Nuclear Waste Services is looking for a Community Engagement Officer to join our busy team across the UK.
Developing and maintaining positive, trusted, long-lasting relationships in the local community is at the heart of this role.
This role requires individuals with excellent listening skills. You will be curious and able to easily build empathy with others through your respectful approach.
Working as part of a team that provides the integration between NWS and local communities engaged in the siting process for a major environmental infrastructure project – a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). A GDF requires both a suitable site and a willing community.
Your work will support the activities of a GDF Community Partnership. No two days will be the same in this varied and demanding role. You will be part of a small, well supported team delivering community engagement activities in a local area. You will receive a comprehensive induction and training programme.
Key Internal contacts will be with members of the place-based team, Community Engagement team, and colleagues from the Communications & Stakeholder Engagement and Technical teams. There will be contact with all levels of colleagues within NWS.
External contacts will be focused in a local area and include members of the public, local community groups, schools / the education sector, local authorities, local businesses, interest groups, environmental regulators and other key stakeholders.
Key contacts will include members of the Community Partnership (CP) including any supporting roles provided to the CP for example independent facilitators and secretariat.
This role will be a homebased contract with travel across Lincolnshire and surrounding areas.
We welcome applications based on flexible working patterns, including part-time, evening and weekend work.
- Undertaking grassroots on-the-ground community engagement work, for example:Helping to run public events / initiatives e.g. workshops, public exhibitions, drop-ins, meetings
- Being part of a staff rota where NWS has a permanent ‘high street’ presence
- Door to door engagement with residents
- Building networks in the local community and finding out what’s going on locally
- Inputting to the development of community engagement delivery plans
- Liaising with suppliers supporting the community engagement
- Supporting the delivery of other key actions to enable NWS to engage with communities
- Excellent listening and interpersonal skills with high emotional intelligence
- Demonstration of empathy in dealing with range of external stakeholders
- Experience of working in a community setting with a range of stakeholders
- Awareness of local area issues
- Highly organised and good at meeting deadlines and prioritising own workload
- Experience / knowledge of grassroots community engagement activities
- Experience/ knowledge of partnership working
- Self-motivated and with high personal resilience
- Ability to travel and occasionally work outside of the standard working week, supporting events
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
- Experience of using a variety of communication channels, including social media
- Experience of running public events
- Use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM system)
Aside from the huge professional scope at Nuclear Waste Services, the personal benefits are excellent, these include:
- Very competitive salary
- Generous bonus scheme
- Holiday allowances
- Attractive pension schemes
- Cycle to work scheme
- Sick pay
- Group life assurance scheme
We value the unique differences that each of our colleagues bring to work every day and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, included and able to perform at their best. At Nuclear Waste Service we are committed to creating a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. We value the diversity of our people and actively seek to have a workforce that represents the rich diversity of the communities we support. Currently we are underrepresented in some areas, and would particularly welcome applicants from Women, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities, LGBTQ+ and candidates who have a disability.
In promoting equal opportunities, Nuclear Waste Service welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We select people according to their abilities and our needs. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of disabled candidates who meet all of the essential criteria, Nuclear Waste Service will interview the best candidates from within that group.