Vacancies

Community Cohesion Officer

Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.

About the role

This is a new role for West Northamptonshire Council, and an exciting opportunity to build and shape how we promote social cohesion within our communities. We are recruiting to two vacant positions, who will report to the Connected Communities Coordinator within the Community Engagement & Resettlement Team.

These positions will serve as a vital link between diverse communities, promoting social inclusion, harmony, and understanding within localities. The role encompasses a range of responsibilities, including organising events that celebrate cultural diversity, facilitating dialogue between different groups to address potential tensions or conflicts, and collaborating with local organisations and partners to implement initiatives that foster cohesion and integration.

The successful candidates will act as advocates for marginalised or minority groups, working to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are addressed within the broader community framework. Through proactive engagement and targeted interventions, these roles will play a crucial role in building resilient, unified communities where everyone feels valued simply for who they are.

What will you be doing?

Developing and delivering a set of cohesion priorities, working closely with communities and partners to foster positive relationships.
Building profiles of our communities through active engagement, together with collating local data from a range of sources.
Supporting and promoting positive dialogue and interactions between different groups, faiths, cultures and ages, and encouraging the development of strong community leadership.
Collaborating with local stakeholders to address issues related to social exclusion, discrimination, and intolerance
Organising and supporting community events, workshops, and forums to facilitate dialogue, cultural exchange, and collaboration.
Working with local schools, businesses, and faith groups to promote diversity and inclusivity in their practices and policies.
Monitoring social trends and tensions within the community, as well as identifying gaps in provision and working with voluntary sector partners on the best way to address these.
Identifying funding opportunities that address the challenges in service delivery for vulnerable groups and communities.

About you

You will be passionate about promoting community cohesion and making a positive impact in people's lives.

You will value people simply for who they are and want to make sure that every voice is heard and listened to. You will possess strong communication and inter-personal skills and be able to establish and foster positive relationships with both individuals and groups of people. This, together with the ability to negotiate and mediate - diplomacy is crucial for maintaining harmonious, cohesive communities.

You should have a deep understanding of cultural norms, traditions and customs and an awareness of religious practices, languages and historical backgrounds. Experience in being able to solve problems and working collaboratively is key; you will be working closely with various stakeholders, such as community groups, voluntary sector organisations, schools, churches and partner agencies. You should also be passionate about social justice and equity; being an advocate for the rights and well-being of all community members, particularly those from seldom-heard or vulnerable groups.

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
Cycle to Work scheme.
Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
Car Lease scheme
Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
Ongoing training and development opportunities.
A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.