Job title: Neighbourhood manager.
Who's doing it: Vince Roberts.
Where: Kendray Neighbourhood Management
Initiative, Barnsley.
Job description: Overseeing the government's
neighbourhood management pathfinder initiative. Co-ordinating and
overseeing implementation of the physical and social investment
plan in the area and reporting activities to the board.
Skills or qualifications needed: Negotiation,
clear planning, project management, communication, an ability to
see through the waffle and knowing to look at how national
strategies can be adapted for local delivery. You need to have
experiences relevant to addressing the causes and consequences of
social inclusion, such as work in community development, service
management or delivery.
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What's good about the job: Instant feedback. If
you get it wrong everybody lets you know. Plus the buzz when you
see things change.
What's bad about the job: You have a lot of responsibility
but no power as you are not part of the decision-making processes
of any of the organisations. You act as an arbiter, say between
housing and a resident, but the dialogue might break down.
Pay: £38,000-£45,000.
Grade: Senior officer level in the local authority
structure.
What's the job like? It's about pulling together the
physical and social investment plan so that there's an agreement by
all the parties, informed by the resident, about what makes a good
place to live and work. You have to ensure everyone has a voice.
There's a lot of partnership working with local housing providers,
council departments, primary care trusts, police, community groups,
the voluntary sector and the founders - in our case the Single
Regeneration Budget. You have to know the dynamics of the
community, what works and what doesn't from a local perspective.
Neighbourhood managers come from all employment backgrounds - the
commonality is a generic understanding of community issues.
