Community Engagement Lead

Catalyst Support; Old Woking; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Catalyst Support in Surrey seeks a Community Engagement Lead to strengthen the reach and accessibility of Community Connections across Surrey. You will build relationships with local organisations, networks and referral partners, and coordinate outreach, events and promotional activity.

This hands-on role focuses on turning conversations into action, travelling across the county to connect communities with our services, with a DBS check at offer stage and a commitment to equality, diversity and

Qualifications

• Experience in community engagement, outreach or related field.
• Experience building relationships with community organisations and partners.
• Confident planning and delivering outreach or promotional activities.
• Understanding barriers to accessing services and inclusive engagement.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with community organisations, networks and referral partners across Surrey.
• Plan and coordinate community engagement, outreach, events and promotional activity.
• Increase awareness of Community Connections and make it easier to access the service.
• Strengthen referral pathways and generate appropriate referrals.
• Identify communities where reach could improve and develop targeted activity.
• Create opportunities for clients and communities to share experiences and shape services.
• Work with Marketing, service and data teams to ensure accessible communications.
• Use data to understand what's working and where to improve.
• Represent Catalyst Support positively within communities across Surrey.

Skills

Community engagement

Relationship building

Communication

Organisational skills

Team collaboration

Job description

At Catalyst Support, we believe that wellness should be a right for everyone. We are a Surrey charity supporting people and communities with their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Our work is rooted in kindness, integrity and commitment, and in creating accessible services that make a meaningful difference to people's lives. We're looking for a Community Engagement Lead to help us strengthen the reach, visibility and accessibility of our Community Connections service across Surrey. This is an exciting, outward-facing role for someone who loves connecting with people, building meaningful community relationships and turning conversations into action. You'll be out and about in communities, developing relationships with local organisations, networks, community groups and referral partners and helping people understand what Community Connections can offer.

What you'll be doing

• Build strong relationships with community organisations, professionals, local networks and referral partners across Surrey.
• Plan and coordinate community engagement, outreach, events and promotional activity.
• Increase awareness of Community Connections and make it easier for people to understand how to access the service.
• Strengthen referral pathways and help generate appropriate referrals into the service.
• Identify communities or locations where our reach could be improved and develop targeted engagement activity.
• Create opportunities for clients, carers and communities to share their experiences and help shape how our services develop.
• Work alongside our Marketing, service and data colleagues to ensure our communications are accessible, accurate and reaching the right people.
• Use referral, attendance, demographic and engagement information to understand what's working and where we need to do more.
• Represent Catalyst Support positively within communities across Surrey.

This is a hands-on delivery and coordination role, not a line-management position. You'll have the freedom to build relationships and create momentum, while making sure engagement activity translates into meaningful outcomes for communities and the service.

You don't need to tick every possible box. What matters most is that you understand communities, enjoy connecting with people and can turn conversations and relationships into action.

Required Experience

• Experience in community engagement, outreach, community development, health and wellbeing or a related field.
• Experience building relationships with community organisations, professionals, networks and people using services.
• Confidence planning and delivering outreach, events or promotional activities.
• An understanding of the barriers that can prevent people from accessing services and how inclusive engagement can help overcome them.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the confidence to represent a service externally.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to coordinate activity across different locations.
• The ability to use feedback and basic data to identify gaps, opportunities and areas for improvement.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively with colleagues across different teams.
• Experience within mental health, wellbeing, social care or the VCSE sector would be particularly valuable, as would knowledge of Surrey's communities and local voluntary and community networks, but these are desirable rather than essential.

The role requires regular travel across Surrey and some flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend community activities. The post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Catalyst Support welcomes applications from people with lived experience and is committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

£30,000-£34000 Full-time Permanent Mental Health

Actively Interviewing

Catalyst Support is a Surrey charity committed to championing wellness across communities and transforming lives by addressing mental, physical and emotional health needs. Our approach is grounded in kindness, integrity and commitment, and we work alongside individuals, communities and partners to develop accessible services that make a lasting difference.

Why this role matters

Community services only make a difference when people know they exist and feel able to access them. You'll play an important part in making those connections happen. You'll help us reach communities we may not currently be reaching, strengthen the routes through which people find support and ensure the voices and experiences of local people influence how Community Connections develops.