Community Engagement Manager

Job summary

About the Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do is about ensuring trust, participation, and integrity in the democratic process.

As we enter a bold new chapter under our five-year Corporate Plan, we are increasing our workforce and transforming how we plan and deliver core services. This post plays a central role in that journey.

Job description

About the role

The Community Engagement Manager will lead the Commission’s community based democratic engagement work across England, building strategic partnerships and delivering programmes that help under registered and underrepresented communities participate in democracy. The role combines strategy, partnership development, programme delivery and team leadership to expand the reach and impact of the Commission’s voter education work

In this role, you will:

• Develop and deliver the Commission’s approach to community based democratic engagement across England.
• Build and manage relationships with community organisations, civil society groups and local authorities to extend the reach of voter engagement and education work.
• Lead a regional team, including recruiting and managing Senior Community Engagement Officers.
• Commission and oversee community partnership programmes that provide impartial democratic information.
• Use community insight to identify barriers to participation and shape programme improvements.
• Ensure all engagement activity is inclusive, accessible and aligned with safeguarding and equality standards

About the team

This is an exciting opportunity to help build a new and growing team that will expand our direct engagement with communities. You will manage the Community Engagement team, which sits within the wider Voter Engagement team. We work across education, community outreach and partnerships to help people of all ages gain the knowledge and confidence to take part in democracy.

The Community Engagement team will:

• Design and deliver targeted outreach in communities across England, working collaboratively with the English Regional Teams.
• Provide localised democratic engagement outreach through trusted networks
• Coordinate rollout of voter engagement materials and resources across England
• Build influential relationships with local councils, civil society, faith groups and grassroots organisations

Our focus is on supporting people who are under‑registered or face barriers to taking part in democracy. Insights from this work will help improve future programmes and inform wider organisational priorities.

As the manager, you will help shape the culture, direction and identity of a new team that is collaborative, impact‑focused and driven by community insight.

Person specification

Who we’re looking for

This role will suit someone who brings:

• Extensive experience working within and alongside diverse local communities
• A background in community engagement, local government, civil society or the charity sector
• Strong partnership-building skills and the ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Experience delivering programmes or initiatives that support underrepresented or marginalised groups
• A proactive, compassionate and collaborative approach

You will thrive if you are an innovative thinker who can lead others, build trust with communities and partners, and bring clarity and structure to new and developing work areas.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,420, The Electoral Commission contributes £15,186 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Why work for us?

This is a rare opportunity to build something new, shaping how the Commission works with communities and creating lasting democratic impact.

We offer a strong total reward package, including:

• Flexible working and hybrid model
• 28 rising to 30 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Civil Service pension scheme (28.97% employer contribution)
• Study support for professional qualifications
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Ride2Work, eye care vouchers and more

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. To help reduce unconscious bias and ensure all applicants are assessed solely on their skills, knowledge and experience, we use an anonymous recruitment process.

When applying, please provide an anonymised CV which omits your protected characteristics and any personally identifiable information:

Do not include:

• Your name, address, phone number, email or other contact details
• Your date of birth or age
• Gender, ethnicity, nationality or other personal identifiers
• A photo of yourself
• Remove educational dates as these are a clear indication of your age
• There is no requirement to include your primary education details.

Do include:

• Your employment history including employers and dates of employment
• Explanation for gaps in your history
• Your duties, responsibilities and achievements

If your CV contains personal details (such as your name or contact information), we will be unable to consider your application. Please double-check your documents before submitting, including the file name you use to save and upload your CV.

Supporting disabled applicants

The Electoral Commission is proud to be a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. As part of this commitment, we aim to prioritise interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the job description.

There may, however, be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. For example, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or seasonal recruitment activity, the Commission may need to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled and non-disabled applicants.

If you have a disability and would like to be considered under this commitment, please indicate this when you apply. We also welcome requests for reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process or within the workplace.

Key dates

• Application deadline: 20th April (23:59)
• Interviews (1st stage): Week commencing 27th April
• Interviews (2nd stage): Week commencing TBC
• Anticipated start date: TBC

Interviews will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk

Further information

Raising a Concern About the Recruitment Process

At the Electoral Commission, we are committed to delivering fair, inclusive, and transparent recruitment. Our recruitment practices are guided by Civil Service values and comply with the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

If you have concerns about the way a recruitment process has been conducted, we encourage you to raise them with us.

How to Make a Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our recruitment process, you can contact us directly by email:

recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk

Please include the following information:

The job title or reference number

A clear explanation of your concern

Any relevant supporting information

Your preferred contact details

We aim to respond to all complaints within two working days.

Our Commitment

All complaints are treated seriously and in confidence. They are handled in line with our Recruitment Policy and the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010, Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you require this information in an alternative format, or need additional support, please contact us at recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk or call 020 7271 0500.

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/working-us