Community Engagement Manager - Bedfordshire

12 months FTC initially

0.4 FTE (16 hours a week) Flexible working hours. Home based

£28,000 FTE (pro-rata for 16 hours a week - £11,200)

Context and Background

Small Acts of Kindness is an award winning, high impact, rapidly growing, registered charitable organisation working in partnership with over 100 organisations from the voluntary, corporate and statutory sectors and over 350 community volunteers. Our mission is to reduce the negative impact of loneliness and isolation on the physical and mental wellbeing of older people particularly those who are cold in their homes. Our primary activity to achieve this is sourcing and distributing practical gift bags, activities and helpful information packs to our recipients. We seek to connect communities with kindness.

In the seven years since our project began, we have reached over 60,000 lonely and isolated older people across Hertfordshire. We are committed to growing our work into Bedfordshire as part of our plans to expand our work into additional geographic areas. This post is our first formal step to achieve that goal and there is scope for the successful candidate to broaden their work for the charity in Bedfordshire.

Role overview

To identify, build and manage relationships within Bedfordshire with organisations and individuals within the voluntary, corporate and statutory sectors that will enable and facilitate our growth into the area. In addition, to identify, build and manage relationships with any other groups and individuals within the community that can help Small Acts of Kindness source and distribute Warm in Winter gift bags and Purple Pages Information Packs in Bedfordshire.

What we are looking for

1. Experience

Whilst previous experience in a community engagement role would be useful, we are also happy to receive applications from people with experience in other roles that have transferable skills.

2. Skills, Knowledge and Understanding

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills

· Proficient user of Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint

· Confidence to initiate introductions and meetings

· Confidence to present to groups and individuals

· Organised and methodical

· Good research skills

· Experience of working collaboratively across and within organisations

· Knowledge and understanding of the role of the voluntary sector and its place in the wider community

· Commitment to the vision, mission, aims and values of the charity and willingness to work in collaboration with staff, Trustees, the Small Acts of Kindness Volunteer Management team and partners to achieve its goals

· Useful but not essential would be a knowledge of Bedfordshire, its community, voluntary, businesses and statutory sectors

How to apply:

Please submit your CV and a 1-2 page supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the knowledge, skills and experience criteria to Lynne Misner [email protected] by 5pm on Friday 1 April 2022

If you would like an informal chat about the position, please call Lynne on 01923 372717