Engagement and Partnerships Officer, North Chilterns

This is a new role and the first of its kind for the Chilterns National Landscape, aimed at developing more inclusive access to the countryside. It provides an exciting opportunity to join a multi-disciplinary team in one of the country’s finest and most high-profile National Landscapes.

The Chilterns National Landscape’s size and ambition has grown in recent years, and this pivotal role has been created to help us reach diverse new audiences in the Luton and Dunstable area. Despite having plentiful urban greenspaces and outstanding countryside on the doorstep, a recent study by the University of Bedfordshire on how diverse communities engage with greenspaces and the countryside, found that only 33% of participants in the Luton/Dunstable area visited greenspaces weekly. Older individuals, those facing various challenges, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are the least frequent users for a range of reasons. We are committed to developing a more inclusive approach in how greenspaces are used across diverse communities, and to leading the way in developing approaches that align with our EDI ambitions.

Your role will be to take this work forward in Luton and Dunstable to help engage new diverse audiences through a number of projects and creative partnership approaches. A central part of your role will be overseeing the flagship Nature Calling programme hosted by the Chilterns National Landscape and based in Luton. This is part of a £2 million groundbreaking national initiative funded by Defra and Arts Council England, with local partner Revoluton Arts, designed to connect and deepen people’s engagement with the landscape. It will lead to a co-created season of arts taking place May to September 2025. Through Nature Calling our ambition is to engage with communities we have not worked with before, providing opportunities to connect with green spaces and heritage.

We are seeking a highly motivated and dynamic individual to lead our efforts to reach new diverse audiences in Luton and Dunstable, bringing experience and expertise in championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). You will be comfortable working flexibly with limited supervision and passionate about making countryside access more inclusive. You will have the energy, enthusiasm and experience to proactively develop community links and strategic partnerships. You will need excellent communication and engagement skills and be adept at managing a demanding and varied workload.

Role Purpose

You will take forward our EDI ambitions in the North Chilterns, developing and delivering projects, partnerships and targeted engagement activity to reach diverse audiences through a collaborative partnership approach. Priorities will include:

• Delivering engagement initiatives to reach diverse audiences in the Luton/Dunstable area, directly and through partners. This includes delivering the flagship Nature Calling programme.
• Developing and contributing to new engagement projects and partnerships including the North Chilterns Partnership. Through these partnerships, you will help to secure support and funding for a targeted outreach programme.
• Encouraging and facilitating greater diversity and inclusion across all our work.

You will work closely with the Head of Engagement & Partnerships and others in the Chilterns National Landscapes team. Partnership working is key to how we achieve our objectives, and you will be collaborating with some key partners and partnerships including:

• • The Nature Calling advisory group which represents our target community groups.
  • Partners in the Luton/Dunstable area with whom we are currently working to support and deliver engagement activities, and to develop new opportunities – eg.Youth Network Luton, BCN Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, Natural England, Luton Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and the University of Bedfordshire.