Job Description
This job is with Southern Water, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.
Closing Date
07/07/2025
Community Impact Officer
Hybrid role in Worthing (1 day in the office and travel once a week to customers)
Permanent role
Hours: 37
£40k - £45k per annum
This role delivers community activities across our region, in line with our overall community and social impact strategy. This strategy aims to build the awareness of Southern Water's customers to its programmes, key customer messages and community impact. It involves a variety of community settings and partnerships.
The role focuses on the delivery of our community strategy on our capital delivery programme and major projects alongside reporting that demonstrates our role as a trusted corporate citizen. This includes development and maintenance of partnerships with our capital delivery suppliers, to leverage additional community impact. The role will develop relationships with community leaders, to build their understanding of our services and activities in their local areas. It will also support the design and delivery of our social impact and value reporting activities, with the support of the Community and Education Coordinator. This ultimately contributes to delivering the Company reputation strategy, drives positive changes in our customer related performance measures, responsible business practices and both external and internal experience of the organisation. The role reports to the Community Partnerships and Programmes Manager. Accountabilities.
This is a rewarding and impactful role where you will get the chance to join an exciting new project, in a team which is expanding. We are looking for someone with good stakeholder management skills, a good understanding of social value and someone who has experience working with suppliers and experience in social value reporting would be a great fit for this position.
Accountabilities
· Capital delivery and major projects: To identify and support opportunities to create positive impacts in communities in our region where we are delivering capital programmes and major projects. This includes developing partnerships and training for colleagues and our suppliers to leverage additional impacts and monitor delivery of outcomes.
· Impact and value reporting: To coordinate the timely and accurate collection, analysis and reporting of data and information on the impacts and value of Southern Water's community programmes. This includes regular engagement with a third-party social value reporting platform, writing stories about our activities, and submitting information to external benchmarks.
· Community partnerships with heritage sites and visitor centres: To develop relationships with partners at public visitor centres at our sites and heritage sites. To support activities that celebrate these sites. To support identification of opportunities for community organisations to be involved in the beautification of our sites.
· Support other activities in the community and education strategy: To provide support for other community and education programmes, as required.
Skills and Competencies
· Proven ability to influence others and act as natural ambassador. To engage internally and externally with community programmes and seek out collaboration and advocacy.
· Empathy and understanding for a wide range of challenging life-experiences and ability to communicate and engage with these in a suitable manner.
· Experience working with organisation supply chains, particularly design and construction contractors.
· An ability to disseminate and engage complex information to different audiences.
· Excellent presentation, organisation and project management skills.
· Ability to work proactively and with a positive outlook.
· Willing and able to travel, using own vehicle, to community events and meetings across the region including, on occasion, out of normal office hours.
· Proficient in the use of IT, including Microsoft Office applications.
Knowledge
Technical
· Proven track record in creating and maintaining positive relationships with community partners.
· Demonstrable experience delivering positive community impacts on construction and maintenance programmes.
· An understanding of the challenges and success factors for reporting on an organisation's social impact and value.
· Knowledge of the water and wastewater industry.
Risk & Compliance
· Working knowledge of Excel and data collection tools and benchmarking reporting.
Qualifications
Essential
· A clean UK Driving Licence.
· Willing to undertake DBS check.
Package
This role will be full time Monday to Friday with a hybrid approach to working between our Durrington office and home.
We are offering a salary of up to £45,000 per annum depending on skills and experience as well as other benefits including:
• Generous pension up to 11% company contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Life assurance equal to 4x salary
• Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service)
• Health Cash Plan
• Full funded eye tests
• Two paid volunteering days a year
• Occupational health service
• Discounts with over 800 popular retailers
• Digital GP service
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• Cycle to work scheme
Join our Community team and see how far your career could progress with a company committed to career progression, training and development opportunities, our customers and the environment.
Does this opportunity excite you but you're not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that 'normal' office hours aren't possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we'll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?
If this role isn't quite what you're looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com)
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support - because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That's why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you'll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.
Privacy Statement:
Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application.
All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.
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