Community Development Worker in Leatherhead

You will work with local residents to bring about positive change for North Leatherhead, by supporting community-led activities, growing local leaders, and facilitating residents’ engagement in decisions affecting this community.

Pay: £32,136 a year (pro rata).

Contract: permanent contract, subject to a 4-month probationary period.

Hours: 4 or 5 days a week, including occasional evening and weekend working, to be agreed with the successful applicant.

Location: LCH, Kingston Road, Leatherhead. KT22 7PX. Not suitable for remote working.

Leatherhead Community Hub (LCH) has employed a Community Development/Engagement Worker since 2022, building relationships with local residents and listening to people’s concerns and hopes for North Leatherhead. This has led to the development of a number of successful community-led activities, including our weekly non-contact boxing and football training sessions for children and young people. More recently, we set up a Residents’ Panel and carried out a large-scale Community Survey, to help ensure that LCH is always listening to local residents and guided by local priorities.

This role is a vital element of LCH’s strategic vision for the next three years and beyond:

• Cultivating community: offering a safe space for community activities that strengthen mutual support networks.
• Growing capability: equipping local residents with the skills and confidence to bring about positive change in their community.
• Fostering connections: acting as a focal point for collaborative working between local charities, agencies and businesses.

Our community development work is particularly focused on “growing capability”, recognising the importance of focusing time and energy into listening, encouraging and empowering others, and offering opportunities for local residents to get involved through volunteering, training, and working with us. LCH is always seeking to be shaped by the desires and needs that arise within the community, by bringing people’s ideas into action and giving residents a voice in decisions affecting the local area. As a charity, we are also working towards residents being involved in every aspect of the governance of LCH, whether as trustees or on the management and operations teams.

North Leatherhead is in the top 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in Surrey, with relatively high rates of poverty, economic inactivity, poor physical and mental health, and social isolation; all these issues have been exacerbated by the lack of community provision and damaging impact of the closure of the children’s centre and other community buildings in recent years. Leatherhead Community Hub (LCH) was set up in July 2020 as a dedicated community centre in North Leatherhead. LCH provides opportunities for people to come together socially and build community, as well as giving our partner organisations a permanent base from which to offer critical support to local residents. Our mission is to create a safe, welcoming space at the heart of the community, where people of all ages can connect, learn, have fun, and find the support they need to thrive. The Hub attracts around 3,500 visitors a month to our affordable café and the many other community activities run by LCH and other community groups.

Description of role: We are looking for someone who is capable of running community projects, but who is keen to involve others and gains most joy and satisfaction from developing leaders and volunteers from within the local community and seeing them grow and succeed in their roles. In this role, you will be responsible for engaging and empowering the residents of North Leatherhead to facilitate positive change for the local community, by:

• overseeing existing community projects, and encouraging the involvement of local residents in supporting, running, and leading these projects;
• equipping local residents with the skills and confidence to initiate and run new community-led events and activities;
• facilitating and growing our Residents’ Panel to play a key role in the governance and running of LCH, with a view to appointing several trustees from the local community;
• promoting dialogue and collaboration between local residents and service providers, enabling people to have a greater say in decisions affecting the community;
• supporting the management team and trustees in prioritising LCH’s resources to best serve the desires and needs of the local community.

Subject to experience, we would also like the postholder to help with, or lead on, our social media alongside volunteers from the local community - although this is not an essential requirement for this role.

You will be employed by Leatherhead Community Hub, using the Hub as a base for networking, capacity-building, and community-led activities, whilst also reaching out and making connections with other sections of the local community. This role will require you to have a regular presence at LCH and in the wider community. You will work closely with local service providers and other community organisations, including the council, housing association, and GP practices, as well as LCH’s core partners: Citizens Advice Mole Valley, EDGE Disability, Good Company Surrey (Foodbank), Link 2030, Mid-Surrey Community Fridges, The Gathering Church, and The Hive (a creative arts project). You will help promote a collaborative and participatory approach to supporting the community, seeking to ensure that local residents are directly engaged in initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of the North Leatherhead community.

You will be a member of LCH’s Management Team, and line managed by the Managing Director, Tom Sefton, with advice & support from one of our Trustees and Co-Founders, Jenny Moore, who has worked in this community for over 20 years. This role is partly funded by a multi-year grant from the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund, which includes a number of specific objectives which you will be responsible for delivering, including: growing our youth sports projects, supporting more community-led activities, establishing our Residents’ Panel; and increasing local representation on our Board of Trustees.

Requirements of the postholder:

Essential:

• Excellent listening skills – friendly and approachable, with the ability to connect with people from a wide range of backgrounds and make them feel supported and valued.
• A proven ability and desire to motivate and support people to use and develop their strengths and skills for the benefit of the wider community.
• Good networking skills and experience of working well with other organisations to achieve positive change for the community.
• Experience of volunteering and/or working in a range of community settings.
• Strong organisational and time management skills, and good IT skills.
• A positive and creative approach to work – able to handle new or competing demands and work on own initiative without close supervision.
• A willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evening and weekend meetings and events.
• A firm commitment to the vision, mission and values of LCH.

Desirable:

• Previous experience of working as a community development worker or similar role.
• An understanding of the principles of asset-based community development and/or other participatory approaches to community development.
• Experience of training and supporting volunteers.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and running community-led events and activities, in a voluntary or paid capacity.
• Experience using social media to raise awareness, engage local communities, and promote activities or events.
• Experience of living, working and/or volunteering in the local area.