Prevent Community Engagement Officer

Role Responsibility

Fixed Term until 31st March 2025

Do you want to make a difference across Kent and Medway?

Are you passionate about engaging with communities?

Do you want to work in an inclusive environment where no two days are the same?

Are you a confident communicator who thrives when working with others?

Do you enjoy working with other services and part of a team?

Can you work independently and manage a high profile and demanding work load?

If so, then we have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to join our Kent and Medway Prevent team as our Prevent Community Engagement Officer (PCEO).

Engaging with communities is fundamental to the successful delivery of the Prevent Duty objectives. This high-profile role will build understanding, raise awareness, and facilitate trust. Better understanding and advocacy lead to more positive behaviors and in addition, there is public appetite for information, transparency, and visibility of counter - terrorism work.

This role will continue to deliver and develop our strategic programme of community engagement and communications, creating meaningful local partnerships, between Government, civil society, and communities. Reporting into the Kent and Medway Prevent Coordinator you will monitor community tensions to identify appropriate actions required and proactively seek opportunities for engagement.

As part of the Kent and Medway Prevent team you will offer expert advice, identify vulnerabilities and risks, deliver training, and build a network of contacts within Kent and Medway to advance Prevent activity. You will be working with a range of partner agencies including Kent Police, Counter Terrorism Police, Home Office, Kent County Council and Medway Unitary Authority.

Requirements:

You will have good knowledge of the Prevent and Channel Duty, Independent Review of Prevent, CONTEST and an understanding of how extremism can manifest in local communities. You should be willing to learn, working collaboratively to find new solutions, taking personal and professional responsibility for your actions and performance. Good political awareness and understanding of the local authority landscape across Kent and Medway is also necessary.

You will hold a relevant degree or equivalent and/or extensive experience. You will be flexible in your approach and committed to helping to develop a new way of working. You will be willing to learn, working collaboratively to innovate and find new solutions, taking personal and professional responsibility for your actions and performance. You will be a confident and engaging communicator and can manage competing priorities effectively. Prevent is a high profile and sometimes contentious area of work, therefore you must be resilient and able to engage in difficult conversations.

This role requires the ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day. This is a flexible working position requiring a commitment to working from home and the office environment. Base office to be agreed on appointment.

The role is varied and interesting and we offer: -

- A starting salary of £36,866 (KR10 - £36,866 - £43,011) with annual performance related pay increases

- Opportunities for personal training and development

- Regular supervision

- Option to join in the Local Government Pension scheme with employer matched contributions

- 29 days paid annual leave per year (rising to 30 after 5 years’ service) + bank holidays + a concessionary day at Christmas

- A range of flexible leave options to help you manage your work/life balance such as Carers leave, Maternity leave, Personal Leave, Timeout/career break, Study leave, Religious observance

- Hybrid working – work from home or office as agreed

- Staff discounts on a range of leisure products and services through our Kent Rewards programme  

This post is subject to a Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The post holder will also be national security vetted to Security Check (SC) level.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview on either Tuesday 14^th November from 1400 or Wednesday 15^th November from 0900.

Contact Details

For further details about this role, please contact the hiring manager –

Kent and Medway Prevent Coordinator – jess.harman@kent.gov.uk

03000 421935 

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.