The West Midlands Walking and Cycling Programme aims to get more people cycling and walking across the region. It includes an ambitious £23m package of infrastructure which will make travelling in an active way easier and safer for people. We are looking for a candidate that can bring experience and fresh ideas to the team, providing outstanding administration, planning, communication and delivery of community engagement activities, ensuring that activities take place, are documented, and move forward in a timely manner. This will be achieved through the provision of effective systems and forward planning.

This is a fixed term role until 31 March 2023.

This role will focus on building relationships to ensure that we are able to support and engage our communities on all things transport with a focus on active travel. They will be a strong relationship builder, engaging with wider colleagues within TfWM, WMCA and partner authorities, to ensure a seamless coordination and planning of activities where appropriate. The role will require significant interface with the public and stakeholder groups.

What will you be doing?

• Develop and implement a Community Engagement Strategy for the Walking and Cycling Programme
• Use data and intelligence to best plan inclusive and wide reaching engagement activities
• Run and manage information-sharing opportunities at community events, conferences and exhibitions
• Run and manage regular on and off-site meetings with stakeholders in various sectors and geographical areas
• Work with members of the community to assist with identifying potential solutions for improvements to the local area which could be funded by the Programme
• Deal effectively with queries and issues arising from stakeholders in conjunction with the wider team in order to provide informative and accurate responses
• Ensure that all engagement activities are evaluated, and continuous improvements are made
• Develop innovative solutions to engage with the community
• Maintain easy to understand and up-to-date Engagement Logs, Stakeholder Maps and Profiles
• Provide regular updates and reports on the status of engagement activities

About you

We're looking for someone who understands community engagement with good knowledge, and understanding, of local communities. Besides this, we're looking for the following:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and quality written communication skills
• Ability to communicate/support/influence in small and large public settings
• Good IT skill, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently
• Exhibit a high degree of proactivity and creative thinking 
• Highly organised, able to juggle multiple requirements simultaneously
• Delivery an customer-focused
• Capable of working to tight deadlines
• Highly adaptable and flexible

Good community engagement isn't a 9-5 and there will be a requirement to work outside normal office hours to meet with the community, give presentations, attend meetings etc. As such, we're looking for someone who has the flexibility to meet these needs, as and when.  

About the team

Transport for West Midlands, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, is responsible for making transport ‘happen’. We plan, develop and manage an integrated transport system for the West Midlands that is clean, safe, affordable and accessible for all. Our ambition is to create a happier, healthier and better-connected region through improving transport.

Our aim is to make the whole of the West Midlands better connected and more prosperous by creating attractive urban environments in city and town centres, along key transport corridors and within our suburbs, to position cycling and walking as the optimal travel choices for transport and for leisure. The West Midlands cycling and walking network will see significant investment over the next few years and will benefit from historic levels of funding, helping to create a place that is fit for the future, safe, green and connected. Our ambitious plans include improved infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as delivering supporting activities such as training and campaigns.

About us

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work. 

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women.

Our employees feel they can make a difference and are excited by the growth and the potential to shape the future. As we undergo a period of significant change, our employees are engaging with what is going on and we are encouraging a culture where people feel they can contribute towards improvements.

We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us. We’re committed to creating an accessible and diverse workplace, one that nurtures an inclusive environment where our people can be themselves.

If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

Additional information

We are designing our organisation of the future and planning a new, flexible approach to the way we use our office space.  This approach will mean most of us working from home some of the time and using our office space to come together to share ideas and learn from each other. We will continue to use digital technology for meetings, collaboration and communications - bringing teams together virtually wherever they’re working, saving time and spending on travel.

We are committed to developing an organisation that is representative of the diverse communities that we serve and welcome applications from all sections of the community. The following groups are currently underrepresented: young people, Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and women at senior levels.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who meet the essential job role criteria. We will make reasonable adjustments, in line with the Equality Act, for disabled applicants if these are needed. Wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance.

We’re dedicated to providing a broad range of rewards and benefits and constantly benchmark our benefits packages to ensure they are attractive for all our people. As well as a competitive salary, employees also receive a benefits package that includes 27 days annual leave (plus public holidays) and access to a great pension scheme.

Supporting documents
Community Engagement Lead ��� Walking and Cycling Programme.pdf
WMCA's Benefits Calculator- Community Engagement Lead.pdf