Community Engagement Officer; northwest England

You will be home-based, ideally in or close to Wigan, with regular travel around the northwest of England and occasional travel to the Banbury HQ. This is a fixed term contract until 31 December 2027, with the intention to extend subject to continued funding.

As our Community Engagement Officer, you will support and grow Dogs for Good’s impact across the northwest of England, building strong relationships with our staff team, communities, partners and volunteers and growing our presence. You’ll also support the establishment, delivery and promotion of high-quality animal assisted interventions and activities in and around the Wigan area, helping more people benefit from the life-changing power of the human–dog bond.

We have a proud and passionate community of volunteers, clients and supporters across the northwest and we asked them what type of person they would like to see in this role. They want someone enthusiastic about dogs and Dogs for Good, who can passionately talk about what we do and its impact and build great relationships with organisations across the region.

Someone who knows the northwest so can quickly build rapport, trust, and authentic relationships with our existing community across the northwest and can find their way into the right networks, forums and conversations.

They also want someone with great people skills — approachable, empathetic, with a sense of humour, and able to work well with a diverse range of people. Someone who will listen to volunteers, value their years of experience and the ideas they bring and can help people feel connected and part of a team, even without a physical base. And, as one volunteer put it, someone who can ‘look both ways’: championing the needs and ideas of our northwest community, while also helping everyone stay connected to the wider priorities of Dogs for Good.

Your initial focus will be to link in with our existing community and develop relationships and ways of working that ensure our volunteers, clients, supporters and staff feel connected, both locally within and across the northwest and with the Dogs for Good central teams in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The second priority will be identifying and establishing opportunities and settings we can link in to with our community dog services in Wigan and the surrounding area, creating a Service Delivery hub.

Partnering with specialist services and settings such as mental health, schools, stroke rehabilitation, social care or dementia support, our dogs, handlers, and practitioners can help individuals overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

We're looking for someone who is:

• Person-centred and committed to individual needs
• Proactive, positive and adaptable
• Results-focused with a can-do attitude
• Self-motivated and organised
• Creative and solutions-focused
• Inclusive, collaborative and keen to learn
• Professional and committed to high standards
• Will be a positive ambassador for Dogs for Good
• Resourceful and responsive to new ideas and unexpected situations

As a Community Engagement Officer your key responsibilities will be:

• Volunteer Management: Actively recruit, support, and manage volunteers across our northwest community
• Raise Awareness: Lead initiatives to promote our work, building and developing relationships with organisations that support or connect with our key audience groups.
• Community Engagement: Be a key contact for our local Dogs for Good community, including those we support, our volunteers, and potential beneficiaries. Nurture and grow our community and help manage enquiries, provide guidance, and track interest to shape future needs.
• Service Integration: Work with the Dogs for Good team to integrate our services within the Hub for maximum…