Wilder Communities Officer (Central) - Covering the central communities of Somerset and incorporating the Climate Adaptation Project

The Wilder Communities Officer (Central) role at Somerset Wildlife Trust focuses on supporting central Somerset communities in climate adaptation and nature-based actions. This part-time, permanent position involves engaging with community leaders, organizing workshops, and developing action plans related to climate change. The job includes opportunities for hybrid working, allowing for both online and in-person interactions while delivering the 'Act to Adapt' project.
Closing date: Monday 9 March 2026

Salary: £23,200 pro rata (£29,000 FTE)

Contract type: Permanent / Working hours: Part time

Location

Callow Rock, Shipham Gorge, Cheddar

Opportunity for hybrid working

The Wilder Communities Officer (Central), covering the central communities of Somerset and incorporating the Climate Adaptation Project into their role, is a new role at Somerset Wildlife Trust. We’re looking for someone who brings knowledge and experience of climate change and nature-based solutions, together with skills in community organising and engagement to support communities across Somerset with climate adaptation and meaningful action for nature.

The post will be focused on work across the central part of Somerset. In the first year you’ll work with team members from the engagement and nature recovery projects teams to form an Act to Adapt project team, supporting the delivery of a funded project across Somerset to support communities to develop plans to adapt their local areas to the impacts of climate change. Beyond this you’ll build on the ‘Act to Adapt’ process to engage with new and existing individuals, community leaders and community groups across Central Somerset to develop working relationships that seek to take positive action for nature in their local areas by identifying opportunities and developing action plans.

## Wilder Communities Officer (Central)

Covering the central communities of Somerset and incorporating the Climate Adaptation Project
• Job Description – Key Responsibilities and Tasks

The post will be focused on work across the central part of Somerset, supporting communities across this area to take meaningful action for nature. The post will work with the wider engagement team and climate adaptation project team to deliver the ‘Act to Adapt’ process across Somerset to support communities and to develop plans to adapt their local areas to the impacts of climate change.
• Responsibility 1: Delivery of ‘Act to Adapt’ community engagement (12-month funded project) by
• Working closely with the Climate Change Adaptation Officer and wider project team, to develop and deliver a programme of online and in-person communications, meetings and workshops.
• Supervising Climate Adaptation volunteers in person and online.
• Developing information for diverse audiences with a variety of knowledge baselines, including people already living with the impacts of climate change, regarding the role of nature in reducing the impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise; predicted changes in land use; warming, etc. and to help people understand what the future may bring especially in Somerset’s more vulnerable nature habitats.
• Supporting people’s wider understanding of the role of nature to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration and storage.
• Continuing the rollout of the Act to Adapt process in local communities, organising events and workshops and using the Climate Adaptation Toolkit to explain the process of developing community and nature based solutions to the big issues of climate change.
• Supporting communities to identify and implement adaptation actions from their Climate Adaptation Plans, including deploying seed funding (£1,000 per community) for nature-based solutions such as rain gardens, tree planting, and 'slow the flow' measures.
• Developing an Enhanced Climate Adaptation Toolkit (Version 2) enabling communities to develop adaptation plans with minimal external support, including flood-focused guidance and step-by-step planning templates.
• Responsibility 2: Community action for nature by*
• Building on the ‘Act to Adapt’ process to engage with new and existing individuals, community leaders and community groups across Central Somerset to develop working relationships that seek to take positive action for nature in their local areas by identifying opportunities and developing action plans.
• Understanding barriers and motivations to taking action for priority audiences and work with priority audiences on how to remove these barriers.
• Being a visible and approachable presence within the work area. Be clear on the remit and offer of Somerset Wildlife Trust and how you can “add value” to the projects you engage with.
• Supporting communities to scope, develop and facilitate action plans and deliver self-sustaining community-led practical local wilding actions, creating new local wilder spaces, and other nature recovery interventions, building the ‘Act to Adapt’ process into your toolkit of resources to support this.
• Identifying any training and development needs and delivering training and resources to support targeted communities to deliver their plans.
• Developing and building on positive relationships with other organisations who are delivering community engagement