Community Engagement Officer

Community Engagement Officer
• Bangor, North Wales, GB

Job Number
: BU03954

School/Department
:
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Grade
: 7

Contract Duration
: 12 months

Responsible to
:
Project Lead

It is expected that the post will focus on:

• Building relationships with deaf individuals, groups and organisations across Wales and supporting community‑led engagement activities.
• Facilitating interviews and focus groups, and holding presentations and workshops across Wales to engage with local deaf people and ask them to contribute their views.
• Raising awareness of the project’s newly created platforms and resources.
• Supporting and gathering data and content for the Hubs.
• Supporting the evaluations of the work in each Hub.
• Attending project team meetings to discuss and shape the project.
• Developing vlogs, blogs, social media content and team reports about the project.

The Deaf Health Wales project is a four‑year, £1.04 million pound project which brings together an interdisciplinary team consisting of hearing and BSL‑using colleagues from Bangor, Swansea, the University of the West of England, the University of Graz in Austria, the British Deaf Association, Public Health Wales Cardiff, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Centre of Sign Sight Sound in Colwyn Bay and Action Deafness Cymru.

The team is comprised of experts and specialists in language and communication, deaf mental health, deaf health and well‑being, interpreting services, the law, and environmental access and well‑being. Working together with members of the deaf community, they will co‑design, co‑construct, implement, and evaluate community‑led solutions for their communities in Wales.

This project aims to improve health and healthcare services at every stage through work with deaf people, the NHS, health boards and other service providers. They will also develop an online dictionary and resources to help interpreters, service providers and those interested in signed languages and signed language research, as well as video guide apps to improve access to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons).

This one‑year post is part of an established team working in the area of Welsh deaf health and well‑being. The project involves working with an interdisciplinary research team on a four‑year AHRC grant on issues affecting the health and well‑being of the Welsh deaf community and developing interventions and proposals to address identified inequalities and issues.

The post‑holder will lead on community engagement and help facilitate project events, workshops and related activities that will contribute to and support the project’s research and data gathering activities. They will also be responsible for implementing and coordinating a series of meetings, focus groups, and online studies, consulting with external and internal partners, and handling some elements of project management. The postholder will also help with the project’s communication and social media consultancy and project management.

• Build relationships with deaf individuals, groups and organisations across Wales and support community‑led engagement activities.
• Facilitate interviews, focus groups, workshops and events (online and in person) to gather views, experiences and data for the Hubs.
• Support recruitment of participants and ensure all engagement follows ethical, accessible and safe practice.
• Assist with the organisation and delivery of project activities, including scheduling, logistics, communication, and liaison with partners.
• Contribute to data gathering, record‑keeping and basic analysis.
  
  Produce accessible content such as vlogs, blogs, social media posts and short updates to promote project work and findings.
• Work collaboratively with the wider project team, attending meetings and contributing to planning and evaluation discussions.
• Be self‑motivated, apply and use initiative, aiming to determine suitable ways to tackle challenges and seek guidance when needed.
• Demonstrate and evidence own professional development, identifying…