London, UK
Community support manager
at Open City London
Open City London is looking for a community support manager to join its team in London.
Open City is seeking a new community support manager to lead the charity in supporting community organisations and residents associations to take part in the Open House Festival, manage and recruit volunteers, and run training and support sessions throughout the year for communities and festival contributors.
Salary: £28,000 to £32,000 pro rata depending on experience
Contract type: permanent
Hours: four days per week. Open City principally operates a four day week. We think this role is a four-day position but are open to other proposals including job shares for the right candidates
Start date: March 2022/ASAP
Abstract
Open City makes London and its urban landscape more open, accessible and equitable. We help citizens of all backgrounds to understand and engage with how the city is designed and made, and have a role in shaping its future.
Open City creates a significant positive social impact through its diverse range of programmes from staging the annual Open House Festivals, to creating year-round educational initiatives and fostering critical dialogue and organising cultural events. As a result of Open City’s work, millions of people have learned about their city and explored boroughs and neighbourhoods they had never previously visited. Through our programmes, thousands of children and young people, in particular from under-represented communities, have been supported to learn about, and pursue careers in, architecture and city-making professions.
Open City is now in a period of exciting change and growth having appointed a number of new trustees and staff since the start of the pandemic including a new chief executive, a new head of education and empowerment and a new chief curator of the Open House Festival. The charity is embarking on an adventurous new year which will see it apply for the first time to join the Arts Council National Portfolio, deliver the most ambitious Open House Festival yet and significantly expand its young-people’s and volunteering programmes. We are looking for a dynamic and proactive Community Support Manager to lead the charity in supporting community organisations including residents groups, housing campaigners and civic societies to participate in the Open House Festival, recruit volunteers across the city, and run training and support sessions throughout the year.
Job description
As Open City’s community support manager, you will manage the charity’s volunteer-led neighbourhood committees to empower them to achieve their mission of opening more buildings and neighbourhoods in London during the Open House Festival and throughout the year. You will be the main point of contact for Open City’s constellation of volunteers, as well as growing the charity’s volunteer reach. This will include running recruitment drives to bring on more volunteers, briefing and onboarding them, developing and running training sessions, and organising volunteer socials.
As well as nurturing a thriving volunteer community, you will be responsible for building good working relationships with wider communities and residents groups helping to diversify the festival programme and encourage inclusivity.
You will also assist the Open House Festival Chief Curator and head of festival in leading mentoring sessions for people who open up their buildings and landscapes for the festival. To tie this all together, you will manage communications with the wider volunteers, communities and festival contributors, scheduling regular community newsletters and campaigns to help create an engaging and supportive network between the charity, its volunteers and wider communities.
This role comes during an exciting time at Open City with a new chief executive, new trustees and restructured staff team. The successful candidate will have great autonomy to think creatively and help shape the work of the organisation as it seeks to become more socially engaged across its programmes.
Key roles and responsibilities:
- working with local communities around London, actively promoting engagement and contribution to the Open House Festival
- recruiting, supporting and motivating volunteers and volunteer-led committees, empowering them to contribute to festival programming
- organising and leading volunteer recruitment days targeted on specific neighbourhoods around London
- leading volunteer briefings and training sessions
- creating content and scheduling monthly community newsletters and campaigns to be sent to volunteers and contributors with information about Open City and upcoming opportunities
- participating in festival mentoring schemes, advising contributors on how best to engage with the wider community
- actively engaging with and demonstrating an interest in the work and mission of Open City
- supporting and collaborating with the Open City team across various programmes and events where necessary
- contributing to the overall curation of Open City and it’s programmes, proposing ideas, speaking on behalf of the charity and actively contributing to the development of the charity’s operations
- taking an active role in improving Open City on behalf of the staff who work there and the audience it serves
Personal specification:
- previous work experience in community engaging working on outreach programmes
- experience of working with volunteers or volunteer committees
- strong written communication skills
- strong verbal communication skills
- confidence leading outdoor events such as volunteer recruitment days, speaking engagingly with strangers about your work
- broad knowledge of and interest in London’s architecture, neighbourhoods and built heritage
- interest in the work and projects run by Open City
- excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to form strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- good IT skills including visual communication
- strong attention to detail
- ability to use initiative and work independently.
Desirable:
- some experience in making grant applications to support community groups
- knowledge of volunteering and the law
- proficient in the use of Adobe InDesign
- own laptop from which to work remotely or in the office
- experience working with all ages of volunteers from teenagers to retirees
Applications
Please send a CV and covering letter explaining your background and interest in the position and send your application addressed to Zoë Cave using the ‘apply’ link below with the subject line ‘community support manager application’.
The deadline is midnight on Wednesday the 23 February 2022 with interviews taking place on Friday 4 March 2022 at the Design District in North Greenwich.
If you have any questions about this role, these should be directed to Zoë Cave.