HDRC Public Involvement & Community Engagement (PICE) Lead

We're looking for a Public Involvement and Community Engagement Lead. Interested?

Full time 37 hours, consideration will be given to job share or part time working arrangements.

Do you want a role where you're recognised for what you do, given the opportunity to thrive and have the chance to be the best version of yourself? Interested in joining a great organisation with an employee offer and experience that rivals others? Are you looking for a new challenge? If so, please keep reading as you're just what we're looking for!

The team…

You will be part of the Communities, Health and Wellbeing (CHWB) and Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) teams within the Public Health and Wellbeing Directorate at Gateshead Council. Our remit is to work closely with local communities, residents and partners to tackle the unfair and avoidable differences in health and poverty, disadvantage and inequalities experienced by communities in our borough.

About the role….

Gateshead's diverse communities are vital to shaping, delivering and implementing impactful policy, practice and programs to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes for all our residents. To these ends, this role is intended to facilitate partners and stakeholders working across our communities to share, learn and collaborate in new impactful ways and to reduce barriers for residents to be involved in Council activity, such as co-producing local meaningful research evidence to shape activity. The role will be a connector, facilitator and a doer, championing community voice based on best principles of PICE/PPIE and play an active role in delivery of the Council's strategic aims., Build capability, capacity, and expertise in Public involvement & Community Engagement (PICE) across Gateshead Council drawing on best evidence to support this activity.
Managing, monitoring, reporting, and evaluating PICE activities and associated learning, including capturing impact case studies collaboratively.
Lead in the creation, development and sustainability of a community of practice for those working in public involvement and community engagement within Gateshead.
Directly support residents to participate in Council research activity.
Working with Council Officers to creatively co-produce policy and practice that minimises barriers to participation.
Build strong collaborative relationships with external networks locally, regionally, and nationally. Working closely with VCSE organisations, and bridging the divide between local government and community organisations.
Contribute ideas and develop plans for embedding meaningful PICE, starting with the HDRC and expanding to support evidence-based approaches across the Council
Work autonomously without close direction and be able to demonstrate clear rational for activity & decision making to senior colleagues and elected members.
Support the development of learning materials and training for Council staff towards good practice in PICE.
Take ownership operationalizing PICE Renumeration policy for those involved in HDRC activity
Champion the value of lived experience, seeking out opportunities for the voice of Gateshead's resident to be heard specifically from within communities that are under-represented and seldom heard.
Ensure effective supervision of a small team including performance monitoring, directing and allocation of work

An understanding of public engagement and involvement in an academic/research/local government environment.
Knowledge of methodologies towards effective community engagement.
Developing and implementing appropriate evaluation, monitoring and reporting of PICE (for example GRIPP2)
Setting and refining PICE strategies for research projects and teams.
Data protection and GDPR and principles of information governance.
Health inequalities and the social determinants of health
Demonstratable knowledge of Gateshead diverse communities.
Experience of working with elected members and VCSE's
Experience of working with members of the public with diverse interests.
Experience in collaborating across teams and/or organisations to help create and co-deliver shared goals
Experience of working with under-represented and underserved communities in research
Experience of facilitating focus group/workshop discussions
Experience of organising and managing successful workshops and events
Recruiting public contributors and working with them to develop support and training needs
Relevant Master's degree or professional qualification, or an equivalent level of experience in a similar role.

Gateshead is a constantly changing borough combining modern facilities with a fascinating heritage and the demand for our services continues to grow. We engage with many partners and contract a high number of services to deliver the best outcomes for our community. We're truly committed to providing our customers with the highest quality of service and we need like-minded people who can help us deliver a sector leading service. We need people who want to make a difference, who are talented, possess the right knowledge and skills and who want the chance to demonstrate how good they are.

People really are our greatest asset at Gateshead Council, and we value every employee. We encourage our people to think differently, do the right thing and be innovative.

What's in it for you? Well, there's so much on offer and here's just a few of the highlights!

You'll be paid a competitive salary £40,476 - £43,693 per annum
We'll help you save for your future with an outstanding employer contribution to your pension.
You will receive an annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days per year (pro-rata for part time employees) rising to 32, 2 of which may be fixed by the council at any time. You also have the chance to buy up to 10 additional holidays per year.
You'll have the opportunity to participate in the Council's Flexi time scheme, subject to management approval and business needs, which could be up to 26 flexi days per year.
We offer hybrid working arrangements to ensure a positive work life balance.
A robust Workforce Development offer with opportunities for learning to progress your career and to enhance your knowledge in specific areas.
You'll have access to great health and wellbeing support and ability to use our cycle to work scheme.
You'll have access to our new benefits platform VIVUP where you can get discounts and offers on online and high street shopping

It's time to apply!

We're delighted that you want to come and work with us. Please take a look at the full job profile via this link JOB PROFILE

It's important that you read it in full and check that you meet the essential criteria, because when we start choosing people to come and meet us we'll be checking to ensure that they meet the essential criteria as set out in the job profile.