Regional Director - Job Description

Role: Regional Director – Eastern Counties (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex & Hertfordshire)

Location: Home Based (with regular travelling)

Hours: Part Time (2.5 days a week)

Contract: Permanent

Salary: Negotiable

Reporting to: Chief Executive

Date Prepared: March 2018

The Farming Community Network (FCN) is a national voluntary organisation and charity that supports farmers and families within the farming community through difficult times.

The role of the national office is to facilitate the vital work done by volunteers based all over the country. It is also responsible for ensuring that FCN operates legally, professionally and with due care of clients, volunteers and staff whilst being adequately funded and promoted, thereby ensuring that FCN is available wherever and whenever its support is needed in the farming community.

The national office may also represent the work of local volunteers and the problems of FCN's clients at the national level within government, other organisations and in the media. This requires a professional, flexible and competent staff team which is, at the same time, tuned in to the practical and pastoral realities of life as a local volunteer.

Principal Tasks:

To act as the principal staff link between county volunteers and the national office, providing a conduit for information flow, support for group officers and developing the groups to ensure that FCN can deliver consistently high quality support to farming families irrespective of location.

Key responsibilities:

  • Supporting groups in the creation of their annual budget and monitoring of performance against that budget
  • Regular liaison with FCN county coordinators in the region both individually and as a group through occasional teleconferences and face to face meetings
  • Working with coordinators to facilitate the development of county groups to ensure appropriate capacity in the region
  • Developing best practice across all county groups, sharing that best practice and improving weaker areas
  • Acting as the regional focus for FCN and delivering national strategy across the region
  • Assisting and encouraging Coordinators in the building and recording of local contacts in key organisations relating to casework and local support
  • Assisting Coordinators with the implementation of the Volunteer training programmes
  • Ensuring that FCN is in contact with all necessary organisations and bodies at county or regional level as appropriate.
  • Identifying and helping the national office to access regional and local funding sources
  • Encouraging and supporting county groups with their publicity and fundraising activities
  • Ensuring that local groups adhere to the policies and procedures of the organization
  • Liaison with Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire Rural Support Group

Key Skills and Experience Required:

  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Experience of working with and managing volunteers
  • A working knowledge Microsoft office software, (Word, Excel, & PowerPoint)
  • Ability to plan ahead and anticipate future volunteer group requirements
  • Ability to be supportive and encouraging to the volunteers whilst ensuring that FCN policies and procedures are adhered to
  • Knowledge of the farming and agricultural industry is advantageous but not essential

Requirements:

  • Must be eligible to work in the UK
  • Must have full UK driving license and access to own vehicle
  • It is a genuine occupational requirement of the position to be a committed Christian

In addition to the regional role outlined above each Regional Director has a national role and is part of the national management team, collaborating regularly with the Chief Executive and other regional colleagues by telephone conference and periodic meetings as appropriate.

The range of national responsibilities allocated across the team of Regional Directors includes:

  • Taking on the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer
  • Taking on the role of National Coordinator of Chaplains
  • Acting as the national lead on mental health issues
  • Acting as the lead contact with the Welsh Government
  • Supervise the activities of the Business Support Group (currently the responsibility of the Eastern Counties Regional Director)
  • Providing support to the Chief Executive on all matters relating to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA)
  • Acting as the national lead on all matters relating to bovine TB
  • Acting as the national lead on relationships with the National Farmers Union (NFU), Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and the Country Land and Business Association(CLA)
  • Acting as the national lead on relationships with Natural England (NE) and the Environment Agency (EA)
  • Supporting the development and implementation of the Volunteer Training Programme
  • Acting as the Helpline Services Manager

Applications by CV and cover letter should be sent by Friday 27th Aprilto Charles Smith, FCN Chief Executive, at , or sent to:

The Farming Community Network

Manor Farm

Guilsborough Road

West Haddon

Northamptonshire

NN6 7AQ