Community Engagement and Co-production lead

Job Title: Community Engagement and Coproduction Lead

Location: Gloucestershire (Field-based)
Department: Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
Reports to: Head of Area / Head of Programme Development
Responsible for: None
Disclosure & Barring Check: Enhanced DBS (Adults)

Terms and Conditions

• Hours per week: 35 hours
• Salary: £26,457 - £34,363 per annum (Band 3 - Professional)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Note: May require occasional weekend or evening working to attend meetings and/or events.

Job Summary

The Community Engagement and Coproduction Lead will work to improve access to mental health services across Gloucestershire by developing strong relationships with community organisations, voluntary groups, and people with lived experience of mental illness. You will play a key role in facilitating coproduction forums to identify community needs, enhance service delivery, and promote partnership working across the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. This role champions lived experience and grassroots involvement to influence service development, working closely with key stakeholders including NHS, local authorities, and community groups.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with local communities to identify mental health needs and develop solutions in collaboration with service users and community organisations.
• Organise and lead four local forums to bring together VCSE and statutory organisations, focusing on improving mental health support pathways.
• Facilitate coproduction activities with people with lived experience, ensuring their input shapes service improvements.
• Collaborate with health, social care, and voluntary sector partners through Locality Community Partnerships to align mental health support services.
• Champion equality and diversity by reaching out to underserved groups and ensuring inclusive engagement.
• Attend local community meetings, gathering and sharing insights to improve service provision.
• Promote Rethink Mental Illness’ services and enhance access to a variety of wellbeing pathways for individuals.
• Attend meetings or events outside of standard working hours, including occasional weekend or evening commitments.

Essential Criteria

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms).
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds, including those with lived experience of mental illness.
• Strong communication, organisation, and facilitation skills, with experience in leading meetings and coproduction activities.
• Confidence in building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including community organisations and statutory bodies.
• A flexible and inclusive approach to work, with the ability to manage tasks independently and respond to challenges positively.
• Understanding of the barriers faced by individuals with serious mental illness and experience in supporting them to influence change.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in mental health support services or within the health and social care sector.
• Knowledge of citizen participation and involvement approaches.

Values and Behaviours

You will embody Rethink Mental Illness’ core values:

• Passion: Leading the way to improve quality of life for people severely affected by mental illness.
• Commitment: Providing ongoing support to people in need.
• Openness: Transparent in all work with beneficiaries, partners, and the public.
• Hope: Offering hope for better mental health outcomes.
• Expertise: Using knowledge to provide practical support.
• Understanding: Ensuring people with lived experience are central to all we do.
• Equity: Promoting fairness and justice for all, ensuring inclusivity.

General Duties

• Ensure compliance with Data Protection and Information Governance policies.
• Adhere to Health & Safety and Safeguarding policies, reporting any concerns promptly.
• Participate in regular supervision, appraisals, and training.
• Work in accordance with Rethink’s national policies and local procedures.
• Undertake other reasonable duties as required by the line manager.

This role offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on mental health support within Gloucestershire, by working directly with communities and championing coproduction to ensure services meet local needs.

*Appointments will be at the minimum of the band.

We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

Please see further details on our website

You can also follow us on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram and LinkedIn to find out more about the work we do![

Caring for our people.  

We offer a wide range of support. Some of our benefits include:  

• PULSE: our recognition, rewards, wellbeing, and benefits platform. Providing access to thousands of discounts and benefits including cashback; reloadable cards; savings etc. As well as being able to thank colleagues and nominate them for awards. 
• Wagestream: gives you instant access to up to 50% of your pay. Also provides a library of expert tools, tips and articles plus, helps you start building a rainy-day pot straight from your salary.
• Wellbeing support: our Wellbeing hub gives physical, emotional, and mental health support. We also have a BUPA Employee Assistance Programme with access to appointments. 
• Taking time for you: we work flexibly –you get to choose where you work, managing your own diary. We have generous annual leave, starting at 25 rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays, as well as your birthday off. We also offer the opportunity to buy and sell annual leave. 
• Planning for the future: We have a contributory pension scheme. 
• Structured Corporate Induction: Onboarding you into the Charity supporting your wellbeing along the way. 
• £300 when you introduce a Friend: receive up to £300 when you introduce a friend or family member. 

Who are we? 

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”  

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.  

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact - recruitment@rethink.org