About the role
The role of Consultation and Engagement Officer is situated within our Enabling Services Consultation and Engagement Team.
You will play a key role in helping to deliver the council’s public and stakeholder consultation and engagement and help to ensure the decisions the council takes:
- are informed by public opinion;
- reflect and respond to the needs of local people; and
- are transparent and accountable.
Working closely with our Consultation and Engagement Lead you’ll be an essential part of a small and busy team, with your work touching upon all aspects of consultation and engagement across the council.
You will support the delivery of a comprehensive and effective programme of consultation and engagement activities with residents, partners, community organisations and other stakeholders, to help inform the shaping of our services, strategies and policies. You will help deliver a range of consultation and engagement activities, utilising various methods and approaches, and help develop and enhance engagement best practice.
You will have a good level of experience in consultation and engagement, with a proven track record in delivering meaningful involvement activities with diverse audiences to help shape service improvement and delivery. You will have excellent data analysis and report writing skills. Your creativity, pragmatism, and flexibility will enable you to handle challenges and priorities effectively.
You will be able to provide best practice advice on consultation, engagement and involvement methods which include helping to manage and develop various engagement tools, and help collate, prepare and analyse relevant statistical data in order to inform the production of council decision making reports, strategies and policies.
North Northamptonshire Council only came into being in April 2021, and this is an opportunity to help shape the future of one of the largest unitary authorities in the country. Join us and be part of a dynamic team dedicated to shaping the future of North Northamptonshire
What will you be doing?
Under the guidance of the Consultation and Engagement Lead and working with the Consultation and Engagement Specialist, you will deliver and support consultation and engagement activities, operating across services with minimal supervision and management, by designing, coordinating/managing, collating, analysing, interpreting and delivering a portfolio of consultation and engagement that will provide evidence to support the development of services strategic objectives. This includes producing mechanisms of participation, forums, feedback sessions, questionnaires, and analysis reporting of these to help shape service improvement and delivery across the council, whilst ensuring compliance with GDPR, equality, and accessibility standards.
You will help produce consultation and engagement information for a diverse audience including partners, the general public, local communities, seldom heard groups and other organisations. You will help develop local resources to ensure that consultation and engagement can be carried out effectively whilst enhancing the experience of those using the service. Enhancing customer led provision, co-production and inclusive practice and equity for all, including seldom heard groups and those with protected characteristics, via a range of different effective media and tools.
You will also take an active role in managing back-office administration and processes ensuring the consultation and engagement service runs efficiently and effectively.
About you
You will have experience of delivering meaningful consultation and engagement, and a skillset that includes a sound understanding of participation techniques, practices and tools to facilitate involvement from diverse audiences including the general public, local communities, seldom heard groups and organisations.
In addition to your technical skills, you will need excellent interpersonal abilities to communicate effectively with clients at all levels across the organisation, the public, and external partners.
As well as being creative you will need to be pragmatic and flexible and able to handle challenges and priorities effectively.
You’ll be supported by great colleagues in a small team, but you will also be able to work independently when required.
Our benefits
Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.
You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!
Why choose us?
We offer a vibrant working environment with:
- a competitive salary
- a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
- lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
- generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
- hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.
We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.
About us
Our Values and Behaviours
Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:
Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy
Our Key Commitments
Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.
We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.
North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council’s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.
We aim to be a carbon neutral Council by 2030.
Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)
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