Northumberland National Park Authority
Programme Support Officer - NE Farm Business Support Service
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Programme Support Officer – North East Farm Business Support Service
About the Role
Position: Programme Support Officer – North East Farm Business Support Service Location: Rothbury or Hexham (hybrid working available) Contract: Full-time (part-time considered), fixed term until 31 March 2029
Are you passionate about farming, rural communities, and making a difference?
We’re seeking a motivated and organised Programme Support Officer to join the North East Farm Business Support Service, delivered by Northumberland National Park Authority on behalf of the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
You’ll work with a dedicated team supporting farmers and rural businesses across the North East. Your role involves helping them access advice, funding opportunities, and business support—including assisting with farm visits, programme administration, workshops, and promoting the service at agricultural events.
This position is ideal for someone with:
- An understanding of farming and rural challenges,
- Strong communication and organisational skills,
- Experience in administration, project support, or programme delivery,
- Good IT skills (Microsoft 365 proficiency),
- A proactive attitude and genuine interest in supporting the farming community.
Responsibilities
Job Purpose
Support the North East Farm Business Support team to deliver the Farm Business Support workstream of the North East Rural Growth Programme, providing a pathway to future roles such as Farming and Rural Enterprise Officer.
Core tasks include:
- Assisting with farm visits, programme administration, and compliance support.
- Ensuring farmers access available grants and advice through the Farm Business Support scheme.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Key Result Areas
1. Strategy Development & Implementation
- Work with the team to ensure timely business referrals are actioned.
- Maintain accurate records for project reporting and claims, aiding key performance indicators.
- Stay updated on agricultural policy and funding opportunities to provide accurate farm business advice.
2. Project Development & Implementation
- Collaborate with the Farm Networking Officer to develop and deliver technical workshops—including securing speakers, venues, catering, and promotional support from the NNPA communications team.
- Oversee record keeping, such as farm business pipelines and outcome monitoring.
- Assist farmers with application forms and associated requirements.
3. Health & Safety
- Uphold H&S policies across all activities, reporting accidents and risks to the designated H&S representative.
4. Support & Advocacy
- Promote the programme at events like agricultural shows, rural markets, and local meetings.
- Assist with programme evaluation, including funding body reporting.
5. Partnership & Liaison
- Engage with partner organisations, attend relevant meetings, and foster innovation, collaboration, and open communication across the team.
- Ensure timely reporting and submission of claims.
6. Additional Duties
- Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all work.
- Comply with GDPR regulations and honour MoUs with partners.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Knowledge:
- Understanding of rural business challenges, particularly for farmers.
- Awareness of current agricultural and environmental policies.
- Knowledge of North East farming practices and benefits of mixed farming experience.
Skills:
- Adaptive communication—explaining complex information to diverse audiences.
- Strong numeracy and analytical abilities.
- Proficient in Microsoft 365 tools, specifically Teams, and data management.
Experience:
- Experience in project administration (e.g. claims verification, project monitoring).
- Writing clear reports and stakeholder liaison work.
- Background in liaison with external partners and internal teams.
Personal Qualities:
- Proactive, objective, and detail-oriented.
- Methodical and patient with a calm demeanour.
- Confident in interpersonal interactions, ability to work flexibly and travel.
Why Join Us?
- Flexible/hybrid work arrangements.
- Local government pension scheme.
- Generous holiday and flexi-time policies.
- A meaningful, varied role with direct impact on rural business growth.
- Opportunities to collaborate with farmers across the North East.
- Career development into a Farming and Rural Enterprise Officer role.
Application Note: For the full job description and to apply, visit our website for the job pack and application form. Voluntary equal opportunities monitoring is encouraged.
Delivered by Northumberland National Park Authority for the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location