Job Description

First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) have a fantastic opportunity for a Colleague Engagement Lead to join our People & Culture team and play a pivotal role in shaping how we engage, include, and empower our colleagues.


This is a full-time, hybrid role where you'll split your time between home and our friendly and collaborative office in the centre of Oldham.

The impact you'll make

In this role, you'll lead the development and delivery of our equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement strategies, ensuring every colleague feels valued, supported, and heard. You'll help us foster a culture of belonging, strengthen our colleague voice, and embed inclusive practices across the organisation.


You will:

Lead the development and implementation of FCHO's EDI strategy and action plan, aligning with organisational values and goals. Provide expert advice and guidance on EDI matters to leaders, managers, and colleagues. Monitor and analyse EDI and engagement data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Develop and deliver training, workshops, and resources to raise awareness and build capability. Work closely with the People team to embed inclusion into all recruitment and colleague processes. Design and deliver engagement strategies that enhance colleague experience and organisational culture. Lead on colleague surveys, focus groups, and listening exercises, ensuring feedback is acted upon meaningfully. Collaborate with internal networks and external partners to share best practice and drive innovation. Partner with Communications to design and deliver the annual Colleague Conference and engagement campaigns. Support and develop Wellbeing and EDI Champions to drive continuous improvement. Promote FCHO's "You said, we did" approach to show meaningful action from colleague feedback. Act as a visible, credible advocate for inclusion, wellbeing, and engagement across FCHO.

Our ideal candidate

You'll bring passion, influence, and creativity to this role, with a proven ability to deliver impactful engagement and inclusion initiatives. You will also have:

A relevant qualification in EDI, HR, organisational development or a related field. Proven experience leading EDI and/or engagement initiatives in a complex organisation. Strong understanding of equality legislation, inclusive practices, and cultural change. Experience of data analysis and turning insights into actionable strategies. Experience designing and delivering learning and development interventions. Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including with senior leaders. Experience building relationships with internal and external partners and employee networks. Strong communication, presentation, and facilitation skills. A collaborative, resilient, and proactive approach to driving change. A passion for colleague wellbeing and continuous improvement. Experience within public, or not-for-profit sector is desirable.

Why join FCHO?

First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) is a housing association providing safe, affordable, and high-quality homes across Oldham and the surrounding areas. We own and manage over 11,500 properties and have the highest regulatory (G1/V1) Governance rating. Every day, we're proud to make a real difference in our communities.


Our work is guided by our Big Plan, focused on providing homes we're proud of, supporting people to thrive, and creating a great place to work. We care deeply about our customers, our colleagues, and our communities and we're committed to delivering services we can be proud of while improving the lives of people across Oldham.


We need great people to work with us - it's an exciting time to join as we work towards out big ambitions, supporting the growth and prosperity of our local region.

What's in it for you?

We offer a fantastic range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance and career development:

Salary of 52,500 37-hour working week with hybrid working options 30 days' annual leave plus one company shutdown day and 8 bank holidays (pro-rated for part-time colleagues) Option to purchase additional annual leave Defined contribution pension scheme with up to 10% employer contribution and salary exchange Death in service benefit Healthcare cash plan covering dental, optical, and physiotherapy treatments Private health insurance Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offering 24-hour confidential support 24/7 worldwide GP access through Doctorline Access to our colleague benefits platform for discounts and wellbeing tools Discounted gym membership Professional subscriptions paid (where essential for the role) Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and sick pay On-site wellbeing room and cafe Long Service Awards

Interested?

If you are experienced and passionate about inclusion, engagement, and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, we'd love to hear from you.


Please submit your application before 21/11/2025

Inclusion and accessibility

We are committed to building an organisation that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills & are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. As an equal opportunities employer, FCHO is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective colleagues and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

We care that you have a great experience with us at FCHO and if you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to make your experience smoother, please let us know & we'll do all we can.