Community Empowerment Officer: That’s Powerful

The Playhouse; Derry/Londonderry; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A community arts organization in Northern Ireland seeks a Community Empowerment Officer to coordinate its 'That’s Powerful' programme. This role involves managing community projects, building relationships with local organizations, and ensuring compliance with financial and administrative standards. Ideal candidates will have experience in social issue engagement and strong project management skills. Salary ranges from £26k to £29k per annum, with a fixed-term contract of 2.5 years and potential for extension.

Qualifications

• Experience in coordinating community projects, especially in social issues.
• Strong communication skills and ability to build relationships.
• Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and deliver projects with community partners.
• Support co-design of workshops for participants.
• Maintain administrative records related to project expenditure.

Skills

Project Management

Community Engagement

Budget Tracking

Job description

The Community Empowerment Officer: That’s Powerful will coordinate, develop and deliver That’s Powerful projects across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties as part of The Playhouse’s Making Peaceful Change programme, funded by PEACEPLUS.

That’s Powerful harnesses the power of the arts and creative practice to explore social issues like migration, disability, the climate crisis, LGBTQIA+ rights, community identity, and mental health through a justice-led approach to engagement. Through workshops and co‑designed creative outputs, the programme empowers people of all ages to share lived experiences, nurture dialogue, and make peaceful change.

Salary: £26-29k

Full Time, Fixed Term (2.5 years with possibility of extension)

Project Design, Planning & Delivery

• Coordinate and deliver That’s Powerful projects with community partners across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.
• Support the co‑design of workshops that enable participants to explore rights‑based topics through creative arts.
• Contract and brief facilitators and artists, ensuring safe, inclusive, and high‑quality delivery.
• Plan and oversee project schedules, budgets, and logistics in collaboration with the Project Manager, Producing, and Finance Teams.
• Ensure all activities comply with safeguarding, health and safety, and equality standards.
• Support the coordination of culminating events or creative outcomes, both in‑person and digital.

Partnership & Relationship Building

• Build and maintain strong relationships with community, youth, and cultural organisations (e.g. community, youth, schools, voluntary & cultural orgs).
• Work closely with facilitators and partner representatives to ensure clear communication and shared purpose.
• Represent The Playhouse at community and sectoral events, promoting participation in That’s Powerful.

Finance & Administration

• Support the Project Manager and Finance Team by maintaining accurate administrative records related to project expenditure and participant expenses.
• Ensure documentation (e.g. receipts, workshop associated admin, facilitator timesheets) is filed and available to support compliance requirements led by the Finance Team.
• Assist in tracking budgets and expenditures, ensuring accurate records are shared with the Project Manager and Finance Team.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

• Collect and collate data and feedback to support internal monitoring and funder reporting processes led by the Project Manager and Development Team.
• Support reflective learning processes across project partners.
• Contribute to case studies and communications materials that celebrate project impact.

TO APPLY

Submit:

• your up‑to‑date CV, inclusive of two references
• an A4 Cover letter outlining your suitability for the role in particular paying attention to address the essential and (if applicable) desirable experience, skills and attributes, and
• a monitoring form (see link below)

Send CV and Cover Letter to Shauna Gallagher, to whom you can also send any queries about the application process. Please note that the deadline for queries is 12 noon on 19th December 2025 as The Playhouse is closed and not monitoring emails from 20th December 2025 to 05 January 2026.

BY E‑MAIL: [e-mail]

SUBJECT HEADING: ‘Community Empowerment Officer: That’s Powerful’

OR BY POST:

Shauna Gallagher, The Playhouse, 5-7 Artillery St, Derry / Londonderry, BT48 6RG

MONITORING FORM

Please fill in the following monitoring form which is available at this link

LINK: https://forms.gle/8AMsbTmd9dBKH5t78

DEADLINE

Monday 5th January at 12 noon