This post provides detailed information about the community development worker job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they typically perform.
(You will be able to download the community development worker job description template in pdf below.)
It also highlights the important requirements that anyone who is seeking the role of a community development worker may be asked to fulfill to be hired.
What Does a Community Development Worker Do?
Community development workers assist people to build and implement plans in their community, to make improvements among the people.
The community development worker job description includes helping individuals, families, or whole communities to bring about social transformation and develop the quality of life in their local area.
In addition to these tasks, the community development worker may also plan, attend, and coordinate meetings and events; recruit and train paid and voluntary staff, and prepare reports and policies.
They can also raise and manage funds, set goals for improvement, and respond to problems and needs through empowerment and active participation.
Community development workers can interact with various individuals, organizations, and groups to identify requests, build resources, and implement programs to help deal with particular issues.
They work together with nonprofit organizations, private enterprises, or even local governments to identify and make plans for projects, to achieve safer, healthier, and more successful community.
Their responsibilities can be as simple as the immediate, practical assistance they provide to individuals and families, like connecting them with resources or organizing events.
It could also be as complex as addressing complex societal issues, securing funding, and navigating bureaucratic processes while working with diverse populations and dealing with conflict.
Community development workers are also expected to identify assets that are hidden within communities, build capacity that allows the community to share knowledge and resources effectively, keep records, and do paperwork.
They utilize a wide range of activities and tools, from direct service and community organizing to advocacy and policy work, often leveraging various technologies like digital platforms for communication and data collection.
It is also their duty to engage in traditional methods like face-to-face meetings, community workshops, and group discussions, to engage community members.
Community development workers may also be asked to actively seek out and engage new individuals and groups to participate in community development initiatives.
This involves discovering potential partners, developing relationships, and facilitating their involvement in the development process.
In larger community development operations, community development workers typically report to community development coordinators or regional coordinators, who are responsible for overseeing the program at a provincial or regional level.
These coordinators then report to the provincial coordinators and national coordinators who are from the national task team.
Where Community Development Workers can Work
They will work mostly in the field, interacting directly with communities to improve quality of life and bring about social change.
They are often found in rural areas, townships, or other underserved communities.
Some community development workers may work for a community education organization, housing associations, local authorities, NHS trusts, organizations set up with a specific aim, e.g. to help protection seekers or to advise about drugs, rural community councils, social services, and voluntary sector organizations.
Many countries recognize the importance of community development workers, including those in the Commonwealth of Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Community development approaches are also actively being utilized by some countries in Eastern Europe, like Romania and Hungary.
Additionally, international organizations like the UN, WHO, OECD, World Bank, Council of Europe, and EU acknowledge the significance of community development methods for local, social, economic, cultural, and political development.
Community Development Workers play an important role in supporting those who depend on community development as a means of survival.
Community Development Worker Training and Certification
While formal education is not firmly needed, many employers prefer candidates who have completed specialized training in community development work.
This training can be offered through community colleges or technical schools and can widen to certification programs.
For example, the Green Training USA is one that is well recognized within the industry and that can be of exceptional advantage to job candidates.
On-the-job training is also rather familiar; here, a community development worker will have the ability to learn from their fellow professionals.
Community development workers may be expected to adhere to national and local laws that provide safety standards.
For example, in the United States, the Community Foundation National Standards program sets industry standards and offers certification for community development workers.
This certification shows that a community foundation employs best practices in areas like investment strategies and reporting and record-keeping, in addition to meeting federal requirements.
In the UK, the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board (EQSB) for Community Development is the organization that sets industry standards and offers certification for community development workers.
The EQSB, formerly known as the Council for Standards in Community Work Training and Qualification, provides a framework for ensuring quality in community development practice and qualifications.
Community Development Worker Employment Requirements
Employers often seek the services of a community development worker who has a passion for developing individuals in both rural and urban communities.
They highly recognize and value individuals that have the knowledge of running projects and reporting, knowledge of applying for grants and report writing, and knowledge of the languages and cultures of the exact community they render their services to.
Employers also seek people who have physical fitness as the operations may be somehow demanding.
Community Development Worker Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The community development worker job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:
- Establish networks within a community and encourage people to connect to them for support
- Encourage, motivate, and guide people to take leadership of projects initiated in the community
- Collaborate with community members to discover their needs, aspirations and existing resources
- Assist community groups to develop and apply realistic long-term plans
- Settle conflicts among people and help them achieve their goals
- Assist community groups to gain entry into funding
- Establish partnerships with other associations
- Apply for grants
- Co-ordinate, establish and report on, and maintain community projects
- Consistently be updated of community events
- Assist community groups in learning from failure and turning it to success
- Organize and conduct community outreach projects, such as health fairs and neighborhood cleanups
- Monitor project completion, impact, and results
- Meet regularly with community members to gain insight into their issues and concerns
- Facilitate public outreach efforts to encourage participation in community development projects
- Carry out survey tasks and collect data on community needs to discover common concerns and work out applicable solutions
- Evaluate the neighborhood’s needs to determine appropriate action plans, such as developing new children’s programs or affordable housing options
- Raise public awareness of community-related issues
- Prioritize environmental and sustainability initiatives
- Secure funds through grants, partnerships, and private sponsors
- Consult with community groups and local government agencies regarding planning and development issues
- Use grants and other resources to build plans for job creation and economic development for communities in need.
Community Development Worker Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success
Community development workers require certain technical skills, industry knowledge, and a number of personal attributes to be successful on the job and in their career, as well as to qualify for hiring by most employers, including:
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential for the community development worker role for interacting with community members, stakeholders, and colleagues.
- Interpersonal Skills: The ability to build rapport, trust, and positive relationships with diverse individuals and groups is crucial to the work of a community development worker..
- Problem-Solving: Community development workers need to be able to identify community needs, develop strategies, and implement solutions effectively.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting the diverse cultures within the community is vital.
- Leadership and Motivation: Some community development workers’ roles may require leading teams, motivating others, and inspiring community participation. Therefore, leadership and motivation is an important quality community development workers should have.
- Advocacy and Networking: The ability to advocate for community needs and build relationships with various stakeholders is very important.
- Organizational Skills: Managing projects, coordinating resources, and keeping track of information are important tasks that community development workers perform, which requires having good organizational skill.
- Critical Thinking: Analyzing situations, evaluating information, and making informed decisions are necessary in this career, which needs critical thinking.
Download community development worker job description template (pdf).
Community Development Worker Job Description for Resume
If you have worked before as a community development worker or are presently working in that role and are making a resume or CV for a new job, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience for your resume by applying the sample community development worker job description provided above.
You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as a community development worker in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the above community development worker job description example.
This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful working as a community development worker, which can boost your chances of getting the new job, especially if it requires someone with some community development work experience.
Conclusion
This post has provided detailed coverage of the community development worker job description, highlighting the major responsibilities and duties that they typically perform.
A community development worker is an important person that ensures that community skills, assets, issues, and needs are identified.
To any enthusiast of community development who is interested in starting a career in the field, this may be a quite satisfying job since one gets to interact with the community daily.
Employers looking to hire competent community development workers can apply the job description template provided above in making one for their company.
