Head of Homestead Park

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full-time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part-time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part-time work and, if part-time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

You will have experience of developing and delivering a strategy to support the evolution of a park or green space. You'll be a great leader, and you'll have experience in developing and supporting engaged, highly motivated teams. You'll have a genuine passion for community engagement, placemaking, and creating inclusive spaces. You'll have a strong commitment to climate action and climate justice and how this links with social justice and nature-based wellbeing. You'll be a great communicator and you'll be skilled at connecting with diverse stakeholders and build consensus around shared goals.

The Homestead Park has been cherished by communities for 120 years since it was gifted to the people of York by social reformer Seebohm Rowntree (son of Joseph Rowntree) so that all individuals, regardless of class or income, could enjoy time in nature.

At JRF, we're honouring this heritage and turning the leaves of a new chapter in the story of the Homestead Park. We're looking to the future to understand how on our home soil over the next 100 years we can grow opportunities to support JRF's wider mission which is to 'speed up and support the transition to a more equitable and just future, free from poverty in which people and planet can flourish'. We'll draw inspiration from Rowntree's radical roots and cultivate the conditions for people to come together to explore the challenges of these times. They'll connect with themselves, each other and nature, fostering resilient communities where people and the natural world are able to flourish together and plant the seeds for hopeful futures.

Seebohm's gift represents a tradition of giving back to the community and ensuring that public spaces remain accessible to all. We want to uphold this tradition and not only preserve a piece of history, but also reaffirm our dedication to creating a park and pavilion community space that serves the needs and interests of the people it belongs to.

We will be developing a ten year plan to help to guide our work in Homestead Park and we're creating two exciting new roles to support this work: the Head of Homestead Park role and Community Engagement Lead. We'll work alongside community groups and local people to steer the development of the Park and understand how it can serve communities today and for generations to come., At JRF we're at our best when we're continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference - and hope others will do the same. So for those roles which allow it, we're developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home (with an expectation of two days a week in your home office).