Celebrating its 20th anniversary year in 2024, The Rivers Trust is a leading environmental charity and the umbrella body of The Rivers Trust movement, representing over 60 independent trusts across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain. Our vision is for wild, healthy, and natural rivers valued by all. We are at the forefront of environmental conservation, working to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and peatlands, while engaging communities in catchment management and advocating for sustainable water quality practices at policy level. The island of Ireland is the fastest-growing area of The Rivers Trust movement with 21 local Rivers Trusts. This is a pivotal time to join our expanding team and contribute to our vital work in freshwater landscapes. We are looking for a Project Communications Officer for our ongoing Interreg North-West Europe BUFFER Project, which aims to explore different approaches to peatland restoration and furthering climate adaptations and mitigation in the partner regions. The Rivers Trust has two peatland restoration demonstration and paludiculture pilots in Counties Mayo and Donegal and works with a wide range of stakeholders. This role will lead on the project’s: Communication, stakeholder engagement, the communication strategies, event management and PR activities. The successful candidate will live and work in Ireland (Republic of). It's a part-time, home-based role, though the job holder may be required to travel within Ireland, the UK, and occasionally Europe. There is flexibility around working hours and time off in lieu is also available. We are happy to make adjustments for people with disabilities and/or caring responsibilities, and we welcome applications from all communities. We offer 25 days holiday pro rata (rising to 28 days) plus statutory holiday days. This is a part-time (0.5FTE) role, equivalent to two and a half days per week. The salary range for this role, based on experience, is €17,805 – €20,031 (equivalent to €35,611 - €40,061, if the role was full-time). In addition to salary, we also offer a 9% employer pension contribution (subject to 6% employee contribution) and life assurance. The main duties and responsibilities are: Internal Communication & Stakeholder Engagement: Development of a communication strategy based on a stakeholder mapping exercise and lead on the bespoke communication for each stakeholder category/ group. Maintain & update the peatland stakeholder data-base and communicate with different stakeholder categories, including local communities, government agencies, and partner organisations.Advocate for the benefits of peatland restoration through partnerships and strong science. Digital Communications for BUFFER: Create content for the central BUFFER website covering activities of The Rivers Trust’s BUFFER Team in relation to the pilot work and other events.Support the European-level BUFFER Communication by creating Ireland-specific content for the project’s social media channels, news section and newsletter. Facilitate knowledge transfer between partner regions across north-west Europe & groups in Ireland. Occasional research on topics and writing briefing documents may be required from time to time. Event Management: Assist in the preparation & design of materials and organisation of peatland & Natural Flood Management training events at the Donegal pilot site. Assist in the planning and support the execution of the BUFFER partnership meeting in County Mayo in 2026 and ‘Paludifair’ to showcase the successful paludiculture trial to key stakeholders, BUFFER partners, farming community and locals.Organise and manage project related events, including preparation, on-the-day support, and post-event follow-up. PR and Publicity: Identify media opportunities to promote the BUFFER project.Write press releases and respond to media inquiries. Knowledge, skills, experience, and personal qualities: Essential Exceptional organisational and communication skills with proven experience in a similar role.Well-developed writing skills and good attention to detail.Fully competent in MS Office.Proven experience with design programmes, such as Canva, and Photoshop.Experience in communicating scientific information to a general audience. Desirable Comfortable using digital marketing tools such as WordPress and CRM databases. Experience in communicating scientific information in relation to peatland and climate.Experience of working in a not-for-profit environment.Understanding and knowledge of peatland conservation & ecology.Understanding carbon sequestration and climate issues. Qualifications/Education Education: Degree in Communications, Journalism, or equivalent experience (below). OR Environmental Science, Public Policy, or a related field WITH experience (below) Experience: Minimum 2 years in communications, advocacy, or community engagement, ideally within the environmental sector. It is essential that you have access to secure and private accommodation suitable for working from home, and a reliable broadband connection. You must be based in the Island of Ireland and have the permission to work in ROI. You must be comfortable with working alone and with minimal supervision. Everyone who works for us is expected to contribute to a respectful and inclusive working culture and follow our policies and procedures including Health & Safety, EDI, Cybersecurity and GDPR. If you have any questions which will help you decide to apply and aren't answered on our website, please get in touch with Constanze.otooletheriverstrust.org and she'll get back to you. Please note we can only accept applications made through this site, and not sent by email or other methods. Closing date: Thursday 16th January 2025 Interviews: W/C 27th January 2025