Interim Head of Community Engagement & Insights (14 months FTC) in London

Purpose of role

To lead Grosvenor Property UK’s community engagement and community insights, ensuring sector-leading practice, delivery of our People Positive Engagement Charter, and maximising commercial and social outcomes. The postholder will provide expert advice, manage engagement programmes, and ensure operational teams understand and respond to community needs, with a particular focus on maintaining momentum across priority projects and stakeholder relationships during the maternity cover period. The role sits within Grosvenor Property UK’s Sustainability team, as part of its Social Impact function, and has one direct report (a Community Engagement Manager).

Key responsibilities

• Expert advice on local political and community engagement in Westminster: Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, supporting the development and delivery of engagement strategies as well as providing senior counsel on stakeholder engagement and customer communications. Share relevant intelligence and insight on local political and stakeholder environment with teams as relevant. Foresee and manage community and local political risks, ensuring proactive engagement and mitigation. Guide teams in delivering site-specific engagement strategies, challenging and celebrating practice as appropriate.
• Hands-on support with day-to-day engagement and insight needs, as well as strategic projects: Oversee the London Estate’s day-to-day local stakeholder engagement, guiding senior leaders and supporting teams in how to ensure strong relationships, identify and mitigate potential risks and always being responsive to their needs. Own the delivery of community engagement for priority projects, with a particular focus on the re-opening of Grosvenor Square. Ensuring a positive experience for the community and maximising the opportunities for community involvement in this transformational scheme. Produce high-quality messaging and copy to support local communications and engagement, plus effective SCIs to support planning applications. Lead and own the delivery of the annual community survey (next in Jan 2027) and project consultations, ensuring robust methodology and actionable insights. Drive the use of insight and data to inform business decisions, participating in our Customer Insight Forum and supporting CRM initiatives. Contribute to periodic external and internal impact reports and synthesize activity relevant to the audience, incl. annual sustainability report, monthly LE/Ops report, quarterly LE & Sustainability Board report and LE Trustee update. Work out of hours to support engagement events when necessary.
• Lead our wellbeing approach: Own 2027 community wellbeing research - including the framework, methodology, collection, analysis and reporting - to ensure a comprehensive understanding of societal and local need, collaborating with research partners and internal teams. Lead the delivery of Wellbeing Action Plans – ensuring momentum and tangible outcomes during 2026 and integrating the 2027 community wellbeing research into updated action plans, ensuring buy-in from senior leaders and relevant teams. Lead the evolution and delivery of the People Positive Fund – managing our relationship with the London Community Foundation, and also leading the process to secure co-funding from customers and local stakeholders to support wellbeing projects.
• Lead responsibility for our corporate community engagement approach: Champion Grosvenor’s People Positive Charter & Toolkit, embedding best practice in public engagement across the business, particularly for those in community-facing roles. Champion the importance of meaningful engagement in delivering genuine social impact. Identify and develop relevant stories from around the business that help build Grosvenor’s reputation and support employee learning. Contribute to our advocacy and thought leadership work around social impact, wellbeing and engagement, in close collaboration with the Corporate Communications team.
• Line manage Community Engagement Manager: Manage one direct report – a Community Engagement Manager – whose responsibilities include supporting the Head of Community Engagement in delivering the above activities, as well as running employee volunteering and supporting with charity partnerships and programmes.

Key requirements

• Genuine passion for communities and social impact, alongside knowledge of and interest in the ways that places are made and managed.
• A sophisticated understanding of stakeholder relationship management and the wider political and societal context in which Grosvenor operates, alongside a proven ability to influence decision-making.
• Experience of working in Westminster and of the local stakeholder environment preferable but not essential.
• Direct line management experience is a plus but not a requirement.
• Innovative and full of energy with a track record of influencing senior management and Executive Leadership Teams.
• A personable and measured communicator with equal comfort talking to members of the public as well as presenting to senior internal stakeholders and industry professionals.
• Extensive experience of managing public and political engagement for major project proposals with complex stakeholder interests.
• High level of attention to detail as well as the ability to step back and observe the bigger picture.
• Willingness to apply challenge where appropriate.
• Good judgment in balancing commercial and social outcomes.

We know flexibility is important and take a hybrid approach to working.