Community Engagement Officer

BENEFITS – What is in it for you?

• 34 days holiday (including Bank Holidays, for this financial year) , plus your birthday off after one year’s service and additional leave for long service.
• A genuine commitment to work-life balance and staff wellbeing
• Learning & Development – We invest in our people. You’ll have access to a personal training budget, our online learning platform and all the training needed to thrive in your role.
• Free Enhanced DBS check
• Pension & Health Care Cash Plan – All our staff have access to a NEST pension and Simply Health care plan.
• Career breaks after 3 years’ service.

ABOUT US

Challengers is a charity dedicated to transforming the lives of disabled children, young people and their families through the power of play. We provide safe and inclusive spaces across the South East where disabled children aged 4-18 can come together to have fun, make friends and learn valuable life skills, while giving their families essential respite from care responsibilities.

What you’ll be doing

• Build and maintain relationships with local communities to grow fundraising income.
• Represent Challengers at community events and fundraising activities.
• Support and steward third-party fundraisers to help them achieve successful outcomes.
• Provide outstanding stewardship and support to donors, supporters, and volunteers.
• Recruit, train, and support volunteers, ensuring a positive and rewarding experience.
• Assist with corporate partnerships, business engagement, communications, and fundraising initiatives.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and supporter data in compliance with GDPR requirements.
• Support occasional evening and weekend events as required.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the role as needed.

Community Engagement Officer – JD Jul 26

About you

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about building relationships and inspiring others to support a great cause. You’ll bring:

• Experience in fundraising, community engagement, events, or volunteer management, ideally within the charity sector.
• A track record of achieving fundraising or income targets and building strong relationships with supporters and stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the confidence to engage a wide range of audiences.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver successful campaigns and events.
• A good understanding of fundraising principles (or a willingness to learn) and a commitment to excellent supporter care.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, CRM systems (ideally Salesforce), and digital tools such as Canva, WordPress, email marketing platforms, and social media.

Essential – A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. We know there’s no such thing as the perfect candidate, and we’re committed to helping people develop.

If this role excites you and you think you could make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Challengers is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

Safeguarding Statement

Challengers is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to complete an Enhanced DBS check and provide satisfactory references.

Close date: 31/07/26

We’re reviewing applications on a rolling basis and may start meeting with people early if someone brilliant comes along – so don’t wait too long to apply!   

Apply

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

- Step 1 of 4

Your details

Legal name *

First

Last

Preferred name *

Address *

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

Postal Code

Email *

Phone number *

Which role are you applying for?

• Minibus Driver
• Service Coordinator
• Community Engagement Officer
• Youth Leader
• Out of School Service - Support Worker

Do you need a work permit to work in the UK? *

• Yes
• No

How did you hear about us? *

• Word of mouth
• Google search
• Social media
• Website
• Previously donated to Challengers
• Indeed
• Other

Other details

Please let us know how you found out about Challengers / this job role

Safer recruitment policy *

• I am 18 or older

We require all members of staff to be aged 18 or older.

Disclosure declaration

The position for which you are applying potentially involves significant unsupervised contact with children and is therefore subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. This means that you must disclose details of any convictions, bindover orders or police cautions, warnings or reprimands, including those which are considered “spent” under the terms of the Act. Please use the Disclosure Form below only if this applies to you. This information will not be used to discriminate against you unfairly.

Do you need to complete the disclosure form? (if yes, please complete below) *

• Yes
• No

If you have any convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that are not "protected" as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013) by SI 2013 1198, please complete the information below and return it with your application. This information will not be used to discriminate against you unfairly. For more information on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act please click here.

Date

Nature of offence

Place offence took place

Details of conviction, bindover caution or warning

Date

Nature of offence

Place offence took place

Details of conviction, bindover caution or warning

NextSave and finish application later

CV Upload *

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

Please upload your CV here. In order to process your application we need to have a full history from your secondary education to present day, including any gaps in your study or work. Please make sure your CV is compliant with this. If you fail to provide a full history within your CV, your application may be rejected, this is due to the nature of our work with vulnerable young people, and the strict Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies we must adhere to.

Additional information

If you need to add further details regarding your CV please do so here, this include explanations for gaps in your CV.

Cover letter upload

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

If you want to add a cover letter please upload it here.

NextSave and finish application later

Supporting information

This section must be completed. Please tell us why you are applying for this role and include any relevant experience to support your application with particular reference to the job description. This statement is crucial to further consideration of your application.

Supporting information *

References

Please supply full contact details of TWO people who will provide a reference for you. They cannot both be from the same place of work or education. We cannot accept applications that do not provide two references. ONE MUST BE FROM YOUR CURRENT OR MOST RECENT EMPLOYER, OR IF YOU ARE A FULL-TIME STUDENT, FROM YOUR PLACE OF EDUCATION. REFEREES MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY.

Referee 1

Name *

First

Last

Relationship to you *

Organisation *

Email *

Phone number

May we contact this person now? *

• Yes
• No

Referee 2

Name *

First

Last

Relationship to you *

Organisation *

Email *

Phone number

May we contact this person now? *

• Yes
• No

NextSave and finish application later

Equal Opportunities monitoring

Challengers is committed to achieving a Play and Leisure service which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from unlawful or unfair discrimination. Our policy covers all aspects of our operations, including recruitment. Please complete this part of the form. This information will be used only in order to monitor our recruitment processes and prevent unfair discrimination on any grounds.

How would you describe your ethnic background? *White - BritishWhite - IrishWhite - Other White BackgroundDual Heritage - White & Black CaribbeanDual Heritage - White & Black AfricanDual Heritage - White & AsianDual Heritage - Other Mixed BackgroundAsian or Asian British - IndianAsian or Asian British - PakistaniAsian or Asian British - BangladeshiAsian or Asian British - Other Asian BackgroundBlack or Black British - Black CaribbeanBlack or Black British - Black AfricanOther Black BackgroundChinesePrefer not to sayOther

Communication preferences

We really want to keep you up to date with what is happening at Challengers, all the great news stories and information about events you could come along to which help raise vital funds so that we can support more disabled children and their families

Please tick the boxes below so we know what you would like to hear about

• News
• Events
• Future job opportunities
• Fundraising

Please note you can read our full privacy policy here.

Submit application

Please read and sign this section.

I confirm that the information which I have given is true and complete. I confirm that I have read and understood the DBS Code of Practice and the DBS Privacy Policy. I consent for Challengers to carry out the necessary Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and to monitor status of a check online using the DBS Update Service if this is subscribed to. I have read and understood the job description and The Challengers Approach. By submitting this application to us you are declaring your consent. Any false statements or omissions may result in dismissal.

Full name *

First

Last

Date *

Checkboxes

• First Choice
• Second Choice
• Third Choice

SubmitSave and finish application later