Senior Localities Officer (Community Pride)

Licensed sponsor Leeds Full-time Posted 3 hours ago

Job title: Senior Localities Officer

Salary: PO2: £41,177 - £44,253

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Reginald Centre / Hybrid

As a Senior Localities Officer, you'll thrive on bringing people together to make a real difference in communities across Leeds. Working as part of the ambitious Love Leeds programme, you'll help turn local insight and community priorities into projects and initiatives that improve neighbourhoods and strengthen local partnerships.

It's not about delivering services in isolation. It's about working collaboratively with elected members, residents, community organisations and council services to shape solutions that respond to local needs and opportunities.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions .

About You

As a Senior Localities Officer, you will bring to the role:

Experience of developing and delivering projects, including capital projects, from concept through to implementation.
Strong project management, planning and organisational skills.
Experience of working effectively with diverse communities and stakeholders.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with a wide range of partners.
Strong analytical and report-writing skills, including experience of working with financial information and performance data.

About The Role

As our next Senior Localities Officer, you'll play a key role in delivering the Love Leeds programme, helping to shape and deliver projects that respond directly to community needs and aspirations. Working closely with elected members, residents, community organisations, council services and local partners, you'll bring people together to develop practical solutions that make a visible difference in neighbourhoods across Leeds.

The role is integral to our Localities and Communities team, combining community engagement, project development, partnership working and programme evaluation. You'll coordinate local engagement activity, support consultation and community meetings, use local insight and data to inform decision-making, and help ensure projects deliver lasting impact for local people.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How To Apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Tajinder Virdee, Localities Programme Manager. Email: Tajinder.Virdee@leeds.gov.uK

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

To implement locality working through activity and the development of projects, that supports the delivery of Council priorities.
To develop and deliver projects designed to improve outcomes in the city’s neighbourhoods and wards.
To contribute to the implementation of the Leeds Ambitions for locality working set out in the Council Plan.

Responsibilities

Principal Accountabilities

To facilitate and participate in Council partnership programmes that support the delivery of the Council’s priorities to deliver better, integrated, and more responsive and local services.
To undertake a leading role in the development of neighbourhood improvement initiatives by contributing to cross council projects across the city’s 33 Wards working collaboratively with Members partners and directorate teams.
To work with Elected Members, partners, service users, and community representatives in ways that are open, inclusive, responsive and accountable.
To work as a team for Leeds to achieve excellent outcomes for residents and aim to be a part of the best council in the UK.
To develop and maintain good working relationships with internal and external customers, other stakeholders, and partners underpinned by the Council’s Values.
To provide local advice relating to the work of the City to Members and Council officers to manage risk and to support them in their respective roles.

Specific Responsibilities

Manage and implement local change programmes in the city’s 33 wards taking responsibility for specific improvement work and its successful delivery.
Analyse complex information from a range of services and develop local projects with LCC directorates and partners to address local needs.
Involve local people and build sustainable engagement. Building the capacity of local people to do things for themselves.
Contribute to collaborative problem-solving activities, challenging existing local services and enabling and supporting their improvement.
Implement neighbourhood improvement activities and support effective local project management to improve effectiveness of services and outcomes for residents.
Promote the implementation of the city’s ambition for locality working as expressed through the Council Plan.
Management/supervision of staff as required.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Degree or equivalent qualification or with commensurate operational experience in a locality working setting.

Essential Requirements

Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

Skills

Ability to manage and monitor performance effectively and set clear objectives.
Ability to make an effective contribution to internal and external meetings.
Ability to take forward initiatives and policies from development to implementation.
Ability to prepare and present clear and objective reports for a range of audiences.
Ability to improve service quality and support a culture that drives up standards and performance.
T. competencies to undertake a range of tasks.
Ability to manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of projects and adapting to changing circumstances and priorities.
Ability to communicate and engage with a wide range of audiences through a number of channels, including social media.

Knowledge

Understanding of local government political systems.
An understanding of the current issues facing local government, key partners including police, health and the voluntary sector.
Detailed knowledge and understanding of community involvement challenges and effective approaches.
Knowledge and understanding of multiple deprivation issues within priority neighbourhoods.

Experience

Working on service delivery co-ordination issues.
Working on community / neighbourhood issues to achieve prescribed objectives.
Working in a multi-agency setting to achieve shared objectives.
Producing and implementing plans, monitoring and evaluating plans against objectives.
Working with politicians, organising and servicing meetings involving elected members and / or key stakeholders.
Developing projects and funding bids / packages of support.
Collating and analysing data to monitor service delivery and identify local needs.
Undertaking community involvement activities.
Experience of managing and controlling project budgets.
Experience of working effectively with others to deliver cross sector or cross service projects.
Experience of responding to customer or community needs.
Working effectively with a range of colleagues and partners to deliver cross sector or cross service projects.
Handling competing priorities within a team setting whilst delivering on a range of projects.

Essential Behavioural And Other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters

Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.

An understanding of community cohesion issues.