Market Development Officer

About Us:
THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SERENA’S VISION
Growth, Planning and Housing in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where innovative and open-minded people bring everything to the cause. Even expertise from surprising places.
Take Serena. She is an absolute force of nature at the heart of our Church Street regeneration. And she puts the residents first in everything. Serena’s vision is clear. Regeneration isn’t just about bricks and concrete. It’s about communities. It’s about the environment. It’s about the lives of people and how they feel about where they call home. Serena is their advocate, making sure residents’ voices aren’t just heard, but drive the changes we’re making. The future is safe in her hands.
The Role:
As our Markets Development Officer, you can make your own powerful contribution to the lives of Westminster residents, by driving the economic development of our six unique street markets. Markets support the micro-economy and 15-minute neighbourhoods, serving the bespoke needs of each community and celebrating local identity. They are also a great springboard for small businesses.
Westminster’s markets include the oldest street market in London (Berwick Street, Soho) and the second largest (Church Street). Between them they comprise around 480 pitches and receive well over two million visitors a year.
Through a range of improvement projects and other initiatives, you’ll help to support and develop this sector, ensuring the long-term prosperity and relevance of our markets. These might include night markets, pop-up markets, youth markets, events centred around important cultural celebrations and the greening of markets. You’ll manage everything from budgeting to space management, operational planning to data collection, so it’s a hugely varied role.
About You:
Skilled in areas such as event management and partnership working, you’ll have a good understanding of the workings of local authorities. You’ll also have a strong entrepreneurial streak and the ability to identify business opportunities for residents and start-ups You’ll be used to face-to-face customer support and public engagement and will understand how to get people collaborating. Thriving on a busy, high-pressure environment, you’ll enjoy juggling diverse projects and priorities. You’ll also be an effective problem-solver and trouble-shooter.
What We Offer:
Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster.
Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way.
As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.
Closing date: 28th February 2024
Contact details for Informal discussion: Catherine Brice, Programme Director, via email: CBRICE@WESTMINSTER.GOV.UK