Community Engagement Officer (Local Authority) 

East Herts is consistently rated as amongst the best areas in the country to live, with excellent schools and healthcare, a huge array of green space, beautiful waterways, unique market towns and picturesque villages. They also enjoy high levels of employment and a diverse local economy. 

Our clients vision is to preserve the unique character of East Herts and ensure it remains one of the best places to live and work. To accomplish this, their focus is to improve the health and wellbeing of their communities, enhance the quality of people's lives and enable a flourishing local economy. 

They are dedicated to staff development and individual success providing a supportive work environment and development opportunities whilst enjoying a positive work-life balance. 

Position: Community Engagement Officer 
Location: Hertford, Hertfordshire 
Job type: Full Time, 2 years & 7 Months until 31 March 2022 Fixed Term Contract 
Hours: 37 hours per week (part-time working and job share considered) 
Salary: £27,608 to £30,245 (inclusive of local weighting) 
Benefits: A variety of flexible working options available including home working; Flexi-time scheme; Free tea and coffee; Local Government pension scheme; Generous annual leave; A range of discounts including high street retailers and local leisure centres; Professional environment where your development is supported by the organisation; Flexible and supportive team; Green Travel initiatives such as Liftshare. 

Closing date is: 27 May 2019 at 5pm. 

About the role: 

An opportunity for an experienced Community Engagement Officer to work at Castle Park, Bishop’s Stortford as part of the Leisure & Parks Development team and with support from our clients partners, the Countryside Management Service. This is an exciting time for you to join them and develop your career supporting the delivery of a parks improvement project funded by a £1.9 M Heritage Lottery grant. You will develop a programme of events that celebrate the historical and natural heritage of the park and that support people’s health and wellbeing. 

This motivated and highly professional team is looking for someone with a flair for engaging support from the community. You will successfully implement their Activity Plan for the park, establishing partnerships with outside organisations and working closely with the newly established Friends of Castle Park. 

Responsibilities: 

- Organise and run a range of events and activities 
- Engage all groups, including those with additional needs and young people 
- Work with the Friends to set up regular volunteer tasks and events 
- Support the developing Hertfordshire Health Walks programme 
- Developing partnership working on events and activities 
- Manage the social media accounts for the project 
- Working outside normal office hours when necessary 
- Ensure that the project maintains a positive and highly visible public profile 
- Hold a direct line of communication with the Heritage Lottery Fund 
- Manage the social media pages 
- Prepare financial reports and project updates 
- Manage all operational budgets associated with event delivery 

About you: 

This role will suit an enthusiastic team player who enjoys engaging with the community. 

The ideal candidate will have: 

- Been educated to degree level or have previous experience in community engagement 
- A track record of organising and delivering successful events or activities 
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
- An ability to motivate and support volunteers 
- Experience of delivering lottery funded or major public parks projects 
- Political sensitivity and experience of working with Members 

Our client is an equal opportunity employer committed to embracing a diverse and inclusive work environment. They aim to attract and retain the best people regardless of their gender, marital / parental status, ethnic origin, nationality, age, background, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. 

You may have experience of the following: Community Engagement Officer, Local Authority, Community Involvement, Planning, Negotiation, Communication, Community Development, Consultation, Legislation, Policy, Policies, Community Engagement Coordinator, Urban Regeneration, Town Planning, etc.