Rural Housing and Communities Officer

Dorset Community Action; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset Community Action is seeking a Rural Housing and Communities Officer to support the delivery of affordable housing in rural communities, including rural exception sites. The role involves working with parish councils, landowners and housing providers, and travelling across Dorset by car.

You will manage your own caseload in a community-facing, relationship-based role, providing engagement, analysis and practical problem-solving. Training and mentoring support is provided.

Qualifications

• Experience in housing, planning or local government is helpful but not essential.
• Strong communication and community engagement abilities.
• Ability to analyse information and present it clearly.
• Ability to manage your own workload and priorities.
• Collaborative and diplomatic approach to working with diverse perspectives.
• Commitment to community-led solutions and place-based work.
• Willingness to travel across Dorset and attend occasional evenings or weekend meetings.

Responsibilities

• Promote the Rural Housing Enabling service across Dorset.
• Support communities to understand evidence of local housing need.
• Identify and progress potential affordable housing sites.
• Support early stages of scheme development through to handover.

Skills

People skills

Communication

Data analysis

Workload management

Collaboration & diplomacy

Resilience

Job description

37 hours per week | 12‑month fixed term (with potential extension)
Salary: £29,114 FTE
Location: Wimborne / Dorchester, with travel across Dorset

Dorset Community Action (DCA) works with communities across Dorset to develop practical, community‑led solutions that improve local lives. We support places where traditional services are limited or inaccessible, helping communities respond to real local need.

We are looking for a Rural Housing and Communities Officer to support the delivery of affordable housing in Dorset’s rural communities, particularly through rural exception sites.

This role is funded through the DEFRA‑supported Rural Housing Enabling (RHE) Programme until 31 March 2027 (extension subject to funding).

About the role

You will work closely with Parish Councils, local communities, landowners, housing providers and Dorset Council to help rural communities explore and progress solutions to local housing need.

This is a community‑facing, relationship‑based role that combines engagement, analysis and practical problem‑solving. You will manage your own caseload and play a key part in building trust, navigating sensitive issues, and helping partners move ideas towards delivery.

Key responsibilities include:

• Promoting the Rural Housing Enabling service across Dorset
• Supporting communities to understand evidence of local housing need
• Identifying and helping to progress potential affordable housing sites
• Supporting early stages of scheme development through to handover

You will not be expected to come with detailed technical knowledge of rural housing policy. Training, mentoring and technical support will be provided, including support from national and local Rural Housing Enabling networks.

About you

We’re interested in how you work, not just what you’ve done. This role is well suited to someone with strong people skills who is interested in developing a career in housing, community development or place‑based work.

You’ll be able to demonstrate:

• Strong communication and community engagement skills
• The ability to analyse information and present it clearly
• Confidence managing your own workload and priorities
• A collaborative and diplomatic approach to working with different perspectives
• Resilience, pragmatism and a commitment to community‑led solutions

Experience or knowledge of housing, planning or local government is helpful but not essential. We welcome applications from people with transferable skills and will support you to develop the specialist knowledge needed for the role.

You’ll need:

• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend meetings

Why work for Dorset Community Action?

• Meaningful, place‑based work with visible impact in rural communities
• A supportive charity environment with values at its core
• The opportunity to develop specialist skills in rural and affordable housing, with national and local backing
• A covering letter explaining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role

This project is supported by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).