Working with a team of Pathfinder Leads and colleagues across the Trust, this role will play a central part in helping us achieve our vision for an end for the need for food banks. As part of the Trussell Trust’s five-year strategy, this role will work with Pathfinder food banks across the UK to help them develop and execute their own strategic plan for reducing the need for their services locally. You will be responsible for coordinating a bespoke cross-departmental programme of support for Pathfinder food banks. This role requires someone who is proactive in their approach, has strong influencing skills, and thrives well in a culture of change and innovation.

The Pathfinder programme was established to work with 60 food banks from across the UK, to introduce and test different approaches to reduce the need for food banks in a local setting. Food banks who have joined the programme have committed to align their energy and resources towards strategic anti-poverty activity, and to sharing their learnings with the wider network of food banks. In response, we have established a dedicated grant fund (which enables strategic activity across a range of disciplines) and provide intensive support to Pathfinder food banks through a specialist team and a range of online and in-person training and learning events. The programme runs until 2025.

Role responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for Pathfinder food banks, supporting them to develop, resource and implement their plans to end the need for their services, including through coaching, coordinating cross-departmental support from the Trussell Trust and facilitating peer learning.

• Support food banks to execute their own strategic plan, including reviewing their referral processes, identifying opportunities for income maximisation, helping them to collaborate with those with lived experience of poverty in the design and delivery of solutions, strengthening church engagement and building a local movement for change.

• Support food banks to review, scope and build strategic partnerships with organisations across their area in order to identify new opportunities to enhance services and develop approaches that help end the need for food banks.

• Take an active role in the Pathfinder programme and actively contribute to a culture of innovation, including participating in working groups that help to shape the design and development of new pilots, tools and resources.

• In partnership with the Strategy and Impact team, capture and evaluate the results of Pathfinder pilots, in order to share best practice learning with the wider network.

• Work closely with the Area Manager team and other Trussell Trust teams to ensure food banks are supported effectively to progress on their Pathfinder journeys.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

·      Ability to manage cross-organisational relationships and priorities.

·      Problem solving complex issues involving a range of stakeholders.

·      Ability to produce high quality resources and reports.

·      Organising and facilitating training and events.

·      Efficient use of IT, particularly the main Microsoft Office programs and CRM systems.

• Ensure that due regard is given to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within all aspects of the Pathfinders programme.

Behaviours and competencies:

• Demonstrate a commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust.

• Demonstrates empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds.

• Role models inclusive behaviours and values

• Effective communication skills; diplomatic; effectively builds rapport with individuals and groups, including in contexts where Christian faith plays a major part; presents information accessibly and in a format appropriate to the audience.

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and high-performing organisation, combining problem-solving with collaborative interpersonal skills.

Key Stakeholders

• Area Team

• Scotland & NI team

• Pathfinder food banks

• Network Services

• Financial Inclusion team

Our Values

The Trussell Trust is a charity that works to end the need for food banks. It is founded on and shaped by Christian principles.

Our values of dignity, justice, compassion and community, are central to all that we do and therefore supports our aim to be an organisation where the diversity of all employees is valued.  We welcome people of all faiths and none and those that are committed to these values.

We recognise that we have under-represented groups within our workforce. As part of our commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity we are actively encouraging applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions and those with a lived experience of poverty as well as any other under-represented group in our workforce. We are committed ensuring the safety and protection of our employees from all forms of harm.