Community officer jobs in Rye, east sussex

The chosen candidate will ideally be based in Hertfordshire, and any travel expenses from within the county will be covered.

This is a fixed-term contract for 9 months, with a possible 3 month extension.

About Us

Healthwatch Hertfordshire are an independent champion for people who use health and social care services. Being a values-driven organisation with a national reputation for our research and engagement work, we are here to find out what matters to local people and help ensure their views shape the support they need.

Our purpose is to help make care better for people by improving how services are run now and in the future. We have an ambitious vision to ensure that health and social care work for everyone.

The Role:

We are looking for someone who enjoys talking to people, listening to their experiences, and turning those conversations into meaningful change.

You will gather evidence from Hertfordshire residents about their experiences of health and social care services, analyse the findings, and produce clear insight driven reports that drive service improvement through insightful recommendations, and partnership with decision makers.

The broader health and social care landscape is actively changing around us, and we need someone who can work flexibly, respond to changing needs, and stay confident and calm during change – making sure our values and duties to the public are successfully delivered.

Responsibilities

• Building relationships with local residents, including those from underserved and marginalised communities
• Running focus groups, surveys, and engagement events
• Engaging with senior stakeholders (internally, NHS, county council, voluntary sector)
• Managing research and engagement projects from start to finish
• Writing clear, practical reports and insights
• Presenting findings and recommendations

Essential Criteria

• You live in or near Hertfordshire and can travel regularly across the county
• You are confident and experienced communicating with the public, diverse communities, and senior leaders
• You have experience designing and delivering research questions, running focus groups, and crafting and analysing survey data
• You can write clear, engaging reports for health and care decision makers and the broader public, drawing recommendations from the insights

Skills and Experience

• Ability to scope, design, organise, deliver, and analyse insight from focus groups and online surveys
• Experience of engaging directly with members of the public to gather insights
• Talking to people from a wide range of communities
• Good organisation and project management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to work collaboratively and in a flexible and agile way

If you do not meet the entire criteria but believe you have preferential experience and transferable skills, we welcome you to apply.

To Apply

Please submit your CV and a tailored covering letter to Louis Eastwell of Hire Purpose, before 23:59 on Sunday 31st May 2026.

You are welcome to initially submit a CV prior to completing a covering letter.

Louis is exclusively managing this recruitment campaign and will be speaking with all longlisted candidates prior to a formal interview with Healthwatch Hertfordshire.

Application Guidance:

A tailored covering letter highlighting how you meet the essential requirements of the role, outlining your relevant experience, skills, attributes, and your motivation for applying and supporting Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s mission.

Hire Purpose champions inclusive recruitment.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We uphold equal opportunity principles and challenge bias at every stage, partnering only with organisations that share our commitment to integrity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hire Purpose is also proudly a B Corp certified business that has met B Lab UK’s high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Senior Events and Community Fundraising Officer  

Salary: Band C, £32,106 - £38,460 (depending on experience) 

Hours: 35 per week with the option to work a compressed 9 day fortnight. Other types of flexible working would be considered. 

Contract: Permanent 

Location: Home based, with occasional travel to London area for team meetings and nationally to attend fundraising events and meet supporters

Reports to: Individual Giving Manager

Applicants must be UK-based and hold the right to work in the UK 

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, proactive community and events fundraiser with great project management and relationship building skills. You’ll be responsible for leading on a varied portfolio of fundraising activity, identifying new supporters, stewarding existing supporters and delivering community fundraising products and campaigns. 

Events and Community Fundraising is an established income stream at Breast Cancer UK but we know there is potential to grow, so we’re investing in proactively developing the area. This role is an opportunity for a talented fundraiser - with at least three years of experience working in Challenge Events and/or Community Fundraising and a strong track record of delivering results – to take a lead on these income streams and build something amazing. You’ll need a strong understanding of how to deliver excellent supporter experiences, and the ability to spot trends and opportunities aligned with our audiences and our brand, and capitalise on them. 

You will have opportunities to expand your skills and expertise and really own your area, as part of a small but mighty fundraising team. If you are highly motivated, collaborative, love building relationships and working as part of a friendly and supportive team, we want to hear from you!

What do we do? 

In the UK today, around 59,000 women and 420 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 1 in 7 women will develop the disease at some point in their lives. 

But we believe in a future where fewer people have to face this devastating disease - because we know that at least 30% of breast cancer cases are preventable. 

By making changes to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors, we can drive cases down. Our focus on prevention is unique - we are shining a light on the changes we can make at an individual and societal level to prevent breast cancer.

To achieve this, we: 

• Deliver an education programme - empowering individuals with trustworthy, science-backed information and guidance to help them understand and reduce their risk. 
• Fund research into the causes of breast cancer —while significant progress has been made in improving survival rates through new treatments, we are dedicated to ensuring fewer people ever receive a diagnosis.
• Run campaigns - to increase public understanding of the risk factors for breast cancer, such as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, and to influence policy-makers and industry, to protect consumers and provide safer alternatives. 

Not all breast cancers can be avoided, but we need a united movement for prevention, to tackle this devastating disease head on. We believe that everyone in society should be able to do something about breast cancer before it happens.

Why join us? 

• To be part of a fantastic supportive team. 
• Work for an organisation that values a positive and inclusive culture. 
• Fully remote working. 
• Competitive salary of £32,106 - £38,460 PA (depending on experience) 
• 29.5 Days Annual Leave Plus Bank Holidays. 
• Option for full time colleagues to compress hours and work a 9 day fortnight. 
• Healthcare cover and employee assistance programme. 
• Enhanced Sickness, Maternity and Paternity pay. 
• Great supportive culture with generous professional training and development programmes. 
• For full details see our website

How to apply 

The closing date for applications is Monday 1st June at 9am.

To apply for this position please complete the application form and a Equality and Diversity monitoring Form found on our website  The full Job Description can be found in the Recruitment Pack 

Interviews 

First round interviews will be held virtually w/c 8th June

We anticipate holding a second round w/c 15th June 

For further information on the charity see our website   

At Breast Cancer UK, we're dedicated to being a caring and welcoming place, where everyone feels supported and employees feel like they belong. Our aim is to create an inclusive culture where our employees can reach their full potential, without prejudice and discrimination. We value respect, understanding, and the richness that diversity brings. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities and abilities.  

About the role

Sitting within the Community & Events Team, and more broadly the Income & Engagement Department, the Community Fundraising Officer plays a vital role in supporting the long-term growth, development, and delivery of Sands’ community fundraising activities.

This is a new role at Sands, and it is an exciting time to join our growing team. This role will support acquisition activity, national campaign delivery and provide outstanding stewardship to fundraisers, community group and Sands groups, maximising their fundraising efforts and strengthening their relationship to Sands. You will also support the development of Sands regional fundraising approach, providing operational and administrative support to the Community Fundraising Manager.

The role is key to enabling the scaling of national community campaigns, enhancing supporter led fundraising activity, delivering high quality supporter stewardship, and supporting the future development of Sands’ emerging regional fundraising model.

Main Responsibilities

Community Fundraising Delivery & Growth

• Working with the Community Fundraising Manager, develop and deliver a community fundraising strategy for both new and existing activities.
• Support and assist with the delivery of Sands' community fundraising portfolio, ensuring activities are monitored and excellent supporter experience is given so to maximise impact and growth of each product.
• Provide operational and administrative support across the community fundraising pipeline, including, building web pages and ad campaigns, managing enquiries, recording activity on the database, drafting communication and creating e comms.
• Support the implementation of Sands’ regional fundraising model over the next strategy period, working with internal teams to establish ways of working, build best practice and, to identify opportunities for local engagement and increased income.

Supporter Stewardship & Relationship Management

• Deliver high quality, personalised stewardship for supporter led community fundraisers, community groups, schools, clubs and societies, ensuring supporters feel valued, inspired and supported throughout their fundraising efforts.
• Maintain regular communication with supporters via email, phone, and social platforms, ensuring prompt responses, clear guidance and automating where appropriate to improve efficiency.
• Provide proactive stewardship to high potential fundraisers and groups, helping them reach and exceed their targets.
• Work in collaboration with the Supporter Care Team to ensure seamless supporter journeys and continuity of communication.
• Work in collaboration with the Volunteering Team to support Sands Volunteer Groups with their local fundraising activities.
• Review and implement a tiered thanking model, ensuring fundraisers of all levels are thanked appropriately and in a timely manner.

Marketing & Engagement

• Support the Community Fundraising Manager with the delivery of marketing activities for supporter led community fundraising.
• Assist with the development of marketing materials and ads for supporter led community fundraising, seasonal campaigns, and national challenges.
• Work with the Engagement Team to update and maintain the “Fundraise for Us” section of Sands’ website, ensuring content is inspiring, accurate and up to date.
• Gather case studies, stories and impact examples to support promotional activity and supporter motivation.
• Capture and create content for email and social media.
• Work with external agencies and provide admin support to maximise impact and capture learnings.

Administration, Data & Reporting

• Maintain accurate supporter records in the CRM, ensuring all relevant information is captured and updated in a timely manner.
• Support data insight and reporting processes, enabling effective measurement and optimisation of community fundraising activity.
• Prepare basic reports, summaries, supporter lists and stewardship logs.
• Manage logistical tasks relating to fundraising packs, stewardship materials and fundraising products.
• Ensure all activity complies with fundraising regulation, governance standards and Sands’ policies.

Cross Team Collaboration

• Work closely with the Community Fundraising Manager, Supporter Care Officers, Engagement Team, Events Team and Community & Volunteering Team to ensure joined up supporter experience across Sands.
• Support the wider fundraising programme during peak activity periods—including Baby Loss Awareness Week, Say their Name Day, Winter campaigns, and regional events—by assisting with supporter enquiries, content collation and campaign delivery.
• Attend Sands events, supporter activities and external meetings where required, occasionally outside of normal working hours.

General Responsibilities

• Be an active member of the Community & Events Team and Income & Engagement Department, collaborating with colleagues to optimise performance across all fundraising areas.
• Demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to adapt within a fast growing, evolving fundraising function.
• Take part in monthly 1:1s, annual appraisals, and personal development reviews.
• Undertake all mandatory training and abide by Sands’ organisational policies.
• Represent Sands professionally at internal and external events and meetings.

Person Specification

Skills & Experience

• Experience in a fundraising, events, community engagement, customer service or administrative role (charity sector experience advantageous).
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and communicate empathetically with supporters.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritise effectively and meet deadlines.
• Ability to write clear, engaging supporter communications.
• Comfortable using CRM systems, databases and digital platforms.
• Creative thinker with the ability to contribute ideas for campaigns and supporter engagement.
• A passion for supporter led fundraising and an understanding of the motivations of community fundraisers.