Engagement Officer - #2160826

Main Purpose of the job: Engagement Officer

The Highways Engagement Officer will provide practical delivery support for a high-volume programme of priority highways projects requiring extensive community and stakeholder engagement. Working under the direction of the Consultation and Engagement Lead, the postholder will develop and maintain stakeholder maps, coordinate delivery of agreed engagement plans, manage engagement-related enquiries, organise and deliver in-person activity, track engagement assets and produce clear engagement reports across multiple schemes.

The role will work closely with Highways project teams, Communications and Engagement colleagues, elected Members, residents, businesses, schools, community organisations and other stakeholders. The postholder will ensure engagement activity is timely, inclusive, accessible, well organised and accurately recorded, and that feedback is communicated to the relevant project teams to support scheme development and delivery.

Personal responsibilities and duties are: Engagement Officer

Stakeholder mapping and planning Engagement Officer

• Develop and maintain stakeholder maps and contact records for each assigned highways scheme.
• Identify residents, businesses, schools, community organisations, transport users, elected Members, internal services and other groups likely to be affected by or interested in each scheme.
• Work with project officers and relevant colleagues to identify gaps, overlaps and priority audiences.
• Support the development and maintenance of proportionate stakeholder engagement plans, schedules and activity trackers for each scheme.
• Keep records accurate, current and appropriately managed in line with data protection requirements.

Delivery of engagement plans Engagement Officer

• Coordinate and deliver agreed stakeholder engagement activity across a portfolio of priority highways schemes.
• Organise activities in line with scheme milestones, agreed engagement plans and project deadlines.
• Liaise with Highways officers and Communications and Engagement colleagues to ensure information provided to stakeholders is accurate, consistent, accessible and timely.
• Monitor progress against engagement plans, identify delivery risks or delays and escalate these promptly to the Consultation and Engagement Lead.
• Provide practical support to other highways engagement projects as priorities and workloads require.

Engagement assets and logistics

• Maintain a programme-wide tracker of engagement asset requirements across all assigned projects.
• Coordinate the production and distribution of letters, leaflets, posters, display boards, surveys, translated or accessible materials and digital content.
• Liaise with designers, printers, communications colleagues, suppliers and project officers to ensure materials are accurate, approved and available when required.
• Monitor stock, distribution, deadlines and costs, and highlight any risks to delivery.
• Support value for money when arranging engagement materials, venues and related services.

Other duties Engagement Officer

• Manage a varied and changing workload across multiple schemes, balancing deadlines and responding flexibly to programme priorities.
• Attend engagement activities outside normal office hours where required.

Internal contacts: Highways and Transport officers, Communications and Engagement colleagues, Customer Services, Business Engagement, equalities and data colleagues, other Council services, senior officers and ward Members.

External contacts: Residents, businesses, schools, community and voluntary organisations, transport users, accessibility groups, emergency services, contractors, suppliers and other stakeholders affected by or interested in highways schemes.

To carry out the duties of the post with due regard to the Council?s relevant codes and procedures.

Knowledge

Sound understanding of stakeholder and community engagement principles, including stakeholder identification, mapping, planning, delivery and evaluation.

Understanding of the importance of clear, accurate and timely communication during public-facing projects.

Awareness of equality, accessibility, data protection and confidentiality requirements relevant to public engagement.

Awareness of the role of local authorities and the politically sensitive environment in which highways projects may be delivered.

General awareness of highways, transport, public realm or infrastructure projects is desirable; detailed technical highways expertise is not essential.

Able to understand technical or project information and explain it clearly in plain English.

Able to work independently within agreed plans while seeking guidance and escalating issues appropriately.

Able to adapt quickly as project priorities, deadlines and engagement needs change.

Skills

Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to coordinate engagement activity across several projects at the same time.

Ability to develop and maintain accurate stakeholder maps, contact records, enquiry logs, asset trackers and delivery schedules.

Good written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear correspondence, briefings, summaries and engagement reports.

Confident verbal communication and facilitation skills for public meetings, workshops, drop-ins, stalls and other face-to-face activities.

Ability to manage, prioritise and coordinate enquiries, obtain information from colleagues and monitor responses against deadlines.

Ability to collate and summarise quantitative and qualitative feedback, identify themes and present findings clearly.

Good attention to detail and the ability to maintain reliable records and audit trails.

Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, with the ability to learn project, survey or contact-management systems.

Ability to organise venues, materials, suppliers, staffing, accessibility arrangements and other event logistics.

Ability to work collaboratively and maintain effective relationships across teams.