Community Engagement Officer

Dogs for Good are looking for a Community Engagement Officer to help drive their Service Delivery Hub pilot project in the southwest area, close to Bristol, during 2025.

Overview:

• Part-time position: 12-month contract; 21 hours per week
• Location: Home based within the southwest area, close to Bristol, UK
• Language: English
• Salary: £18,900 per year
• Applications closing: 12th February

Job Description

As Dogs for Good moves towards establishing a community-led way of working by 2028, planning for the growth of our existing network of community-based services and volunteers is part of our new Hub Development programme.

We want our Service Delivery Hubs to be a place and space that:

• Nurtures a person-centred Dogs for Good community and enables multi-service design and delivery in a locality that is informed by the needs of the community
• Provide a focus for awareness raising, attract local funding and create partnerships with organisations that support and advocate for our core audience groups
• Provide a friendly and supportive Dogs for Good go-to contact, space and voice in a locality for anyone who’s part of the Dogs for Good family already or could benefit from our support and services

This fixed term role is all about supporting the design, plan and test of our Service Delivery Hub pilot project, working closely with the Head of Hub Development and the wider Dogs for Good team.

Responsibilities

Building on experience from our other project work, this role will:

• Raise Awareness: Lead initiatives to promote our work, building and developing relationships with organisations that support or connect with our key audience groups
• Community Engagement: Be a key contact for our local Dogs for Good community, including those we support, our volunteers, and potential beneficiaries. Nurture and grow our community and help manage enquiries, provide guidance, and track interest to anticipate future needs
• Volunteer Management: Actively recruit, support, and manage volunteers, leveraging best practices we’ve piloted
• Fundraising: Seek and prepare responses to local funding opportunities and collaborate with central teams to support existing projects and develop new community fundraising initiatives
• Service Integration: Work with the Dogs for Good team to integrate our services within the Hub for maximum impact, ensuring we have the necessary processes, tools, and materials
• Evaluation and Reporting: Engage in evaluation and reporting to assess the pilot’s impact, providing objective feedback and ideas for improvement. Ensure data collection aligns with our Data Protection policy and partner agreements
• Service Support: Assist our service delivery team, for example by finding and coordinating suitable venues for safe and effective service delivery
• Safeguarding: Monitor and take appropriate steps to safeguard clients, including vulnerable children and adults, in line with our Safeguarding Policy
• Additional Tasks: Perform any other tasks as agreed with your line manager

This role is very much helping to shape and trial our pilot project, so elements of the role and specific tasks will develop as the project progresses – the areas above are the main areas of focus

Role Requirements

We are looking for someone with the following key skills and experience:

• Community Engagement: Building connections with local public, voluntary, and community sector organisations, especially in Bristol
• Volunteer Management: Recruiting, training, developing, and managing volunteers
• Project Assessment: Objectively assessing and reporting on project progress, issues, and risks
• Communication: Excellent skills in communicating with clients, families, professional service providers, and the public
• Welcoming Environment: Creating a warm and inclusive community
• Client Support: Experience in supporting a diverse range of clients, with a focus on listening to their needs
• Health and Social Care Knowledge: Understanding the support landscape, particularly in Bristol
• Project Adaptability: Comfortable handling change, reporting progress, and adapting as new information arises
• Organisational Skills: Highly organised, experienced in data collection and input, using data to inform decisions
• Time Management: Ability to manage and prioritise workload to meet deadlines
• Innovation: Open to new ideas and confident in suggesting improvements to colleagues
• Teamwork: Self-motivated and effective in a dynamic team with diverse skills and experience
• IT Proficiency: Skilled in using technology to support service delivery and ensure easy access to data and records

Other knowledge and experience that would be beneficial in this role includes:

• Understanding of the services of Dogs for Good
• Occupational Therapy related skills and experience.

Person profile

We are looking for a person who can demonstrate the following qualities:

• Commitment to a person-centred approach
• Proactive, positive and flexible approach
• Outcomes-oriented; a ‘can-do’ person
• Self-motivated and organised
• Creative approach and problem-solver
• Inclusive style, willing to share and learn
• Operates to professional and high standards
• Acts as an Ambassador for Dogs for Good
• Creativity in problem-solving, ability to ‘think outside the box’ and responding appropriately to new ideas and unexpected situations.

Other requirements

• The ability to drive is part of the job, so a full driving licence is preferred, but where applicable, we will work with the chosen candidate to find alternative solutions where reasonable adjustments can achieve the desired outcome.
• As you will be working with vulnerable people, you will be required to undergo a DBS check.
• You are expected to have a good understanding of safeguarding issues and how they should be applied to the work of the charity and its partner organisations.
• Flexible working hours will be required in some instances to facilitate the effective delivery of the hub pilot.

How to apply?

To apply for this position please email your application form and equal opportunities monitoring form to: sarah.knight@dogsforgood.org.

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Jude Palmer, our Head of Hub Development, at jude.palmer@dogsforgood.org.