Community Engagement Officer

app GmbH; Inverness; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

CIH International Housing Group is seeking a field-based community liaison to engage across the West Highlands, Argyll and Lochaber. You will be present at village halls, events and with local organisations to understand needs and explain what we can offer, moving beyond desk work to real community impact.

You will map communities, identify trusted voices, and build relationships to deliver practical improvements like better broadband access.

Qualifications

• Local knowledge of the area and community rhythms.
• Excellent listening and conversation skills.
• Ability to engage diverse community members and stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with the discipline to manage field work.
• Willingness to travel and work in rural settings.
• Must have a full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships across West Highlands communities and local venues.
• Identify trusted locals and community leaders to engage with.
• Represent Highland Broadband at events, meetings and local gatherings.
• Drive adoption of broadband improvements by connecting households and businesses.
• Travel across Argyll and Lochaber, maintaining a visible community presence.

Skills

Local knowledge

Active listening

People skills

Self-motivation

Field-based work

Driving licence

Sales awareness

Job description

This isn't a sales job in the traditional sense. It's a people job.

You'll be spending your time in communities across Argyll and Lochaber: at local events, in village halls, with community organisations, businesses, and residents. You'll be getting to know people, understanding what they need, and helping them understand what we can offer.

We've done a lot of the groundwork already. We know these communities, we know who matters in them, and we know the right conversations to be having. We need someone who can go and have them.

We have spent the last year laying the groundwork across communities from Kinlochleven to Taynuilt, Connel to Ballachulish. We've mapped the landscape, identified who matters in each community, understood the friction, and figured out the right doors to knock on and the right order to knock on them.

What we need now is someone to go and do the human part of that work. The conversations, the presence, the turning up at the Lorn Show, the knowing which local business owner to grab a coffee with. The part you can't do from a desk.

What the role looks like

You'll be based across the West Highlands, throughout Argyll and covering Fort William and Lochaber. You'll be working across village halls, community councils, local events, local businesses, sports clubs, estate offices, GP surgeries, hairdressers - in short, you'll be learning the fabric of the community. Your job is to understand it quickly, find the people who carry the most trust within it, and build relationships that make Highland Broadband deliver the improvement that the community actually needs, rather than something made up by an out-of-touch corporate body.

You're the right person if..

• You know this part of Scotland
• And we don't just mean knowing your way around: do you know the rhythms? Who organises the gala day, which pub is the community hub, which business owner is listened to by the community?
• You're a genuinely good talker
• We're not looking for a great pitcher - we're looking for a brilliant listener. We want to hear from you if you're comfortable in a room where you don't know anyone, and you leave knowing everyone.
• You're comfortable setting your own agenda
• There's a clear framework for this work, and good support behind you - but day to day, you'll be out there using your own judgment, managing your own time and workflow.
• You've done this bit before
• Sales are a natural follow-on part of this role. They're one of the metrics by which we measure success. Already having a bit of familiarity around this kind of work will stand you in good stead to hit the ground running.
• You understand that commercial success and community impact aren't opposites
• Getting more households connected genuinely improves people's lives: telehealth, safety, family connection, local business. This is the kind of impact your work will have.
• You can get around
• You're going to need to move about so this role requires you to hold a full UK driving licence and be happy with significant rural travel - this is a genuinely field-based role. A company vehicle and a fuel card will be provided to support you in the role.