Community Connector

Community Connector

Location: Avon Avenue, Meadow Well, North Shields

Salary: £20,982 per annum (Equivalent to Real Living Wage (£13.45 per hour)

Hours: 30 hours per week

Contract: 12 months (with potential to extend subject to funding)

We welcome applications from individuals seeking a job share arrangement (e.g. 2 x 15 hours per week) or other flexible part-time working patterns.

Be the bridge between community voice and action.

At Cedarwood, poverty is never just about one issue.

It is about energy and food.
Confidence and opportunity.
Isolation and wellbeing.
Parents trying to give their children the best start.
Older residents navigating rising costs.
Working-age adults facing insecure employment.

For over 40 years, Cedarwood Trust has stood alongside residents in Meadow Well and North Tyneside, delivering support through our integrated model:

Nurture. Nourish. Thrive.

We are now seeking a Community Connector someone who can build trusted relationships, identify emerging need, and connect individuals and families to the right support at the right time.

About the Role

This is not simply an advice role.
It is not purely project delivery.
And it is not limited to one service area.

You will:

• Engage residents through outreach and one-to-one support
• Reduce fuel poverty and deliver Centre for Warmth activity (including PSR sign-ups and CO awareness)
• Support financial confidence and access to essential resources
• Connect individuals into early years, employment, wellbeing and community activity
• Feed insight back to leadership to inform how Cedarwood evolves

While the role holds primary responsibility for delivering our Northern Gas Networks Centre for Warmth project, it operates across our full Nurture, Nourish, Thrive model recognising that poverty is interconnected and requires joined-up support.

This is a relationship-led, community-rooted position with meaningful responsibility and visible impact.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking someone who:

• Builds trust naturally
• Understands the realities of poverty and disadvantage
• Is confident working across different age groups
• Can provide sensitive, person-centred support
• Balances empathy with professional boundaries
• Is organised, reflective and impact-focused
• Believes in dignity, empowerment and long-term change

Experience in community roles, advice work, energy or financial support is welcome but what matters most is your ability to connect, listen and respond thoughtfully.

Flexible Working & Job Share

We recognise that talented practitioners may be seeking flexible working arrangements.

We are open to:

• A single candidate working 30 hours per week
• A job share arrangement (for example, 2 x 15 hours per week)
• Alternative part-time patterns within the 30-hour allocation

Please indicate your preferred working pattern within your application.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Cedarwood Trust is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve.

We actively welcome applications from individuals who are underrepresented within the charity and community sector, including people from Black and racially minoritised communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ communities, working-class backgrounds, and others whose lived experience strengthens community-rooted work.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer. As part of this commitment, we have pledged to:

• Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
• Communicate and promote vacancies widely and transparently
• Offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role
• Anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as required
• Support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition to remain in work
• Undertake practical activity that makes a positive difference for disabled people

If you require adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Cedarwood believes in a feminist approach to leadership one that values collaboration, shared power, lived experience, reflective practice and relational accountability. We seek to create a culture where voices are heard, difference is respected, and structural inequality is actively challenged.

Why Join Cedarwood?

Cedarwood Trust is a respected, values-driven charity rooted in Meadow Well.

We are proud to pay at least the Real Living Wage.
We are financially responsible and impact-led.
And we believe in building long-term resilience within our community.

If you believe that communities are strongest when trust, dignity and opportunity sit at the centre of support we would love to hear from you.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Cedarwood Trust, please don t hesitate to apply.