The Young Westminster Foundation (YWF) is seeking an experienced Helping Hands Programme Officer to join the team as part of the Helping Hands Serious Youth Violence Programme.
Job title: Helping Hands Programme Officer
Salary: £32,000
Contract: Part time (4 days per week). Fixed Term Contract for 12 months (with the possibility of extension
Location: YWF Office, Soho, North East Westminster community and home–working (hybrid)
About Young Westminster Foundation:
The Young Westminster Foundation is a vibrant local charity established to support young people growing up in Westminster to have healthy, safe and bright futures. The Foundation brings together youth organisations, young people, businesses, Westminster City Council, schools, funders and the wider community to create opportunities for Westminster’s young people. We’re part of a growing network of Young People’s Foundations (YPFs) established nationally by John Lyon’s Charity.
Since 2017, we have been supporting local youth clubs and organisations through grants, training, research and networking opportunities. Forging partnerships with businesses, public sector partners, individuals and major funders, our work helps strengthen services for all young people in our central London borough. We have grown from a small start–up charity to an established go–to organisation for the youth sector, awarding £2 million+ in grants to our membership of over 80 youth organisations throughout our 6 years.
Our aims:
• Members: Helping youth clubs and youth organisations to thrive
• Partnerships: Fostering a community who care about Westminster’s young people
• Funding: Generating long term investment for youth organisations and young people in Westminster
• Knowledge: Listening, learning and sharing
The Role:
The Programme Officer will work closely with the existing Helping Hands Programme Manager and Westminster City Council’s Integrated Gangs Unit to bring together the community in the North East of Westminster.
The Programme Officer will build and maintain effective relationships with local communities, including voluntary organisations, parents, schools, businesses and community groups to give local people the opportunity to influence the direction of the Helping Hands programme; provide knowledge of local issues; remove barriers to communities accessing information or voicing needs; improve community understanding of the complexity of local issues; as well as building trust. A central part of this role will be to build trust to ensure that the community members feel comfortable in sharing and explaining their views and issues; creating bespoke, accessible serious youth violence resources for community groups and community members; identify forums and/or proactively create opportunities through outreach initiatives.
To be successful for this role you must have experience of community engagement and building relationships with marginalised communities. You will be able to easily engage with people from different organisations backgrounds and perspectives and meet the needs of diverse stakeholders.
We are looking for someone who is proactive, creative and adaptive and always finds opportunities to involve young people and the community in the design of services and programmes. You need to be hardworking, organised, able to work independently and have a positive approach to problem solving. A skilled communicator, confident at suggesting and implementing new ideas is key to the success of this role.
| Experience | Essential
·Substantial experience of working with community and voluntary sector organisations. ·Experience of facilitating community-led change. ·Demonstrable experience of engaging with seldom-heard communities. ·Experience of facilitation and delivering presentations, training or workshops to varied audiences. ·Experience of working independently and as part of a team in order to deliver a programme of work. Desirable ·Experience of working in partnership with a range of public sector, private sector, voluntary and community organisations. ·Experience of multi-disciplinary project coordination and development. ·Experience of working in a community safety environment or working with young people involved in serious youth violence. ·Experience living/working with communities/volunteering in the North East Westminster area. |
| Skills | Essential
·Ability to communicate effectively at all levels both orally and in writing. ·Good level of competence in IT, including Microsoft Office. ·Well organised with good priority setting and time management skills, and the ability to work under pressure to deliver high quality results to tight deadlines. ·Must be able to work flexibly, i.e. some evenings and weekends, and occasional meetings outside normal working hours. Desirable ·Project Management experience is desirable. |
| Knowledge | Essential
·Knowledge of engagement strategies and practices of engagement with vulnerable groups. ·Understanding of partnership working across sectors, especially between local authorities and voluntary / community sector organisations. ·Good knowledge of serious youth violence. |
At Young Westminster Foundation we offer an attractive package of benefits to our staff. This includes:
– Competitive pay package and pension scheme
– Annual leave – 28 days plus Christmas closure
– Enhanced maternity pay
– Sabbatical scheme
– Flexible working
– Cycle to work scheme
– Learning and development opportunities
Diversity & Inclusion:
At Young Westminster Foundation we are committed to equality and diversity among our workforce, and eliminating discrimination. We aim to create a workforce that is as diverse and welcoming as the borough of Westminster itself; promoting positivity, and instilling a can-do attitude which is inclusive in design and delivery of services. We encourage candidates that are able to support the development and inclusivity of the communities of Westminster.
How to Apply:
Please apply by submitting your CV and a covering letter which outlines your specific interest in the position and ability to successfully fill this role.
Application Process:
There are 4 stages to the selection process:
Closing date for applications: Monday 27th November 2023
First stage interview date: Wednesday 6th December 2023
Second stage interview date: Monday 11th December 2023
Enhanced DBS Checks and Reference
Any questions? Please contact matira@youngwestminster.com
Please apply for this role via the CharityJob website.
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