Community Engagement Officer

**Post: Community Engagement Officer**

**Hours: 37.5 hours per week**

**Location: Weymouth (with local travel around Dorset)**

**Salary: £22,000**

**Annual Leave: 25 days + 8 bank holiday days paid holiday**

**INTRODUCTION TO WHITEHEAD-ROSS EDUCATION & CONSULTING**

Whitehead-Ross Education and Consulting (WREC) is an education and social welfare organisation. Founded in 2012, we deliver a variety of high-quality skills-related programmes and social services provision.

Our programmes include support for unemployed individuals to retrain and secure jobs, vocational training programmes, adult education and social services provision such as support for families who have children with disabilities and parenting support.

With a team of 89 staff, we supported 1,200 individuals across our programmes in 2019/2020 in South Wales, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex. Our existing clients include five local authorities, the Department for Work and Pensions, and Education & Skills Funding Agency.

**PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION**

The exciting and varied Community Engagement Officer role will lead on developing relationships, and engaging with external stakeholders, such as Jobcentres, housing associations and third sector organisations, to promote our Adult Community Learning courses and other learning programmes in Dorset. You will be responsible for regularly updating stakeholders, developing new relationships, generating leads of prospective participants, providing information, advice and guidance on our courses and enrolling adult learners who are unemployed, on low income or economically inactive. This will be a target driven role, with a focus on working to a monthly profile of participants being enrolled.

**DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Regularly engage with external stakeholders, such as Jobcentres, third sector organisations and housing officers/associations, to promote our courses and programmes
- Provide ongoing information, advice and guidance to jobseekers and external organisations about our programmes
- Generate and convert warm leads into enrolment appointments
- Deliver enrolment sessions to sign-up new learners, including 1-2-1 and group enrolment, ensuring that paperwork is accurately completed, and the required evidence is in place for this to be processed by the administration team
- Prepare and deliver appropriate presentations on our programmes (i.e., arranging and attending Jobcentre team meetings)
- Create frequent reviews and produce weekly reports with enrolment data
- Represent the company at networking events, exhibitions, and conferences (occasional evening and weekend working may be required)
- Achieve targets by working towards a monthly profile of participants
- Any other reasonable request or duties commensurate to the post

**ADDITIONAL**:

- To use information technology systems to carry out duties in the most efficient and effective manner
- To achieve agreed contract outcomes and outputs, and personal appraisal targets, as agreed by the Line Manager
- To undertake training and constructively take part in meetings, supervision, seminars and other events designed to assist with the effective development of the post holder
- Ensure all the services within the area of responsibility are provided in accordance with WREC’s commitment to high quality service provision to users
- Demonstrate commitment to equality of opportunity and treatment and comply with company policy and procedures and relevant legislation relating to equality and diversity

**PERSON SPECIFICATION**

**Qualifications**
- 5 GCSEs including English and Maths

**Experience**
- Proven experience in community engagement
- Thorough understanding of stakeholder engagement
- Knowledge of local stakeholders in the education and training sector

**Skills and abilities**
- Fast learner and passion for adult education
- Self-motivated with a results-driven approach
- Aptitude in delivering attractive presentations
- Able to work as a member of a team
- Able to work with colleagues with a high level of professionalism
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to complete administrative tasks
- Capacity to learn new skills, take the initiative and generate ideas with the minimum of supervision

**Personal qualities**
- Hard-working
- Reliable, punctual, and responsible
- Puts a high value on treating others with respect and courtesy, building positive relationships

**Other**
- Clean UK Driving Licence and willingness to use own car (travel expenses paid)

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

**Salary**: £22,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Sick pay
- Store discounts
- Wellness programmes

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday