COP26 Venue and Events Coordinator (pdf of job description HERE)
Do you want to be at the centre of creating a magnetic, bustling hub for global civil society when they come to COP26? Are you a natural collaborator and love bringing together diverse, talented, people to produce something amazing? Are you incredibly organised, a do-er who can be counted upon to get stuff done under pressure and deadlines, who has a talent for building relationships across diverse organisations?
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland is seeking a Venues and Events Coordinator to coordinate the main hub for civil society in Glasgow during COP26. You will create inspiring and functional spaces, bringing together global civil society groups coming to COP and providing what they need to be effective in their work.
As Scotland gets ready to welcome the global movement of civil society to Glasgow for COP26, this is also a unique opportunity to build our movement here at home. This role will help to build the climate movement in Scotland through managing and promoting the Climate Fringe website and related events.
This new post would suit someone who is passionate about devising places and platforms that bring people together. You will be a natural collaborator, creative, and well-organised, enjoying the challenge of bringing together diverse groups and individuals to create a coherent whole. You will have experience of working with volunteers and a passion for connecting people and helping people use their talents and experience towards achieving a common goal.
We are seeking someone with experience of creating and delivering successful events with really excellent communication and organisational skills. You’ll be great at building effective relationships with people at all levels, both within our member organisations, and with external stakeholders. You’ll publicise the events and activities via social media and maintain the events part of the Climate Fringe website.
You will be based in Glasgow, in a small team of four SCCS staff working specifically on COP26 work, with close connections to the core SCCS staff based in Edinburgh and other organisations working on COP-related work, specifically the UK COP26 Coalition Coordinator. You will have key relationships to build through the SCCS working groups, and with civil society organisations across Glasgow, the UK and beyond. We are looking for someone who will take a proactive, flexible and pragmatic approach. You’ll be positive, creative, and have a resourceful and innovative approach to your work.
This is a unique opportunity to make an impact at this incredibly exciting time for climate campaigning. You will have ample opportunity for personal development within the role; to take on responsibility, to take the initiative and be challenged. If this sounds like you – we need to hear from you.
Full Time – 11 months
£24,000
Based in Glasgow
- Background
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland is a diverse coalition of over 50 civil society organisations in Scotland campaigning together on climate change. Our members include environment, faith and belief groups, international development organisations, trade and student unions and community groups.
The involvement of civil society is a hugely important part of the official COP with many thousands of people from NGOs, unions, faith groups, and other civil society organisations taking part in the official proceedings. But COPs are also always a focus for much wider civil society activity: those accompanying official participants, campaigners and activists, and all those that come to put pressure on the talks from outside the official spaces. Local civil society can come together to deliver that wider activity.
As an organisation with capacity to put towards some of the resource-intensive, logistical work needing to be done locally to underpin civil society engagement at COP26, SCCS are delivering some key work. This is mainly in two areas: creating the Civil Society Hub for COP26; and coordinating local hosting work for global civil society as they come to Glasgow.
SCCS believe our work is about more than just creating the venues, hosting, and supporting logistics needed to be delivered by ‘on-the-ground’ people with local knowledge. We believe that, by providing the right conditions, local civil society can help global civil society have the best chance of influencing COP. We want to support help ‘break through the walls’ that keep people in the bubble of COP from hearing the voices of civil society outside. We want to amplify those voices particularly the voices of those most affected by climate change and from the global south.
We want a Hub that is diverse and inclusive with grass roots groups, migrant, racial justice, and disability groups, NGOs big and small and with others; we want to connect in Glasgow’s communities, especially those in deprived areas. We will model a space of discussion, warmth and coming together, involving culture and the arts, song, storytelling and poetry.
The role of Events and Venues Coordinator will help us deliver this Civil Society Hub for COP26 and surrounding events.
- The Post
This post will manage SCCS’s work to bring the COP26 Civil Society hub together, and related events of wider Scottish civil society in a website of events called the Climate Fringe.
The Civil Society Hub will offer facilities, social and meeting space for people organising around the COP and will be accessible and open to the public. It will meet the operational needs of international NGOs and other civil society groups coming to COP26 including social and informal meeting space, hot-desks, cultural and art spaces, media hub, bookable meeting and workshop rooms, and venue space for a People’s/Alternative Summit.
The role will also support ‘The Climate Fringe’ website aimed at helping build the climate movement in Scotland. This platform for civil society-led events in Scotland, both before and during COP, will tie together the huge variety of events and activities that are planned.
This role will include liaison with relevant stakeholders, and management of the budget associated with the work. The post will be managed by the SCCS COP26 Project Manager and will work closely with the SCCS COP26 Team, as well as SCCS’s Public Campaigns Working Group.
Key responsibilities:
- To coordinate the delivery of the COP26 Civil Society hub, to create a programme of events and a suite of facilities that make the Hub a centre of activity during COP26.
- To work closely with SCCS working groups and the COP26 Project Manager to maximise the potential of the events and the Climate Fringe website for movement building and to maximise interaction with global partners in the design and delivery of our activities
- To coordinate with the SCCS coalition and wider Civil Society, especially the COP26 UK Coalition, both in Scotland and the UK, to ensure we create spaces that are inclusive, diverse and highlight the voices of those most affected by climate change.
- To recruit and manage volunteers, with the Volunteer Coordinator, to ensure we have the right team to help deliver our aims for the Climate Fringe, the Civil Society Hub and venues related to a COP alternative summit
- To deliver all relevant licences, paperwork and planning to ensure that the COP26 Hub is delivered in a legally compliant and safe manner.
- To maintain, write content for, and promote the events part of the Climate fringe website and ensure events listings are populated and moderated.
- To contribute to SCCS communication planning related to COP.
- To highlight key opportunities for media or promotion and work with the SCCS Media lead, and the COP 26 Project manager to create publicity.
- To manage the budget for the COP26 Civil Society Hub
- To support agreed civil society involvement with the Scottish Government space at the Glasgow Science Centre where needed
- To do any other tasks, relevant to this role, required by the COP 26 Project manager .
- 3. Personal specification
Knowledge, experience and abilities
Essential
- A track record of coordinating and delivering large events, especially those bringing in a variety of content, including arts and culture.
- A naturally collaborative person. Happiest when working together with others in partnership and able to make and maintain effective contacts and relationships, and build trust amongst different actors
- Creative problem-solver with a passion to create compelling and magnetic places and events.
- Excellent written communication, and experience of delivering communications including via social media platforms and in creating content for web and other media.
- Highly organised project manager with the ability to make the best use of time particularly when under pressure from competing priorities and working to tight deadlines.
- Experience in budget planning and management
- Ability to create accessible places for all
- Ability to work under pressure and deal with the unexpected.
Desirable
- Demonstrable commitment to action on climate change.
- Background knowledge of civil society institutions and political structures in Scotland and beyond
- Connections in the arts and culture
- Experience of writing an event management plan and obtaining council licences for events including security and health and safety procedure.
- Experience of recruiting, and managing volunteers
- Qualifications
The competencies and experience of the successful candidate will be more important than formal academic qualifications.
- Terms and conditions
Part time position: 5 days a week
Salary: £24,000
Location: Glasgow. Occasional travel to other parts of Scotland may be required.
Hours: Full Time for eleven months (35 hours a week) Given the nature of the work, the post holder may be expected to work the occasional evening or weekend, for which time off in lieu will be granted. There will be no payment of overtime.
This role would make an ideal secondment – especially from SCCS member organisations. If you are interested in doing this post as a secondment please speak to your current employer to discuss and highlight on your application.
- Application process
If you would like to apply, please do so by sending:
Covering letter (please set out in no more than 500 words why you are suited to this position, laying out how your experience and skills meet the essential -and desirable- criteria
CV (no more than 2 pages)
to Kat Jones, SCCS Coalition Manager at info@stopclimatechaosscotland.org
By 5pm on Sunday 15 March.
Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend interview on 19 March (if attending on that date is not possible please advise at the time of applying).
This role is supported financially by the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group
