Alex North

Experience

• 

  Wiltshire Citizens Advice

  Sept 2011 - Apr 2013

  Generalist Advisor and Gateway Assessor

  Working as a volunteer alongside other paid employment, this role involved supporting people 1:1 on a wide range of queries, providing them with the information they required to be able to make an informed decision about their next steps. The role also involved gathering data and information on key issues and submitting social policy evidence to support national campaigns.

• 

  Locality

  Apr 2013 - Mar 2014

  Community Organiser

  National OCS funded programme delivered by Locality members through secondment. Working with Community First Wiltshire, the role involved using the Root Solutions Listening Matters (RSLM) community organising approach to engage with people at neighbourhood level and support them to come together to tackle shared issues.

• 

  Wiltshire Citizens Advice

  Jan 2014 - Dec 2014

  Financial Capability Project Co-ordinator (Better Money Management)

  Co-ordination of a project partnership between Wiltshire Citizens Advice and Wiltshire MIND, focussing on improving financial literacy amongst users of Wiltshire MIND’s services.

• 

  Community First

  Apr 2014 - May 2016

  Local authority social prescribing project working with seniors rural Wiltshire communities. The role primarily involved 1:1 work in rural communities, helping people to access support, advice and information to better enable them to live independently in their own homes. Alongside this I also facilitated an older people’s research group, co-ordinated a team of volunteers to run a network of 6 village lunch clubs and supported the development of the Devizes Our Place partnership and ‘Safer and More Supportive Communities’ initiative. Show less

  • Community Development Support Officer

    May 2014 - May 2016

  • Good Neighbour Co-ordinator (Wiltshire Good Neighbours)

    Apr 2014 - May 2016
• 

  Bristol City Council

  May 2016 - Apr 2019

  Community Development Officer

  Working across Bristol using an Asset-Based approach to build stronger grassroots partnerships, connect people, organisations and institutions and support collective action for the good of Bristol’s communities. Key responsibilities:• Working alongside local people and institutions in neighbourhoods to support collective action.• Developing and delivering a range of citywide and neighbourhood-based ABCD training packages.• Strategic Lead for Community Development in Central and East Bristol, co-ordination of third sector partners and facilitation of a regional practitioner’s network.• Supporting internal culture change work with a range of council departments, including Adult Social Care, Housing, Parks and Youth Services. Show less

• 

  Community Organisers

  Jan 2019 - now

  Associate Trainer

  Delivery of a range of bespoke and accredited training packages as an associate trainer for the national membership and training body for Community Organising in the UK

• 

  WELLSPRING SETTLEMENT

  Apr 2019 - Oct 2021

  Network Manager

  Management of the Network Project, a £250,000 a year partnership focussing on developing sustainable citizen-led networks across the inner-city Bristol wards of Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill. Key responsibilities:• Development of project and organisational Community Development strategies, facilitation of change processes, cross-organisational dialogue and collective working between project partners.• Line management of four neighbourhood community workers and project management of four specialist engagement workers through a merger, pandemic and period of complex change.• Collation of quarterly, six-monthly and annual partnership reports for project funders.• Oversight of the annual £250,000 partnership budget, £1 million over the four-year project.• Management of the Bristol Community Organising Social Action Hub; delivering Quality Assured training packages, managing of eight volunteers and control of a £20k budget. Show less

• 

  Centre for Sustainable Energy

  Oct 2021 - now

  Net-Zero Local Energy Engagement Lead

  In my role I work alongside higher tier authorities and a range of both place-based and national energy system actors to support meaningful engagement with, and active participation in, solutions to the many big challenges of achieving net zero at a city, regional and national level.Key responsibilities:• CSE Stakeholder Engagement Manager, supporting engagement processes across a range of different projects and initiatives being delivered by the organisation, including Local Area Energy Plans, place-based net zero and district heating studies, innovation projects and work undertaken through our social research programmes.• Oversight of a number of decarbonisation and engagement initiatives, both in a project management and project director capacity.• Business development, supporting the development of high quality partnerships, projects and programmes in-line with CSE's strategic priorities and wider sector needs. Show less