Operational Assistant - Community Action Isle of Wight

Community Action Isle of Wight; Newport; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Community Action Isle of Wight is seeking an Operational Assistant to support Housing Vulnerability and Household Support Officers on a three-year project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The role involves administration, project coordination, community engagement and practical support in Sandown.

You will be the first point of contact for residents, co-ordinating appointments, events and communications while maintaining accurate records and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide a friendly and professional first point of contact for residents and partner organisations.
• Respond to routine enquiries, arrange appointments and help people access project activities and support.
• Support community events, workshops and other activities, including registrations, resources and attendance records.
• Maintain accurate project records, trackers, contact lists and monitoring information.
• Help keep project actions and deadlines on track and follow up information as required.
• Support communications with colleagues and community and voluntary sector partners.
• Help collect feedback, case studies and information about the difference the projects are making.
• Prepare documents and project materials and provide routine administrative support.
• Support partnership meetings, events, publicity and project communications.

Job description

Operational Assistant – Sandown

£24,500 FTE (pro rata salary £21,851 per year) | 33 hours per week | Fixed-term for 3 years

Help us make a real difference to residents of Sandown

Community Action Isle of Wight is looking for a friendly, organised and motivated Operational Assistant to support our Housing Vulnerability and Household Support Officers as part of an exciting three-year project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Working as part of a small and supportive team, you will help ensure our housing vulnerability and household support work runs smoothly and that residents, community organisations and partners receive a welcoming and responsive service.

This is a varied role combining administration, project coordination, community engagement and practical support. You will be an important first point of contact for residents and will help our Officers spend more of their time providing direct support to people who need it.

About the role

You will provide day-to-day administrative and operational support to the Housing Vulnerability and Household Support Officers, helping to coordinate appointments, community activities, workshops, meetings and project information.

The role will include:

• Providing a friendly and professional first point of contact for residents and partner organisations.
• Responding to routine enquiries, arranging appointments and helping people access the right project activities and support.
• Supporting community events, workshops and other activities, including registrations, resources and attendance records.
• Maintaining accurate project records, trackers, contact lists and monitoring information.
• Helping to keep project actions and deadlines on track and following up information when required.
• Supporting communications with colleagues and community and voluntary sector partners.
• Helping collect feedback, case studies and information about the difference the projects are making.
• Preparing documents and project materials and providing routine administrative support.
• Supporting partnership meetings, events, publicity and project communications.

About you

We are looking for someone who is friendly, approachable and highly organised, with good communication skills and a genuine commitment to providing an excellent service to residents and colleagues.

You will be comfortable managing a range of administrative tasks, keeping accurate records and coordinating different activities and priorities. You will be confident communicating with residents, colleagues and partner organisations by telephone, email and face-to-face.

You will understand the importance of confidentiality when working with personal and sensitive information and know when an enquiry needs to be passed to an appropriate Officer or manager.

Experience of administration, project support, customer service, community work or a similar role would be particularly valuable.

Most importantly, you will be reliable, organised, non-judgemental and attentive to detail, with the ability to use your initiative while understanding the boundaries of your role.

About Community Action Isle of Wight

Community Action Isle of Wight is an independent local charity dedicated to strengthening communities, reducing inequality and improving the lives of Island residents.

This role forms part of a three-year project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, supporting residents experiencing housing vulnerability and households facing financial pressure.

Start date: October 2026 or to be agreed