Community Participation Officer

About Toynbee Hall

Based in the East End of London since 1884, Toynbee Hall is a charity working alongside people facing poverty, injustice, and inequality to build a fairer East London. We provide vital advice and support, working in partnership to tackle unfairness and ensure everyone has an equal chance to thrive. We have recently launched a new strategic plan which reinforces that our purpose is to build a fairer future with an end to poverty, injustice and inequality.

Department background
The Communities and Social Change department has been recently formed to bring together our policy, research, and campaigning activity with our community engagement and delivery.
The Community Centre team focuses particularly on Toynbee Hall’s strategic objective to help our local community thrive; increasing wellbeing and economic security in key groups.
Toynbee Hall is the lead delivery partner of Linkage Plus, a community programme for people aged 50+ in Tower Hamlets that delivers a wide range of accessible activities designed to improve wellbeing, keep older adults active and reduce social isolation. 
Another key programme is our Play Programme, which forms part of our wider community provision. It offers children fun, inclusive opportunities to play while supporting parents to access local support networks and strengthen community connections. 

How we work
Our values are Inclusive, Courageous and Empowering and we expect everyone who works with us to work in a way that aligns with these values and to do their utmost to deliver our strategic objectives according to their role.

Job purpose
Toynbee Hall’s community centre delivers a variety of community projects for people of all ages who live in Tower Hamlets. The Community Participation Officers work as part of the community team at Toynbee Hall, flexibly and collaboratively using their skills and experience to work with and support community members to create a welcoming and inclusive space.

Scope of role
Whilst you may be expected to lead on certain elements of the programme, we will work together to determine how we assign tasks and workload across the team. We work together and take shared responsibility for delivering all aspects of our communities portfolio.

Key working relationships
The CPOs report to the Community Centre Manager. The role works in close collaboration with the Community Partnerships Manager a tndhe research team.
Maintaining excellent external relationships is vital to this role. The CPO may liaise with relevant local networks and organisations. Community engagement is vital: the CPO will also regularly consult and engage with community members.

Key Responsibilities

Community Programming:
• Working with the Community Programming Manager to plan activities and events that are safe, in the budget, and intentionally designed to be inclusive and appropriate for the intended audience. • Working with the Community Programming Manager to design and safe, creative, and stimulating play sessions and events for children, ensuring activities are developmentally appropriate, inclusive and delivered within budget; and delivering these activities
• Delivering to a brief, and clearly and proactively communicating plans with stakeholders across teams. • Supporting and enabling local people to have a meaningful voice in shaping our services.

Safeguarding and Safety:
• Taking responsibility for the upkeep of the community centre, ensuring that facilities operate in line with organisational health and safety policies and procedures.
• Implementing agreed procedures to provide appropriate support or referrals for service users, recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns, maintaining clear records.
• Following administrative procedures.

Outreach:
• Promoting our services and ensure they are as impactful as possible
• Representing Toynbee Hall to external audiences

Organisational working:
• Contributing to the overall development and implementation of Toynbee Hall’s strategy
• Building good working relationships
• Developing an open and ‘critical friend’ dialogue within our programmatic work
• Undertaking any other appropriate responsibilities that may arise

Managing Yourself
• Working toward an agreed annual work-plan meeting targets and milestones
• Prioritising and managing workload
• Taking responsibility for personal development
 

Essential Criteria

Community Programming
• Experience of planning and delivering safe, inclusive, and in-budget community activities and events for diverse audiences, including older people and communities experiencing social or economic disadvantage.
• Experience of designing and delivering safe, creative, and developmentally appropriate play sessions and activities for children.

• Ability to deliver work to an agreed brief and proactively communicate plans and progress with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable commitment to community participation, with experience of supporting local people to shape services and contribute to positive community change.

Safeguarding and Safety
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and experience of recognising, responding to, recording, and appropriately escalating safeguarding concerns.
• Understanding of health and safety responsibilities within a community setting, including risk assessment and maintaining safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces.
• Experience of implementing referral procedures and working with internal and external partners to ensure service users receive appropriate support.
• Strong administrative skills

Outreach and Representation
• Experience of promoting services through outreach, partnership working, and marketing (including face-to-face engagement, social media, and community networks).
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with local organisations and stakeholders.
• Confidence in representing an organisation professionally to external audiences.

Values
• Alignment with Toynbee Hall's mission and strategy and alignment and willingness to work in line to our values:

o Inclusive - open-minded, transparent, convening and collaborative; seeking fresh and alternative perspectives.

o Courageous; principled, ambitious and acting with integrity.

o Empowering; shifting power, sharing our knowledge, enabling people to take action for themselves

Desirable criteria:

An ability to speak a South Asian language would be helpful

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 9AM MONDAY 11TH MAY