Schools & Community Engagement Officer

South Devon College; Paignton; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Training and development opportunities

IIP Platinum employer

Job summary

South Devon College in Paignton is seeking a Schools & Community Engagement Officer to promote the College to prospective students by building relationships with feeder schools and local communities.

You will plan, coordinate and deliver engagement activities at school careers events, open evenings and community events, helping to raise awareness of the College’s wide range of pathways including A Levels, vocational and technical courses, apprenticeships and higher education opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience representing an organisation at events and engaging with young people.
• Confident presenting to large groups and communicating with stakeholders at all levels.
• Organised, able to manage deadlines and work under pressure.
• Willing to travel within South Devon and occasionally beyond; some evening/weekend work may be required.

Responsibilities

• Promote the College to prospective students by engaging feeder schools and community partners.
• Plan, coordinate and deliver engaging activities at school careers events, open evenings and community events.
• Coordinate school visit requests and act as main contact before, during and after visits.
• Deliver presentations and interactive activities to raise awareness of College opportunities.
• Build relationships with feeder schools, careers leads, and colleagues across the College.

Skills

Public speaking

Presentations

Relationship building

Organisational skills

Communication

Willingness to travel

Education

Level 2 Maths, English and IT

Level 3 or higher qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Email platforms

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Job title Schools & Community Engagement Officer Job reference REQ003305 Date posted 17/09/2026 Application closing date 28/09/2026 Location Paignton Salary £25,100 to £26,384 per annum Package Plus Excellent Benefits Contractual hours 37 Basis Full Time Job category/type Support Attachments Blank Job description

Salary: £25,100 to £26,384 per annum. Plus Excellent Benefits.

Contract Type: Full time, Permanent.37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Location: Paignton, Devon.

We have an exciting opportunity for an outgoing and enthusiastic Schools and Community Engagement Officer to join the Marketing team at South Devon College.

About the role:

In this key role, you will promote the College to prospective students by building strong relationships with feeder schools and community partners across South Devon. You will plan, coordinate and deliver impactful engagement activity, ensuring the College is well represented at school careers events, community activities, open evenings and other College events. You will also help raise awareness of the College’s wide-ranging offer, including A Levels, vocational and technical courses, apprenticeships and higher education opportunities.

You will:

• Manage a calendar of school careers events across Torbay, Teignbridge and South Hams to ensure strong College representation.
• Identify and attend community events to engage prospective students and promote the College’s full range of pathways.
• Coordinate school visit requests, acting as the main point of contact before, during and after visits.
• Deliver engaging presentations and interactive activities that raise awareness of College opportunities.
• Build strong relationships with feeder schools, careers leads, community partners and colleagues across the College.

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Have experience of representing an organisation at events, working with young people and facilitating interactive workshops.
• Be confident presenting information to large groups and communicating effectively with people at all levels.
• Be organised, calm under pressure and able to manage varying deadlines.
• Be competent in using Microsoft Office packages and willing to learn new systems, including CRM and email platforms.
• Hold a good general level of education, including Level 2 Maths, English and IT, with qualifications at Level 3 or above.
• You will be willing to travel within South Devon and occasionally beyond, with some evening and occasional weekend working required.

Our staff are integral to maintaining our passion and high-performance levels, and we reward our staff for this. Our benefits are designed to encourage a healthy work-life balance, and include:

• 25 daysannual leave (pro-rata of fractional) including the option to purchase additional holiday days;
• 1 additional day’s holiday for your birthday (does not have to be used on your birthday);
• 1 additional day’s holiday for every 5 years served;
• Christmas Closure of up to 2 weeks in addition to annual leave entitlement;
• Access to a wealth of training, apprenticeships and funded higher education opportunities as well as dedicated training days;
• Local Government Pension Scheme Employer pension contributions of 18%;
• Subsidised fitness suite facility, onsite hair and beauty salon, access to a wide range of catering facilities, outdoor gym and free eyesight tests;
• Major supermarket and high street employee discount schemes;
• Life Assurance (if member of pension scheme);
• On Site Nursery (Mama Bears);
• Employee Assistance Programmes;
• Access to Blue Light Card membership;
• Discounted travel schemes.

Closing Date: Midnight, Monday 28 th September 2026

Interview Date: Tuesday 6 th October 2026.

Having read the job description, should you have any questions relating to the role prior to applying, please contact Laura Chatterton, Head of Marketing via email at [e-mail].

We offer hybrid and flexible working patterns and welcome applications from people who wish to apply using these options.

Please note that you will be required to be in possession of an Enhanced DBS Certificate or be willing to undertake an Enhanced DBS check as a condition of employment at the College.

This College is committed to Safeguarding/Prevent and promoting the welfare of students, including children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The College is committed to applying its Single Equality Scheme at all stages of recruitment and selection. Shortlisting, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, transgender status, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion/belief, age, pregnancy or maternity leave, or union membership.

Reasonable attempts will be made to accommodate the particular needs of any candidate who has notified us of a disability. This may include changing the timing or location of any interview to enable the candidate to attend, providing information in different formats or larger type, etc.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare any cautions, convictions, reprimands and final warnings that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020).

Working at South Devon College, you can expect access to an exciting range of training, apprenticeship and opportunities for degree level study alongside your work to keep you at the top of your game, as well as generous holiday allowance of 25 days pro rata and a strong emphasis on work-life balance.

The staff at South Devon College are truly inspirational and this is a reflection on the whole College culture of continuous improvement and support for all of our students and communities. We hold the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Platinum accreditation, the highest level awarded by the people management standard. This prominent distinction confirms the College’s status as not just a leading Further Education College, but also as a top employer in the country, as it joins the top 7% of accredited organisations across the UK.

We aim to provide our learners with excellent teaching and learning. Our staff are highly adept at working with and developing skills and knowledge in learners from different backgrounds. Our staff have consistently high expectations of all students and generate high levels of enthusiasm for participation in, and commitment to learning.