Community Engagement Project Officer

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local council in London is seeking a Community Engagement Project Officer to drive community engagement and build relationships within the community. This role involves coordinating community projects funded under the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) and working with a variety of stakeholders to ensure effective communication and participation. The ideal candidate will possess strong community outreach skills and be motivated to make a difference.

Benefits

40 days annual leave

Flexible working

Generous pension plan

Qualifications

• Experience in community outreach and mobilising communities.
• Ability to build trust and relationships within communities.
• Knowledge of co-designing projects for community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with residents and community groups.
• Coordinate public community-based events.
• Engage with seldom heard communities to gather input.

Skills

Community outreach

Building relationships

Empathy

Engagement with communities

Managing stakeholders

Job description

Community Engagement Project Officer (Wandsworth)

£37,602-£45,564

Fixed Term until May 2027

Full Time

Wandsworth Town Hall

Objective of role

Would you like to join a unique, highly creative, and passionate team, working closely with communities to deliver positive outcomes in Wandsworth?

The prime responsibilities of the Community Engagement Officer as a key member of Stronger and Safer Communities, is to ensure that an adequate level of communication between the Council and residents is developed, maintained and the engagement of residents in participating in decision making for their area, is stimulated, and developed.

The Community Engagement Officer will take the leading role for community engagement for specific projects that are funded under the NCIL. This may include working on consultations, co-designing projects with local communities or smaller local engagement pieces. They will also be expected to work with other Council departments, statutory agencies and the voluntary and community sector.

About the role

This role will be part of a community focused team listening to and working with communities and other partners to create better spaces and places for local people. This new approach will see a greater emphasis on developing resident and community understanding of Wandsworth’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) and will mobilise communities and stakeholders (statutory and non-statutory) to co-design viable projects suitable for NCIL funding.

This role will offer opportunities to work from home, the Wandsworth office or be out and about at events or community meetings.

The role will be about:

• Building relationships with residents, voluntary sector and community groups, and our wider partners across and within neighbourhoods.
• Supporting and promoting the Leader’s Roadshow programme in communities.
• Place-based working: working in a certain area and building relationships within those communities.
• Supporting engagement for NCIL funded projects and working with communities on developing potential NCIL projects.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Community outreach, inspiring and mobilising communities to make a difference, is central to the role. It involves working with charities, public sector partners, and a wide range of Council Services to engage with seldom heard communities.

The successful candidate will:

• Build meaningful relationships and trust with our communities – so this role is highly social, requires someone who is empathetic, can initiate dialogue with communities, whilst also being outcomes focused and results driven.
• Inspire and mobilise communities to make a difference. It involves working with charities, public sector partners, and a wide range of council services to engage with seldom heard communities
• Co-ordinate regular public facing community-based events involving local Councillors, Council and partner services, that can help to deepen our understanding of local issues as well as seek people’s ideas of how their neighbourhood can be improved.
• You will need to bring a good working knowledge of how to engage different communities, develop effective relationships and managing multiple stakeholders within the community.
• You will need to bring an understanding of how to support the co-design of projects that could be suitable for NCIL funding. As part of this you will work collaboratively with the Community Funding Manager who will manage the NCIL proposal evaluation and allocation.
• You will be at the forefront of delivering the Council’s ‘community engagement approach’ meaning there will be an expectation that you will be a present and active member of Wandsworth’s many communities.

On occasions you may be required to work evenings and weekends, for which you will be given time off in lieu. This position will mostly entail working within the community

We are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.