Thanks to funding from Lankelly Chase, we're delighted to say that we can take on our first employee.
This person will play a crucial role in making Middleton Cooperating a reality - building on what we've already achieved to expand and strengthen our organisation, and to help bring about the changes that we want to see.
If you're interested, please email us at accounts@middleton.coop attaching one side of A4 showing how you meet our role profile - or a 5-min or so audio/video clip, if you prefer - plus your CV.
The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday February 17th.
We plan to shortlist by the end of Monday February 27th, and then we'll invite shortlisted candidates to meet with us in Middleton on the morning of Monday March 6th.
It's an 18-month contract, and this is what we're looking for:
Middleton Cooperating - Development Lead
The Development Lead will be responsible for overseeing every element of Middleton Cooperating, and for supporting its other employees. They will design and deliver programmes of activity to achieve the aims of Middleton Cooperating. They will build the profile of Middleton Cooperating and work strategically with partner organisations locally, regionally, and nationally
Contract: Initially 18 months fixed term with the hope/intention of extension
Hours: 28 hrs per week, flexible to meet the needs of the role while maintaining a positive work/life balance (#4DayWeek)
Salary: £38,000 - £40,000
Annual Leave: 25 days (6.25 weeks)
Employers pension contribution: 8%
Working location: hybrid working including at least 50% in Middleton
Reporting into: Middleton Cooperating Management Committee
About You
You are passionate about delivering local economic/community strategies differently, and believe there is a better and more equitable model beyond markets, competition and financialisation
You love working with people and easily build meaningful relationships, supporting change through personal connection
You are committed to racial, social and economic justice and are passionate about reducing inequality and building solidarity throughout society
You are dynamic, self-motivated and thrive when growing great ideas
You would love the opportunity to help build, and work within, a new type of democratic, member-led organization
If you already have a Middleton connection, that’s wonderful
Your skills and experience
You are a confident and experienced manager of programmes and people
You have extensive experience of building positive relationships and working in partnership with a range of people and organisations
You are confident in your ability to work at the grassroots as well as managing operationally and strategically
You are able to put the ideas and principles behind community wealth building and co-operation into practice, in a way that has direct impact across the community
You have experience of engaging and supporting people who have been marginalised, who may be struggling or feeling devalued and disconnected
You understand how current systems and services can alienate people and compound their difficulties
You have experience working on community wealth building, co-operation, local economic strategies, or similar experience in a related field
You understand the limits of markets and the negative impacts of the way that the economy currently works
You’re able to challenge constructively when individuals and organisations behave in an extractive, excluding or exploitative way
You understand how to recognize and demonstrate success beyond the usual metrics of outcome measurement
About Middleton Cooperating
Middleton Cooperating exists to make Middleton a happier, healthier place to live. We do this by facilitating collaboration between local residents, traders, service providers, charities, social enterprises, community groups and cooperative organisations.
We’re member-led and governed through sociocratic decision making, and we operate a model of building community wealth in line with co-operative principles, focusing primarily on the foundational economy. We’re a values-driven community benefit society and have been registered with the Financial Conduct Authority since April 2021.
We’re committed to a real living wage and a 4-day flexible working week, and we’re open to job-shares.
We currently have around 90 paid-up members, across our 5 membership categories - individuals, community groups, local businesses, anchor organisations, and partner co-operatives.
Our existing workstreams include a community renewable energy organisation, a local tenants union branch, a developing advice consortium, and a project to map local land and property ownership. We’re starting work on how mental health services need to change, and on co-ordinating support for asylum seekers and refugees. And we want to establish similar circles and workstreams to engage people in transforming early years/child care, social care, the local food economy, access to arts and culture, and more.
There’s no blueprint beyond our guiding principles, and there are no limits to our ambition in bringing about a transformation of our town that benefits us all.
We have some core funding from Lankelly Chase that’s enabling us to recruit to this – our first – post. Our work over the next 18 months, and hopefully longer, will mainly involve:
- expanding our membership, and populating our governance structures;
- progressing our existing circles/workstreams, and establishing new ones;
- building up our organisational capacity and sustainability.
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