Role outline and purpose

The Organising and Local Mobilisation (OLM) Manager is responsible for managing ongoing support to food banks as they organise and campaign for change. This varied, proactive, and fast-paced role will involve working closely with grant funded Local Organisers as part of the Trussell Trust’s Organising Programme, frequently visiting food banks and delivering online and in person training.

You will hold responsibility for providing direct support as food banks develop effective campaign strategies – covering local and Trussell Trust priorities – and ensuring they have the capacity, skills, and resources to deliver them. You will also work closely with other departments at the Trussell Trust and external partners to support food banks outside of the Organising Programme to influence locally and play a leading role in mobilising them to campaign for change.

 Role responsibilities

·       Network area-wide delivery of the Organising Programme

Lead and manage the delivery of OLM’s Organising Programme in your network area, recruiting food banks to join, providing in-person and online training and ongoing relational support to Local Organisers to ensure campaign strategies are developed and delivered.  Organise and lead area-wide training, clusters, or events for food bank staff and volunteers to promote co-operation and sharing of good practice around local influencing.

·       Training, Learning and programme development

Play a key role in the design and delivery of a programme of training and other learning for food banks covering organising, mobilising, and influencing. Contributing to impact and process evaluations and assisting food banks involved to explore future sources of funding, as required.

·       Supporting food banks to influence locally

Empower food banks to develop their local influencing work, triaging influencing issues and managing input from other relevant Trussell experts to provide ongoing support that enables the food banks to progress their influencing work.

·       Mobilising food banks in the Trussell Trust’s campaigns

Support the development and promotion of national Trussell policy campaigns, working with other teams and external partners to engage the food banks you support in taking action – including how they might take ownership of campaigns locally and help shape those priorities.

·       Internal stakeholder engagement

Project manage OLM’s involvement in assigned cross-organisational projects – e.g. a policy campaign or strategic project, ensuring the OLM tam are consulted, negotiating with other teams and making decisions accordingly.  As part of an area-based matrix team you’ll work closely with other food bank facing staff to ensure a joined-up approach to food bank support, effective communication, as well as sharing learning and best practice.

·       External stakeholder engagement

Build and maintain strong relationships with food bank leaders, staff, volunteers, and trustees, as well as establishing effective partnerships with a range of stakeholders such as local authorities, community organisations, and churches.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

·       Experience of delivering organising work and / or campaigning for change at a grassroots, local and / or national level.

·       Excellent knowledge and understanding of the political landscape of your assigned area.

·       A confident communicator with the ability to successfully influence and negotiate with a wide range of stakeholders, including food bank staff and volunteers, local authorities, community organisations, and churches.

·       Knowledge and experience of a wide range of campaigning tactics, campaign planning and developing theories of change.

·       Ability to develop and deliver training for organisers, trustees, staff and volunteers from food banks, including event management.

Behaviours and competencies:

·       Demonstrate a commitment to the values of Trussell.

·       Role models inclusive behaviour and values, including demonstrating empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially-excluded backgrounds.

·       Able to build effective relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and with differing life experience, including in contexts where Christian faith plays a major role part, and in which people of all faiths and none collaborate to make a difference together.

·       Effective project management ensuring alignment with the Trussell vision and strategy and collaborative working to maximise integration and effectiveness of activities.

·       Is tenacious, proactive, creative and propositional, and makes things happen.

·       Able to solve complex problems; with a self-motivated and solutions-focused outlook.

Key Stakeholders

·       Food banks, including local organisers, project managers, volunteers, and people they support

·       The wider OLM team

·       Network Area Teams, who support food banks in their day-to-day work, including Network Leads, Area Managers, Network Church Engagement Managers, Network Volunteer Engagement Managers, and Pathfinder Leads

·       Grants team

·       Participation team

·       Policy, Research and Impact directorate

·       Strategic Communications department

·       Audience Insight and Engagement department