Programme & Engagement Coordinator in Barking

Responsible: Senior Programmes Manager

Location: Office in central Barking but we work across London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Work from home once a week.

Hours: 28 hours per week (full time, as we are a 4‑day week business, but evening work sometimes required)

The opportunity

We’re looking for a Programme & Engagement Coordinator to help us build spaces where local people and local businesses can come together, share ideas, navigate tough conversations, and steer real investment into their neighbourhoods. You’ll support communities to learn shared decision‑making, conflict management, and creative collaboration. You’ll be joining a small, ambitious team on a mission to shift power to those most excluded from it while showing the wider social sector that there’s a better way to fund change. Over the past five years, we’ve distributed over £1 million through community‑led grants and social investment, and we’re just getting started.

What you'll do

• Co‑design and facilitate participatory processes, including idea generation, panel deliberation, decision‑making, and feedback.
• Recruit and encourage residents to participate in all aspects of our work.
• Design engaging workshops, visuals, and narratives to make our processes accessible.
• Use creative facilitation tools to ensure inclusive participation and capture insights that shape decisions and outcomes.
• Lead on projects: conduct desk research, analyse data, monitor social media, take notes, arrange meetings.
• Support the delivery of social media and communications content where needed.
• Build strong and lasting relationships with local communities, organisations, and businesses.
• Advocate for community‑led initiatives and connect BD Giving with local people, organisations and businesses.
• Demonstrate curiosity and take initiative to explore new ways of working, challenge established processes, and share learning with the team.

Who are we

At Barking & Dagenham Giving, we believe the people who live in Barking & Dagenham should have the power to shape its future. We’re not just handing out funding, we’re rethinking who gets to decide how money is spent and what change looks like.

A bit about you

• Experience, knowledge or interest of working with local communities, with a focus on people‑centred delivery and fostering collaboration (essential)
• Some experience and understanding of what it takes to manage a project on time and to a high standard (essential)
• Prior experience in community development, youth work, grant making, or facilitation to support inclusive programme design (desirable)
• Understanding of how to work with community groups, people and organisations from different cultures and backgrounds (essential)
• We are particularly interested in candidates from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds who have lived experiences of local neighbourhoods in Barking and Dagenham (desirable)
• Effective communicator – ability to maintain and develop relationships with local communities, partners, organisations, and businesses (essential)
• Ability to learn and use creative methods to engage local communities and organisations, harnessing new technology and community development approaches (essential)
• An interest in developing and creating creative social media content (essential)
• A people‑person with a positive attitude who conducts themselves professionally, confidently and with an ability to listen and negotiate (essential)
• A proactive, motivated, self‑starter who likes to take initiative and is flexible and quick‑thinking (essential)
• Experience in managing and prioritising varied and busy work loads (essential)
• A curious approach – flexible, and adaptable with an openness to personal development and learning (essential)

Other

There are no specific qualification requirements for this role, we prefer to assess skills based on demonstrated experiences. Prepared to undertake work outside of core hours, including evening and some weekend work.

If you’re driven by curiosity, optimism, and a belief that everyone should have a say in shaping where they live, apply now and help us change how power flows in Barking & Dagenham.

Annual leave & benefits

• 4‑day work week with Friday’s off for all staff
• 26.5 days inclusive of bank holidays
• Christmas closure (at company’s discretion)
• 5% pension contributions
• Cycle to work scheme opt‑in
• Ethical pension contributions
• Opportunities for formal and informal training, and mentoring around the development of skills pertaining to facilitation, management and research.

How to apply

Send a covering letter (no more than 2 days) and CV to hello+PEC@bdgiving.org.uk with the subject line to include "Programme & Engagement Coordinator Job Application". Interviews will be held on the 14 and 15 July, onsite in Barking, East London. Applications submitted after 23:59 on the 28th June 2026 will not be considered.