Our communities grow, and are surrounded by abundant, perennial food
Recruitment
Trainee Area Manager x2 - Fruit & Nut Village CIO
Fruit & Nut Village is a growing Birmingham-based charity creating community orchards, forest gardens and food-growing spaces across the city. We are looking for two enthusiastic trainees to join our team and develop practical horticultural, community engagement and leadership skills whilst helping local communities connect with nature and perennial food-growing.
Job title: Trainee Area Manager (2 roles available)
Employment type: Part time (0.25 FTE)
Contract Length: 12 months, commencing August 2026
Remuneration: £13 per hour (plus £1.61 per hour holiday increment), paid monthly
Benefits: Supported bus travel, small subsistence when attending work sessions
Application Deadline: 21st July 11.59 pm
First stage phone interviews will take place between: 23rd and 27th July 26
Final interviews will take place on 29th July 26
About the Roles
Fruit & Nut Village plans to expand operations to include more parts of the city in its work. The current four “Fruit & Nut Villages” based in South Birmingham are soon set to be joined by new neighbourhoods in East Birmingham. Investment in these areas is planned to increase over the coming years with additional staff, resources and partnerships being brought to this part of the city. By 2040 the charity hopes to be operating across the entire city of Birmingham. This opportunity is aimed towards 16 to 30 year olds wishing to improve their employability in the field of community food-growing.
The purpose of these roles is to train two individuals in community organising, the safe management of community greenspace sessions and perennial food-growing techniques. These roles are offered on a 12-month fixed-term basis. Subject to organisational needs, funding and performance, we hope that successful trainees will have the opportunity to continue their journey with Fruit & Nut Village beyond the initial training period. We are especially interested in hearing from people living in areas of Birmingham where community food-growing is not already taking place or is only taking place at a low level, such as individuals living in “East Birmingham” as defined by Birmingham City Council.
Through a combination of hands-on experience, mentoring and training, trainees will develop their skills in the following, plus other, areas: fruit tree planting, fruit tree pruning, fruit tree grafting, other plant propagation techniques, forest garden management, sheet mulching and other ground preparation techniques, community engagement, health and safety, supporting community members in their lives, safe tool use and volunteer management.
FNV Area Manager Trainee (2 posts):
Location: Stirchley / Home-based / Probable work in other FNV neighbourhoods across Birmingham
Responsibilities:
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Attend on-site, practical, community-based perennial food-growing sessions largely in south Birmingham
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Carry out independent research outside of on-site sessions, e.g. to further knowledge of forest garden plants, fruit tree pruning, etc
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Specific responsibilities at different sessions, e.g. signing in attendees, guiding a small group of volunteers with newly-learned skills
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Ensure health and safety standards are maintained at work days
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Ensure attendee participation during sessions is engaging and positive
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Represent FNV and promote our work
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Potentially attend local community meetings to promote the project
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Care for tools and other FNV equipment during sessions
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Adhere to relevant risk assessments and carry out on site assessments
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Support and follow FNV internal policies
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Report to the FNV Project Coordinator
Candidate Specification:
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Strong communications skills - the role requires engagement with a broad audience, potentially including Birmingham City Council officials, partner organisations and members of the public.
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Methodical and detail-focussed - working outdoors with groups of people requires a wide-range of equipment and materials and these can change from session to session; it is important to be able to manage multiple tasks at once and be mindful of safety, volunteer behaviour, work standards, etc concurrently.
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Local knowledge – we are especially interested in hearing from residents of East Birmingham, who can demonstrate an understanding of the challenges facing the communities of Birmingham. The ability to speak local community languages is desirable but not a prerequisite.
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Interest in environmental sustainability - including a commitment to caring for the planet and its people as well as a deep appreciation of inclusion and an understanding of overcoming unconscious bias.
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Other useful skills and abilities - an ability to communicate in other languages commonly understood in Birmingham, an ability to make simple maps, good understanding of photography.
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Willingness to work some weekends and potentially work out of office hours during weekdays.
Contact Us
How To Apply:
To apply for one of these posts, please send us a one-page text document (minimum font size 10) explaining why you would be suited to and interested in one of these roles. Applications must arrive before the application deadline above. Applications should be emailed to the following email address with the Subject heading “Trainee Role Application” and include your telephone number:
+44 7895 692446
Download the document here