Community Manager jobs in United Kingdom

Community Engagement Manager

£49,939 - £60,515

Permanent

Full Time

Richmond Civic Centre, Twickenham, London

Are you enthusiastic and do you believe in the power of communities to effect change?

Would you like to create positive change in the local communities of Richmond and Wandsworth borough through the role of working for local government and wider partners to listen and respond to residents?

You will lead Richmond and Wandsworth Council’s ambitious programme of community engagement, participation and building community capacity with residents and wider partners. You will continue our work on forging a strong and positive relationship with residents, co-designing our approach and culture in how we understand and engage better with residents and increase their participation. You will take forward key engagement programmes such as the Community Ambassador programme and Community Conversations in Richmond, whilst working to support colleagues and the broader agenda of community involvement and engagement in Wandsworth. As a representative of the Council in relation to local communities you will inspire trust and confidence in others, demonstrate an ability to listen and be highly responsive to issues, concerns and opportunities.

About the role:

This is a senior management role within the Community & Partnerships team. You will have the opportunity to be part of a growing and high-profile service area, which has benefitted from additional investment from the Council as it has successfully and positively built stronger relationships with the VCS, wider partners and residents. This role requires strong leadership and negotiation skills to work with a broad range of different stakeholders. You will use your leadership skills to solve complex issues and find positive solutions.

The role requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a sound understanding of community participation strategies and the operating environment for local Government, including opportunities and challenges. You will be required to take a proactive role in leading and guiding internal and external stakeholders in achieving the outcomes of this role and be able to represent the Council to residents and stakeholders. Effective project and people management skills are essential.

Key components of this role are:

1. Energy, enthusiasm and commitment to helping individuals and communities take action to improve their local areas.
2. Providing strategic leadership in the development of systems that strengthen, support and value the voice and contribution of residents and communities across the boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth.
3. Demonstrable experience in designing and delivering effective engagement and participation strategies that shape local decision making and co-designing programmes with internal and external partners.
4. Delivering complex projects within a political and public-facing environment to demanding timescales.
5. Experience of working with Councillors or other levels of government to support the development of their proposals.

This post will have a greater focus on the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as the operational split of the post is 80% Richmond and 20% Wandsworth.

This role will therefore be predominantly based at Richmond Council offices as well as out in the community, engaging with and maintaining a high level of visibility amongst community partners and internal stakeholders. The role is a permanent full-time role and available immediately.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

You will need to bring a strong working knowledge of successful approaches to community engagement, participation and capacity building. This experience could come from within a Council, statutory service or from within a voluntary or community group. You will also bring direct or transferable skills which will allow you to lead projects through the Council’s governance systems, as well as developing transparent, equitable processes. Experience of co-production is of value and project management experience is essential. You will support partners through a period of change. You will manage a small team and matrix manage across multiple partners. You will be a confident communicator, in person and in writing, and an effective team player.

You will need to be flexible in how you work and regularly re-prioritise what you work on. You need to have good analytical skills and be a strong report writer. You will also be able to translate complex issues into short, community-focused messages which you can communicate both in writing and by presenting to groups.

Closing Date: Tuesday 6th May.

Shortlisting Date: week commencing 12th May.

Interview Date: weeks commencing 19th and 26th May.

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This campaign is anonymised.

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.