Sport for Development & Community Impact Officer

Essex County Counci; Essex; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is advertising the Sport for Development Officer on behalf of the Active Essex Foundation. The role focuses on building and sustaining the Local Trusted Organisations network to deliver sport, mental health, and youth crime prevention initiatives across Essex.

The post is a fixed-term contract (18 months, Oct 2026–Mar 2028) or secondment, with 37.5 hours per week, and location is flexible (Chelmsford office 1–2 days weekly).

Qualifications

• Educated to A level or equivalent by experience.
• Strong relationship management skills with a broad range of individuals and stakeholder organisations across different system settings.
• Proven track record of delivering impactful projects at local or county level.
• Experience working with communities using a strengths-based approach to build resilience and capacity.
• Ability to support data collection and reporting to demonstrate impact.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including clear presentation and reporting abilities.
• Excellent organisational skills to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for Active Essex Foundation's network of Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs), building and maintaining strong relationships to support effective programme delivery and community impact.
• Manage relationships ensuring consistent communication and high-quality support across Sport, Youth Crime Prevention, and Young People’s Mental Health & Wellbeing programmes.
• Develop a detailed understanding of people and LTOs at places within the programme delivery.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with LTOs to enhance programme delivery, identify emerging needs, and promote best practice.
• Liaise with the Marketing and Communications team to coordinate content from Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) for newsletters, reports, social media and other promotional activities.
• Lead on LTO compliance processes for all funding rounds, ensuring timely submission of required documentation and adherence to grant conditions.
• Monitor LTO performance against funding agreements and elevate risks or issues where necessary.
• Provide guidance to LTOs on grant management, reporting expectations, and financial accountability.
• Plan, and coordinate training sessions and development opportunities for LTOs, tailored to programme needs.
• Organise and facilitate Share & Learn events, networking sessions, and peer-support opportunities to strengthen the LTO network.
• Conduct regular quality assurance visits to LTOs, assessing delivery standards, safeguarding practice, and alignment with programme objectives.
• Provide constructive feedback and action plans to support continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate records of visits, findings, and follow-up actions.
• Assist in co-ordination of programme-related data collection processes, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and compliance with evaluation frameworks.
• Support the drafting of evaluation reports, case studies, and impact summaries for internal and external stakeholders.
• Work closely with colleagues to ensure data insights inform programme development and strategic decision‑
• Support the coordination of referrals into project activities, working with delivery partners and Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) to ensure referrals are tracked, communicated and actioned effective
• Provide administrative support across all programme areas, including scheduling, documentation, communications, and record‑
• Contribute to project planning, delivery timelines, and coordination of cross‑programme activities.
• Support the rollout of Smart Courses across both the SYCP and Mental Health programmes, ensuring consistent quality and uptake.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen LTO capability, programme effectiveness, and partnership working.
• Contribute to internal discussions on programme development, funding sustainability, and long‑term strategy.

Skills

Relationship management

Stakeholder engagement

Project delivery

Communication skills

Organisation skills

Education

A level or equivalent by experience

Job description

Essex County Council is advertising the Sport for Development Officer on behalf of the Active Essex Foundation. The role focuses on building and sustaining the Local Trusted Organisations network to deliver sport, mental health, and youth crime prevention initiatives across Essex.

The post is a fixed-term contract (18 months, Oct 2026–Mar 2028) or secondment, with 37.5 hours per week, and location is flexible (Chelmsford office 1–2 days weekly).