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This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our Advice Centre at NTSU as we deliver our ambitious new strategy focused on student advocacy, belonging and care.
You’ll lead our Advice Centre, ensuring students receive high quality advice, representation and advocacy when they need it most. But this role is about much more than managing casework.
We're looking for someone who can think beyond traditional advice services, using insight, evidence and student experiences to influence change across the University and improve outcomes for students. You'll play a key role in identifying emerging issues, championing student interests and ensuring student voices help shape policy, practice and decision making.
Working closely with colleagues across Membership Services, you'll build strong partnerships with our Student Voice team to drive advocacy work and support elected officers and student representatives. You'll also work alongside our Opportunities team to help create a culture of support, belonging and early intervention across all student-facing services.
This role would suit someone who enjoys leading people, developing services and working collaboratively to solve problems. We're looking for someone who is willing to challenge existing ways of working, embrace innovation and help us develop an Advice Centre that is responsive, inclusive and genuinely student-led.
What you'll be doing:
- Leading and developing NTSU's Advice Centre, ensuring students have access to high-quality advice, advocacy and representation.
- Managing and supporting a team of advisors, creating a positive culture of learning, development and continuous improvement.
- Working directly with students on complex and sensitive cases, providing advice, advocacy and support through University procedures.
- Using casework trends, student insight and evidence to influence institutional policy and practice and improve the student experience.
- Working closely with the Student Voice team to support elected officers, student representatives and campaigns that drive positive change for students.
- Building strong partnerships across NTSU and NTU to ensure students receive joined-up, student-centred support.
- Leading service development and exploring new approaches, technologies and ways of working that improve accessibility and impact.
- Acting as NTSU's Designated Safeguarding Officer and ensuring appropriate support and interventions are in place.
- Monitoring service performance, quality and impact, ensuring the service continues to evolve in line with student needs and sector best practice.
What we're looking for:
- A passionate advocate for students who believes in the power of representation, influence and student voice.
- An experienced manager who can motivate, support and develop others.
- Someone with experience of advice, advocacy, casework or support services, ideally within Higher Education, Students' Unions, charities or similar environments.
- A collaborative leader who enjoys building relationships and working across teams to achieve shared goals.
- Someone who is comfortable using data, insight and evidence to identify issues and influence change.
- A creative thinker who is willing to challenge convention, embrace innovation and explore new ways of supporting students.
- A confident communicator who can build credibility with students, colleagues and senior stakeholders.
- Someone who is committed to inclusion, fairness and ensuring all students can access the support they need.
Why work for NTSU?
At NTSU, you'll be part of a supportive and ambitious organisation that exists to make students' lives better. Working as the Advice & Advocacy Manager not only positions you at the heart of delivering meaningful impact on students every day but also offers a range of benefits designed to support your professional and personal growth.
- Generous Paid Holiday: Enjoy 33 days of paid time off, allowing ample time for rest, recreation, and personal pursuits. New staff start with 20 days holiday, 8 bank holidays and 5 closure days
- Time Off in Lieu (TOIL): We understand the importance of work-life balance. That's why we offer TOIL for extra hours worked, ensuring you have time to recharge
- Competitive Pension Contribution: With a 4-6% pension contribution, we invest in your future, helping ensure your financial stability post-retirement
- Flexible Working: We embrace flexibility, offering arrangements that can help you balance your professional and personal life effectively
- Salary Progression Based on Performance: Your hard work and dedication won't go unnoticed. We reward performance with salary increases within a band, reflecting your value to our team
- Travel Pass Loan and Wage Loan: Ease your commute and manage unexpected expenses with our travel pass and wage loan benefits
- Enhanced Sick Pay: We support our employees during difficult times with enhanced sick pay, ensuring you can focus on your health when you need it most
- Training and Development Opportunities: Grow with us. We offer numerous opportunities for professional development, helping you expand your skills and advance your career
- Enhanced Parental Leave: We support new parents with 3 weeks of paid paternity leave, enhanced maternity leave and shared parental leave ensuring you can spend invaluable time with your new family member
- Free eye tests and financial contribution towards glasses required for computer work
- Free annual flu jabs
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
WHO WE ARE
We are Zarach, the children’s bed charity, and we’re on a mission to end child bed poverty, helping children get a good night's sleep, and the chance to thrive at school.
In our nearly eight years as a registered charity, we’ve captured the hearts and attention of many individuals, community groups, businesses and funders who want to support us on our mission. We’ve also been given an incredible media platform from which we have raised awareness of child bed poverty at local, regional and national levels. This support and awareness has seen us deliver over 17,000 bed bundles to children to date!
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
As we grow, we are looking to recruit a Policy & Advocacy Manager to join the Communications team.
As our ideal candidate you will need to be in commuting distance to our Leeds warehouse, meaning you can travel regularly to meet with the team. This is a hybrid role based between the Leeds warehouse and home, and regular travel to other locations will be required to attend meetings, conferences and other such activities related to policy and advocacy. As such, you will need to have a full UK driving license and access to your own car.
You will be someone who has strong experience in the field of policy and advocacy, with a proven track-record of engaging and influencing a range of external audiences and political stakeholders, such as MPs and councillors.
Alongside your relevant skills and experience, we’ll be looking to see that you have a genuine care for our mission and, as such, are self-motivated to do a great job and be a values-led member of our team.
Ideally, you’ll have experience in a charity/NGO or social policy sector, due to some of the specialities that come with this. However, charity experience is not essential if you can demonstrate an appetite and track record for continual learning and development across your working life to date.
WHAT WE OFFER
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Starting at £20,400 with progression up to £22,800 p/a (£34,000 - £38,000 FTE)
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28 days, plus Bank Holidays (prorated for part-time work)
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Healthcare Cash Plan
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Quarterly Staff Recognition Award
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A great working environment! One of our colleagues described us as- “Zarach is a wonderful place to work with the mission at the core of all that we do”
To decide if you’d like to bring your skills and experience to bear in the pursuit of our mission, please have a look at the job description, our website and the coverage of us across social media.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Politics Project is looking for a collaborative, strategic and people-focused Partnerships and Advocacy Manager. You’ll lead our influencing and partnerships work with a focus on the Democracy Classroom network, strengthening relationships across the youth, education and democracy sectors. If you are energised by connecting organisations, building relationships, and mobilising a network to take up new opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.
About The Politics Project
The Politics Project supports young people to use their voice by giving them access to brilliant democratic education. They work with young people, teachers, youth practitioners and politicians to help them learn about, teach and actively participate in democracy. The Politics Project works across the UK with over 3,000 schools and youth groups and 400 politicians.
About Democracy Classroom
Democracy Classroom is a growing, non-partisan partnership of more than 100 civil society organisations committed to strengthening democratic engagement among young people across the UK.
The network is supported by the Democracy Classroom Platform, an online hub featuring hundreds of free resources for teachers and youth practitioners. Democracy Classroom reaches educators in 95% of UK parliamentary constituencies and plays a leading role in shaping the sector’s voice - coordinating joint submissions to government consultations and producing shared visions such as The Roadmap to Votes at 16.
This is a rare opportunity to drive collaboration at a national level and support the sector to prepare for major upcoming changes in democratic education, including the introduction of Votes at 16.
About the role
We are looking for an experienced Partnerships and Advocacy Manager to strengthen The Politics Project’s influencing and partnerships work, with a focus on Democracy Classroom - a non-partisan network of organisations across the youth, education and democracy sectors. You’ll lead the implementation of the new Democracy Classroom strategy, and grow the network’s impact and reach in the build up to the next general election and the implementation of votes at 16.
You will play a central role in expanding and activating the network - supporting over 100 partner organisations to collaborate effectively, share learning, build trust and increase their collective impact. You will be a key player in keeping the sector informed, connected and ready to respond to key moments in democratic engagement, from elections to policy changes.
You will take on a highly relational role, working closely with the team to manage and nurture a complex network blending multiple sectors. You will collaborate with the Director to manage shared relationships across the Democracy Classroom network, building more ownership over time. You’ll help position Democracy Classroom as an important conduit between the sector and major stakeholders like government departments and funders.
This is a dynamic, outward-facing role that blends strategic thinking with hands-on coordination. You’ll work closely with the Head of Communications and Networks, the Democracy Classroom Programme Coordinator and colleagues across The Politics Project to make sure partners feel supported, valued and part of a shared mission.
The Politics Project is based in London, and the post holder will be expected to work from the office at least two days a week. The role may require occasional UK travel and some evening/weekend work, for which time off in lieu will be given. The role has a six-month probation period. The hours of work are 37.5 hrs per week. This is a fast-paced role in a friendly, supportive and growing team.
Key responsibilities
Partnership management
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Build, nurture and deepen relationships with more than 100 civil society partners, helping each partner see themselves as part of a growing and collaborative sector.
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Identify and recruit new organisations into Democracy Classroom, leading our onboarding process and helping new partners make the best of Democracy Classroom.
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Facilitate partner input into planning, shared problem-solving and decision-making.
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Build understanding of partners’ diverse needs and perspectives, supporting and balancing between these with sensitivity.
Advocacy and influencing
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Spot and act on emerging opportunities for collaboration, policy influence and joint sector action.
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Work with government departments such as DfE, DCMS, and MHCLG on the implementation plan for Votes at 16, translating sector expertise and experience.
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Manage relationships with academics and engage confidently with research to be an effective advocate for democratic education.
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Organise and facilitate events and advocacy opportunities such as advocacy panels, funder roundtables.
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Draft reports, submit evidence to the government, and feed into policy consultations.
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Jump on quick opportunities for the network, bringing people together and turning things around fast (e.g., presenting sector needs to funders or submitting evidence to Government).
Engagement and representation
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Plan and deliver Democracy Classroom meetings, training and networking events.
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Represent The Politics Project and Democracy Classroom externally as a confident ambassador for our collaborative, non-partisan approach.
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Develop and deliver partner communications to ensure consistent, clear and timely updates.
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Act as the main point of contact for Democracy Classroom partner queries, support and collaboration.
Monitoring and reporting
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Track partner engagement and feedback to support continuous improvement.
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Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and reporting to demonstrate the network’s impact.
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Work with The Politics Project team to most effectively document partner activity.
Benefits
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33 days’ annual leave including three days off between Christmas and New Year, in addition to Bank Holidays.
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4% employer pension contribution.
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2 working days / 15 hours of volunteer leave a year.
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Cycle to Work scheme.
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Professional development and training opportunities
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A warm, inclusive and values-led working environment
About you
You are passionate about democratic engagement and believe in the power of young people’s voices. You’re an enthusiastic relationship-builder who enjoys connecting organisations, spotting opportunities and turning ideas into action.
You’ll bring a strategic mindset, strong emotional intelligence and communication skills, and confidence working across sectors. You’re proactive, organised and comfortable balancing long-term partnership development with hands-on delivery.
Most of all, you’re motivated by the challenge and opportunity of supporting a high-profile national network that is shaping the future of democratic education.
An enhanced DBS check is required for this role (provided by The Politics Project).
Skills and experience
Essential
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Proven experience in partnership or stakeholder management, ideally in civil society, education or government.
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Strong strategic thinking, and a drive to identify and jump on opportunities for collaboration and growth.
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Excellent relationship-building, communication and influencing skills.
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High emotional intelligence and ability to navigate complex relationships in a growing space.
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Strong project management and organisational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
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Confident working with the youth or education sectors (teaching/youth work not required).
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Experience of submitting evidence to Government, drafting quasi-academic reports or policy briefings, or responding to consultations. An academic background is not needed, but you must be comfortable engaging with policy and research.
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Knowledge of, and interest in, UK politics and democratic engagement.
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Self-motivated, resilient and solutions-focused.
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Willingness to work occasional evenings/weekends and travel within the UK.
Desirable
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IT literacy, including strong use of Google Workspace.
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Experience using CRMs or managing databases.
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Experience evaluating partnership impact and producing reports.
How to apply
Please apply via Charity Job with the following:
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Your CV (no more than two pages).
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A supporting statement of no more than one A4 page, setting out how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the person specification and why you are drawn to this role.
The closing date is 11:30pm, Saturday 20th June 2026.
Screening calls are planned for the week beginning Monday 29th June, with interviews to follow in early July.
Anticipated start date will be August or September, depending on notice period.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.