Community Engagement Lead (Primary) – Good Life Schools

Have you worked directly with children, young people or local communities to design and deliver projects that create positive change? Have you led workshops, facilitated group discussions or supported community-led initiatives, whether in schools, youth centres or local settings? If you have experience building partnerships, creating inclusive spaces and/or supporting others to take actions on the issues they care about, we’d love to hear from you.

Global Action Plan is looking for a Primary Community Engagement Lead, to work as part of our Education team. You will lead the delivery of an exciting new phase of the Good Life Schools programme as we roll it out to Primary Schools, thanks to funding from the National Lottery #iwill Fund.

About Good Life Schools

Good Life Schools is a student-led education programme, currently delivered in secondary schools and post 16 settings across England and Wales, supporting young people to reflect on what makes a good life and design a hopeful new way of living. The programme strengthens the relationship between schools and their local communities, supporting everyone to lead good lives. The programme is working with communities in three regions of the UK – South Wales, North East England, and South Yorkshire and the Midlands.

About the role

We are looking for a Community Engagement Lead to coordinate youth-led community action through the Good Life Schools programme. In this role you will:

• Project manage the adaptation, piloting and rollout of an adapted Good Life Schools programme, with support from the Head of Education and wider Education team.
• Lead a summer term 2026 pilot with five primary schools in partnership with ASSET Education, based in Suffolk, testing delivery, supporting engagement, and refining materials based on learning.
• Support and facilitate second phase rollout to five additional Suffolk based primary schools (Autumn term 2026), embedding learning and strengthening systems.
• Support expansion to a total of 12 primary schools nationally, ensuring quality, consistency and impact as the programme scales.
• Plan delivery schedules, coordinate partners, manage small budgets, maintain accurate records, and ensure strong communication with schools.
• Refine and improve programme resources, toolkits and guidance for primary settings.
• Deliver blended support (in-person and virtual) to teachers and pupils, guiding schools through co-creating and delivering a Good Life project.
• Help schools turn pupil ideas into practical action, identifying and coordinating external partners where appropriate.
• Gather and analyse evidence of impact across all phases, using insights to strengthen the model and inform national scaling.
• Build and manage relationships with participating schools, onboard new schools, and contribute to shared learning opportunities across the network.
• Work as part of Global Action Plan’s Education team, line-managed by the Head of Education, contributing to the programme’s ongoing development and growth.

The successful applicant must be able to travel to primary schools across Suffolk County as needed, with support delivered through a blended model that includes both in-person visits and virtual engagement. As the programme expands, some national travel will also be required. In addition, occasional travel to London will be necessary to attend team meetings.

Key skills and experience

We would expect to see evidence that you have:

• Worked or volunteered in community engagement, youth engagement, teaching or youth work settings.
• Collaborated effectively with others to support projects or initiatives with young people and/or communities.
• Engaged with a variety of people and organisations in a way that is accessible and inclusive.
• Used clear and effective verbal and written communication to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Shared learning, resources and reflections as part of a collaborative team environment
• Planned and coordinated multiple tasks or projects, meeting deadlines and adjusting to changing priorities.

It would be great to see evidence that you have:

• Experience of working in and/or with primary schools.
• Delivered or contributed to education or youth engagement projects that explore climate and ecological issues.
• Taken part in, or delivered activities, that explore the links between wellbeing, sustainability and reduced consumption.
• Supported young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and/or young people attending Pupil Referral Units.
• Built and maintained partnerships with community organisations, businesses and local authorities.
• Designed, delivered or evaluated youth-led or community-based social action projects
• Used digital tools such as Microsoft Office to support project coordination and communication.
• Contributed to planning, budgeting or reporting processes of grant-funded projects