Head of Community Partnerships

Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

This is a rare chance to shape the future of the Homestead estate - a distinctive mix of park, buildings and community spaces with an amazing history rooted in the Rowntree family’s commitment to opening up green space for the people of York.

Homestead Park has been a public asset since 1904, gifted so that everyone, regardless of income, could enjoy free access to nature and community. Joseph Rowntree Foundation is now investing in a new chapter for the whole estate, and we’re recruiting a Head of Community Partnerships to help lead this work.

About the role

In this role, you’ll design and manage partnerships, programmes and events that connect people with the park, the buildings and each other, and that reflect the needs and priorities of York’s communities.

You’ll work closely with groups who have not always been included in decision‑making or had equal access to public spaces, tackling barriers to participation and building trusted relationships over time. You’ll also help shape how the wider estate is used in future, ensuring community perspectives are central to how it develops.

About you

We are seeking a passionate and community-focused individual to help develop Homestead Park as an inclusive and inspiring space that brings people together through nature, wellbeing and community connection.

The role involves leading community engagement activities, volunteering programmes and nature -based initiatives that encourage participation, strengthen belonging and support positive social and environmental change. Working alongside local residents, charities, community groups and partners, you will help ensure the park that is welcoming and accessible to all, particularly those who are often excluded from public spaces and decision-making. You will be confident facilitating inclusive activities, engaging with diverse perspectives and building meaningful connections within the community.

You will bring experience of community engagement within parks, public spaces or the voluntary sector, alongside a strong commitment to inclusion, accessibility and delivering practical, impactful projects.

How to apply

If you want to use a much‑loved local estate with a powerful Rowntree legacy to support community life, improve access to green space and help York move towards a fairer, more sustainable future, we’d be very interested to hear from you.

Please submit your CV and supporting information via our online application platform.

The closing date for applications is 24th June 2026.

Interviews date – tbc

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward should enough quality applications be received prior to the current closing date.

Additional Information

Applications are welcome from all, regardless of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, trans status or socioeconomic background.

We positively encourage applications from people from marginalised backgrounds, including but not limited to those with experience of living in poverty.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and operate an anonymised recruitment process so that bias is eliminated from the shortlisting process.

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full-time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part-time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part-time work and, if part-time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

At JRF we’re at our best when we’re continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference – and hope others will do the same. So, for those roles which allow it, we’re developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home (with an expectation of two days a week in your home office).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. This means that we are committed to the recruitment, progression and retention of disabled individuals. We shall also offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disability, please tell us if you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you have any additional needs and need reasonable adjustments to be made to the interview process, please let us know.