Engagement Officer in Birmingham

At the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), we believe that meaningful engagement with residents, communities, and partners is essential to creating a region where people can thrive. Together, we're delivering ambitious programmes that will transform how people live, work, travel, and connect across the West Midlands - and we want local communities to help shape that future.

We're looking for an experienced Engagement Officer to play a leading role in designing and delivering engagement activities and consultations on some of the region's most exciting and high-profile projects. From major transport initiatives such as bus franchising and extended Metro routes, to housing, environment and regeneration programmes, you'll help ensure the voices of residents are at the heart of decision-making. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about community engagement and believes in the value of listening to people from all walks of life.

You'll build relationships with communities, stakeholders and partners, develop creative engagement approaches, analyse feedback, and produce clear reports that influence policy and investment decisions. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, you'll help us continuously improve how we engage with residents and ensure their views genuinely shape the future of the West Midlands.

Leading a small team of Engagement Executives, you'll combine strong planning and project management skills with excellent communication and active listening abilities. If you're someone who enjoys meeting people, facilitating meaningful conversations, and making sure communities have a voice in the decisions that affect them, this is an opportunity to make a real difference for the region.

What you will be doing:

• Research best practice and trends in consultation and engagement
• Provide engagement advice to colleagues across all directorates
• Work collaboratively with teams to deliver high-quality events
• Ensure efficient record-keeping of stakeholder data with CRM and digital teams
• Strengthen community voice, insight, and influence through effective consultation design
• Contribute to continuous improvement and organisational learning in engagement
• Enable colleagues to deliver meaningful and effective public engagement
• Implement engagement and consultation plans effectively
• Ensure appropriate channels and methods are used to reach target audiences
• Manage engagement/consultation project budgets

Qualifications:

• Substantial experience of working in a communications and engagement role
• Experience of stakeholder management
• An understanding of using data to inform engagement campaigns
• Experience of working with community groups and community organisations
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• A good team player able to build strong relationships
• Positive attitude to working with people and delivering outcomes
• Ability to think creatively and innovatively
• A flexible approach and the ability to work effectively in a range of situations and with a diverse range of people
• Enthusiasm and a high degree of initiative and motivation

Location: The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane with at least 2 days a week spent in the office. Due to the nature of the role, site visits will be required and occasional weekend and evening working.

Salary and benefits: We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK)
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs)
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more
• You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses

We are a Disability Confident Employer with Leader' status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria. We are a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks. We gladly consider part-time, flexible, and job share arrangements.

Right to work in the UK: Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non-UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).