Job description

Role purpose

The online community coordinator will help create a safe, welcoming online community where disabled people can connect, share experiences and discuss topics that matter to them.

They will work alongside online community coordinators and online community children and family specialists. Together, the team moderates discussions, creates content, manages newsletters, answers member queries, supports volunteers and delivers community engagement programmes.

Main responsibilities

• Manage, move, rename and otherwise moderate discussions
• Welcome and engage members
• Signpost members to resources and answer their queries
• Create and organise new discussions, games, blogs, videos, podcasts and other content
• Create and organise weekly e-newsletters
• Recruit, interview, train, manage and engage volunteers
• Ensure community safety by following safeguarding procedures and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Report relevant service performance data
• Manage our shared inbox
• Manage community engagement programmes
• Provide support to team members through debriefing sessions
• Share and promote content with relevant external organisations
• Attend and contribute to meetings, workshops and training
• Assist with activities from other departments within Scope
• To work across department or team boundaries to support Scope’s vision
• To show a commitment to customer service excellence 
• To work within Scope’s policies and procedures

Main contacts

Internal contacts

• online community coordinators
• online community children and family specialist
• online community programme lead
• volunteers
• cross department colleagues including Helpline, Content Design, Research, Policy, Campaigns and Marketing colleagues

External contacts

• online community members
• peers within charitable sector, particularly information providers and community managers

Person specification

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Passing grade for GCSE English Language, 4 or C, an equivalent qualification such as Functional Skills Level 2, or a post-16 qualification taken in written English.
• Experience moderating, facilitating or managing an online community, forum, social media group or similar online space.
• Experience providing written support, guidance, information or customer service to members of the public, service users, customers or community members.
• Experience managing difficult, sensitive or emotionally charged interactions with members of the public, service users, customers or community members.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with people in online communities, forums, social media groups or similar online environments.
• Experience applying policies, procedures, rules or guidance consistently when making decisions and resolving issues.
• Experience creating, editing and publishing written content for an online audience using plain English.
• Experience coordinating or delivering community, volunteer, engagement or peer support activities or programmes.
• Experience using data, metrics or reporting to monitor activity, engagement, service performance or operational delivery and inform decision-making.
• Understanding of the barriers disabled people face in society, demonstrated through lived, learned, volunteering or professional experience.
• Experience using a range of digital systems and platforms to manage communications, content, customer interactions or community activity.
• Experience producing, formatting and managing documents and other digital content using standard workplace software.

Desirable

• Understanding of the social model of disability.
• Knowledge of signposting people to information, services, support organisations or self-help resources.
• Experience recruiting, training, supporting or supervising volunteers.
• Experience managing projects, initiatives or programmes from planning through to delivery.
• Experience using community platforms, content management systems, customer relationship management systems or similar digital tools.
• Knowledge of HTML and basic web content editing.
• Experience working within disability, health, wellbeing, charity, support, education or community-based services.
• Experience identifying, managing or escalating safeguarding, wellbeing, vulnerability, risk or other sensitive support concerns.

Skills and competencies

Essential

• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, accurate, engaging and accessible content in plain English for a range of audiences.
• Excellent reading comprehension, with the ability to understand, interpret and respond appropriately to complex or sensitive written information.
• Ability to communicate professionally, calmly and effectively with people who are upset, distressed, frustrated, in conflict or challenging decisions.
• Ability to make fair, balanced and evidence-based decisions while applying policies, procedures, community guidelines and safeguarding processes consistently.
• Ability to assess risk, exercise sound judgement and recognise when issues require escalation or safeguarding action.
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with community members, volunteers, colleagues and external partners in online environments.
• Ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple competing tasks while maintaining accuracy, attention to detail and consistency.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative and manage workload effectively with minimal supervision.
• Ability to learn and confidently use new digital systems, platforms and software.
• Ability to troubleshoot routine technical, system or platform issues and identify appropriate solutions or escalation routes.
• Ability to analyse information, identify underlying issues and solve problems in a practical and appropriate way.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, contributing positively to shared objectives and supporting colleagues when required.

Desirable

• Ability to adapt communication style to meet the needs of different audiences.
• Ability to encourage participation and build engagement within online communities.
• Ability to write for a range of digital channels, including newsletters, blogs, websites and social media.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve community processes, systems or member experience.
• Ability to support, motivate and develop volunteers or peer supporters.
• Ability to plan and deliver projects or engagement activities effectively.
• Ability to analyse community or service data and identify trends, insights or opportunities for improvement.
• Basic HTML and web content editing skills.
• Ability to present information clearly and confidently to colleagues, volunteers or stakeholders.