Survivor Engagement Officer

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and economic abuse? Are you committed to widening participation and ensuring that Black and minoritised survivors are heard and included in systems change? Are you skilled at building trusted relationships with by-and-for and community-led organisations? Then this could be the ideal role for you.

Reporting to: Women’s Sector Manager

Location: Home-based, with regular travel to Leicester, and across the UK

Salary: £35,000 per annum

Contract: 12 months’ fixed term contract. Full time (35 hrs per week)

This post is only open to women applicants, as being a woman is considered a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

About SEA

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. All our work is informed by Experts by Experience – a group of women who speak about what they have gone through so that they can be a force for change. Economic abuse occurs when someone’s partner controls (through restriction, exploitation and/or sabotage) how they acquire, use and maintain economic resources such as accommodation, food, clothing and transportation.

About the role

The Survivor Engagement Officer will play a key role in facilitating the meaningful engagement of victim-survivors of economic abuse in SEA’s work. This includes supporting the development of SEA’s survivor engagement including the Experts by Experience Group (EEG), moderating the online survivor forum, and ensuring best practices in survivor involvement. The role will support the delivery of SEA’s survivor engagement strategy, including contributing to safeguarding, widening participation and strengthening inclusive engagement practices. A core part of the role involves building and sustaining trusted relationships with by-and-for and community-led organisations to support the engagement and recruitment of survivors from Black and minoritised and other marginalised communities.

Key responsibilities

Inclusive Outreach and Engagement

Build and sustain trusted relationships with by-and-for and community-led organisations to support the inclusive recruitment and engagement of survivors from Black and minoritised communities.
Work collaboratively across SEA teams to identify opportunities for targeted outreach, ensuring engagement approaches are culturally responsive and community informed.
Actively contribute to widening participation in SEA’s survivor engagement work, embedding inclusive practice across engagement processes and supporting the ongoing development of SEA’s Survivor Engagement Strategy.

Survivor Engagement and Support

Facilitate the engagement of Experts by Experience (EEG) members in SEA’s work, supporting survivor voice to be embedded in SEA activities.
Onboard new EEG members and provide ongoing communication and support, including regular briefing/debriefing with survivors, wellbeing and safety discussions, and signposting or referral to other services as required.
Act as a point of contact for survivors, maintaining regular contact, sharing updates, opportunities, and feedback on their contributions.
Work with the Evaluation Officer to monitor the impact of EEG participation, ensuring feedback loops between SEA and EEG members.
Collaborate with SEA team members to plan and facilitate advisory consultations to bring survivors into organisational strategies and programme design.
Ensure that survivor voices are included, centred and valued in SEA’s services, policy and communications work.
Ensure engagement with survivors complies with GDPR, safeguarding protocols, and funder reporting requirements.
Other relevant activities including the production of the monthly EEG newsletter email bulletin and updating of the EEG intranet.

Online Survivor Forum

Moderate SEA’s online survivor forum, ensuring a safe and supportive space for victim-survivors to connect and share experiences.
Support the forum’s development and technical infrastructure, liaising with external support as needed.
Monitor user-generated content and take appropriate action when required, including contacting users, locking threads, and removing messages.
Gather insights from the forum to inform SEA’s survivor resources and professional training.

Safeguarding

Work closely with the Survivor Engagement Specialist, Women’s Sector Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead to support safeguarding concerns arising from survivor engagement.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge on safeguarding and contribute to staff training and awareness sessions.

General Duties

Contribute to SEA’s learning, team development, and strategy implementation.
Support the Survivor Engagement Specialist and Women’s Sector Manager in implementing SEA’s survivor engagement strategy.
Record and manage survivor engagement data in compliance with SEA policies and GDPR requirements.
Occasionally represent SEA at external events and contribute to promoting SEA’s work.
Respond to inquiries through the @info email account as part of the Specialist Team rota.
To contribute to the promotion of SEA and its work.
To participate and contribute to team meetings and organisational development.
To engage in learning and take responsibility for your own personal development; and
To comply with SEAs policies and procedures and legal requirements, such as provisions set out in the GDPR, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010.

This role description is not exhaustive. The postholder may be required to take on additional duties which are not specified here but which are in scope of the role.

Skills and Experience

Essential skills and experience

A demonstrable commitment to SEA’s values and feminist ethos, with an understanding of how economic abuse disproportionately affects women and is rooted in power and control.
A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with victim-survivors of domestic abuse, particularly in an engagement, support, or advocacy role.
Understanding of economic abuse and its impact on victim-survivors.
Proven experience of planning and facilitating trauma-informed group work, with the ability to manage complex group dynamics.
Strong understanding of barriers to participation, particularly for marginalised groups (e.g. disabled survivors, LGBT+ survivors, younger/older women, Black, Asian and minoritised survivors), and demonstratable experience in addressing and reducing these barriers.
Experience working directly with Black, Asian and minoritised communities or lived experience that informs a deep understanding of how racism and other forms of oppression intersect with experiences of abuse.
Awareness of and commitment to the VAWG Anti-Racist Charter principles, including an understanding of how racism and inequality operate within systems and services.
Experience of safeguarding and risk management when working with survivors.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with empathy, particularly through digital platforms and online communities.
The ability to collaborate with, challenge and engage a range of internal and external stakeholders, adapting your communication style to different requirements.
Strong administrative and organisational skills including high level of IT literacy, and experience with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and online forums or community moderation.
Experience in accurate record-keeping and data management, ensuring compliance with GDPR.
Strong understanding of confidentiality and handling sensitive information responsibly.

Desirable Skills and Experience

Experience moderating online survivor spaces or forums, with an understanding of digital safeguarding.
Knowledge of GDPR and ethical considerations in survivor engagement.
Experience measuring impact and engagement of survivor participation activities.

Additional specification

Due to the specific requirements of this role, this post is only open to women applicants, as being a woman is considered a genuine occupational requirement under the Equality Act (2010), Part 1, Schedule 9 (Genuine Occupational Requirement.)
We are particularly keen to receive applications from individuals from Black, Asian and minoritised backgrounds, or from those with significant experience working alongside marginalised communities.

What we offer

25 days annual leave, plus 5 Wellbeing Days and Statutory Bank Holidays
Home based
Flexible working
5% Employer Pension Contribution
Reflective practice
Health Cash Plan, including Employee Assistance Programme
Enhanced sick pay, family leave and carer’s leave
The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team

Working arrangements

Candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK. All posts, including remote posts, must be based in the UK.
This role is home-based, but occasional travel to meetings may be required. This may include monthly travel across the UK, including Leicester, where we currently have an active community partnership.
A laptop and mobile phone are provided, and a work from home allowance and travel expenses are covered.
The wider SEA team meets approximately once a month virtually, with in-person meetings every quarter.
Due to the nature of our work and this role, appointment will be subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references.

To apply

Please apply via our online application system. Please also complete our equality and diversity monitoring form, or by contacting [email protected] to request an application form.

Closing date for applications: 11.59pm 13 July 2025

Interviews: Interviews will take place, via Teams, 30 July or 4 August 2025.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and minoritised applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.