About Christchurch School Community Garden (CSCG)
CSCG was started in 2017 by a group of enthusiastic gardeners and parents of Christ Church School who wanted to transform an unloved and underutilized piece of green space in East Greenwich. With grants for an outdoor classroom, greenhouses, compost loo and many other things, our garden is now transformed into a beautiful and rare green space for the local community to come and enjoy through volunteering to help keep it that way. We are a multi-award-winning garden which boasts food-growing areas and orchard, ornamental and wildlife gardening as well as an onsite Forest School. We are passionate about people & plants, growing & harvesting, community resilience and the environment.
As part of the Cleaner & Greener East London initiative (see below), CSCG has secured funding to create a programme of workshops, extra Forest School provision for more children from schools in the area and to support our very own artist-in-residence, all for a period of three years to July 2029.
About Cleaner & Greener East London (CGEL)
Cleaner and Greener East London is a major, community-led climate action initiative focused on co-creating large-scale public murals and community-driven environmental campaigns across East & Southeast London. The project is managed by the social enterprise Paint the Change and places a strong emphasis on youth leadership and amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. CGEL is supported with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Role Purpose
We are looking for a dynamic and experienced project coordinator to provide operational management and support for our newly funded project, Cleaner & Greener East London (CGEL). You will support the delivery of an inspiring programme of workshops, artist residency sessions and Forest School sessions welcoming visitors from schools.
Your primary responsibility will be to ensure the project meets its targets and objectives by supporting the delivery of high-impact outcomes for our participants and the wider community. You will be responsible for project monitoring, feedback collation, session facilitation and marketing communications surrounding the CGEL project, ensuring we can clearly demonstrate our success to funders and stakeholders. A key part of your role will be the onsite facilitation, ensuring that the three strands of the CGEL project run smoothly at CSCG. This is a role for a highly organised individual who is passionate about creating positive social change.
Key Responsibilities
Project Coordination and Management
- Provide effective onsite support to the project team, including the Project Lead, artist-in-residence, Forest School Leaders, workshop facilitators and young journalists attached the CGEL project.
- Assist the Project Lead in developing, implementing, and reviewing the overall project plan, ensuring key milestones, outputs, and outcomes are achieved on time and within budget.
- Assisting the Project Lead in all CGEL communications with Paint the Change including attending off-site meetings and key milestone launches with the Project Lead.
- Oversee the successful delivery of the project's varied workshop programme
- Act as the main point of contact for CGEL contractors onsite at CSCG.
- Ensure all project activities comply with organisational policies, including Health & Safety, Safeguarding, and Data Protection.
- Support planning and delivery of project events, in collaboration with the wider team of contractors and volunteer project leads.
- Create and manage, alongside CGEL’s young journalists, a content calendar for our social media platform (e.g. Instagram) and website (Wix), posting regular updates and engaging with our online community.
- Produce promotional materials such as posters and flyers (e.g. using tools like Canva) and conduct pop-up sessions at local schools, library.
- Manage the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data (e.g. workshop attendance, volunteer hours, participant testimonials and feedback).
- Ensure a high-quality, safe, and rewarding experience is provided for all project participants, volunteers and CGEL contractors.
- Build and maintain strong, positive relationships with local community groups, schools, and organisations to maximise the project's reach and impact.
- Champion the project externally, acting as a passionate ambassador of the CGEL project.
Person Specification
- Experience or keen interest in outdoor community engagement, environmental education and arts in green spaces
- Strong organisational and communication skills
- Confident with social media (Instagram, LinkedIn), website operation (Wix) and other comms (e.g. artwork creation using Canva)
- Flexible approach to working hours, accommodating the nature of the community garden’s CGEL project activity.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team of volunteers and contractors.
- Commitment to inclusivity, sustainability, and the values of CSCG.
Essential Criteria
- Proven experience in project coordination and marketing communications.
- Demonstrable experience of successfully working collaboratively with onsite contractors, project managers and key stakeholders e.g. schools, nurseries, local community groups, etc.
- Some experience in monitoring and evaluation, including data collection
- Experience in managing project budgets.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of people.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
- A genuine passion for community empowerment and green space management.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience working on a community project (e.g. community gardens, Friends of parks groups).
- Experience in bid-writing and awareness of funders’ requirements.
- Knowledge of safeguarding principles and best practices.
- A valid First Aid at Work certificate.
Requirements
- Enhanced DBS (appointment subject to school check)
- Public Liability Insurance (required)
- Work authorisation: United Kingdom (appointment subject to CEST check)
- 2 references
- You will be required to sign a Consultancy Agreement.
- Able to work weekends
Orientation Visits and Dates
We would encourage potential applicants to visit the Community Garden and Forest School prior to application. The Community Garden and Forest School are open to visitors on Fridays between 10:30am and 3pm. Do please come and have a look around, chat with volunteer staff at the community garden, ask any questions you may have.
Please email your CV and supporting statement to Fiona Machen-Harrison at [email protected]
Closing Date: Friday 24 July 2026 Interviews: 27-31 July
Start Date: September 2026 – subject to required checks
Pay: £24,420.00-£41,606.73 per year
Work Location: In person
