Get a move on!

Moving is good for us. And everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of an active and healthy life. But some people need a bit of extra support to get active. As Community Development Officer, your job is about offering a helping hand to communities who are less active than the general population. Reaching out to low income families, people from black and minority ethnic communities and people experiencing exclusion and inequality. Helping people overcome the barriers that prevent them from experiencing the positive benefits of an active and healthy life. Providing the support and encouragement they need to stay active.

To do that job well, you’ll need to find answers to a number of questions. Who are the key target groups you should be offering help to? What is holding those people back from being active? What support do they need to help them to make a start? From there you’ll go on to develop and deliver project plans, with defined objectives, timescales and budgets. Working together with key community partners from the voluntary sector, health and social care and the City of Edinburgh Council.

To succeed, you need to be a confident go-getter, with great communication and problem-solving skills, the skills and the drive to lead on key areas of work and the ability to influence and persuade colleagues and partners. You should also have a recognised degree, with at least 3 years’ work experience in a physical activity or community development role. Most of all you will have a passion and belief in the ability of physical activity to improve peoples health and wellbeing and a desire to empower inactive people to live healthier, more active lives.