TCV
Connecting people and green spaces
Job Vacancies
Project Officer
Location: Leeds
Salary: £9,555.42 per annum (£23,888.55 FTE)
Hours: 14 per week (part time)
Contract Type: Fixed term until 31/03/2027
Apply by 15th September 2025
About the role
Connecting people with nature and green spaces has been shown time and again to be a powerful tool in supporting people's physical and mental health. This role will primarily support in the delivery of two of the sessions delivered by the Health and Wellbeing team at Hollybush Conservation Centre in Kirkstall, Leeds.
Hollybush welcomes over 10,000 visitors to the site each year, and this role would join the team leading groups that help keep the site a safe and welcoming space for all, as well as supporting the volunteers in these groups to improve their physical and mental health through volunteering with us.
This role includes the delivery of two of our established health and wellbeing groups: our Tuesday Whittling group and our Wednesday Food Growing Green Gym, a TCV delivery approach that supports people to be more active by volunteering in a natural setting.
The role brings an exciting opportunity for the Project Officer to work with the wider team of staff, volunteers and site visitors, developing the food growing areas of the Hollybush Gardens. The role will also work with the Whittlers to display their natural craft creations around our site, tucked away behind an old farmhouse between the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and a Leeds Bradford Road.
This Project Officer will be one of two staff members working on each group, and will be responsible for the day-to-day planning of the practical delivery of these sessions and supporting key events promoting this area of work. This includes the background elements relating to safety, risk and reporting that a professional role entails. There will be some volunteer management responsibility for the Volunteer Officers and Key Volunteers that help deliver these sessions.
This role will also play a key part in ensuring that the site is safe, welcoming and accessible to visitors, demonstrating a high standard of work to represent the work of The Conservation Volunteers in one of our busiest community hubs. This will involve demonstrating a committed approach to conservation and to the communities that we work in, reflecting both our practical work and tools for making the space inclusive for all.
Skills & Experience
You will be confident to work directly with large, established volunteer groups, working with diverse groups of people from a range of backgrounds. The groups focus on health and wellbeing, and will involve working with volunteers with long-term health conditions and disabilities, including people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health conditions as well as people with neurodivergent conditions. In this role you would work extensively with people complex mental health needs, and take a trauma informed approach to every element of the work.
You will be an experienced leader of groups, passionate about delivering sessions that support people to get outdoors in nature. Ideally you will have an understanding of the principles of green social prescribing or nature-based interventions. You will be able to adapt activities, creating opportunities for people with different access needs. You will be driven to overcome barriers to inclusion, empowering people in a nature-based setting, and providing a volunteer experience where everybody feels valued for their contribution for their contributions at Hollybush.
You will have experience and knowledge in organic food growing methods and will either have training in areas such as horticulture or permaculture design, or be able to demonstrate your personal experience growing food. You will be keen to develop these skills further and work collaboratively with all Hollybush site users, as well as independently planning and implementing ways to demonstrate and promote sustainable food growing methods. Primarily, you will be able to share this knowledge with a diverse audience, both in the groups you lead and visitors to the site. You will be able to explore exciting and engaging ways of engaging with and demonstrating different growing methods within the spaces available.
You will have an understanding of whittling and other natural craft activities and be keen to work with the group to develop ideas to showcase creative ideas that demonstrate natural crafts, primarily whittling, around the Hollybush gardens. Alongside this, you will be experienced in safe tool use, risk assessment and group support and be confident in making sure that these safety standards are adhered to, adapting your approach and tool use in response to the volunteers you are supporting.
You will understand the power of sharing food for wellbeing, and how integrating growing food can support people to make meaningful changes in their diet and overall health. You will be able to balance sourcing food from a natural or fresh grown setting with safe food production.
You will be confident in promoting and supporting the wider programme of the work of The Conservation Volunteers nationally and across Leeds, and be committed to demonstrating this to a wider audience.
Role and responsibilities
The Project Officer role is a newly formed post that will be delivering established grant funded volunteer groups, following the previous team members progressing to other roles in the organisation. You will work as part of the Health & Wellbeing Team based at Hollybush Conservation Centre. You will report to the Health & Wellbeing Team Leader, working closely with the Senior Project Officer who will lead on the delivery of these areas of work. You will also work to collaborate with the wider Hollybush team of staff, Volunteer Officers and volunteers and with partner organisations on the project.
You will work closely with the Health & Wellbeing Team Leader, project staff and Volunteer Officer team who deliver this project, as well as with the wider Hollybush team and others that we share the space with.
Central elements of this role will require in person delivery of groups, based at Hollybush Conservation on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you have any questions about the structure of the role, please get in touch.
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If you would like to discuss your requirements further please contact the People Team via recruitment@tcv.org.uk or by telephone on 01302 388883 . We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job.
A full driving licence is not required but is desirable.
To fulfil the role, you must be resident in the UK and have the right to work in the UK.
A bit more about us
We are The Conservation Volunteers.
Our vision is Better Nature For All.
Our mission is to connect people together to protect and restore nature, delivering lasting benefits for both
Since 1959, The Conservation Volunteers has been a charity creating opportunities for people to create, improve and care for nature in the green spaces around them across the UK.
Our variety of projects cover a bit of everything involving nature. Volunteers muddy their boots in parks, community gardens, woodland, sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, schools and hospital grounds, helping create a glorious network of protected green space across the UK.
This work connects people with nature, and that connection delivers powerful results.
Join in, feel good.
Please take a moment to view the recruitment pack.
Please view the job description.
It's important to demonstrate that you meet the criteria outlined in the job description.
How to apply
Please submit your completed application form to Freya Young no later than noon on 15th September 2025. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early or extend the closing date depending on the number of applicants. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience.
You can download a TCV application form in PDF or Word format.
Interviews will be held on 23 September 2025 at our Hollybush office.
Occasionally, we receive a large number of responses to our advertisements. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date (15th September 2025), please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Thank you for your interest in TCV.
To better understand who is applying for and obtaining roles at TCV, please complete our Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form. You can download this in either PDF or Word format. This information is crucial for identifying and eliminating barriers that may prevent people from joining us. Rest assured, this data will not be part of your application evaluation.
Our goal is to create a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone's individuality is recognised and valued. We believe that embracing diversity helps us achieve our goals more effectively. We welcome applications from all individuals who wish to be part of our future, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer interviews to all applicants who have a disability, impairment or mental or physical health condition who meet the minimum criteria for the job. We provide reasonable adjustments and are committed to having an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.
If you wish to be considered under this scheme, please tell us in the appropriate part of the application form.
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If you would like to discuss your requirements further please contact the People Team via email or by telephone on 01302 388883. We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job.
Pre-employment checks
Any employment with TCV will be subject to the following checks prior to your start date:
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