Community Listener (South Derbyshire)

Rethink Mental Illness; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 6,300 - 6,400; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

25 days leave

Wellbeing support

Learning & development

Travel schemes

Job summary

Rethink Mental Illness is seeking a Community Listener to work across Derbyshire, listening to lived experiences of loneliness and mental health challenges and turning insights into action.

You will engage with residents and groups, gather stories, support forums and engagement activities, and help ensure voices influence local priorities and service development, with a focus on accessible participation.

Qualifications

• Lived, living or caring experience relevant to mental health, loneliness or isolation.
• Experience in community engagement or participation activities.
• Excellent listening and communication skills.
• Ability to build rapport with diverse groups.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Confidence in gathering and presenting community insights.
• Understanding of co-production or asset-based approaches.

Responsibilities

• Engage with local residents, groups and Experts by Experience.
• Reach out to underrepresented communities.
• Gather stories and ideas for change.
• Support community forums and listening events.
• Help ensure lived experience informs local priorities and services.

Skills

Lived experience

Community engagement

Listening & communication

Rapport building

Equality & inclusion

Insight presentation

Co-production knowledge

Driving licence & vehicle

Job description

Location: Field Based Across South Derbyshire

Contract: Permanent Part Time, around 9 hours a week

Salary: £6311.55

Reporting to: Community Voice Network Facilitator

DBS Check: Enhanced

Driving Licence Required: Yes, with access to a vehicle and Business Insurance

Make sure community voices are heard and acted upon.

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that people with lived experience are experts in their own lives. We're looking for a passionate and compassionate Community Listener to help ensure that local people shape the services, support and decisions that affect them.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Together Derbyshire programme and work directly with residents, community groups and people with lived and living experience of loneliness, isolation and mental health challenges. You'll spend time out in communities, listening to people's experiences, gathering insights, supporting engagement activities and helping turn community voices into meaningful change.

What will you be doing?

As a Community Listener, you'll build trusted relationships with people across Derbyshire and create opportunities for them to share what matters most to them.

You Will

• Engage with local residents, community groups and Experts by Experience.
• Reach out to underrepresented and seldom-heard communities.
• Gather stories, experiences, feedback and ideas for change.
• Support community forums, listening events and engagement activities.
• Help ensure people with lived and caring experience influence local priorities and service development.
• Contribute to community insight reports and briefings.
• Promote inclusive, accessible and meaningful participation.
• Work alongside partner organisations and local stakeholders to strengthen community connections.

Who are we looking for?

We're interested in who you are as much as what you've done.

You'll Bring

• Personal lived, living or caring experience relevant to mental health, loneliness or isolation.
• Experience of community engagement, participation or involvement activities.
• Excellent listening and communication skills.
• The ability to build rapport with people from diverse backgrounds.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Confidence gathering and presenting community insights.
• An understanding of co-production, community development or asset-based approaches.
• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle.

It Would Be Great If You Also Have

• Experience supporting vulnerable or underrepresented groups.
• Knowledge of local voluntary, community, NHS or council services.
• Understanding of loneliness, wellbeing, social isolation or public health.
• Additional community language skills.

Why join Rethink Mental Illness?

At Rethink, people are at the heart of everything we do. We know that real change happens when communities are listened to, valued and involved in decisions that affect their lives.

When you join us, you'll be part of a team that:

• Champions lived experience.
• Values diversity and inclusion.
• Supports learning and development.
• Encourages innovation and collaboration.
• Makes a genuine difference in communities every day.

Our Work Is Guided By Our CARES Values

Connect. Accountable. Respect. Evolve. Success.

We welcome applications from everyone

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and particularly encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental illness, carers, people from ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

If you're passionate about listening, connecting with people and making sure community voices lead to meaningful change, we'd love to hear from you.

If you have any questions or want more information, feel free to email [e-mail]

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Why join Rethink Mental Illness?

We believe people do their best work when they feel supported, valued and able to be themselves. You'll benefit from:

• An inclusive culture, with colleague-led staff networks for Disability & Neurodiversity, Race & Ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, Gender Equality and Menopause.
• Flexible working and 25 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with the option to buy or sell leave.
• Wellbeing support including our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Champions and Unmind.
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career.
• Financial and family benefits including a contributory pension, enhanced family leave and travel schemes.
• Recognition and rewards including discounts, cashback offers and a Blue Light Card.
• Referral bonus where you can earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.

Our commitment to inclusion

We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. We're also committed to becoming a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider supported by a multi-year equity, diversity and inclusion programme of work. For more information please view https://www.rethink.org/media/hdtjjy5b/revised-edi-plan-rethink.pdf

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and want everyone to have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and experience. If you need reasonable adjustments during recruitment or when in your role, please let us know and we will work with you to understand what support you need.