Job Description

Riverside School has been awarded well over £300,000 by the Big Lottery to help residents change the face of Thames ward over the next few years.  Working with students, their families, elderly and other residents from diverse backgrounds, the project aims to transform the environment, strengthen community cohesion, help residents create and access new economic opportunities and revitalise Thames ward, turning it from one of the most polluted into one of the most productive parts of east London.  We also aim to develop local leadership so that, by year three, a new dynamic Community-led Development Trust (CDT) is in place, enabling residents to shape the future of their community and ensuring the long-term viability of this initiative.  The Project Director will build a new project team, starting with a Community Organiser (funded). S/he will be employed initially for three years, by the school and accountable to a community steering group via the Head Teacher. 

We are looking for someone with significant community development/organising experience, who has the drive and commitment needed to give a strategic lead to this exciting new initiative, and who can build trust and work with residents and partners to ensure that the local community is at the heart of the changes taking place in Thames ward.

 Key responsibilities:

• To provide visionary and strategic leadership to the project, working closely with Riverside School, and with residents from across Thames ward and other key supporters

• To reach out to residents, building trust, connecting people, listening and responding to local perspectives and ideas

• To manage and coordinate the project, ensuring that activities are delivered on time and within budget, and that targets are met

• To make things happen - ie deliver real projects and real change in the community - from gardening projects, to projects for children and the elderly etc, in response to local needs

• Building on the work already done over the past year, to develop the role of the school and the potential for young people to be a catalyst for further change in the area

• To support volunteers and line-manage project staff, providing day to day supervision and direction and maintain the highest standards of delivery

• To support and service the governance of the project, reporting to the Head Teacher and to the Steering Group as required

• To lead the feasibility study and work to establish a new CDT

• To identify and bring in additional funding from local private sector organisations, the Council, the NHS and other sources, and to ensure the new CDT has a strong financial foundation

• To develop a comprehensive monitoring framework, providing regular progress reports to the steering committee and funders, communicating regularly with residents and enabling the project to apply learning as the work develops

• To develop strong working relationships with key partner organisation and collaborate in delivering shared outcomes

• To act as an ambassador for the project, ensuring that learning and good practice is disseminated across partners and wider stakeholders beyond Barking, and that alliances are formed.