Diversity Outreach Coordinator (Maternity Cover)

About Sustain

Sustain is a powerful alliance bringing together around 100 organisations nationally – and hundreds more at local and regional level. We believe everyone should have access to healthy and sustainably produced food that supports nature-friendly farmers and fishers, and protects people, animals and planet. Working together, we run effective and creative campaigns, advocacy, networks and projects, aiming to catalyse permanent changes in policy and practice, and equip more people and communities with skills as change-makers.

About this role

The Diversity Outreach Coordinator aims to build better opportunities, connections and allyship across the Sustain alliance and beyond to address racial injustice and lack of inclusion and diversity within the sustainable food and farming sector.

The key objectives for the Diversity Outreach Maternity Cover role are:

1. Supporting the internal DEI and anti-racism work of Sustain. Whilst the role is predominantly outward facing, it is vital there are clear and consistent links with the internal commitments to DEI and anti-racism and that the coordinators and officers of Sustain’s projects and campaigns are supported to deliver in these areas.
2. Building understanding, momentum and skills within Sustain and among Sustain alliance members and allies on diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. This includes co-convening the food and racial justice working group in partnership with the Eating Better alliance, hosting training and events, and developing and promoting resources.
3. Promoting careers in the sustainable food and farming movement with a focus on reaching ethnically diverse groups as well as amplifying underrepresented voices in the sector. Primarily through Sustain’s Roots to Work platform (blogs, news, career profiles and social media) and in the higher education sector delivering workshops on sustainable food careers and linking them up with additional opportunities such as expert speakers, employability resources and events.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Diversity Outreach Officer has a varied and stimulating workload and works in collaboration with Sustain’s senior leadership team, Sustain colleagues, alliance members and allies, as well as the identified target audiences. The main tasks and responsibilities are:

1. Support the organisation’s diversity work

• Work closely with the CEO and Head of HR and Operations to ensure our internal efforts reflect our commitment to racial justice and anti-racism whilst progressing practical indicators of diversity and inclusion. This includes, but is not limited to, the organisation’s actions annually around The RACE Report.
• Attend and support planning of meetings of the Core Diversity Group and take the lead on relevant work areas.
• Support and advise project and campaign leads on how to embed racial justice and diversity in their work.
• Support the running of the colleagues of colour group.

2. Building understanding, momentum and skills among Sustain alliance members and allies

• Co-convene a food and racial justice network across the sector, in partnership with the Eating Better alliance, and take action on the outcomes of meetings. 
• Coordinate a food and racial justice symposium in spring/summer 2025 to bring together 50+ people working on relevant issues from across the network.
• Deliver a programme of support to alliance members, and others in the sector, to progress areas of racial equity, diversity and inclusion and facilitate change. This includes, but is not limited to, managing and hosting online training sessions; booking external facilitators and speakers; developing and sharing resources; facilitating peer sessions; and providing one-to-one support to a small number of organisations.
• Develop an online place for shared learning and insight into food and racial justice activities and experts across the sustainable food movement, and beyond.
• Lead on relevant communications work, e.g. regular newsletter, presentations, blogs, briefings, social media.

3. Diversity outreach with young adults and new entrants

• Deliver workshops on careers in sustainable food at higher education institutions and via other organisations that engage with young people and new entrants, to build interest and awareness of the sustainable food sector.
• Build relationships with higher education institutions and local authorities to maximise opportunities to engage with younger audiences e.g. employer challenges, panel events and bespoke careers initiatives.
• Organise and promote opportunities for external speakers from diverse and underrepresented ethnic backgrounds and identities to inform and inspire young adults and new entrants on the sector.
• Develop and promote Sustain’s jobs website Roots to Work including social media, email newsletter, blogs, case studies, and events.
• Lead on developing work experience and/or paid internship opportunities at Sustain and other relevant partner organisation, including fundraising to enable this.

4. Diversity Outreach with organisers and organisations

• Develop warm and mutually beneficial relationships with organisations led by and/or representing people and communities currently under-represented in our sector.
• Encourage and facilitate involvement and representation of these organisations in Sustain’s projects and campaigns, particularly through our working parties, policy work and events.
• Explore areas of additional support or new projects on key issues and needs specific to these groups where they are not currently met.

5. Other tasks and responsibilities

The Diversity Outreach Coordinator will also:

• Maintain excellent financial records, contact databases and mailing lists, in line with data protection good practice, accountability, and support for people receiving payments via this work.
• Lead on monitoring and evaluating this work, reporting on progress to help shape the way it develops.
• Report to Sustain and current funders, and provide the information, contacts, evaluation and other support to enable further development.
• Undertake other tasks and responsibilities that may arise from time to time.

Personal specification

Sustain is seeking a well-organised and personable individual, who is great at working in a team and developing positive relationships with people and organisations, and who has the following skills and experience. We are especially keen to encourage applications from Black people and people of colour, and people with lived experience of issues relating to racial diversity and/or economically disadvantaged communities.

Essential:

• Demonstrable interest and experience in one or more of the following: social justice; healthy and sustainable food and farming; human health; climate and nature.
• Demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice with confidence to speak on relevant issues.
• Experience and confidence to outreach to and engage with a range of stakeholders and organisations, to take on diverse perspectives, and facilitate decisions and action-planning processes in pursuit of a shared initiative.
• Experience of confidently developing and delivering workshops, facilitating sessions and speaking in public.
• Experience of arranging online and in-person meetings, workshops, speakers or other working, learning and sharing events, with insight into what works.
• Experience of leading development of a partnership to attract funding and/or other support.
• Highly organised in terms of managing diaries, data, emails, multiple relationships with people, managing flexibility and meeting reasonable deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and take the initiative, with high levels of self-motivation and able to ‘hit the ground’ running.
• Ability to be adaptable and problem-solve in a positive and solutions-focused way.
• Clear, accurate and engaging oral and written communication skills in fluent spoken and written English and ability to adapt to using new tools and creating new types of content.
• Able to start work at the end of September 2024.

Desirable:

• Lived experience of issues relating to racial diversity.
• Commitment or interest in sustainable food and farming issues.
• Experience of working in or on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism, preferably for a charity or social enterprise.
• Experience of running a working group, keeping people informed, taking notes and following up on actions.
• Experience of writing and distributing a newsletter and social media outputs, or the aptitude and willingness to learn how to do so, using tools such as Excel, Mailchimp, Canva, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
• Understanding of and involvement in monitoring, evaluation and learning processes.
• Experience of managing databases of contacts, and in compliance with data protection rules.
• Willingness and aptitude to line-manage another person (or other people) working on similar areas of work, either as a member of staff, paid intern or volunteer.
• Experience of leading on or contributing to outreach to new organisations and successful partnership-building and fundraising, especially for initiatives with social or environmental purposes.
• Experience of administering a budget, invoices and good financial records.

Diversity

The person appointed will contribute to the mutually supportive culture of Sustain (including staff and project participants) in which equality and diversity are not just respected but promoted. Visit our website here for some useful advice if you are applying for a job at Sustain.

Sustain is recruiting for this role as part of our Ethnicity Confident and Disability Confident schemes. Applicants who meet all the essential criteria, and who let us know voluntarily (via our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form) that you would like to be considered in this way, will have an enhanced chance of gaining a first-stage interview. 

Sustain welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, class, socio-economic background, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief. We are happy to discuss and consider flexible working at the point of hire. We particularly encourage applications from Black people and people of colour, and people with disabilities. This is because these groups are currently underrepresented at Sustain. Where two or more candidates are judged to be of equal merit, priority may be given to a candidate who belongs to a group less represented at Sustain.

Improving your chance of success

We have published guidance for anyone applying for a job at Sustain, on how to make the best of your cover letter, and how the recruitment process works. This is for everyone, but additionally relevant to anyone applying under our Ethnicity Confident or Disability Confident schemes: https://www.sustainweb.org/jobs/advice-for-job-applicants/

If you have any questions about the role please email recruitment@sustainweb.org by the end of Sunday 21 July and we will answer any by Wednesday 24 July at the latest.

How to apply

To apply for this position, please email recruitment@sustainweb.org the following:

- a CV (maximum two pages)
- a Covering Letter telling us about your experience and how this relates to the personal specification (maximum two pages)
- a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring form

Note: The Equal Opportunities Monitoring form includes the opportunity to tell us if you would your application to be considered as part of the Ethnicity Confident or Disability Confident schemes. You can read more about Sustain’s approach to recruiting for diversity here.

As we are recruiting for several positions over this period, please put Diversity Outreach Coordinator in the subject line of your covering email along with your name.

Deadline: 10am, Monday 29 July 2024

First stage interviews for this position will take place virtually on 6 and 7 August 2024, with second-stage interviews to take place in-person on 12 August 2024 (note this is subject to change). Please indicate in your application if you are not available either of these weeks, although we cannot guarantee we can accommodate requests for alternative timings.