Alumni programme officer jobs

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Join 20/20 Levels as our Business Development Manager and build the employer partnerships that power social mobility.

At 20/20 Levels, we believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. This role is a unique chance to work at the intersection of business development, recruitment, and social impact, securing paid roles, internships, apprenticeships and career pathways for our alumni.

You’ll engage employers in high-growth sectors, develop long-term partnerships, and position 20/20 Levels as a trusted talent partner for diverse early-career candidates. If you’re commercially driven, relationship-focused, and motivated by creating real change through employment, we’d love to hear from you.

Pembroke College Oxford is seeking a highly organised and analytical Development Operations Manager to play a central role in supporting the College’s Development and fundraising activities.

Founded in 1624, Pembroke is an inclusive and dynamic College based on a central site in Oxford that combines historic quadrangles with award-winning new developments. The College has ambitious plans for the future and an active programme of alumni engagement, stewardship and fundraising to support its academic mission and long-term sustainability.

The Development Operations Manager is a pivotal role within the Development team. Working closely with the Development Director, the post-holder will be responsible for the operational foundations that underpin the College’s fundraising activity, including alumni database management, gift processing, prospect research, reporting, and insight generation. The role is essential to ensuring that the Development team works efficiently, accurately, and strategically, supported by high-quality data and robust processes.

The post-holder will manage the College’s alumni database (DARS), acting as a knowledgeable and trusted first point of contact for database queries, and will lead projects to improve data quality and compliance. They will also play a key role in analysing giving patterns and engagement trends, preparing reports for colleagues and committees, and supporting the identification and tracking of potential donors. In addition, the role includes dotted-line management responsibility for the Development Coordinator, with a particular focus on overseeing operational activity.

This post would suit someone who is confident working with complex data, highly numerate, and able to spot patterns and trends. The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator, able to work collaboratively within a small, interdependent team, while also exercising discretion and sound judgement when handling confidential information.

Benefits include membership of the University staff pension scheme, free lunches during working hours when the College kitchens are open, and a generous annual leave entitlement of 30 days, in addition to public holidays. Opportunities for training and professional development are also available.

Key responsibilities

The main duties to be carried out by the post-holder include:

Data and Database Management

• Manage the alumni database (‘DARS’) and ensure that data held on alumni is GDPR compliant, comprehensive, and up to date.
•  Oversee projects to maintain and improve the quality of the College’s alumni data and ensure engagement activities are accurately and effectively recorded.
•  Produce data exports for third-parties such as consultancies and mailing houses and ensure any data received is processed and imported accurately.
• Produce accurate data content for publications such as lists of stewardship group members and deceased alumni.
• Become a competent ‘super-user’ of the DARS database and act as first point of contact for the Pembroke Development team for any queries about the database, ensuring that the team is both confident in using it and consistently recording data in line with GDPR.
•  Actively engage with the central University team delivering the successor to DARS, ‘Halo’, to ensure it meets the College’s requirements, and lead on the migration to Halo at the appropriate time.

Prospect Research and Tracking

• Undertake prospect research to identify potential major donors among the College’s alumni and supporter base.
• Oversee research into alumni in particular regions in advance of College trips.  
• Manage Pembroke’s prospect management processes, working with fundraisers and others to identify and assign new prospects within the team.
• Work with the Development Coordinator to prepare donor and prospect profiles ahead of events, trips, and meetings.

Insights, Trends and Segmentation

• Working closely with the Development Officer (Regular Giving and Legacies), proactively and creatively analyse patterns of giving to enable the team to target and segment Regular Giving appeals more effectively.
• Conduct research into wider sector giving trends, and provide recommendations for better engagement.
• Prepare regular reports on donor and engagement activities for the team and wider College, including the Development Committee and Campaign Board.

Gift Processing

• Ensure all changes to Direct Debits including cancellations and amendments are actioned in the agreed timescales. Communicate with donors in respect to these changes.
•  Liaise regularly with the PCFNA (Pembroke’s 501(c)(3)) to ensure donations made through it are accurate.
• Record all donations including cheques/PCFNA/one-off bank payments as pledges on DARS.
• Identify missed pledge payments or recurring gifts.  
• Support the Finance Business Partner in all Gift Aid administration including Gift Aid compliance, securing outstanding Gift Aid declarations and updating old Gift Aid declarations and review of non-eligible declarations.
•  Liaise closely with the finance team to ensure donations are accurately classified and reported
•  Ensure that gift agreements and associated commitments (e.g. Gift Aid, pledges, payment schedules) are recorded accurately and actioned.
•  Research into historic donor funds, where necessary.

Gift Acceptance

•  Manage the gift acceptance process, ensuring that the College accepts gifts appropriately and in line with its Gift Acceptance Policy and Fundraising Policy.
•  Undertake all necessary research and due diligence on prospective donors, and liaise with the central University and third-party providers of due diligence services where required.
•  Oversee the gift acknowledgement process.

Management

•  Supervise (with a dotted line reporting relationship) the Development Coordinator, with particular responsibility for overseeing their work in the Operations functional area.
• Be available for regular 1:1 meetings and as a point of contact for any queries, and support their line manager in making sure they receive all necessary training, induction and information to succeed in their role.

Other

• In common with all posts, ensure compliance with the College’s policies and procedures, statutory obligations, and best practice. 
• Be the principal liaison with the Gift Registry and DARS teams, and keep upto-date with changes/improvements to the system and how to utilise them.
• To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably required by the Development Director, which may include travel and occasional event attendance outside standard working hours.

For person specification, please see the Job Description attached.

To apply, please submit an up-to-date CV and a covering letter, together with details of two referees.

Founded in 1927, the University of Hull has a long and proud history. Through our teaching, research and civic engagement, we are helping to shape and deliver the future prosperity of our region and far beyond. 

Leading the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement team, the Director will drive the design and implementation of the University’s inaugural comprehensive fundraising campaign, launching it at the culmination of our centenary celebrations in summer 2028. Building on progress made to date, the Director will leverage the centenary to elevate the roles of philanthropy and alumni engagement in support of the University’s future ambitions. 

Person specification: 
- Extensive knowledge of philanthropy, preferably within higher education, including fundraising best practice
- Extensive knowledge of alumni engagement and its role in building connections and supporting wider institutional priorities
- Demonstrable track record of building relationships and working with prospects to secure gifts at the six-figure level and above
- Experience of leading philanthropic campaigns and exceeding fundraising targets
- Experience of leading and managing teams carrying out philanthropic and/or engagement activities 
- Experience of strategic and data-driven operational planning and performance management

Dixon Walter is leading the candidate search on behalf of the University. For more information and details of how to apply by 15 February, please see the candidate brief.

#Director
#DirectorPhilanthropyandAlumniEngagement
#UniversityofHull

We are seeking an experienced Fundraising Manager to work with management and trustees to lead delivery of a set of practical fundraising priorities while helping to build stronger systems and confidence for the future.

This is a hands-on role suited to an experienced charity fundraiser who is comfortable working in a maturing fundraising function, where tools and ways of working are being developed and income needs stabilising rather than rapidly expanded.

This interesting and varied role will focus primarily on trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships, and alumni support, with a strong emphasis on retention, stewardship and proposition clarity.

Are you passionate about building meaningful relationships and creating lasting impact through philanthropy? The University of Strathclyde is seeking a dynamic and experienced Donor Experience and Legacies Officer to lead stewardship and engagement for our major donors, scholarship supporters, and legacy pledgers.

This is a unique opportunity to shape donor journeys across multiple giving areas - from transformative scholarships and legacy gifts to major donations supporting research and teaching. You’ll work closely with inspiring students, academics, and colleagues across the University to deliver compelling donor communications, events, and impact reports that celebrate generosity and deepen engagement.

Brief Outline of Job:

To lead and deliver donor stewardship and engagement strategies for major gifts (donor gifts of £100k+), scholarships (UG and PG), and legacy giving. This includes creating compelling donor communications, managing cultivation events, and developing stewardship plans that support repeat giving and long-term relationships.

Major Gifts: Support the cultivation and stewardship of donors giving £100k–£1M+, including designing and delivering bespoke impact reports for major donors, organizing donor meetings, campus visits and events in collaboration with the Major Gifts team.

Scholarships: Support the development of and delivery of our scholarship fundraising strategy, including producing promotional materials and annual donor reports. Liaise with colleagues across the University to ensure effective scholarship delivery and reporting.

Legacy Giving: Lead the development of a new legacy stewardship strategy, including the introduction of a new giving circle for legacy pledgers, conducting face-to-face meetings with potential legacy donors and creating promotional content and opportunities.

Alumni Fund: Contributing to Giving Day and Alumni Fund Board activities. Support mass donor communications and stewardship initiatives.

Team Leadership: Line management of the Development Assistant and deputising for the Individual Giving Manager when required. 

If you’re a creative communicator, strategic thinker, and relationship builder with a flair for storytelling and donor cultivation, we’d love to hear from you.

This is an exciting role in a unique organisation.  Our vision is to provide an outstanding experience for all UCL students and to be one of the best students’ unions in the UK and the world.  We aim to build a vibrant and empowered student community with real influence in UCL and beyond, that enables students to enjoy their time at university; pursue their interests and passions; see the world in new ways; and develop the skills and experience to change the world for the better.

We are a registered charity employing over 150 career staff and 300 student staff, delivering a wide range of services and representative functions for UCL students. We have the widest portfolio of services of any student organisation in the country, managing UCL’s extracurricular programmes for sport, music, drama, dance, media, volunteering, academic societies and intercultural engagement; providing a wide range of fantastic social spaces; leading on student democracy and representation across UCL; and offering excellent student support services.

It's an exciting time to join our growing organisation as we lead the delivery of UCL’s groundbreaking new Student Life Strategy. This is enabling us to build more programmes to improve students’ mental and physical wellbeing, promote genuine equity for all, build students’ skills and confidence, develop their international connections and intercultural skills, and make a real contribution to our local community.

We support hybrid working. Excellent benefits including defined benefit pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement. We are proud of high levels of staff engagement and pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We will consider applications to work on a flexible and job share basis wherever possible. 

The role is full-time and permanent. This role is based at our Bloomsbury campus with flexibility to work from home on a 40/60 basis (40% working from the office).

We are looking for an Advice and Wellbeing Administrator to provide high quality administrative support to the Advice & Wellbeing team. The role will provide support to our expanding prevention and intervention programmes such as our Active Bystander Programme, including overseeing the enquiries, scheduling, and workshop administration. This role may also include triaging Advice Service and Sexual Violence Liaison Officer enquiries, booking appointments, maintaining electronic records and providing administrative support to the Advisors/Officers. 

Have you got excellent verbal and written communication skills? Are you able to understand and work within policies, procedures and regulations? If the answer is yes, then we want to hear from you.
 

Our ideal candidate will manage the various shared email inboxes and ensure that enquiries are responded to in a friendly, effective and efficient manner. The right candidate will handle personal information in a sensitive manner and in accordance with policies and procedures around confidentiality and data protection. The successful role holder will also work collaboratively with other members of the team to ensure that an outstanding Advice Service and wellbeing projects are provided that meet the needs of UCL students. 

• £46,000 + Benefits
• Central London
• Fully on-site - flexible hours - Term Time 09:00 -16:30 School holidays 09:00 -16:00
• Interviews to be held on the 3rd or the 5th of February
• Closing date for applications - Thursday the 5th of February 2026.
• Interview date: Monday 9th February 2026
• Job reff 4763524

You will be part of a warm, supportive and forward-thinking community dedicated to nurturing young people academically, emotionally and spiritually. Seeking an ambitious, relationship-driven Development Manager to lead and grow our fundraising, community engagement, and alumni relations activity across our family of schools. This is an exciting opportunity to join a values-led educational trust and play a strategic role in supporting life-changing bursaries, major development projects, and the flourishing of our parent and alumni communities. Working closely with the COO, Heads, Governors, and our dedicated volunteer networks, you will champion a culture of philanthropy, belonging, and long-term support for our schools.

As Development Manager, you will:

• Lead the Fundraising Strategy - Design and deliver a long-term fundraising strategy, with a particular focus on bursaries and capital projects
• Build and nurture relationships with donors and prospects
• Develop a strong, sustainable donor pipeline
• Monitor fundraising performance and share regular progress updates with senior leaders.
• Line manage the Development Assistant
• Grow Our Alumni & Parent Communities
• Create a vibrant alumni programme shaped around events, storytelling, and engagement opportunities
• Oversee alumni data management and ensure GDPR compliance
• Coordinate high-quality alumni communications, reunions, and digital content
• Support & Empower Volunteers
• Act as the main liaison for parent-led groups, providing guidance and partnership
• Support community events such as fairs, auctions, uniform sales and fundraising initiatives
• Deliver Inspiring Communications & Events
• Work with Marketing to champion development of stories across digital and print channels
• Produce engaging content that demonstrates the impact of giving
• Plan and deliver stewardship and cultivation events, including receptions, legacy gatherings and giving campaigns.
• Oversee development administration, correspondence, databases, and budgets

About You

• Proven success in fundraising, development, alumni relations or stakeholder engagement
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Strong written and verbal communication, including ability to create persuasive content
• Experience managing multiple projects strategically and efficiently
• Confident using CRM systems and working with donor/alumni data
• Experience leading or mentoring staff
• A proactive, collaborative approach with the ability to work independently
• Experience working with senior leadership or major donors
• Knowledge of GDPR and charity sector compliance
• Understanding of donor stewardship, major gifts or planned giving

If this role is of interest, please apply ASAP with an up-to-date word version of your CV highlighting all your relevant experience. Please do feel free to get in contact to discuss this role in detail or if you have any queries.

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Job Title: Research Officer – Fundraising Prospect Research

Location: Rhodes House, Central Oxford (hybrid working)

Contract: Fixed-term – 12-month contract (From mid-March 2026)

Hours: Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £33,000-£35,000

Reports to:         Research Manager

We have an exciting, new opportunity for a Research Officer (Fundraising Prospect Research) to join the Rhodes Trust, Oxford. This role is based within the Global Engagement department, focusing on Development and Alumni Engagement, based at Rhodes House.

We are looking for the successful candidate to ideally start with us in Mid-March 2026.

About the Rhodes Trust

The Rhodes Trust is an educational charity which offers Rhodes Scholarships to exceptional students from around the world to come and study at the University of Oxford. Our mission is to build a better world through global fellowship programmes that develop and connect compassionate, innovative, and public-spirited people committed to solving humanity’s challenges. In recent years, we have also partnered with several other remarkable organisations to create the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, Atlantic Institute, Schmidt Science Fellows, RISE and Oxford Next Horizons.

The role

The Research Officer will help provide a high-quality in-house prospect research service to the senior leadership team and the Warden (CEO) of the Trust. The Research Officer will report to the Research Manager, work closely with the major gift team located in the UK, Canada, Australia and the United States, and gain first-hand knowledge and experience working as an in-house prospect research professional for a highly regarded educational charity.

The role will be responsible for;

· Providing a high-quality in-house prospect research service to the Development Team and senior leaders including the Warden (CEO) of the Trust, and Trustees, as required

· Contributing to the proactive identification of potential major donors and partners to the Rhodes Trust including alumni, individuals, foundations and corporates

· Delivering a pipeline of briefing materials for the Warden (CEO) and senior leadership team to support key fundraising and stakeholder meetings, events and overseas travel itineraries as requested

· Assisting with compiling and managing a portfolio of additional research materials and projects, including profiles, network mapping, philanthropy reports, and targeted analysis, as well as country-specific content to support the Trust’s fundraising efforts in different geographies

· Recording and managing prospect and stakeholder data using the Trust’s CRM database (Salesforce)

· Role modelling the Trust’s organisational values of commitment, inclusion, belonging, growth and innovation

· Carrying out any other duties relevant to the role, as requested

· Having a deep commitment to the values, ethos and mission of the Rhodes Trust

Please see the job description for more responsibilities

Essential skills, experience and qualifications:

· Previous experience in an educational Development and / or alumni office – direct experience in prospect research would be a plus

· Reliable and responsible with excellent written communication skills and an emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy

· Ability to use initiative and creatively source information to identify opportunities and map connections

· Ability to keep information confidential and exercise discretion

· Experience of accurate data entry and record maintenance; good working knowledge of a CRM system and competency in creating and running reports from a database

· Excellent IT skills, including experience with Microsoft packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook)

· An interest in the educational sector

Please see the job description for more responsibilities

Benefits of working here

We are a global organisation and we use our deep connections across the world to bring together people of different backgrounds and viewpoints. We encourage our staff to challenge each other’s thinking and generate new ideas.

· 30 days annual leave (pro rata) plus 8 bank holidays

· Competitive pension scheme

· Generous family leave schemes

· Private health insurance

· Employee Assistance Programme

· Personal development opportunities

· Additional benefits, such as free access to the University's gardens, parks, libraries and museums, and University staff discounts in shops across Oxford.

· Cycle to work scheme

· Electric car scheme

If you would like to find out more, please click ‘apply’ to view the full job description and to find the link to apply. Please send us your CV and a covering letter. Please note, this advert will close on 4 February 2026.

If you have any issues with submitting your application, please email the Recruitment team.

The Rhodes Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We warmly welcome applications from talented people of diverse backgrounds and appoint without regard to age, disability, gender, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, parental status, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, religion or belief.

HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS & DEVELOPMENT

About Us

Portobello Business Centre (PBC) is a not-for-profit organisation that helps people start, grow and scale successful businesses. 

For 30 years, we have been committed to social mobility, inclusion and entrepreneurship and have supported thousands of businesses. Alumni include household names such as Charlie Bigham’s, Innocent Drinks and Karen Millen, as well as countless sole traders and early-stage founders.

We are a small, ambitious, growing team working to deliver a new organisational strategy and expand our impact.

About You & The Role

You are a natural builder who enjoys closing deals, developing relationships and creating meaningful social impact. You will shape and lead PBC’s first dedicated fundraising function, building a portfolio from the ground up with limited existing donor relationships.

The role focuses on securing six-figure corporate partnerships and cultivating high-net-worth individual donors, alongside a smaller trusts and foundations portfolio. You thrive in a strategic, relationship-led role and are comfortable using a broad range of fundraising approaches.

Working closely with the leadership team, you will secure funding to support long-term sustainability and expand PBC’s impact across London and beyond. Initially the sole fundraiser, you will have the opportunity to develop and lead a team as the function grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Fundraising Strategy Delivery: Take ownership of multi-year fundraising strategy working closely with the CEO and Board to diversify and increase revenue streams that support PBC’s service expansion and reach

• Relationship Management: Research, identify and cultivate funding opportunities from companies and high-net-worth individuals, alongside trusts and foundations

• Trusts & Foundations: Oversee the grant pipeline, with external support for high-value applications and build relationships with decision-makers

• Develop Compelling Fundraising Material: Collaborate with CEO and wider team to evidence, quantify and articulate PBC’s social value using data and storytelling to position PBC as a high-impact partner for donors and partners

• Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Track and evaluate fundraising performance against financial and operational targets. Provide regular updates to the CEO and Board, ensuring compliance with fundraising regulations, sector and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising best practices

• Proactive Self Starter: Though collaborative, you are motivated to build and maintain momentum, identify and create opportunities and take full ownership of projects from initial idea to delivery

• Commercial Development: Support development, sales and delivery of commercial income strategy, specifically helping to grow the paid membership scheme and securing sponsorship for commercial programmes and offers

Benefits

• Annual Leave: 21 days’ paid annual leave, plus UK public and bank holidays.

• Christmas Closure: Additional 10–14 days of paid leave as the office closes between Christmas and New Year.

• Season Ticket Loan: Interest-free season ticket loan available to support travel costs.

• Training & Professional Development: Access to relevant fundraising, partnerships and leadership training, including external courses, sector events and conferences.

• Supportive working environment: A small, collaborative and ambitious team.

#Fundraising #HeadOfDevelopment #Partnerships #CorporateFundraising #CorporatePartnerships 
#SeniorFundraising #SocialImpact #London

This is an exciting role in a unique organisation.  Our vision is to provide an outstanding experience for all UCL students and to be one of the best students’ unions in the UK and the world.  We aim to build a vibrant and empowered student community with real influence in UCL and beyond, that enables students to enjoy their time at university; pursue their interests and passions; see the world in new ways; and develop the skills and experience to change the world for the better.

We are a registered charity employing over 150 career staff and 300 student staff, delivering a wide range of services and representative functions for UCL students. We have the widest portfolio of services of any student organisation in the country, managing UCL’s extracurricular programmes for sport, music, drama, dance, media, volunteering, academic societies and intercultural engagement; providing a wide range of fantastic social spaces; leading on student democracy and representation across UCL; and offering excellent student support services.

It's an exciting time to join our growing organisation as we lead the delivery of UCL’s groundbreaking new Student Life Strategy. This is enabling us to build more programmes to improve students’ mental and physical wellbeing, promote genuine equity for all, build students’ skills and confidence, develop their international connections and intercultural skills, and make a real contribution to our local community.

We support hybrid working. Excellent benefits including defined benefit pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement. We are proud of high levels of staff engagement and pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We will consider applications to work on a flexible and job share basis wherever possible. 

The role is full-time and permanent. This role is based at our Bloomsbury campus with flexibility to work from home on a 40/60 basis (40% working from the office).

We are looking for a Sports Development Coordinator (Community and Workforce) to deliver a number of key areas of growth and development from the UCL Student Life Strategy. Key work areas include overseeing the delivery in our existing and future Focus Sports and coordinating TeamUCL Playmakers, our sports leadership and volunteering programme

Do you have experience in sports development and community engagement? Do you want to develop and upskill students through sport? If the answer is yes, then we want to hear from you.

YMCA Milton Keynes is at an exciting point in its journey. We are a rapidly developing, values-driven youth charity, supporting young people to belong, contribute and thrive. To help us grow our impact and sustainability, we are looking for an ambitious and creative Head of Income Generation to accelerate our success.

ABOUT THE ROLE: 

As Head of Income Generation, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad and exciting portfolio that includes:

• Commercial income, including HomeGround Café and our on-site meeting and conferencing facilities
• Grants and foundations income
• Corporate partnerships, from local businesses to strategic long-term relationships
• Community support and giving, inspiring people to get involved and give back
• A new alumni programme, engaging former residents, beneficiaries and supporters

You will manage and develop a small, motivated team, work closely with the CEO and Head of Communications & Campaigns, and play a key role in shaping the organisation’s future direction.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR: 

We’re looking for a senior fundraiser, income generator or sales lead who is:

• Ambitious and target-driven, with the ability to turn strategy into results
• Creative and entrepreneurial, excited to test new ideas and approaches
• Highly organised, with excellent prioritisation skills across multiple income streams
• A collaborative leader, who works brilliantly with colleagues and partners
• Values-led, ensuring everything we do reflects who we are as an organisation

You’ll understand how to communicate impact in a way that inspires support, while staying true to a trauma-informed, asset-based approach that puts dignity, strengths and potential first.

Above all, you’ll be motivated by the opportunity to put young people front and centre of income generation – amplifying their voices ethically and authentically, and helping supporters see the difference they can make.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your CV and covering letter by the deadline. 

Please note, we typically start interviewing within two weeks of the job advert going live. We reserve the right to close the job before the deadline based on the volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

We believe in equality and inclusion and we welcome job applications from everyone, provided you meet the criteria for the job. 

Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references and undertake a DBS check.

We look forward to hearing from you.

ABOUT THE CLINK CHARITY

The Clink Charity, founded in 2009, aims to prevent and reduce reoffending through training, rehabilitation, and support. We deliver hospitality and horticulture training behind the prison walls and in the community by creating an environment where our students are supported to gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to rebuild their lives.

Since that time, we have trained approximately 5,000 people in prison and delivered 2,600 City & Guilds qualifications in a variety of hospitality and food courses.
What makes The Clink so unique is our post-release support and mentoring programme that rehabilitates an offender back into society through assistance with health and mental health issues, housing, employment, family connections and friendships.

The charity operates an award-winning fine-dining restaurant open to the public inside HMP Brixton, training kitchens in the prison estate, horticulture projects at HMP Send and HMP Erlestoke, a commercial bakery in Brixton, and a bespoke delivery service, Catered by Clink.

Additionally, Clink Events is our social enterprise catering business with food produced by the women in HMP Downview and also in an additional kitchen at Herne Hill and then served by alumni on front of house at some of the best venues in London including: the Guildhall, the Science Museum, Cutty Sark, Kew Gardens and the Camden Roundhouse. In 2024, across 218 events, The Clink fed 36,000 people.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Support and Employment Worker will provide a high quality and responsive mentoring and advocacy service which creatively addresses the needs and risks of our students and graduates to enable them to avoid further offending and to obtain and maintain employment upon release.

Our students and graduates will come from multiple prison sites across the London and the South East region, so careful diary management, logistical planning and travel are key components of the role.

This is a flexible role, mostly based at HMP Brixton, but will also include travelling between

HMP Downview and HMP Send multiple prisons and our Clink Training Café site in Herne Hill, with some working from home and managing a community caseload of graduates who have been released.

The Support and Employment Worker will develop action plans with each student in prison to support them in obtaining employment upon release and also in developing independent living skills to work towards their long-term goals and aspirations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Support and Employment Worker at The Clink, you are responsible for:

•Mentoring, supporting and being the point of contact for students and graduates as they transition from our hospitality and horticulture training programmes in prison and in the community for up to 12 months.

•Working with and supporting people in prison and students prior to and after release from prison, or from graduation in our community café, to empower them in finding and maintaining accommodation, employment and a drug-free, offence-free lifestyle.

•Building relationships with Clink Chef Trainers, HMPPS Resettlement and Employment Teams, HMPPS Officers and Governing Teams in the prison and all parties invested in the training, support and employment of our learners.

•Working with students and graduates to identify their needs and risks, and to identify short and long-term goals.

•Motivating and engaging students and graduates and to provide practical and emotional support.

•Liaising with employers to secure opportunities for our students and for continuity of employment for graduates upon release.

•Supporting people dealing with drug and alcohol problems and to make referrals to other services as required.

•Undertaking risk assessments for each student, to recognise changes in risk level and take appropriate action.

•Maintaining case records and report on students' progress to external agencies and for our own Clink records on Clink Connect, our CRM system.

•Working in partnership with the team to enhance overall delivery of the service.

•Maintaining a professional approach that enhances the reputation of the charity.

DESIRABLE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience of prisons and/or the criminal justice system. This can be lived experience.
• Experience of working with a variety of client groups both in custody and in the community, including men, women and 16-25-year-olds.
• Experience of working with young people in gangs and/or at risk of exploitation and county lines.
• Experience of working with neurodivergent people and those with disabilities and additional needs.
• Experience and skill in using a trauma informed approach with vulnerable people who present a risk of harm, including knowledge of mental health issues, drug and alcohol use and offending behaviour.
• Experience in setting up a strong employer network and using this to support our graduates into employment post-release.
• Experience referring to other services and using a multi-agency approach.
• A level of numeracy sufficient to carry out tasks such as budgeting with clients, calculating benefit entitlements and understanding rent arrears.
• An understanding of safeguarding issues and PREVENT Duty and the ability to assess risk in consultation with line manager.
• Some knowledge of the benefits system and ability to deal with housing agencies and landlords
• Driver with clean licence.
• IT literate - will need to maintain records about our students on our in-house CRM system and complete assessments for HMPPS.
• Able to adopt a supportive, confident and motivating approach to the client group.
• Willing to engage in training and development of your own knowledge and skills.
• Able to pass a prison security clearance.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Confident and resilient personality, with the strength of character to work in complex prison settings and with highly vulnerable people.
• Perseverence and tenacity — a desire to see our students be successful and to advocate strongly on their behalf which often requires a relentless optimism.
• Highly organised and efficient person - able to juggle multiple responsibilities, manage your own time and schedule, and be a consistent source of support for our beneficiaries.
• A strong networker - your key responsibility will be to manage stakeholders in the prison, in probation, in other third sector support groups, and with employers to advocate for our students to have the chance of quality employment outcomes.
• An assertive communicator - you will need to be patient, kind and compassionate and to communicate with our students with sensitivity and clear expectations.

REPORTING LINES MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS

You will report directly to the Support Lead for London and the SE, the Executive Leadership Team, but also work closely with the Operations team in the prisons and related Clink project leads in the community.

GENERAL CLINK CHARITY INFORMATION

All staff are expected to:

• Comply with all current legislation
• Comply with all prison operational policies
• Comply with The Clink Staff Handbook
•  Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager

Special Requirements:

• Must be able to pass prison security vetting process to be able to draw keys.
• Must have a valid driving licence .

Benefits:

• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Company pension scheme
• Free meals on duty when based in a restaurant or visiting for business

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like to apply for this post, please send your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 2 sides of A4) to Lizann Barnwell.

In your supporting statement you should ensure that you try to address the desirable criteria set out in the person specification for the role. Make sure you give evidence which shows how you meet the criteria, not just telling us that you did it.

Interviews will be arranged on a rolling basis for this role, so early applications are encouraged. The deadline for applications is Friday 6 Feb at 0900.

We do not send individual acknowledgment of applications due to the high volume we receive, and we will only contact candidates who are shortlisted for an interview. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, your application has not been successful on this occasion.

If you would like an informal chat about this role, we can offer a call with a member of The Clink Team. Even if you feel you do not meet some of the criteria listed above, we would still welcome applications from passionate candidates who are keen to make a difference.

Appointment process

Applicants who have demonstrated that they meet the desirable criteria set out in the person specification will be contacted and interviews arranged on a rolling basis.

Interview

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be invited to a selection process. A panel of two or more, including the recruiting manager conducts all interviews. If there are any special arrangements associated with the selection process e.g. tests or presentations, you will be informed accordingly.

Interview outcome

If you are invited to attend an interview, you will be informed either verbally or in writing of the outcome. The successful candidate will have the decision confirmed in writing as an offer of employment. Unsuccessful candidates will be offered the opportunity for feedback.

References

If you are successful in your application, you are asked to provide us with the details of two referees. We only contact referees with your permission after an offer of employment has been made.

All offers of employment are conditional upon the receipt of references that are satisfactory to The Clink Charity, verification of right to work in the UK and where applicable, verification of qualifications and Disclosure and Barring Service (where required).

Personal information

The personal information that you have supplied will only be used for recruitment and selection purposes. You should refer to the Privacy Notice on our website, which sets out how The Clink Charity will deal with the personal and sensitive data you have provided in your application form and supporting information.

EDI

We welcome all applicants and are keen to enhance our team to reflect the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We would like to encourage applications from disabled people, those from LGBTQIA+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those experiencing other forms of marginalisation, as they are underrepresented at this level. In addition, as this role works directly with people in prison and those at risk of offending, those with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Accessible recruitment

The Clink Charity is committed to making our recruitment process and workplace accessible to all. If you are an applicant with a disability and/or have any specific needs or adjustments that you would like us to consider, at application, interview, or appointment stage, please make us aware in your application.