Collaboration Worker at Macc

Macc is a charity and put simply, our purpose is the city of Manchester. We work to inspire, enable and support the people of Manchester to get involved and build the communities where we live, work and grow. Macc delivers a wide range of activities including:

• Helping local charities, community groups and social enterprises to be well-run, successful organisations with the resources they need to make a real difference.
• Supporting local people to be active citizens through volunteering – matching local people with local organisations and causes through our Volunteer Centre.
• Building an influential and connected community through policy, insight and collaboration - convening the city’s Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly, building partnerships between charities, the local public sector and private businesses.
• Celebrating the work, talents, creativity and diversity of all our local communities through our annual Spirit of Manchester programme, telling the story of the wealth of activity in local communities across the city.

We believe every individual and community has unique skills, talents, knowledge and insights that are important. We also believe that our collective skills, knowledge and lived experience uniquely equip us to do the work we do. All of our work is informed by three key values:

• Being supportive – providing mutual support and encouraging one another
• Being collaborative – facilitating positive change in society by working with people
• Being influential – harnessing people’s skills and building their confidence to shape and inform policy and practice

Manchester’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector is made of thousands of organisations and individuals who use their time, skills, creativity and energy to improve the quality of life in the city. Macc helps create practical action through partnership working, both within the VCSE sector and through action-focused projects with local public bodies and the private sector.

Macc's Collaboration Team creates positive change through developing influential and collaborative relationships with partners in the VCSE, public and private sectors, to model new ways of working with practical outcomes for local people always in mind. We lead on developing partnerships with businesses and supporting VCSE organisations to increase their collective impact. Our current projects, supporting and facilitating practical cross-sector partnerships, include: the Manchester Homelessness Partnership; GM Moving Systems Leadership approach with a focus on working together to tackle inequalities, GM Violence Reduction Unit’s Manchester community-led delivery programme and building partnerships between VCSE organisations and local businesses.

The Collaboration Worker will support social change projects in Manchester by building collaborative working among VCSE organisations around shared issues, such as mental health, providing coordination and facilitation.

Half of this post’s time will be supporting the GM Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU), Manchester community-led violence reduction programme, outlined in Greater Manchester’s Serious Violence Action Plan. The Manchester Peace Alliance is a partnership of VCSE organisations who have been funded to deliver this community-led programme, working with young people in Hulme, Moss Side and Rusholme to develop projects and activities to address the underlying causes of violence and build aspirations and opportunities for young people.

The Collaboration Worker will manage and build supportive relationships with partner organisations, and community members including young people. The post holder will collate relevant community information to help influence strategic decision making and encourage cross sector collaboration, such as with the local Community Safety Partnership, Team Around the Neighbourhood and other statutory agencies. A big part of the role will be supporting the partnership and the organisations within it to develop sustainably and manage their impact for young people and the community.

Salary: £27,291 per annum pro rata (26 days holiday + bank holidays)
Hours: 35 hours per week - flexi-time system with core hours 10am-3pm
Location: Manchester City Centre but job offers working from home flexibility
Contract: Initially for 12 months – continuation subject to funding and business need

Main duties:
Being Supportive

• To organise a wide variety of meetings and events including managing publicity and invites, setting up video conferencing links, arranging venues and refreshments
• To maintain contact databases, information and filing systems   
• To produce minutes, reports, newsletters and other documents as required
• To keep track of project budgets and expenditure (but not to make decisions on how funds are spent)
• Additional general administration tasks required from time to time  

Being Collaborative

• To maintain regular contact with key partners  
• To network with community members and representatives
• To support and encourage cross-sector communication and partnership working to identify shared values and work together collaboratively towards a common goal
• To respond to enquiries and pass these on to relevant team members, Macc colleagues or external partners - connecting people
• To contribute to the social media presence for the Collaboration Team projects and lead on maintaining Collaboration Team website pages

Being Influential

• To attend and host meetings as required, representing Macc, advocating for the VCSE sector and promoting collaborative ways of working
• To effectively capture key points, learning and reflections at meetings and events to influence future decision making and build a culture of learning
• To collect, report and respond to feedback from partners
• To grow the diversity of Macc’s partnerships and help ensure that communications are accessible and inclusive

Who we’re looking for
The right person for this job will be someone who can:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key issues affecting communities in Manchester, in particular youth violence, trauma and mental health
• Demonstrate practical experience of working within and/or supporting voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the VCSE sector
• Work inclusively and build supportive and collaborative relationships, with local communities, organisations and individuals from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds
• Bring people together work collaboratively towards a common goal, maintaining a community-led ethos
• Confidently facilitate group meetings to encourage participation, and deliver presentations to a range of audiences
• Support VCSE organisations to develop and grow effective partnerships
• Support VCSE organisations and leaders to work strategically to influence relevant public bodies and other agencies
• Demonstrate a willingness to learn and undertake training where required
• Demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and equality

As with all roles at Macc, we are looking for someone who has a strong commitment to Macc’s values; someone who can plan and manage their own workload, dealing with multiple tasks and working to tight deadlines. Experience of monitoring and evaluation of activities will be helpful. You will need good working knowledge of MS office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and be able to produce concise and accurate written reports, presentations, webpage and newsletter content as required.  You will also need to be willing and able to travel around Manchester - though driving ability is not essential as we encourage use of public transport and ’active travel’ (such as walking or cycling).

How to apply
If you believe you can fulfil the role summary, we’d love to hear from you!

Attached is a short application form in which we ask you for some basic details and a few questions about your skills, knowledge and relevant experience. There is also an equalities monitoring form with simple questions and a GDPR statement which we ask you to confirm you have read. Applications should be emailed to Pauline at: [email protected] If you require access to these documents in alternative formats, or if you have comments that would support us to improve access to our application processes more generally, please do contact us via email [email protected]  or telephone us on 0161 834 9823.

For an informal conversation regarding this post, please contact Pauline Clark before submitting your application. Email: [email protected]  or telephone 0161 834 9823.

Dates for interviews are to be confirmed.

Macc is passionate about ensuring that everyone has a fair chance and that they are treated equally. We are aware of the underrepresentation of certain groups and communities in our sector. These include but are not limited to, people from racialised or minoritised backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ and those from working-class backgrounds. We want to change this and commit to playing our part in eradicating inequalities in both what we do and the way we do it.

Macc is an inclusive employer committed to building a diverse, effective workforce which reflects our local communities. We work hard to create a supportive, accessible environment. We celebrate difference, and welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds, skills and abilities, recognising value in different perspectives.