Project Officer Birmingham

Job Title: Birmingham Project Officer

Salary: £28,000

Position Type: Full time / Fixed term (12 months)

Reports to: Scaling Manager

Based at: Remote, with travel to schools in Birmingham

Working Hours: 5 days a week, 9am-5pm (flexible)

Pension: School Food Matters pays pension contributions at 7% of pensionable earnings

Holiday: 31 days including bank holidays that fall on working days. Holidays must be taken during the school holidays

This role requires occasional work outside of core hours (for example, if visiting a school breakfast club). It also requires travel to schools across Birmingham, so access to a car would be desirable. Training for delivery of the programme will be provided online and in person, and you will be expected to travel outside of Birmingham for some of these training sessions.

Background to School Food Matters

At School Food Matters we believe that school food can unlock a happier, healthier, more sustainable future for every child. We want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food and leave school with an informed and positive relationship with food. To achieve this, we campaign for a better school food system, bringing the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes in schools across the country.

Background to Nourish

Our Nourish programme supports schools to create a food environment that puts children and young people’s nutrition first. The evidence-based, multi-component programme helps schools to develop action plans and policies to cover the food served across the whole school day. Nourish uses a collaborative whole school approach to food involving everyone across the school community to create lasting positive change.

Job purpose

To deliver Nourish in 6-8 schools in Birmingham (primary, secondary and SEND settings)

Key tasks include

Support with recruitment of schools to take part in Nourish

Complete in person food audits in schools looking across the whole school day

Support schools to create and deliver a food improvement plan (action plan)

Develop and deliver workshops in schools to staff, parents and students based on their action plan (e.g. assemblies, cooking sessions, school food standards training, packed lunch advice, food ed/sensory tasting sessions)

Support schools to write a school food policy

Build relationships and work closely with teachers, teaching assistants, chefs, kitchen teams and senior leaders in schools to improve the food on offer to students

Collect data and maintain accurate records relating to the project

Work closely with our Evaluation team to complete all monitoring and evaluation

Work in collaboration with other Birmingham school food partners

Share learnings with other SFM regional Project Officers

Gather content for our Comms team (website and social media platforms)

Keep Scaling Manager fully updated on progress

Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

Maintaining the ethos of the charity and positively promoting our work at all times

You will also be expected to undertake any other tasks relevant to the affairs of SFM that may arise from time to time. Therefore, being flexible and approaching the job with an open and positive mindset is essential.

Person specification

Essential

Registered nutritionist or advanced understanding of nutritional guidelines and health promotion

Good interpersonal skills, with experience of building relationships

Confident engaging with a variety of audiences (students, headteachers, school staff and parents), including communications via email, virtual and face to face meetings with the ability to deliver workshops & presentations

Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email

Able to work independently and remote

Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Ability to work in a team and seek help when needed

Desirable

Experience of engaging and working with schools and/or communities

Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

Knowledge in food education and children s health

Access to car