The posting
Contract to start ASAP
Duration: 26 weeks with a possible extension.
Engagement Officer – Highways
Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week)
Contract: 26 Week Temporary Contract, ending 18 April 2027
Support Effective Community Engagement Across Lewisham's Highways Service
We're recruiting an experienced Engagement Officer – Highways to join Lewisham Council, supporting the delivery of highways, transport, public realm, and infrastructure projects across the borough.
This is an excellent opportunity for a confident communications and engagement professional with experience working with residents, businesses, councillors, community groups, contractors, and public-sector stakeholders.
You'll play a key role in ensuring local communities are informed, consulted, and engaged throughout the development and delivery of highways projects, helping the Council communicate clearly, respond to concerns, and build positive relationships with stakeholders.
About the Role
As an Engagement Officer – Highways, you'll support stakeholder and community engagement activity relating to highways schemes, roadworks, transport projects, public realm improvements, and other infrastructure programmes.
What you'll be doing:
- Planning and delivering stakeholder engagement activity for highways and transport projects across the borough
- Communicating with residents, businesses, community groups, councillors, and other stakeholders regarding planned works and infrastructure projects
- Preparing clear and accessible communications, including letters, consultation materials, briefings, newsletters, website content, and project updates
- Supporting public consultations and engagement exercises, ensuring stakeholders have appropriate opportunities to provide feedback
- Responding to enquiries, concerns, and complaints relating to highways projects and planned works
- Working closely with highways engineers, project managers, contractors, communications teams, and other Council departments
- Attending community meetings, public events, stakeholder sessions, and project briefings where required
- Building and maintaining positive relationships with residents, local businesses, ward councillors, community organisations, and partner agencies
- Identifying stakeholder concerns and emerging issues and escalating them appropriately
- Helping project teams understand community feedback and ensuring relevant concerns are considered during project delivery
- Maintaining accurate records of engagement activity, correspondence, feedback, and actions
- Supporting consultation analysis and preparing summaries of stakeholder responses
- Coordinating communications around roadworks, traffic management, disruptions, and project milestones
- Ensuring engagement activity is inclusive and accessible to different communities across the borough
- Supporting the management of reputational issues by providing clear, timely, and professional communications
- Working across multiple projects simultaneously and managing competing deadlines
- Ensuring communications and engagement activity complies with Council policies and procedures
Requirements
We're looking for a confident, organised, and proactive engagement professional with strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
You'll ideally have:
- Experience in community engagement, stakeholder engagement, consultation, communications, or public relations
- Experience working within highways, transport, infrastructure, regeneration, public realm, or a related environment
- Experience working with residents, businesses, councillors, and community organisations
- Experience supporting or delivering public consultations
- Strong written communication skills with the ability to produce clear, professional, and accessible content
- Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage difficult conversations, complaints, and stakeholder concerns professionally
- Experience working with project managers, technical teams, contractors, or engineers
- Ability to explain complex or technical information in a clear and understandable way
- Strong organisational and time-management skills
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
- Experience maintaining engagement records, correspondence, and stakeholder databases
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team
- A proactive approach to identifying and resolving stakeholder issues
- Good understanding of local government or public-sector working environments
- Willingness to attend meetings, site visits, or community engagement events where required
- Eligibility to work in the UK
- Ability to provide three years of references/work history
- Ability to complete a Criminal Convictions Declaration
- Ability to sign a Confidentiality Agreement
Why Apply
- Competitive Umbrella rate of £230.49 per day
- Opportunity to work with Lewisham Council
- Longer-term 26-week temporary assignment
- Varied role combining communications, stakeholder engagement, consultation, and project support
- Opportunity to contribute to highways and public realm projects across the borough
- Work directly with residents, councillors, businesses, contractors, and Council teams
- Gain valuable local authority highways and infrastructure experience
- Opportunity to support projects that directly impact local communities
Benefits
- Weekly Pay
- Company Pension
- Ongoing Agency Support
Additional Information
Client: Lewisham Council
Location: 1 Catford Road, Catford, London, Greater London, SE6 4RU
Start Date: 19 October 2026
Contract Duration: 26 weeks, ending 18 April 2027
Hours: 35 hours per week
Pay Rate: Umbrella: £230.49 per day
Employment Type: Temporary
Number of Positions: 1
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 26 weeks
Pay: £230.49 per day
Benefits:
- Company pension
Application question(s):
- Do you have previous experience in community engagement, stakeholder engagement, consultation, or communications?
- Do you have experience working within highways, transport, infrastructure, regeneration, or public realm projects?
- Do you have experience engaging with residents, businesses, councillors, and community groups?
- Do you have experience managing public enquiries, complaints, or sensitive stakeholder issues?
- Are you confident producing consultation materials, stakeholder communications, briefings, and project updates?
- Please confirm your current location and whether you can reliably travel to 1 Catford Road, Catford, London, SE6 4RU as required.
Experience:
- Stakeholder / Community Engagement: 2 years (preferred)
- Highways / Transport / Infrastructure: 1 year (preferred)
- Local Government / Public Sector: 1 year (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
Disclaimer: On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify iWork Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.
OR117923-10-26
