Community Engagement Officer (Climate & Retrofit)

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity for a community development professional who cares about tackling energy-related issues and working towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. South East London Community Energy (Selce) is an award-winning energy member-led cooperative. We believe in creating a fair and just energy transition by building distributed and renewable energy systems, reducing local energy demand, and leaving no one behind in the process. We recognise that effective engagement is a key component in delivering a sustainable future and enabling domestic retrofit at scale.

As Community Engagement Officer, you will work to support various programmes that are, in the main focused on enabling decarbonisation of the UK housing stock, enabling warm, healthy homes. These programmes are as follows

A programme of workshops and outreach events focusing on two neighbourhoods in Southwark and on the whole of the borough of Greenwich. The purpose of the outreach is to raise awareness about the benefits of retrofitting their homes and provide support to households who want to install measures. Your role will be to design and deliver a programme of outreach, engagement and awareness raising about the benefits of retrofit and to support residents on their retrofit journey

Lewisham Council is planning a major retrofit programme for the council housing in Lewisham. Selce is supporting the local authority. Our role is to enable residents to understand the benefits of retrofit and to support any vulnerable residents to accommodate work in their homes. Your role will be to plan and deliver an engagement programme that engages residents, TRA's, local community groups, local champions to communicate the benefits of retrofit

In 2026 we expect to be launching a new Community Share Offer and to raise Community Share capital to finance solar PV/ LED Retrofit in local community sites. Your role will be to contribute to a broader effort to raise awareness about the share offer in Southeast London

Ideally you will be locally based in South East London, with a strong links to the community and an interest in and some experience around climate issues and community retrofit. Your role will be to engage residents through in-person or online events. You will use a range of engagement techniques including workshops, community events, eco home tours and retrofit parties , supporting resident champions to promote retrofit and occasionally doorknocking. You will support the wider team s online communications through owned channels, social and print media.

You will also work to build peer support networks, enabling residents who have retrofitted their homes to share their learning. Your role is to understand the needs of householders in relation to warmth, wellbeing, energy costs and climate and work to understand how our projects can best respond to those needs.

There is a strong possibility that this role could be extended beyond the initial 8 month fixed term period

Required Skills & Experience:

Essential Skills and Experience

A minimum of 2 years experience in a community engagement, participation or outreach role.

Experience of working with diverse and hard-to-reach communities.

Experience of coordinating volunteers or of volunteering yourself.

Experience of having worked with either community sector or local authorities or other public sector bodies.

Experience of facilitating a group or of being part of a community group that worked together to achieve a shared goal or bring about a positive community outcome.

Experience of leading meetings including experience of the preparation and delivery of presentations and reports to varied audiences good people-facing skills.

Knowledge of the energy efficiency and retrofit and an understanding of the whole house and fabric first approaches to domestic retrofit.

Familiarity with community energy and community shares.

Experience of working in schools or with children/young people

Ability to work independently and take initiative, demonstrating self-motivation and accountability with minimal supervision.

To be well organised and self-motivated, but also able to contribute effectively working as a team member. Experience of outcomes-based project monitoring and evaluation.

Desirable

Competency in Microsoft Office applications

Competency in Canva or InDesign or other similar design software for creating print or online visual content

Experience of social media creating graphics and text for a social media campaign

Photography skills

Experience of providing energy advice or retrofit advice.