We are looking for an enthusiastic Nature and Wellbeing Manager to lead our exciting new project expanding RSPB's flagship 'Nature Prescriptions' Programme into Wales building on the expertise and experience of our Scottish and English colleagues.

We have a wealth of evidence that individuals with a greater connection to nature experience improved mental wellbeing, greater vitality and happiness, and deeper life satisfaction. Research also shows that increasing your connection with nature can positively impact a range of conditions, including stress, anxiety and depression, as well as outcomes for some physical health conditions too.

RSPB 'Nature Prescriptions' are designed to encourage and prompt people to connect to nature in support of their goals for better wellbeing. We believe that everyone, no matter where they live or the challenges they face, has the right to access nature, and to feel this strong connection to the natural world. Inspiring and enabling healthcare professionals and others in the NHS to prescribe nature, is a key route for the RSPB to enable more people from more diverse communities to access the natural world. In so doing we hope that those who feel more connected to nature, will want to act to save it.

Working with healthcare professionals and local communities in Cardiff and surrounds, you will use co-design to create materials in different formats that will support those who need it most. This is a great opportunity to work with a brilliant team of friendly and enthusiastic colleagues across the UK who have successfully implemented this approach elsewhere.

We're looking for a someone who is: 
Passionate: About connecting people to nature to improve their health and wellbeing.
Courageous: In sharing this passion to enthuse healthcare and other professionals.
Inquisitive: A natural curiosity to explore and understand and meet people where they are.
Bold: Willing to contribute innovative ideas, particularly when addressing health inequalities.
Collaborative: Fosters a collaborative, enjoyable and solution focused way of working with partners.
Comfortable Challenging the Status Quo: Nature Prescriptions offer a way of improving wellbeing outside of the typical medical model of healthcare.

Key tasks will include: 

• Lead the development of and promote the delivery of three new RSPB Nature Prescriptions to people living in diverse communities within Cardiff and the surrounding area.
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders in the NHS, health care and social care professionals to inspire and enable them to feel engaged and supported to co-create and prescribe a Nature Prescription, and to connect RSPB with the health sector to help create doors for future work.
• Engage with local healthcare professionals and community groups to co-design Nature Prescriptions materials with local people, community groups and healthcare professionals so that they reach a large diversity of people, and those that need and can benefit the most.
• Develop the project plan and ensure that the right governance structure for project management is in place and RSPB internal project management practices are followed, so that the project stays on track, comes in on budget and risks are identified, escalated, and managed within tolerances.
• Work with local environmental networks to build a picture of nature-based activities available and identify opportunities for partnership working.
• Lead on developing ways to evaluate and measure the impact of the project, including engaging with those prescribing and local communities to gather stories and case studies that demonstrate the benefits to wellbeing and connectedness to nature.
  Build internal relationships with RSPB employees and volunteers working with nature prescribing and nature and wellbeing across the UK.
• Develop a strategy and plan for Nature and Wellbeing work legacy aiming to learn from the work done in Scotland and England and from the communities and health care professionals in Cardiff and surrounds to support development of future work in Cardiff and beyond.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of working within or alongside the health and wellbeing sector.
• Project management experience with experience of leading on and developing and delivering projects with diverse communities.
• Experience of developing external partnerships and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in delivering workshops or training, ideally with a co-design element.
• Excellent verbal and written communicator able to communicate nature and wellbeing messages in a way that is understood by a range of audiences and that engenders their support.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills with the ability to manage and deliver a varied workload.
• Skilled in using Microsoft 365 suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams.

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Experience of SharePoint management.
• Experience of recruiting and managing volunteers.
• Welsh speaker or learner.

This is a full-time role, fixed-term until 31/03/2026.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 3 June 2024. For further information please contact lesley.fletcher@rspb.org.uk.

As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.