The Friends of Shoreham Beach (FoSB) has two volunteering opportunities. We are looking for two people to grow into two different roles – that of Chairperson and the Nature Reserve Coordinator.

The Chair’s responsibilities are to:

• Chair committee meetings and the annual general meeting
• Recruit committee members.
• Keep in touch with committee members between meetings and ensure they have the support they need to carry out their role. Address any issues. 
• Ensure FoSB complies with its constitution and relevant legal requirements e.g. GDPR, safeguarding. 
• Represent FoSB in meetings with the Council and other partners. 

The time commitment is about half a day a week on average. There is considerable flexibility to organise the role around the volunteer’s other commitments although there will be some external meetings to attend which are fixed dates. The Committee meets about 6 times a year – currently on a Monday at 7pm, although this could be changed.

You don’t need any scientific knowledge for this role or any particular professional background. We’re looking for:

• Experience of leading a small team of people. This could be at work or in a voluntary capacity. 
• Good interpersonal skills – able to build supportive relationships with committee members; and engage constructively with partners. 
• Good communication skills – able to get your point across clearly and succinctly in meetings, emails and on the phone. 
• An appreciation of the processes involved in running a small voluntary group e.g. meeting procedures, following a constitution, abiding by regulatory requirements. 
• You don’t need to live on Shoreham Beach but you should have a genuine interest in our work and the importance of biodiversity.

The Nature Reserve Coordinator’s responsibilities will be to:

• Coordinate the development of the 2021-26 Local Nature Reserve Management Plan – liaising with the Council, experts and supporters. This plan will encompass conservation, surveying and education.
• Translate the development of the LNR Management Plan into one-year action plans – liaising with the Council, experts and supporters. 
• Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of the action plan, with support from a sub-group of committee members and co-opted experts. This will include involving volunteers.
• Report to the committee on progress with planning and implementation and any issues the committee could help with. 

The time commitment will be about 2-4 hours a week on average. There is considerable flexibility to organise the role around the volunteer’s other commitments although there will be some external meetings to attend which are fixed dates. The Committee meets about 6 times a year – currently on a Monday at 7pm, although this could be changed.

• You should have an interest in botany and a passion for conserving this rare coastal environment. 
• You don’t need to have professional conservation experience or qualifications but you will need to be able to talk to the expert scientists who support FoSB and you should be keen to learn. 
• Ideally you should have some experience of leading a small team of people. This could be at work, in a learning environment or in a voluntary capacity; and some experience of putting together a plan. 
• You must have good interpersonal skills – able to build supportive relationships with volunteers, experts, and committee members; and engage constructively with partners. 
• You must be able to communication clearly and succinctly in meetings, emails and on the phone. And able to get a plan down on paper (or digitally!)
• You don’t need to live on Shoreham Beach and we welcome applicants who are looking to gain experience for their CV.

If this is of any interest, or you feel you could contribute to some of the above to help maintain this unique habitat, please email us on friendsofshorehambeach@gmail.com so we can take the discussion further.