Work with us! P4A Programme Coordinator

We are recruiting for an exciting role within the RFT team.

Parliamentarians for Agroecology and Nature Friendly Food and Farming (P4A)
Programme Coordinator

Part-time (0.4-0.6 FTE, 7.5 hrs/day, 15-22.5 hrs/wk), remote, UK-based
Two year fixed-term contract
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
Ideal start date: w/c 8th September 2025

About the Real Farming Trust

The Real Farming Trust (RFT) runs a number of programmes which bring people of all food and farming backgrounds and experiences together to build the case for agroecology.  One of these programmes is the Oxford Real Farming Conference. We are a small charity and value honesty, empathy, care and compassion in our interactions with each other in the organisation and with the partners we work with.

About Parliamentarians for Agroecology and Nature-Friendly Food and Farming

Parliamentarians for Agroecology and Nature-Friendly Food and Farming (P4A) is the only group in Parliament to explicitly promote sustainable food and farming. P4A builds on the previously registered All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agroecology for Sustainable Food and Farming, which in the 12 years of its existence saw agroecology emerge from the fringes of policy making to being recognised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and being included in the 2020 Agriculture Act.
Advancing knowledge and understanding of agroecology remain vital in Westminster as the UK continues to develop its farming policy in a dramatically changing world. P4A champions key areas where agroecology could bring about significant change. This includes farm practice as it affects climate change, biodiversity, and farm productivity, but also wider agri-food systems transformation towards conviviality, equity, ecological sustainability, resilience, and justice.
We have recently launched a new collaboration between the Agroecology Communications Network (ACN) and P4A which provides a direct channel for informing policymakers by linking up parliamentarians and those working in comms through a regular Agroecology News Digest. The Agroecology News Digest keeps parliamentarians updated and informed on the latest reports, events and happenings relating to agroecology and nature friendly food and farming.

About the Role

The P4A Programme Coordinator is responsible for organising all P4A events, publicity and communications during the period of this contract, with the aim of fostering stronger relationships with policy makers and increasing their awareness and understanding of the potential of agroecology. The role will enable agroecology farming organisations, no matter how small, to access and have their voices heard by parliamentarians in a more strategic, collaborative and coordinated way.

The P4A Programme Coordinator will give interested parliamentarians a single point of contact with a broad and diverse sector, giving them the opportunity to make requests for information and research, visit agroecological farms (including smallholdings and CSAs), and other relevant parts of the local supply chain, and be better informed moving forward – especially at this time of political flux and renewal. 

You will be expected to set your own priorities, but you will be working with both parliamentarians and members of the ACN with support from RFT staff as appropriate. Specifically you will work with the ACN Coordinator to build an effective two-way channel of communication between the agroecological movement and parliamentarians across all parties and with RFT’s senior advisor and co-founder, who started the original APPG, and the new Parliamentarians for Agroecology. Tasks and responsibilities will include:

For parliamentarians:

• Contact parliamentarians who have shown an interest in agroecology (for example, through attending A Taste of Agroecology, and raising PQs on subjects of particular concern to agroecology) in order to develop a strong caucus of informed MPs.
• Organise P4A meetings, including booking rooms and speakers and publicity. These are to include: at least one Taste of Agroecology event a year; launch events for new reports on the subject of agroecology, in particular those that are relevant to the parliamentary agenda (e.g., bills going through parliament, consultations on proposed new legislation); and for subjects of specific concern to agroecological organisations,  including items featured in the Agroecology News Digest.
• Liaise with other parliamentary groups and committees as relevant, such as the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee.
• Produce other supporting materials such as parliamentary briefings for MPs and peers and parliamentary questions as relevant, e.g., arising from items in the Agroecology News Digest.

For agroecology farming organisations, in particular members of the ACN:

• Provide regular notice of parliamentary activity to ACN members, for example: events in parliament such as Westminster Hall and other Debates, Defra Question Times; answers from Ministers to relevant PQs (links to Hansard); and consultations including deadlines. 
• Organise the development and production of the Agroecology News Digest, including liaising with ACN member organisations on the latest developments, with support from the ACN coordinator.  This will also include obtaining feedback from parliamentarians on the content and frequency of the digest. 
• Support the development of an advocacy training course and events for ACN members with the aim of building an informed and active group (to include a toolkit incorporating as relevant existing training e.g.,  from Project Boost). The training to be led by relevant “experts”.

For the RFT:

• Contribute to government consultations, joint letters from like-minded food and farming organisations and other related policy work on behalf of RFT.
• Organise, in collaboration with other RFT staff, a minister’s lunch at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, including confirming catering and a venue with the ORFC operations team, organising invitations.
• Advise the ORFC team on policy-oriented sessions where relevant.

You will also undertake any other responsibilities in connection with the work of the P4A which may arise from time to time and as agreed with RFT.

You will thrive in this role if:

• You are knowledgeable about food and farming policy
• You know how the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy operates
• You are passionate about the agroecological food and farming movement 
• You have excellent organisational and time management skills
• You have excellent written and spoken communication skills
• You can prioritise tasks to meet deadlines while working to a high standard
• You are able to interact confidently with a broad range of people, including parliamentarians, in a professional and effective manner
• You are happy remote working and enjoy working with a small team
• You are proactive, self-motivated, and resourceful, demonstrating the ability to act independently, set your own agenda and solve problems without needing constant direction
• You can work flexible hours to accommodate travel to and delivery of occasional in-person events.

A typical week will involve a mix of online meetings, emails, writing and event planning.

What else you need to know:

• We do not have an office. We all work remotely from home and meet twice a year in-person for a few days each time
• You will need to provide your own laptop and phone
• We all work flexibly, but you will be expected to do the majority of your work weekdays between 8am and 6pm
• This role is a two year fixed term contract with the opportunity to extend subject to funding.

The benefits you will get:

• • Salary: £30,236-£34,790 (pro rata), depending on experience
  • 20 days annual leave, plus Bank Holidays, pro rata increasing by 2 days for every year of completed service up to a maximum of 25 days (33 including bank holidays)
  • Flexible working to suit your other commitments during the week
  • Employer matched pension of 4%.

How to apply

Please email your CV, the details of two referees (including at least one work referee), and a covering letter (no more than 1 page) detailing why you think you are suitable for the role and why you would like to join our team to brittany@realfarming.org by 12pm GMT (midday) on Tuesday, 15th July 2025. If you have questions about the role, email Brittany Oakes at the above address.

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 Thursday, 24th July 2025.
• Interviews will take place online on Wednesday, 30th July and the morning of Thursday, 31st July. If these dates or timings are difficult for you, please tell us in your application.
• We will share all of the interview questions in advance with you. The aim of the interview is to help you show us how you would fulfill 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. We have an internal Equity and Anti-Oppression Group that leads and monitors this work and reports to the Board.

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.

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

Thank you for your interest in the Real Farming Trust.