Programme Engagement Officer (Thurrock)

The Opportunity 

Essex has a number of key employment and skills challenges including low productivity, low wages and lower than average workforce skills levels. Whilst the unemployment claimant count is low, Essex suffers from high levels of economic inactivity and significant pockets of deprivation in communities and cohorts. 

To resolve these challenges, Essex County Council delivers the Connect to Work Programme which supports residents facing barriers or challenges to get into and maintain meaningful employment, social inclusion, and engagement. 

This Programme Engagement Officer role will have a specific geographical focus on Thurrock, working closely with Thurrock Council and local partners to ensure the Connect to Work offer is embedded within local systems, services, and employer networks. 

Engagement Officers play a key role in ensuring that the opportunities in the Connect to Work programme reach as many people as possible. Working across Greater Essex, with a primary focus on Thurrock, the role will engage residents and a range of organisations including the Voluntary and Community Sector, Health Services, Prison and Probation Services, and Jobcentre Plus to raise awareness of the programme. The role will work proactively to promote opportunities and increase the number of participants. 

Engagement Officers will also be instrumental in working with employers across Thurrock to secure employment opportunities for programme participants, ensuring the programme delivers meaningful local impact. 

Accountabilities 

• Raise awareness and stimulate interest in the Connect to Work Programme, acting as the principle point of contact for public, private and voluntary sector organisations seeking information on the programme.
• Responsible for ensuring access to information about the programme through social, online, and print media, including devising accessible formats suitable for those with additional support needs.
• Build and maintain relationships with professional third parties including, educational institutions, Job Centre Plus, Local Authorities, health, and voluntary sector bodies to generate actionable referrals to the Programme, overseeing a vibrant referral network of partners.
• Support the development of, deliver and attend events, workshops, and training sessions to promote the project, building the community base to drive direct and indirect Expressions of Interest to the programme.
• Responsible for working with employers to secure suitable work opportunities for programme participants, maintaining a register of opportunities.
• Work with Marketing Executives to design and deliver targeted marketing campaigns to increase engagement in the Connect to Work Programme.
• Support the implementation of the Connect to Work account management approach, accurately completing relevant paperwork and ensuring that records are kept up to date on the programme CRM / MIS system.
• Gather, analyse, and report data related to programme performance and workforce trends to inform action plans.  

The Experience You Will Bring 

Essential criteria 

• Demonstrable experience engaging employers or external partners.
  Evidence of proactively building and maintaining relationships with employers, business networks, or partner organisations, resulting in tangible outcomes (e.g. vacancies, work trials, events, commitments).
• Experience working within an employment, skills, health, inclusion, or related public or community programme.
  Understanding how structured programmes operate, including objectives, eligibility or scope, delivery partners, and accountability requirements.
• Ability to work to defined targets and evidence outcomes.
  Proven experience of managing activity against targets and accurately recording engagement and outcomes using CRM, MIS, or similar systems.
• Practical understanding of inclusive employment principles.
  Ability to engage employers on inclusive recruitment, reasonable adjustments, flexible roles, or workplace support, and to apply this in real-world conversations. 

Desirable criteria 

• Experience working alongside supported employment or employability services.
  Exposure to models or services that support people into or within work, without requiring direct case-holding responsibility.
• Sector-based employer engagement experience.
  Experience engaging employers within priority or growth sectors such as health and social care, construction, logistics, public sector, or SMEs.
• Experience of partnership working across multiple organisations.
  Evidence of coordinating or aligning activity across commissioners, delivery partners, local authorities, VCSEs, or economic development teams.
• Experience supporting employer-facing events or outreach activity.
  Involvement in job fairs, employer briefings, roundtables, webinars, or targeted outreach campaigns that led to measurable engagement. 

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working  | About Us  | Organisation Behaviours