Community & Engagement Lead

Family Support Services
Based in and overseeing Community Engagement and Volunteering across Dacorum and St Albans
26 hours per week
Fixed-term contract until March 2029
Enhanced DBS Check Required

YMCA is seeking an experienced and passionate Community Engagement & Volunteering Lead to join our Family Support Services team and help strengthen connections between families communities volunteers and local partners across Dacorum and St Albans.

This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone who is committed to making a positive impact within local communities. You will lead and support a team of Community Engagement & Volunteer Practitioners ensuring Family Centre Services are visible accessible and responsive to the needs of families across your area.

Working closely with community groups voluntary organisations local stakeholders and partner agencies you will identify unmet needs and develop collaborative projects events and outreach activities that encourage engagement and improve outcomes for children and families. You will play a key role in developing volunteering opportunities particularly for parents while supporting pathways into employment through partnerships with training providers.

As a leader within the service you will oversee the delivery of a programme of community engagement activities and events promote continuous improvement support performance management and staff development and ensure high standards of customer service. You will also champion equality diversity inclusion and belonging in all aspects of your work while acting as a Designated Safeguarding Lead for the service.

About You We are looking for someone with:
Proven experience leading managing and developing staff or volunteers.
Strong community engagement and partnership-building experience.
Experience planning and delivering events outreach programmes and community-based initiatives.
Excellent communication organisational and stakeholder management skills.
The ability to identify community needs and co-design services with families and partners.
A strong understanding of safeguarding inclusion and service performance targets (KPIs).
GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths and confidence using Microsoft Office applications.
A Level 5 Leadership & Management qualification (desirable).

A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle insured for business use are essential for this role.

Why Join YMCA At YMCA youll be part of a values-led organisation dedicated to supporting children young people families and communities. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead meaningful community initiatives develop volunteering opportunities and make a lasting difference to families across Dacorum and St Albans.

Join us and help build stronger more connected communities.

This is a Part Time role.
Hours per week: 26
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday TBC

One YMCA and its subsidiaries the Early Childhood Partnership (ECP) and Signpost are on an exciting journey to double our impact by 2025. We are over half way through an exciting new strategy launched in the first hour of the new decade via email where all staff and volunteers were invited to put themselves forward to apply and attend an intensive three-day Kickstarter Event.

By the end of these three days there was a brilliantly multi-faceted set of themes and ideas which formed the starting point for the rest of the Mission 25 process to build on. The aim of Mission 25 is to give every staff member and volunteer the opportunity to play their part in shaping the strategy to do more and better together so that we double our impact by 2025. We deliver a vast array of services across Herts Beds and Bucks that reach over 135000 individuals annually.

These include:

• Provision of over 700 units of accommodation for homeless people
• Move on accommodation for individuals moving onto independent living
• Housing and practical/emotional support for young asylum seekers
• Community HUBs hosting a range of activities and meeting space hire
• Childcare provision in Hertfordshire
• Family support through a network of childrens and family centres covering Hertfordshire and Bedford
• Therapeutic and non-therapeutic support for male and female victims of domestic abuse and their children
• Independent sexual violence services across Bedfordshire Luton and Hertfordshire
• Domestic abuse perpetrator reform programmes across Bedfordshire
• Youth services offering emotional wellbeing support and youth club opportunities for 11-19 year olds alongside our National Airplay programme funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund
• A community gym where everyone can enjoy the benefits of physical exercise Our values remain at the forefront of how we operate as a charity and it is important to us that all staff and volunteers can fully buy in to our ethos.