Participatory Democracy Coordinator

Newham Council is committed to improving resident engagement and participation, building a stronger culture of participative democracy. Our mission is to radically rebalance the power relationship between councils and citizens, placing residents firmly at the heart of decision-making. At the core of this is a commitment to openness, accountability, and ensuring people remain at the heart of everything we do. Newham is an exciting place to build your career - a borough of contrasts, dynamism, and real opportunity.

We are now seeking a Participatory Democracy Coordinator to build on the success of Newham's People Powered Places programme, further widening resident reach and participation. Working closely with the Community Neighbourhoods team, other council departments, and the Resident Engagement and Participation team, this role will play a key part in advancing the council's mission.

While the role will have a strong focus on the People Powered Places Programme it will also support organisation-wide participatory democracy initiatives. This involves managing projects, supporting senior managers, and coordinating borough-wide engagement activities. You will play a central role in organising public forums, facilitating consultations, and supporting Community Neighbourhood Forums. Additionally, you will evaluate the impact of engagement initiatives, ensuring our methods are innovative, inclusive, and effective in reaching underrepresented groups.

Your work will directly contribute to embedding participatory democracy into the council's activities, helping to drive forward key priorities outlined in the Building a Fairer Newham Corporate Plan. You will be instrumental in creating spaces where residents feel empowered, informed, and actively involved in shaping decisions that affect their lives and communities.

We are looking for a skilled professional with strong organisational and communication abilities, experience in managing engagement projects, and a passion for empowering residents to have a meaningful say in their community. This is an exciting opportunity to drive forward our commitment to People Powered Newham and embed a culture where every resident's voice shapes the future of our borough.

Applications are invited from individuals who are ready to contribute to this important work and who possess the experience, skills, and commitment required to excel in this role.

Please view Job Description here

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that's all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.

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ABOUT US

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the southeast. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the Theatre Royal Stratford East offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.

Newham has a large housing regeneration programme that will build over 1,000 new council homes by 2022.

Closing date: 2 February 2025.

To apply, please visit our website via the button below.