Community Engagement Manager

Location: Fylde Sports and Education Centre, Mill Farm, Wesham, PR4 3JZ

Role Summary:

• AFC Fylde Community Foundation is recruiting a Community Engagement Manager to join its successful and respected team. As a key member of the Senior Management Team, the postholder will provide inspirational leadership across the Foundation’s community engagement portfolio, ensuring the effective oversight, management, and development of a range of impactful programmes that address local needs and create positive social change.
• The Community Engagement Manager will lead the delivery and growth of the Foundation’s core community projects, including Armed Forces Support, Loneliness Prevention, Health and Wellbeing interventions, and Targeted Youth provision. Working closely with staff, partners, funders, and stakeholders, the postholder will ensure that programmes are delivered to the highest standards, achieve agreed outcomes, and make a meaningful difference to the communities they serve.
• The successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of community engagement, stakeholder management, partnership development, and business growth. They will be responsible for building and maintaining effective relationships with local authorities, healthcare providers, education settings, community organisations, funders, and strategic partners to maximise the Foundation’s reach, impact, and sustainability.
• In addition to leading and developing a team of project staff, the postholder will champion a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement, displaying behaviours that align with the Foundation’s values and mission.

Guidance and Authority:

• The Community Engagement Manager will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and will have a number of direct reports.

Main Duties

• Be accountable for all projects and activities linked to Community Engagement within the Foundation strategy.
• Inspirationally lead and manage the performance of the Community Engagement team to reach identified goals. This will include setting performance targets, monitoring achievements and effectively tackling any poor performance.
• Become an important member of the Senior Management Team, adding experience, influence and value.
• Work with the Chief Executive Officer to identify, apply for and report on relevant grant applications and tendering opportunities.
• Manage all aspects of project delivery, including but not limited to finances, staff performance, outcomes and stakeholder engagement.
• Create and develop a range of partnerships and commercial opportunities, including the planning of events and fundraisers.
• Collect and collate the required monitoring and evaluation information, business intelligence and insights on current and future projects.
• Manage a range of Foundation policies, including regular reviews and updates.
• Be a flexible member of the Foundation team and when requested assist in other duties as may be reasonably required to, including evenings and weekends.

Health & Safety

• Fully endorse, demonstrate, and carry out the Foundation’s health and safety policy.
• Ensure all services and activities are correctly monitored with the appropriate risk assessments, safeguarding measures and health and safety procedures put in place.
• Comply with all group policies and statutory regulations relating to health and safety, safe working practices, hygiene, cleanliness, fire and COSHH. This will include your awareness of any specific hazards in your workplace and assist if required with the amending of risk assessments periodically.
• Identify and report maintenance requirements or hazards within the workplace and encourage any workforce to do the same to avoid injury.

Safeguarding

• The Foundation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to endorse this commitment.
• The employee must act to protect all young people and vulnerable adults that are in their care or attending the group’s premises. The employee must report any misconduct or suspected misconduct to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Chief Executive Officer.

General

• Cooperate fully with colleagues and be flexible when assisting them in response to the business needs of the Foundation.
• Ensure a positive commitment towards equality and diversity by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation, or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relations amongst employees and customers.
• This job description is not intended to be exhaustive; the duties and responsibilities may therefore vary over time according to the changing needs of the group.

Person specification:

All are deemed essential unless otherwise stated.

Qualifications

• Full driving license and the use of vehicle
• Health and safety (desirable)
• Leadership and Management (desirable)

Knowledge

• Roles and responsibilities of a professional sports foundation / football club community organisation
• How organisations contribute to the value of local communities
• How social and political environments affect community focussed organisations
• Monitoring and evaluation systems, including demonstrable experience of financial reconciliation
• What is required when planning events and fundraisers
• Capability Code of Practice (desirable)
• Good knowledge of the local community and associated social issues (desirable)

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent communicator, with the ability to work effectively with people across different organisations and levels
• Outstanding planning and organisational skills
• Commitment to fairness, diversity and equality
• Competent and confident networker
• Be supportive, fair and honest with colleagues
• Must be friendly, approachable, confident and articulate
• Ability to obtain a clean enhanced DBS qualification

Experience

• Leading projects, from inception to completion, including managing budgets
• Performance management and mentoring
• Stakeholder management and partnerships
• Governance, compliance and regulation
• Senior leadership role within the community/sport/health and wellbeing sector (desirable)
• Bid writing and project management (desirable)
• Relevant qualification or experience related to supporting hard-to-reach groups (desirable)
• AFC Fylde Community Foundation is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and its employment policies for recruitment are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re‑assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
• As a Disability Confident employer, we actively welcome applications from people with disabilities and are happy to provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to support individual needs.
• Company pension scheme
• 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
• Access to charity worker discounts
• Bespoke Learning and Development programme
• Free Holiday Camp places for age related dependants
• Staff uniform
• Free on‑site parking
• Company pension scheme
• Employee of the Month rewards

Job Review:

• The job description will be reviewed periodically to consider changes and developments in the Foundation’s requirements. Any changes will be discussed fully with the post holder in advance

How to apply:

• To formally apply, a C.V. (2 pages maximum) and covering letter (2 pages maximum) must be submitted via email to the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Brett Whitehead by Monday 13th July, 17:00. Please clearly outline within your application how you meet the Person Specification. Proposed first stage interviews will be held w/c 20th July.
• We recommend applying early as we reserve the right to close the application process before the above closing date.
• For any further information or to discuss the vacancy, please email brett.whitehead@afcfylde.co.uk.
• AFC Fylde Community Foundation is committed to adhering to safer recruitment practices. We ensure a thorough and transparent hiring process, and all successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check as part of our safeguarding procedures.

#J-18808-Ljbffr…