Community Development Worker
Also advertised as: Community Development Worker, Community Engagement Worker, Community Organiser, Community Outreach Worker, Neighbourhood Development Officer
Works with residents to identify local needs and build community-led projects and groups.
What the job involves
Community development workers support residents to identify what their community needs and help them organise to address it, whether that is a food project, a residents' association or a skills course. You build relationships with local people, funders and other agencies to make projects sustainable. The role relies on trust built over time rather than quick fixes.
Typical responsibilities
- Build relationships with residents and community groups
- Support communities to identify local priorities
- Help set up and sustain community-led projects
- Apply for and manage small grants
- Liaise with local authorities and other agencies
Common employers
- Local charities
- Community interest companies
- Local authorities
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£22,000 – £27,000 a year
With experience
£29,000 – £36,000 a year
Typical hours
35 to 37 hours, some evening and weekend community events
Working environment
Community venues and local visits
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Relationship building
- Facilitation
- Grant writing
- Community organising
- Cultural awareness
Transferable skills you may already have
- Youth or social work experience
- Event organising
- Public speaking
Requirements employers ask for
- Relationship building
- Facilitation
- Grant writing
- Community organising
- Cultural awareness
- Enhanced DBS check
- Enhanced DBS check
Useful but not essential
- Youth or social work experience
- Event organising
- Public speaking
- Qualification in community development or youth and community work
Helpful qualifications
- Qualification in community development or youth and community work
Licences and checks
- Enhanced DBS check
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Community Development Worker apprenticeship (Level 4)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Community development
- Related subject: Social policy
- Related subject: Sociology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Community Development Officer
next
Community Engagement Manager
next
Charity Programme Manager
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Close, visible connection to local impact
- Wide variety of people and projects
- High levels of independence in the role
What people find hard
- Funding cycles create job insecurity
- Progress can be slow and hard to measure
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a community development worker?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a community development worker earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £22,000 to £27,000 a year, rising towards £36,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Youth or social work experience, Event organising, Public speaking.
Related careers
Youth Worker
Supports young people's development through activities, mentoring and targeted programmes.
Fundraiser
Raises the money a charity needs through donors, events, grants or corporate partners.
Charity Programme Manager
Plans, delivers and evaluates a charity's projects to make sure they achieve their intended impact.
Volunteer Coordinator
Recruits, trains and supports volunteers so a charity or organisation can deliver its services.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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