Community Business Officer (Trading) in Oxford

Our client is looking for a Community Business Officer (Trading) to support a network of community-owned businesses across the UK.

This organisation is a national charity supporting people in rural areas to set up and run successful businesses in community ownership. They do this to achieve a UK-wide vision for resilient, thriving and inclusive rural communities.

In this proactive, people-focused role, you’ll work closely with established community businesses to strengthen their operations, improve sustainability, and maximise social impact. You’ll provide direct support, coordinate access to specialist advice, and build strong relationships to understand each group’s needs and challenges. You’ll also support membership engagement, contribute to events and communications, and maintain accurate data to ensure high-quality support across the network. Working as part of a collaborative team, you’ll help deliver a responsive and effective service to community businesses.

This role is ideal for someone organised, empathetic and confident communicating with a wide range of people, with a strong interest in community business and rural communities.

The successful candidate should have the following knowledge, experience, skills and attributes:

• Relationship-focused: you enjoy working with people and are confident building positive, professional relationships.
• Customer-centred: you have experience working with the public and take pride in providing a helpful, friendly service.
• Empathetic and patient: you take time to understand the situations and needs of the people you work with, responding with care and without rushing.
• Proactive and confident: you take initiative, approach tasks positively, and are comfortable acting independently within your role. You're confident engaging with others, raising issues when needed, and following things through to completion.
• Communicative: you're a confident and clear communicator, comfortable managing multiple interactions by phone, email, video call and in person. You adapt your tone and approach to suit different people and situations.
• Community-minded: you bring an interest in community business and an understanding of community business models and the challenges facing rural communities.
• Tech comfortable: you have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and are confident using everyday digital tools to stay organised. Experience of using CRM systems — particularly Salesforce — is an advantage, and you're comfortable keeping accurate records and information up to date.
• Problem-solving: you're practical and solution-focused, able to think issues through, handle queries calmly, and find effective responses when challenges arise.
• Organised and adaptable: you are able to prioritise your workload effectively, managing competing demands on your time without losing focus or quality.

Join this organisation and be part of a national charity supporting resilient, thriving and inclusive rural communities.

Closing date for applications: 5pm on Friday 3 July 2026

Please submit your final application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment. Interview date: During week commencing 13 July 2026

This employer is committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and their approach goes beyond ‘protected characteristics’ to thinking more broadly about inclusion. Every individual will think and feel differently and this organisation believes that these differences should be embraced, and individual needs taken into account. Additionally, the makeup of the rural communities they work with leads to their own particular diversity and exclusion challenges and opportunities compared to urban areas. Their commitment to EDI, both internally and externally, has been tailored to the organisation and the communities they serve.

No agencies please.