FC - Community Participation and Development Officer

Community Participation and Development Officer

Service: Community Engagement Team
Grade scale: Grade 3 level 4
Reports to: Community Engagement Officer

Purpose of the job

  • Work with local communities and key stakeholders to develop and deliver Neighbourhood Plans.
  • Working across the council, the Community Planning Partnership and within the community to promote community led programmes and activities to build capacity and encourage social inclusion.
  • Engage with communities, key service providers and stakeholders to enable communities access the resources to help them achieve their interests and aspirations.

Key tasks and responsibilities

  • Co-ordinate neighbourhood planning activity, engaging communities in the co-production of neighbourhood plans and working collaboratively with communities and other stakeholders to develop and deliver locally defined priorities.
  • Build and maintain links with communities and strategic partners across sectors to ensure plans are delivered, aligned and integrated with strategic priorities.
  • Manage, identify and access staff, budgets and other resources as appropriate to deliver on community priorities.
  • Support the development, implementation, and awareness of relevant strategies.
  • Monitor, evaluate and publicly report on activities and use learning to shape improvements actions.

Person specification

Criteria

Essential

Desirable

Education, qualification and training

Hold a Degree in BA Community Development and be eligible for membership in the CLD Standards Council.

Evidence of continuing professional development.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Practice community development with an empowering and enabling approach.

Experience analysing Community engagement data.

Ability to write reports and action plans for a variety of audiences; community residents and formal committee papers and briefings.

Experience of co-ordinating partnerships or networks and working in a collaborative environment.

Ability to prioritise workload, deliver results against agreed timescales and achieve deadlines.

Experience of the support and supervision of staff.

Experience of delivering participatory budgeting and/ or other forms of grants.

Knowledge of Community Planning and Community Empowerment Legislation.

Knowledge of current, relevant government policy issues.

Personal qualities

To work in a flexible, adaptable manner and to always act with discretion and tact.

Inclusive and supportive team player.

Self-motivated and able to work to a high standard with minimal supervision.

To demonstrate behaviours consistent with honesty and openness: treating people consistently, fairly and with respect

 

 

 

Other

Ability to travel independently throughout South Lanarkshire.

 

Safer recruitment checks

As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks

  • Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
  • Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
  • Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.

Behaviour framework

The council’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:

Efficient

  • Use initiative and drive to improve and develop systems and processes to increase efficiency achieving better outcomes in service delivery.
  • Suggests ways to improve how others organise their own work.
  • As a manager or professional/expert you actively seek solutions to deliver improvements and involves others in the development of solutions and improvements.
  • Agrees SMART objectives for both team and individual employees reviewing progress to achieve successful outcomes.
  • Manage budgets with no overspends and applying the council’s financial policies and procedures.
  • Ensures sustainability and environmental awareness practices are being implemented and that they inform the development of new projects/initiatives.

Flexible

  • Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment.
  • Identifies and implements new ways of working.
  • Supports individuals and team at times of both organisational and personal change making appropriate adjustments to accommodate individual needs where required.
  • Expresses a positive approach to change and promotes the benefits of change to team and colleagues.
  • Actively listens to customer feedback and takes action to improve customer experience.

Performing

  • Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the council is leading best practice to improve outcomes.
  • Ensure that the council is meeting it’s legislative and statutory requirements by keeping abreast of new initiatives and legislation.
  • Evaluates and reviews the impact of service improvements from the customers perspective.
  • Identifies trends and creates solutions.
  • Ensuring that health and safety practices, policies and procedures are applied keeping employees and customers safe and minimising workplace accidents and injuries.
  • Implements the council’s maximising attendance policy and procedure ensuring action is taken and recorded on people connect.
  • Considers risk in the context of service development and delivery.

Working with others

  • Promotes a positive team environment with good morale.
  • Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes.
  • Provide objective and constructive advice and support if tensions arise.
  • Shares knowledge with internal and external colleagues to achieve common objectives.
  • Giving praise and recognition for good work.
  • Use professional identity and expert knowledge to work across disciplines breaking down professional barriers to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
  • Encourages colleagues to consider different perspectives in their work.
  • Adapts communication to encourage desired behaviour.

Leading

  • Understands what needs to be achieved and ensures that this is communicated to team members.
  • Expresses positive expectations of others to support their development.
  • Recognise individual and team achievements thanking and praising others.
  • Maintain a positive approach and motivate team when things go wrong, or demands are high.
  • You identify talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to progress or learn new skills.
  • Takes responsibility for personal and team development needs taking account of learning styles and available learning/training methods of delivery.
  • Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions.