| JOB TITLE: | Business Support & Community Engagement Officer – Fixed Term | ||||
| LOCATION: | Community based (Chipping Sodbury Office) | HOURS OF WORK | 22.5 hours pw | ||
| REPORTING TO: | Managing Director | DIRECT REPORTS | NONE | ||
| JOB PURPOSE | |||||
| The Business Support and Community Engagement Officer plays a key role in delivering inclusive outreach and high-quality business support across South Gloucestershire. The role combines proactive community engagement in priority neighbourhoods with the delivery of practical, tailored business support to individuals and businesses across the wider South Gloucestershire area. Through hands-on guidance, the role supports individuals to explore self-employment and helps existing businesses to strengthen, grow and become more resilient. The role requires the ability to work with individuals at different stages of their journey, including those who may be exploring self-employment for the first time or from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes building confidence, breaking down complex topics, and providing patient, practical support tailored to individual needs. Alongside this, the role includes supporting businesses to better understand and use their financial information in a simple and practical way to make informed decisions. The role also contributes to our wider impact goals by supporting contract delivery, promoting equity, encouraging environmentally responsible practices, and engaging in social value activities. | |||||
| ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES | |||||
| OUTREACH SERVICE Develop, coordinate and oversee an Outreach Business Support Service across priority neighbourhoods of South Gloucestershire (including Kingswood, Staple Hill, Patchway and Oldland Common), whilst supporting businesses across the wider South Gloucestershire area. This includes: – Deliver 1:1 triage and tailored support for individuals exploring self-employment and businesses seeking to grow, adapting your approach to meet a range of needs and confidence levels. – Plan and deliver community-based workshops and engagement activities to support learning and participation. – Build strong relationships with local partners, community groups and stakeholders to increase reach and engagement, particularly among underrepresented communities. – Identify and engage individuals who may face barriers to employment or self-employment, providing additional support, encouragement and appropriate referrals to specialist services where needed. BUSINESS SUPPORT DELIVERY – Provide tailored business support, helping clients identify priorities, explore options and agree clear next steps – Act as a key point of contact within the team on finance-related business support, sharing knowledge where appropriate. Identify when specialist support is needed and coordinate with associates to ensure a high-quality and well-managed client experience CONTRACT SUPPORT – Contribute to achieving contracted outputs and targets (including business starts, job creation and engagement targets) – Capture and record client outcomes, progress and impact accurately – Provide timely and up-to-date information on outputs, outcomes and trends for monthly and quarterly reporting – Support continuous improvement by identifying trends, gaps and opportunities within delivery OTHER – Support delivery of the wider South Gloucestershire and B&NES Business Support Services – Work collaboratively with the Outreach Adviser – B&NES to share and develop best practice – Undertake other duties as requested by the Managing Director PURPOSFUL RESPONSIBILITIES As part of our commitment to social and environmental impact, team members are expected to: – Promote equity and inclusion – Help maintain an inclusive and respectful environment, ensuring our services are accessible and welcoming to all – Support environmental sustainability – Use resources mindfully and contribute to reducing environmental impact in day-to-day work – Give back to the community – Commit to 1 paid day per year to support social value activities such as volunteering – Stay current and purposeful – Maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills to ensure the support we offer remains relevant, practical and high quality | |||||
| PERSON SPECIFICATION | |||||
| ESSENTIAL | DESIRABLE | ||||
| QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING | Qualified by experience Ability to travel independently across South Gloucestershire to deliver support in community settings and business locations Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (due to the nature of the role and locations of delivery) | SFEDI accreditation Business qualification or relevant training | |||
| EXPERIENCE | Minimum 2–3 years’ experience of working with small business owners Experience of supporting businesses to understand key financial concepts (e.g. cashflow, pricing, profitability) in a practical and accessible way Experience of delivering 1:1 business support or advisory support Confident presenting to groups and facilitating discussions Experience of working in or running a small business | Private sector experience & strong understanding of commercial environments Experience of delivering workshops or training sessions Experience of community engagement or outreach activity Experience of working with individuals from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds | |||
| QUALITIES & ATTITUDE | Passionate about supporting individuals and small businesses, with a patient and empathetic approach to working with people from a range of backgrounds and confidence levels Able to adapt communication style to suit different audiences, including those at an early or exploratory stage Self-motivated, proactive and able to manage a varied workload in a fast-paced environment Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and work effectively both independently and as part of a team | ||||
| TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE | Strong understanding of the challenges faced by small businesses Ability to support businesses to understand and use financial information in a practical and accessible way Confident in delivering business support across core areas, with strong practical knowledge of business finance. Proficient in Microsoft Office, CRM systems and online delivery tools Understanding of data protection responsibilities | Broader understanding of start-up and early-stage business needs | |||
| OUR VALUES | Client Focused Thriving Together Championing Innovation & Inspiring Change Integrity & Respect Supporting Local Communities Caring for Our Environment | ||||
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