Job Title: Active Environments Officer
Salary: £39,027- £44,463 per annum
Grade: E
Contract Type: Fixed‑Term Contract – 30 months
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
About the Department
Thurrock Council is recruiting an Active Environments Officer to join its Recreation and Leisure Team. The Recreation and Leisure Service is responsible for the strategic planning, development and operational management of parks, open spaces and leisure services across the borough. The service ensures that outdoor environments, recreational assets and leisure provision are safe, well‑maintained and contribute to the Place Directorate's wider ambitions for high‑quality, sustainable and inclusive local environments.
About the Role
The post is a fixed‑term contract for 2.5 years following a successful partnership application to Sport England's Place Partnership Expansion Programme. Supporting active environments is a strategic priority and you will play a key role in achieving outcomes against the priority, improving health and wellbeing for Thurrock residents. You will deliver a borough‑wide approach to increasing physical activity by improving parks and open spaces and promoting their active use. The role works with Council teams, partners and developers to shape places that support movement, wellbeing and community use, and contributes to best practice and network development across the Active Network, particularly with other Place Partnership Expansion areas. Focus areas include Chadwell St Mary, South Ockendon, Tilbury, West Thurrock and Purfleet. The role will understand and apply the Public Sector Equality Duty as part of all work.
Key Responsibilities
* Identify and develop projects that improve parks and open spaces to support physical activity.
* Comment on planning applications and work with Planning officers to secure Section 106 funding and other contributions.
* Secure external funding and support the delivery of funded projects.
* Work with internal teams, partners and delivery organisations to implement agreed projects.
* Use data and evidence to prioritize investment and demonstrate impact.
* Engage with communities and partners to ensure projects reflect local need.
* Prepare reports and updates on progress where required.
Qualifications & Experience
You must have experience developing projects and securing investment, including managing a varied workload, preparing funding bids or business cases, and working with partners to deliver projects successfully. This includes commenting on planning applications and working with Planning colleagues to secure Section 106 and other developer contributions to support parks, open spaces and active environments.
* Working with Council services and external partners, including Planning and developers.
* Managing multiple projects and meeting funding or delivery deadlines.
* Securing or supporting external funding and investment.
* Applying knowledge of parks, leisure, planning or active environments.
* Using data and evidence to support decisions.
DBS Check: No DBS is required for this role.
Benefits of Working with Us
* Generous annual leave entitlement
* Local Government Pension Scheme
* Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
* Ongoing training and professional development
* Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
* Staff discounts and local offers
* A supportive and inclusive working environment
Important Dates
Closing Date (Redeployment Only): 23rd April 2026
Closing Date (Internal & External): 10th May 2026
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