Community Engagement Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

Community Engagement Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£33,711 to £39,659 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Sunday 26th April 2026

Adult Community Learning (ACL) Essex is Essex County Council’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. ACL Essex offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL Essex learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and engagement.

The Community Engagement Officer support the growth of learner participation and income generation by delivering effective engagement, marketing and sales activities across community and voluntary services. The role manages enquiries, promotes courses and services, and converts interest into enrolments, ensuring a positive customer experience and compliance with funding and council standards.

The postholder uses customer relationship management (CRM) systems and data insight to target campaigns, track leads and report on performance, working collaboratively with curriculum and centre teams to achieve recruitment and income targets.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Policy, Economy, Investment and Property

Accountabilities

Deliver engagement and sales activities that increase learner participation and income, including campaigns, events and outreach, aligned to council priorities and ACL objectives.
Manage enquiries and provide accurate information, advice and guidance to prospective customers, ensuring compliance with funding eligibility and safeguarding requirements.
Use customer relationship management (CRM) systems to record and track leads, monitor conversion rates and report on performance against targets.
Collaborate with sector and area teams to ensure promotional activity reflects current provision, learner needs and progression opportunities.
Analyse data from management information systems (MIS) and customer feedback to inform targeting, improve customer experience and support continuous improvement.
Ensure marketing and engagement materials meet accessibility standards and council brand guidelines, and promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Support the achievement of income targets through effective sales techniques, negotiation and relationship management with individuals and organisations.
Contribute to the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) by providing evidence of engagement and sales impact.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to RQF Level 3 or above (or equivalent by experience) in a relevant field such as marketing, sales or customer service, with evidence of continuing professional development.
Experience of delivering engagement, marketing or sales activities in an education, training or customer-focused environment.
Knowledge of funding and regulatory frameworks relevant to Adult Community Learning (ACL), including guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), Department for Work & Pensions (DWP).
Strong digital skills and experience using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and MIS to manage leads and report on performance.
Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence decisions.
Commitment to inclusion, safeguarding and continuous improvement, with the ability to interpret data and act on insight to improve outcomes.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email sandra.middleton@essex.gov.uk

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