Programme Manager (Place)

Main Purposes of the Post 

To manage and coordinate the delivery Salford CVS’s role in the Pride in Place programme across Pendleton and Peel Green, ensuring strong, representative community voice; effective neighbourhood governance; and meaningful participation from local VCSE organisations. The role will oversee the development and delivery of a community research programme, support the functioning of Neighbourhood Boards, and strengthen engagement mechanisms that enable residents and community partners to influence long‑term neighbourhood priorities.

Specific Duties

Programme Management

• Manage and coordinate Salford CVS’s programme activity for Pride in Place, ensuring strong governance, meaningful community involvement, and effective engagement across both Pendleton and Peel Green. Work closely with, and remain aligned to, the Strategic Lead for Place to ensure a consistent and joined‑up approach.
• Lead a comprehensive community research programme, working in partnership with local VCSE organisations and community groups to ensure approaches reach diverse and seldom‑heard communities. This includes overseeing the Trusted Voices and community researcher model.
• Work closely with the Research and Insight Worker to coordinate the production and sharing of community insight, ensuring findings are clearly brought together, interpreted and communicated effectively to Salford City Council, Neighbourhood Boards and other partners to support decision-making.
• Support the development and effective functioning of Pride in Place Neighbourhood Boards, including helping partners embed good governance practice, transparency and meaningful participation in line with national governance expectations.
• Develop and maintain programme documentation, including engagement plans, insight summaries, risk logs, learning reports and other tools required to support programme oversight.
• Identify gaps in engagement or evidence, and proactively work with residents, VCSE partners and community researchers to address them through inclusive and creative approaches.

Communication, Engagement and Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships across VCSE organisations, community groups, residents and statutory partners, acting as a bridge between sectors and supporting inclusive, collaborative working.
• Be a key delivery point of contact Salford CVS’s Pride in Place work, ensuring consistent communication with Salford City Council, Board members, community researchers and VCSE organisations.
• Work with the Research and Insight Worker to ensure that community insight and VCSE perspectives are shared clearly and consistently with partners, so that they can meaningfully inform planning and decision‑making.
• Organise and facilitate programme-related meetings, such as partnership sessions, insight‑sharing workshops, governance development sessions and community research briefings.
• Communicate sensitive, complex or challenging issues with accuracy, diplomacy and respect for community perspectives.
• Strengthen connections across the local VCSE sector, identifying opportunities for collaboration, networking and shared problem‑solving as neighbourhood priorities evolve.

Programme Development and Quality Assurance

• Work closely with the Strategic Lead for Place to ensure that Salford CVS’s role within Pride in Place aligns with national expectations for neighbourhood governance structures, community involvement and evidence‑based decision‑making.
• Support VCSE organisations to participate fully and confidently in Pride in Place processes, removing barriers to engagement and ensuring that smaller organisations with deep community reach are represented.
• Champion inclusive engagement approaches, ensuring that community voices, including seldom‑heard groups, influence programme design, governance and investment priorities.
• Contribute to organisational reporting, including progress updates, monitoring and reports.