Community Development and Partnerships Lead

Build partnerships and work with residents to co-design a thriving neighbourhood. This is a key role at the heart of Lancaster West Estate, where you'll lead community-led initiatives, build strong local partnerships and deliver programmes that make a real difference to people's everyday lives. At LWNT, we're all in - helping neighbourhoods thrive through trust, collaboration and lasting change.

Working Style: You'll be based in the Borough for five days a week, with some flexibility, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you're working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you'll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents' lives.

What you'll be doing: You'll lead the development and delivery of a range of holistic community programmes - from respite support and health and wellbeing initiatives to circular economy projects and local volunteering. A big part of your role will involve shaping and managing LancWest Connects, our flagship volunteering programme, where residents and corporate partners come together to care for shared spaces and build stronger local ties.

You'll be responsible for managing budgets, delivering grant-funded projects and making sure everything runs smoothly, on time and on budget. That includes maintaining clear documentation, overseeing risk and impact and ensuring continuous improvement. You'll also manage our Community Garden Coordinator, support our team of local volunteers and help deliver inclusive events and training.

Crucially, you'll be the link between residents, council teams, partners and funders - forging strong relationships, representing the Neighbourhood Team in forums and helping secure the resources and support needed to make community-led ideas a reality. From helping reduce carbon emissions to improving well-being, this is a role where your leadership and collaboration will help transform lives.

What you'll bring: You'll bring strong project management experience - ideally backed by qualifications like PRINCE2, Agile or Lean Six Sigma - and a background in community-focused work. You're highly organised, proactive and confident leading projects from planning to delivery, particularly in complex or sensitive environments. Your experience might come from a council, charity, or grassroots community organisation - but wherever you've worked, you know how to collaborate, build trust and communicate clearly with a wide range of people. You'll be confident handling budgets, delivering grant-funded projects and using data to shape decisions.

You'll also bring creativity, flexibility and a deep commitment to community-led change. You listen closely, understand what matters to residents and act on their feedback to develop meaningful solutions. Above all, you're someone who cares about people and knows that the strongest ideas are built together.

Why join us: You'll be joining the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team - a passionate group formed in response to the Grenfell tragedy, working to deliver a 21st-century model for social housing. This is a rare opportunity to lead programmes that have immediate and long-term impact and to play a key role in transforming an estate into a beacon of community resilience and innovation.

We offer a competitive salary, plenty of opportunities for professional development and the chance to collaborate with colleagues across the Council and beyond. You'll be supported by a team that values trust, empathy and action - and that's always working together to deliver for our residents.

About us: Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

In this role, you'll be all in - not just delivering programmes, but embedding yourself in the heart of the estate, building relationships that matter and helping residents turn ideas into action. You'll lead our volunteering programme, support local initiatives and drive work that reflects what the community wants and needs.

Interview Details: Interviews will be held 24th July 2025. This will involve an interview and presentation. You will be required to complete an Enhanced Adults and Child DBS Check.

Ready to join us? We're all in - are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description. We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants. We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.