Senior Community Engagement Specialist

The Electoral Commission; Greater Manchester; Remote; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Flexible working

30 days holiday

Hybrid working

Job summary

The Electoral Commission in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Community Engagement Officer to lead regional community engagement efforts. You will develop relationships with community organisations, local authorities and civil society groups, acting as a trusted representative while using local insight to drive participation.

Working in a newly established Community Engagement team, you will deliver targeted initiatives to reach under‑registered and under‑represented communities, balancing

Qualifications

• Experience building external stakeholder relationships.
• Experience delivering community engagement initiatives.
• Strong communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage strategic relationships with community partners and stakeholders.
• Deliver engagement activity that promotes democratic participation and voter awareness.
• Use insight and data to identify engagement opportunities and inform decisions.
• Lead partnership projects and cross‑regional initiatives.
• Provide expert advice on inclusive and accessible engagement approaches.
• Represent the Commission at community events, meetings and forums.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Community engagement

Partnership development

Data-informed decisions

Job description

Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week

A £312 tax-free working from home allowance is also payable annually.

Location: Northern England (Remote with some travel within the region)

Regional Vacancy InformationThis vacancy is being advertised separately across three regions in England. Applicants should apply for their preferred region.While every effort will be made to appoint successful candidates to their preferred region, there may be occasions where this is not possible. In these circumstances, candidates who meet the required standard may be considered for a suitable Senior Community Engagement Officer vacancy in another English region. Any alternative regional appointment would be discussed with and agreed by the candidate before an offer is made.

Benefits: Outstanding benefits including Civil Service Pension Scheme, flexible working, 28+ days holiday, and more.

About the Electoral CommissionThe Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do is about ensuring trust, participation, and integrity in the democratic process.As we continue to deliver our five-year Corporate Plan, the Commission is building on a period of growth and change, expanding our workforce and modernising how we deliver our services to better support the needs of a changing democracy. As our organisation develops and adapts to meet future challenges, this post will play a vital part in supporting that progress and helping ensure we remain responsive to the democratic needs of voters, campaigners, parties and electoral administrators across the UK.

About the Role

About the roleThis is an exciting opportunity to lead the development and delivery of community engagement activity across your assigned region, helping more people understand, engage with and participate in democratic processes. This is one of three newly created Senior Community Engagement Officer positions and forms part of the Electoral Commission's newly established Community Engagement team. The team has been created to strengthen engagement with communities across England and support greater participation in democratic processes.

As Senior Community Engagement Officer, you will build strong relationships with community organisations, local authorities, civil society groups and community leaders, acting as a trusted representative of the Electoral Commission. Using local insight, stakeholder feedback and participation data, you will identify barriers to democratic participation and develop targeted engagement initiatives that help reach under-registered and under-represented communities.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and managing strategic relationships with community partners and stakeholders.
• Delivering engagement activity that promotes democratic participation and voter awareness.
• Using insight and data to identify engagement opportunities and inform decision-making.
• Leading partnership projects and collaborative initiatives across the region.
• Providing expert advice on inclusive and accessible community engagement approaches.
• Representing the Commission at community events, meetings and forums.

This is an opportunity to influence democratic participation at a regional level while contributing to nationally important priorities.

Required Skills

We're looking for an experienced engagement professional who is passionate about working with communities and building meaningful partnerships. You will be confident engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, comfortable managing multiple priorities and able to turn insight into effective engagement activity.

You'll ideally bring:

• Experience building and managing external stakeholder relationships.
• Experience delivering community engagement, outreach or participation initiatives.
• Experience using insight, feedback or data to shape activity and improve outcomes.
• Strong communication and influencing skills.
• The ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities effectively.

Pay range and compensation package

• Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week
• A £312 tax-free working from home allowance is also payable annually.

Additional Information

About the team The Community Engagement team works across England to increase awareness, understanding and participation in democratic processes. We are a collaborative, supportive and purpose-driven team that brings together expertise in stakeholder engagement, outreach, partnerships and public participation. Team members work closely with colleagues across Voter Engagement, Research, Campaigns and Regional teams to ensure our activity reaches diverse communities and delivers meaningful impact. This is a team where innovation, learning and continuous improvement are encouraged, and where your work will make a tangible difference to democratic participation.

Why work for us?

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Electoral Commission in a newly created role within our new Community Engagement team. You'll help shape the team's approach, build key stakeholder relationships and influence how we engage with communities across England. Working on issues of national importance, you'll have the opportunity to make a lasting impact from the outset.

Our offices provide welcoming, collaborative spaces where colleagues can connect, share ideas and work together across teams. Whether based in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, you will be part of a supportive working environment that balances the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of hybrid working.

The Benefits:

We offer a strong total reward package, including:

• Flexible working and hybrid model for office-based staff, with a minimum of 40% of working time spent in the office
• Flexi-time scheme, allowing flexible hours with the option to accrue and take flexi leave
• 28 rising to 30 days annual leave + bank holidays