthy meals for small groups.

·  Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.

·  Computer literate.

·  Ability to work under pressure.

·  A commitment to equal opportunities.