Regional Development Officers

Regional Development Officer - Ulster / Connacht / Munster

This is a great opportunity to join an organisation that is protecting the natural environment and making a real difference to the lives of young people. We are currently recruiting three Regional Development Officers to support our work across the island of Ireland, with dedicated roles in Ulster, Connacht, and Munster. If you have a passion for our natural environment, youth development, and sustainability, and are proactive with strong communication and organisational skills, we would love to hear from you.

Contract: 2 years Fixed Term (*subject to ongoing funding) Probationary Period: 6 months

About the Role

As Regional Development Officer, the successful candidate will be responsible for supporting ECO-UNESCO to develop and grow its impact as part of the organisation's ambitious Strategic Plan 2025–2028.

The role will include:

Reporting to: Operations & Programme Manager

Location: Remote working – field-based roles covering Ulster, Connacht, and Munster, with occasional office attendance.

Time Commitment: Full-time (35 hours), Fixed Term Contract.

Flexibility is required for this role as there is regular evening and weekend work involved.

Start Date: Immediate

Salary

Starting salary scale: €35,000–€39,000, depending on experience.

Benefits

Key Responsibilities1. Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and strengthen strategic relationships with a wide range of education and community partners to embed environmental learning across the region.

This will include:

• Building and maintaining trusted relationships with schools, Local Authorities, and Education and Training Boards, among others.
• Engaging with school leaders, teachers, and youth coordinators to understand local needs and tailor programme offerings.
• Managing communication channels with stakeholders, including regular communications and meetings, to maintain strong, consistent engagement.
• Acting as the primary regional contact point, ensuring partners feel supported, informed, and involved in programme development.

2. Regional Programme Delivery

Lead the coordination and delivery of ECO-UNESCO's high-quality environmental education programmes regionally.

This will include:

• Planning and overseeing the rollout of ECO-UNESCO programmes across schools, youth groups, and community groups, ensuring consistency and quality.
• Facilitating sessions, workshops, and school visits to support ECO-UNESCO programmes, including the Young Environmentalist Awards, workshops, and QQI training.
• Monitoring programme delivery against KPIs such as participation, learning outcomes, and impact metrics.
• Gathering data, testimonials, and case studies to demonstrate impact and inform future development.

3. Expansion and Strategic Growth

Identify and pursue opportunities that support regional expansion and the long-term sustainability of programmes.

This will include:

• Mapping the regional landscape to identify gaps, growth opportunities, and new partnership opportunities within the education, community, local authority, and environmental sectors.
• Building relationships with potential new partners such as NGOs, corporate funders, community groups, and universities.
• Working with senior leadership to develop regional growth plans and pilot new initiatives.
• Contributing to funding applications and collaborative projects that support programme scaling.
• Ongoing review of participation data and opportunities to guide programme improvements and expansion.

4. Training and Capacity Building

Strengthen the capacity of educators and stakeholders to deliver high-quality environmental education.

This will include:

• Delivering ECO-UNESCO workshops and training for teachers, youth workers, and community educators.
• Providing training materials, resources, and follow-up support for educators.
• Collecting feedback on training content to ensure continuous improvement.

5. Revenue Generation and Promotion

• Achieving revenue targets for paid workshop delivery.
• Building a sales pipeline through the development and implementation of a promotion plan, ensuring all schools and youth groups are aware of ECO-UNESCO offerings.
• Ensuring schools and youth groups are informed about all relevant ECO-UNESCO programmes.

Other Responsibilities

• Assisting in the delivery of ECO-UNESCO's other programmes as needed. Periodic assistance is required from all staff for the annual Young Environmentalist Awards, Youth Summit, and other key events.
• Working with the Programmes Manager and Head of Fundraising and Business Development to identify and respond to funding and PR opportunities.
• Undertaking any other relevant duties as directed.
• Representing ECO-UNESCO on relevant ESD and DE bodies where appropriate.
• Maintaining all relevant files and records, including Salesforce.

This role description is not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive. It provides an outline of the main areas of responsibility and may be amended. ECO-UNESCO reserves the right to reassign staff as appropriate and necessary.

Person SpecificationQualifications

• Third-level qualification in a related field, such as sustainable development, environmental studies, science, ecology, biology, geography, or education (Essential).
• Education or youth work qualification (Desirable).

Experience

• At least 2 years' experience working directly with young people (aged 10–18) in youth work, education, environmental education, sustainable development, or a similar youth programme (Essential).
• Experience developing and delivering youth, education, or training programmes (Essential).
• Demonstrated organisational skills, including managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines (Essential).
• Budget management experience from planning through to end-of-project reporting (Desirable).
• Strong interest in the environment, international development, and working with young people (Essential).
• Full, clean driving licence and access to a car (Essential).

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of the youth work sector and education system in Ireland and/or Northern Ireland (Essential).
• Knowledge of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Development Education in Ireland (Essential).
• Knowledge of international development issues, including climate justice (Essential).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (Essential).
• Excellent report-writing, analytical, and computer skills (Essential).
• Ability to manage a complex workload (Essential).
• Ability to critically analyse data and make appropriate decisions (Desirable).
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team (Essential).

Disposition

• Self-starter with a positive, can-do attitude.
• Problem solver with creativity.
• Dependable and flexible.
• Able to take direction.
• Committed to working as part of a team.
• Committed to the values and principles of ECO-UNESCO.

ECO-UNESCO is an equal opportunities employer, and all employees are expected to develop an understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities.

How to Apply

Please send a completed Application Form to:

recruitment@ecounesco.ie

Please use the subject line:

Employment Opportunities – Regional Development Officer (Private and Confidential)

Closing Date for Applications: 24th July 2026

Successful applicants may be requested to prepare a short presentation during the selection process.

Applicants may be placed on a panel for future vacancies.

By completing and submitting the application form, you consent to ECO-UNESCO processing the personal data provided solely for assessing your application for employment. No further processing will occur beyond this purpose. ECO-UNESCO will retain applications for up to 12 months, after which they will be deleted.

Candidates, depending on the nature of the role, may be subject to Garda Vetting.