Work with us! Operations Assistant

We are recruiting for an important new role within the RFT team.

Real Farming Trust (RFT) Operations Assistant

Part-time (0.4 FTE, 7.5 hrs/day, 15 hrs/wk), UK-based, remote with some travel required.
Permanent position.
Please note candidates must be based in the UK and have the right to work in the UK.

Ideal start date: As soon as possible, by 1st December 2026

About the Real Farming Trust

The Real Farming Trust (RFT) works across food and farming systems to support agroecology, food justice and systems change. We are a small, values-led organisation working remotely across programmes in events, policy, funding, communications and movement-building.

We value care, clarity and collaboration in how we work together, and we are committed to building simple, effective systems that support a healthy and sustainable organisation.

About the role

The RFT Operations Assistant provides essential administrative and coordination support to the RFT Operations Manager, helping ensure the smooth day-to-day running of RFT’s internal operations.

This is a practical, detail-focused role for someone who enjoys making things work well behind the scenes. You will support routine administrative processes, help keep internal records organised, and ensure key operational tasks are completed reliably and on time. You will also help identify opportunities to improve how we work, bringing practical ideas that can be developed with the Operations Manager.

The role will help reduce the administrative workload of the Operations Manager by taking ownership of routine operational tasks, improving consistency across core internal processes, and contributing to simple, transparent ways of working that reflect RFT’s values. This will enable the Operations Manager to focus more on organisational development, governance and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Administration and Coordination

• Schedule meetings and manage shared calendars
• Organise logistics for team away days and internal meetings (venue booking, catering, coordination, basic budget tracking)
• Maintain organised filing of key documents in shared Google drives
• Help ensure key documents are kept up-to-date (for example, contracts, insurance, etc)
• Support recruitment administration, including scheduling interviews and coordinating communication with candidates
• Create, maintain and update internal “How To” guides and simple process documents as requested
• Identify opportunities to simplify or improve routine administrative processes and contribute ideas to the Operations Manager for consideration

Finance Administration

• Process and categorise transactions in QuickBooks
• Support invoice processing and basic financial administration tasks
• Maintain accurate records relating to funding bids, grant agreements and reporting deadlines
• Support consistent and accurate bookkeeping processes so they are consistent, transparent, and easy for others to follow

Governance Support

• Take accurate minutes at Board meetings and occasional internal meetings
• Support the Operations Manager with policy reviews, research and document updates

Internal Communications

• Support updates to internal staff communications (e.g., intranet and email updates)
• The Operations Assistant may undertake additional responsibilities in connection with the above tasks which may arise from time to time and to ensure the smooth running of the Real Farming Trust.

Key Skills and Experience

Essential

• Highly organised with strong attention to detail
• Comfortable working with digital tools and systems (e.g. Google Workspace, spreadsheets)
• Reliable and able to complete tasks accurately and on time
• Good written communication skills
• Able to work independently in a remote team environment
• Comfortable handling routine administrative tasks
• An interest in RFT’s mission and the transition to a fairer and more sustainable food system.

Desirable

• Previous experience in an administrative or coordination role
• Experience working in a charity or values-led organisation
• Familiarity with basic finance systems (e.g., QuickBooks or similar)
• Experience supporting meetings or minute taking

Personal Qualities

You will thrive in this role if you are:

• Calm, methodical and dependable
• Enjoy structured, repeatable work and getting the details right
• Interested in how good systems can support people, not just create bureaucracy
• Happy working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly and enjoy working in a remote team environment
• Comfortable with clear tasks and defined responsibilities, while also being willing to question whether processes are working as well as they could
• Proactive in flagging issues or missing information
• Interested in supporting a values-led organisation to work well.

Working arrangements

• Remote working (UK-based)
• Flexible working pattern agreed with the Operations Manager
• Occasional attendance at in-person team away days (UK-based)
• Equipment support provided in line with organisational policy

What we offer

• Annual salary: £28,272 (pro rata at 0.4 FTE equates to £11,308.80)
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays (33 days total, pro rata); an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Years are gifted.
• Flexible working to suit your other commitments during the week.
• Annual well-being and training budget of £350 (upon successful completion of probationary period).
• Equipment subsidy (up to £550) and zero interest loans available to support the purchase of laptop and key office equipment (upon successful completion of probationary period).
• Employer matched pension of 4%.
• Opportunity to support a mission-driven organisation working on agroecology and food systems change.

How to apply:

Upload your CV and a covering letter (no more than 1 page) detailing evidence (eg, examples of experience, qualifications) that you meet the criteria listed and why you would like to join our team to this form by 12pm (midday) on Thursday, 15th Oct 2026. 

To minimise unconscious bias, the hiring panel will conduct an anonymised review. Please carefully follow the instructions to remove your name and email from your CV and cover letter, and submit your full name and email in the form only.

If you have questions about the role, please contact Brittany Oakes, RFT Operations Manager, on brittany.oakes@realfarming.org. 

Please note that to upload materials, you will need to be logged into a Google account. If you do not wish to create a personal Google account, or if you have any trouble uploading your materials, please send them directly to Brittany on brittany.oakes@realfarming.org.

What will happen after you have sent in your application

• We will let all applicants know if they have been shortlisted for an interview by the end of Thursday, 22nd October 2026.
• Interviews will take place online via Zoom on Monday, 26th and Tuesday 27th October 2026. If these dates or timings are difficult for you, please tell us in the application form.
• We will share a summary of the key areas the interview will cover in advance with you. The aim of the interview is to help you show us how you would do the role, not to catch you out.
• We will let you know in advance who will be on the interview panel and their role within the RFT.

Equity and Anti-Oppression
We are committed to becoming a more inclusive workplace with a diverse staff body. We believe this is essential to our effectiveness as an organisation and our ability to fulfil our mission of “good food for everyone, forever”. We need to address both inequity and oppression within our work if we are to meet our aim. There will be tensions that this work creates and difficult questions that we need to address both internally and externally.

We know that people with certain backgrounds and characteristics are underrepresented in our team and in the alternative food and farming movement, and we want to address this. We are committed to working proactively to dismantle these systems of oppression and ensure equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background.

We have started to do this work internally, but we know there is much more to do. Every member of RFT staff is involved and part of this work. 

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form
The Real Farming Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity in line with the Equality Act 2010, providing an inclusive and co-operative environment in which all individuals feel respected. Filling in this equality and diversity monitoring form is voluntary. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be used for monitoring purposes. Please don’t enter any information that would identify you. This form is kept separately from your application and will not be seen by interviewers.

Thank you for your interest in the Real Farming Trust.

A note on AI
We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will be unlikely to be progressed to an interview.

Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive, regretfully we are unable to offer feedback to individual applicants.