Community Champions Project Manager

The Dalgarno Trust is looking for an outstanding Project Manager who is passionate about health and wellbeing to manage our Community Champions project. You will be an effective and dynamic project manager with the right mix of both hands-on and management skills to recruit, lead and develop a team of local volunteers. Community Champions actively engage our local Dalgarno communities in identifying health needs and improving their health and well-being by delivering campaigns, events, activities, training and signposting to other services.

Community Champions are local people who volunteer their time to connect local communities and residents with local services. The Champions have success because they know and understand the culture and language of local communities and can tune into the communities’ needs and aspirations. The Dalgarno Community Champions project focuses on reaching residents living in the five social housing estates known as the Dalgarno Wedge.

The Champions reach out to the community in different ways from meeting people on the streets, knocking on doors and engaging people through various events and networks. Talking to residents regularly provides a rich insight into identifying challenges and learning what people need to influence commissioners, other professionals, and decision makers. The Champions also support residents in making informed choices about a range of issues linked to their health and wellbeing. Through the programme the Champions are supported in gaining vital skills, training, and experience to progress them in their own professional development. 

Job Description:

·       Recruit and coordinate Community/Maternity Champions volunteers to promote local health and wellbeing.

·       Create engaging opportunities around local and national health campaigns for volunteer outreach in order to engage hard-to-reach communities

·       Manage project delivery including community research, events, regular activities and public health campaigns

·       Manage the work of the Community Champions Support Worker (working 16 hrs per week) and conduct regular supervision.

·       Manage the work of the Community Champions Apprentice (working 30 hrs per week) and conduct regular supervision.

·       Effectively manage and monitor project expenditure.

·       Work with partner organisations to maximise the impact of Community/Maternity Champions and foster good working relationships between volunteers and local organisations

·       Capture case studies and news and publicise to residents and stakeholders via the Community/Maternity Champions and the Dalgarno Trust website, newsletter and other social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Next Door)

·       Capture and record outputs on the online monitoring database and complete quarterly monitoring reports to the bi-borough Public Health Department

·       Ensure that there is a diverse and equitable access to volunteering opportunities

·       Liaise with GP surgeries and health and social care providers located in and/or serving the Dalgarno Ward residents to develop a thorough understanding of their services and create referral and access pathways

·       Effectively manage and offer ongoing support and supervision to Community/Maternity Champions volunteers to include: regular supervision meetings and appraisals with volunteers; source & deliver continuous professional development, to enable them to undertake community research, signpost members of the community to appropriate services and support a range of volunteer-run activities e.g. information sessions and specialist training workshops on health and wellbeing themes designed to inform and build upon the knowledge of volunteers

·       Ensure all staff and volunteers adhere to Dalgarno Trust’s policies and procedures.

·       Undertake any other duties as directed.

·       Be willing and able to work occasional evenings and weekends