Key information

• Application deadline Midday Mon 27 April;
• Interviews held on the evening of Wed 6 May in Oxford;
• Role to start in May 2015;
• Initial contract of 640 hours, to be spread over a mutually agreed period;
• £12.50 per hour;
• Applications should be from either a self-employed individual or an organisation taking responsibility for employment.

  Background Feeding the Gaps is a project to connect services providing for those in food poverty with sources of surplus food in Oxford and Oxfordshire. The project has been established by local community groups in collaboration with existing food services across the county. In 2014 the Feeding the Gaps Report was published, drawing together interviews with staff and volunteers working in the existing services and community groups, collecting their stories, and piecing together the big picture. Read more: https://cagoxfordshire.org.uk/feeding-the-gaps   Vision There is a huge amount of food in Oxford, and much of it is wasted. On average, each family in the city wastes six meals a week. Yet there are still thousands of people in food poverty, without the skills, confidence or access to food to feed themselves or their families regularly. We have a vision where these gaps are filled in: where food and the support in how to use it can get to those who need it.   Role description The existing organisations within this chain are all constantly running at capacity, so we have created this role to allow the right person to use the 2014 Feeding the Gaps Report to do something new, and something vital. Part of the funding is through Oxfordshire County Council’s FoodWISE scheme, for which Feeding the Gaps will support food poverty services to reduce their own food waste and grow as businesses. We are looking for a passionate and skilled individual with experience in community engagement and a talent for bringing people together and making things happen. The role has been created to deliver the following services:

• Co-ordinate the uptake of a community food mapping tool (as identified in the 2014 Feeding the Gaps Report);
• Engage 10 SMEs working with communities in food poverty and help them to reduce their food waste (delivered as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s FoodWISE project – full list of deliverables can be sent upon request);
• Capture project learning, monitoring and evaluation, so they can be shared throughout and beyond Oxfordshire;
• Identify and apply for funding to further the project beyond this role;
• Maintain the existing database of relevant organisations, with up to date contact information and details of how they collect and use food;
• Cultivate relationships with the above organisations, identifying need and opportunities for partnerships;
• Help to design short projects for Oxford University Careers Service Student Consultancy teams to undertake;
• Attend steering group meetings in Oxford once per month (regularity TBC).

  Person specification The successful applicant will have experience and skills in: Essential

• Organising community initiatives;
• Relationship management;
• Social media and press communication;
• Outreach to diverse and hard-to-reach communities;
• Project management.

Desirable

• Proven track record of securing funding from a range of sources;
• Website maintenance;
• Knowledge of Oxford’s organisations and community groups working with food surplus and those in food poverty;
• Knowledge of wider research and developments in the field of food poverty;
• Enthusing, motivating and managing volunteers;
• Being self-employed (the successful applicant must be registered as self-employed. While this is not essential to be in place before the application, applicants must be able to demonstrate when they will be able to register themselves by);
• Access to own transport.

Applicants will be scored against how they meet the above criteria – highest scoring applicants will be invited to an interview.   Support The successful applicant will report to the Feeding the Gaps Steering Group, who will provide support, advice and guidance. Organisations may apply for the initial funding (£8,000), but any individuals applying will be treated as self-employed and will therefore take on responsibility for paying Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. We will make no deductions for these liabilities. All interested parties are welcome to get in touch to discuss how this will work. Additional funding is available for expenses, e.g. travel, venue hire, domain hosting.   Hours Initially 640 hours to be undertaken over a mutually agreed period, but with the potential for additional hours by agreement and through securing further funding. The hours are flexible but will require some evening and weekend working. The rate of pay is £12.50 per hour The role will start in May 2015   Application process Please submit a CV and covering letter, detailing how you meet the essential and desirable person specifications and how you would want to spread out the initial 640 hours, to peter.lefort@resourcefutures.co.uk. If you have any questions please contact Peter Lefort on peter.lefort@resourcefutures.co.uk or 07903037290. The deadline for applications is Midday on Monday 27 April Interviews will take place in the evening on Wednesday 6 May in Oxford