Senior community engagement manager – Northern Ireland (maternity cover)
Closing date: Monday 12 January 2026
Location: This role is predominantly home-based; however, travel will be required across NI and occasionally to Andover in Hampshire.
Salary: £39,000 - £41,000 per annum - Full time - 37.5 hours per week - 9 month fixed term contract
Join us in Beating Macular Disease
Are you somebody who would love to use your coordination skills to help us Beat Macular Disease? Join the Macular Society as our senior community engagement manager for Northern Ireland and help us Beat Macular Disease by supporting our incredible fundraisers and growing our community.
About the Macular Society
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, with around 300 people diagnosed every day. We're the only UK charity determined to beat the fear and isolation of macular disease through:
- World class research to find new treatments and a cure
- Practical support for people affected by sight loss
- Trusted advice and support services that empower those living with macular disease
About the role
We’re looking for an experienced and strategic individual to lead our community engagement work in Northern Ireland (NI) and manage our UK-wide team of community engagement managers. You’ll oversee peer support development, build strong partnerships, and ensure consistent delivery across regions. This role requires excellent leadership skills, the ability to manage complex relationships, and a strong understanding of how to engage and empower communities.
As our senior community engagement manager for NI, you will:
- Provide oversight and strategic direction for peer support in own country, supporting the team to do the same in their nations.
- Ensuring they have the resources, guidance and structure needed to thrive and remain sustainable.
- Work with the community engagement managers to develop and test new models of community-based support for people living with macular disease.
- Support the engagement and development of volunteers through effective coordination, including proposing and implementing new volunteer roles in partnership with the volunteer and group support team.
- Identify, engage, build, and nurture relations with key stakeholders and influencers at a strategic level nationally to ensure that macular disease is a priority.
- Facilitate volunteer events, including leading the planning and facilitation of volunteer development day in one's own country, and support the wider team to do this in the other nations.
About you
Our ideal candidate will have:
- Experience in service delivery and the effective management of budgets.
- A credible and confident senior professional with strong influencing skills and a practical, hands-on approach.
- Experienced and supportive line manager with a development-focused approach.
- Deep insight into the communities and nations in NI, with an understanding of how national dynamics shape volunteer experience.
- A proactive approach to staying informed about trends, challenges, and opportunities across the community network, using insight to support strategic decisions.
- A commitment to building your team’s knowledge and sharing learning across the organisation to inform and improve our work.
Why join us?
In return, we provide a great working culture – we do something worthwhile and are proud to work together to Beat Macular Disease – as recognised by our inclusion in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 list.
Benefits include:
- Flexible working options
- 26 days annual leave, rising to 27 after one year
- Option to buy or sell annual leave
- Supportive family-friendly policies
- 6% pension contribution
To read about our benefits in more detail, see link below.
Inclusion and diversity
We are an equal opportunities employer and a Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons, particularly people with lived experience of sight loss.
- Guaranteed interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum (essential) criteria and disclose their disability in their application
- Opportunities to request reasonable adjustments for interviews and the role
We aim to be an inclusive employer reflecting the communities we serve.
How to apply
For a full job description and person specification, please see below.
To apply: Please email your CV with a covering letter to recruitment@macularsociety.org
Questions? Please address any questions by email to maria.vorst@macularsociety.org
Closing date: 12 January 2026
Interviews: Week commencing 19 January 2026
