Location
London

Hours
0.8 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Salary
£26,208 per annum (pro rata)

About the Role
The Hornbeam Centre seeks an organised, self-motivated and ideally locally well-networked individual to coordinate and support the ongoing development of The Hornbeam Centre as a hub for Food & Community Resilience. This fixed-term position delivers The Hornbeam's role within the Extended Table Programme funded by the National Lottery. With over 30 years of community uplift based on principles of mutual aid and planetary care, The Hornbeam envisions an active, engaged, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable Waltham Forest where people are empowered to uplift each other through creative and collaborative community action.

The ideal candidate will understand the interplay between food, community, and climate resilience, bringing a creative, caring, and intersectional approach to further developing our community hub. The Extended Table programme addresses issues of isolation, community breakdown, and poor diet—key contributors to poor mental and physical health, especially among marginalised groups. It connects organisations like The Hornbeam with communities and sectors across geographical and social divides to promote wellbeing for individuals, communities, and the planet.

The Coordinator will co-lead the Waltham Forest Food Partnership alongside the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF), collaborating with voluntary and community sector (VCS) networks and public sector teams to build a movement towards localised food sovereignty, with particular emphasis on engaging marginalised groups. Responsibilities include engaging with Extended Table partners and local food organisations to share learning and best practice, delivering workshops to build partner capacity, providing fundraising support, and supporting marginalised community members to develop self-advocacy skills.

The role also involves overseeing The Hornbeam’s People’s Kitchen, People’s Kitchen on Wheels, and Solidarity Supermarket projects as community hubs, managing project monitoring and evaluation as required by funders, and supporting ongoing project development and volunteer network expansion. The Hornbeam operates a horizontal organisational structure, so the Coordinator will engage with peer management and contribute to wider project delivery and evaluation.

Experience
- Extensive experience in partnership development, movement building, and/or community organising
- Proven track record in community development and working with multiple partners
- Experience in moving strategic ideas into operational delivery
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to work independently and engage staff and stakeholders
- Extensive knowledge of safeguarding policies and practices
- Demonstrated budget management experience
- Experience writing funding reports and using monitoring and evaluation methods such as SROI

About you
- Ability to engage and communicate clearly and effectively with local VCS groups and council stakeholders
- Commitment to working with marginalised communities and promoting inclusion
- Collaborative approach with experience working within horizontal organisational structures
- Strong organisational and project management skills

Desirable
- Knowledge of Waltham Forest’s diverse community and VCS organisations
- Experience working with local authorities
- Experience managing and working with volunteers
- Understanding of food sovereignty principles and experience implementing related projects
- Awareness of the climate and ecological crisis and experience building resilience within community projects