Are you energised by building strategic partnerships that improve population health and help reduce health inequalities across Reading and West Berkshire?
Do you thrive on developing engagement strategies, influencing stakeholders and turning opportunities into sustainable regional growth?
Are you ready to lead partnership, engagement and communications activity across communities, health systems and regional networks?
The Role (For more information see Role Description)
We are seeking an experienced and passionate Community & Partnerships Lead to strategically develop and manage partnerships across Reading and West Berkshire.
Working collaboratively with the Operational Lead, service teams and engagement colleagues, you will expand service reach, reduce health inequalities, improve population health outcomes and support ICE’s wider growth ambitions.
Operating at both strategic and grassroots levels, you will represent ICE at key forums, health boards and community networks; build strong relationships across the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary sector, businesses and community leaders; and identify new opportunities through tenders, digital innovation and private-sector partnerships.
You will own regional engagement planning and reporting, set clear 3-, 6- and 12-month targets, oversee delivery partners and community development funding, and use service data and insight to drive performance, quality, continuous improvement and measurable impact.
This is a visible, outward-facing leadership role for someone who can combine strategic thinking with practical delivery, inspire teams and partners, and turn relationships into improved access, stronger outcomes and sustainable growth.
The role is based across Reading and West Berkshire. You must be able to travel throughout the region to support service delivery, partnership activity and events.
This is a full-time role working 37.5 hours per week. Core hours are Monday to Thursday, 8.30am–5.00pm, and Friday, 8.30am–3.45pm. The postholder will support occasional evening and weekend events and activities, with advance planning and notice.
An enhanced DBS is required for the role which the company will pay for.
Salary range: £35,000–£40,000 per annum.
Who We Are
ICE is one of the fastest growing behaviour change organisations in the UK. We bring courage, energy, and ambition to equip & enable more organisations & people to move our world forward. To grow our significance as a leading behaviour change practice. By energising organisations & people to find the clarity, courage, & commitment needed to realise their full purpose & potential.
Our Mission
We are social activists driven to unlock your power, purpose and possibility; we are for people and planet.
We Make Better Happen.
We are a purpose-driven organisation; our ethos and beliefs are important to us. As a team we hold and practice three core character traits and set around those character traits are the behaviours that matter to us as a team for our work together.
Whole Heartedness
Bring passion and energy to our work, our colleagues and ourselves.
- Be ready to work hard and give 100%
- Be your true self – bring your energy, enthusiasm, and full commitment to everything you do. Be a powerful inspiration for others.
- Recognise celebrate and share successes and celebrate and share success.
- Show you care, support your teammates when they need it and listen to them without judgement.
- Treat people with respect.
Trust
Trust and intent to do the right thing.
- Do the right thing. Ask yourself, “did I do my best today?”
- Take ownership - do what you say you are going to do. If you notice something is not right or could be done better, take responsibility to find a resolution – don’t think “that’s not my job.”
- Have courage to be honest with yourself and others about what you can and can’t do. Reach out for support if you need it.
Being Curious and Creative
Bringing our ideas to add value to what we do.
- Explore ideas that are creative, unusual, not limited or controlled by rules or assumptions to bring new ideas and solutions.
- Share ideas, challenge, experiment and be open minded.
- Be curious, ask yourself, “what is it I don’t understand about this?”
- Try something new, make bold decisions - be brave – step outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to make mistakes – mistakes are opportunities to learn.
- Share learnings and welcome learnings from others.
“We live by what we believe not by what we see.”
Are you right for the job?
· A strategic and credible relationship builder with experience leading regional engagement and partnership activity.
· Confident representing services at strategic forums and influencing stakeholders across health, local government, voluntary, business and community settings.
· Commercially aware and proactive in identifying tenders, digital innovation and partnership opportunities that expand reach and impact.
· Passionate about reducing health inequalities and improving access for underserved communities and priority groups.
· A strong leader who sets direction, creates accountability and motivates teams and partners to achieve targets and outcomes.
· Data-informed, organised and able to communicate strategy, performance and impact clearly in writing and verbally.
· Curious, creative, collaborative and committed to ICE’s values and continuous improvement.
Key elements of the day-to-day role:
· Lead strategic engagement planning across Reading and West Berkshire, identifying opportunities for partnership development, service growth and wider behaviour change activity.
· Set the direction for engagement and outreach, agreeing 3-, 6- and 12-month targets and reviewing progress regularly.
· Represent ICE at strategic forums, health boards and community networks, promoting collaboration and strengthening referral and delivery pathways.
· Develop and sustain relationships across the NHS, local authorities, voluntary organisations, businesses and community leaders.
· Identify and pursue growth opportunities, including tenders, digital innovation and private-sector partnerships.
· Champion engagement with underserved communities and priority groups to improve equitable access and outcomes.
· Oversee regional marketing and communications activity so services remain visible, accessible and well positioned.
· Manage delivery partners and community development or partner funding, ensuring quality, accountability and effective use of resources.
· Work closely with the Operational Lead to align engagement activity with commissioner requirements, service KPIs, budgets and quality standards.
· Own engagement planning, performance reporting and the clear communication of strategy, deliverables, outcomes and impact.
· Represent Stop for Life Sandwell at health and wellbeing forums, partnership meetings and community networks, promoting the service and encouraging appropriate referrals.
· Build and sustain relationships with health and care services, local authorities, VCFSE organisations, employers, community leaders, pharmacies, GP practices and other referral partners.
· Strengthen referral pathways, respond to inappropriate referrals and help partners understand who the service is for and how to refer.
· Work with health coaches to coordinate hyper-local engagement activity, distribute materials, build new connections and increase awareness in priority neighborhoods.
Engagement, Communications & Visibility Across Sandwell
· Lead engagement, communications and local marketing activity, working with ICE colleagues to create effective digital and print content for Sandwell communities and partners.
· Maintain a visible service presence in hospitals, GP surgeries, pharmacies, community centres, workplaces and other settings where people are likely to benefit from support.
· Develop service-user feedback and support a volunteer or ambassador scheme that enables local people to champion the service.
· Create and sustain relationships with employers, promoting the service and identifying opportunities to deliver support in partnership with workplaces.
· Produce regular engagement reports using data, insight and feedback to demonstrate activity, referrals, reach, progress and impact.
Equity, Reach & Priority Groups
· Champion engagement in underserved communities and priority groups, supporting equitable access and tackling inequalities in reach and uptake.
· Identify areas of greatest need and ensure engagement plans focus effort where residents are most likely to benefit.
Governance, Compliance & Ways of Working
- Act at all times within organisational policies, procedures and financial regulations.
· Observe and comply with Health & Safety obligations and support equal opportunities in service provision and employment practices.
· Comply with information governance (and clinical governance where applicable) and maintain high standards of professional integrity.
· Support evening/weekend events/activities as required, with appropriate planning and notice, taking time off in lieu as agreed.
· Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role and consistent with the running and development of the service.
Essential existing skills/experience:
· Proven experience leading regional engagement strategies and aligning operational delivery with organisational goals and public health priorities.
· A strong record of building effective relationships with NHS bodies, local authorities, voluntary-sector organisations, businesses and community leaders.
· Experience identifying and pursuing service-development or business-growth opportunities, including tenders, digital solutions or partnership models.
· Strong understanding of marketing and communications, with experience leading promotional activity across physical and digital channels.
· A track record of engaging diverse and underserved communities to reduce health inequalities and improve access.
· Confidence representing services at strategic forums and influencing collaboration across systems and networks.
· Experience setting direction for teams and holding others accountable for targets, performance and outcomes.
· Strong written and verbal communication, analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to use data to inform decisions and demonstrate impact.
· Ability to travel across Reading and West Berkshire and work occasional evenings and weekends with advance notice.
Desirable skills/experience:
· Experience in public health, healthy lifestyles, behaviour change or community-based services.
· Knowledge of the Reading and West Berkshire health, community and partnership landscape.
· Experience managing delivery partners, community development funding or partnership budgets.
· Experience contributing to tenders, business development, digital innovation or private-sector partnerships.
· A relevant qualification in public health, community development, engagement, marketing, project management or leadership.
Full training for all roles will be provided along with a programme of continued professional development.
Have we described you?
We can promise you an opportunity to grow, add value and progress your career in an exciting environment by bringing your strengths to our team and having fun along the way.
Don’t miss out; if you have been excited by this opportunity, then act now.
All posts will be subject to enhanced DBS clearance.
Only that shortlisted will be contacted.
Strictly No agencies!
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Free flu jabs
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Paid volunteer time
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Location:
- Reading, Berkshire (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Reading
