3104 - Bats in Churches Project Manager
Role description
This is an exciting opportunity to lead an innovative project, working with church communities to secure the future of bats and historic churches across England. www.batsinchurches.org.uk
The partnership project, set up in 2019, has developed proposals to tackle the negative impacts that bats can have on historic church buildings and their users. We’ve designed an innovative programme of works, activities and engagement with audiences from across the natural heritage, built heritage and church communities.
We are now seeking a strong project manager to lead the programme forward through to its current end date March 2023
The partnership of five organisations, led by Natural England, secured a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (HF) Heritage Grants funding stream.
The Project Manager (PM) will be part of, and supported by, a Project Team and will work closely with partners, the Project Steering Group and Project Governance Board. The Project Team consists of a Heritage Adviser, Training & Survey Officer, three Engagement Officers, Communications Officer and a Finance Officer.
The project aims are to:
- Develop and deliver innovative techniques and systems to better manage the impacts of bats (in churches and more widely) and make this information available to all.
- Ensure bat colonies that depend on churches are better managed; less threatened and have space to roost and breed.
- Reduce the physical and social impacts cause by bats at the most severely affected churches (e.g. damage from droppings and urine).
- Develop the skills of volunteers and professionals enabling them to more effectively assist church communities and safely manage bat populations found in churches.
- Ensure church communities are better resourced and more empowered to manage, appreciate and enjoy the presence of bats.
- Engage wider communities so that new groups of people will engage with and learn about bats, church buildings and their communities.
The project is delivering across over a hundred Grade I, Grade II and Grade II* churches across England.
Key tasks/ accountabilities
To ensure the successful delivery of the project the following key tasks will need to be undertaken under the direction of the Project Steering Group:
- To provide strong and effective leadership to oversee the Project Team, providing some functional management for the project staff as required. (Line Management of the project team members is from the partner bodies)
- Provide line management for the Finance Officer based at Natural England.
- Report project progress, risks and issues to the Programme Steering Group and Programme Board to an agreed schedule and keep the Partnership fully informed.
- Provide effective and timely reporting to the HF Monitors
- Monitor overall delivery of the project including management of the work programme, working closely with project staff and Working Groups.
- Manage contracts to oversee the ecological and evaluation elements of the project, and support project staff with setting up collaborative agreements with project churches.
- Manage the overall budget allocation and cash flows in conjunction with the Finance Officer
- Ensure all progress (and final) reports, financial claims and audit trails are collated and maintained in compliance with HF’s requirements, supported by the Finance Officer.
- Ensure the delivery of the communication plan for the project, sharing results and success in accordance with project objectives and funders’ requirements, helping to transfer advice and best practice across partners.
- Lead on the delivery of a Fund Raising Strategy group to raise match funding
- Obtain support from major stakeholders and investigate further opportunities to share learning from the project with wider audiences.
- Lead on all evaluation and monitoring work and reports, working with external evaluators.
- Lead on the setting up and management of a Legacy Group
- Oversee the preparation and finalisation of project audits.
Partners Consisting of Natural England, Bat Conservation Trust, Church of England, Historic England, Churches Conservation Trust
Michael Woodhouse
Contact number 07833 500908
email michael.woodhouse@naturalengland.org.uk
01/02/2021, 23:55 hours
• Encourage, inspire and support people to be ambitious, creative and innovative, and to reflect, celebrate and learn lessons from their work
• Facilitate and support the personal development of people in your team, enabling them to share expertise and continuously learn
• Lead by example, engage and support your team through change
• Set clear plans and expectations for your team, explain reasons behind decisions, be clear on the outcomes to be achieved, and make things happen by sharing and delegating work to the right people
• Use performance management to set clear expectations around delivery, ways of working and personal development, and use the approach to motivate, challenge, review, and develop your team’s performance
• Respect the diverse needs and experience of other people, be inclusive in everything you do
• Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together
• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience
• Test and challenge others in a constructive and evidence-based way so that the guidance you provide is practical and, where appropriate, cross-disciplinary
• Use relevant internal and external networks to exchange information
• Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims
• Align statutory conservation ambitions with evidence of cultural values and what people want for their environment
• Work proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify and secure opportunities to deliver gains for people and nature
• Proactively engage with communities to resolve human/wildlife conflicts
• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines
• Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks and strategies to your work
• Review budget performance and maintain accurate forecasts so that your financial submissions and commentaries are complete
• Have a good understanding of HLF and its requirements;
• Have excellent leadership skills and the ability to lead a dispersed team; the ability to inspire, motivate and work in co-operation with others are essential;
• Excellent project management skills including experience of managing heritage and/or natural heritage and/or community engagement projects. A project management qualification would be desirable.
• Understand and be able to successfully engage with partners from a wide variety of organisations from natural and built heritage sectors;
• Knowledge and understanding of one or more of the following would be advantageous: nature conservation, historic buildings, community engagement, procurement and management of contracts and management of volunteers;
• Have accurate budget management skills and the ability to manage financial spreadsheets
This Vacancy is closed to applications.