Employability Consultant
Full time: 37.5 hours per week
Maternity cover (anticipated duration 9 months)
Location: Home & community-based (currently 100% home-based due to Covid restrictions)

The Poppy Factory Employability Service has supported over a thousand veterans back into work who have some form of mental or physical health challenge in relation to employment.  We are ambitious about supporting many more wounded; injured or sick veterans into meaningful and sustainable work.

Are you:

• Able to form effective & collaborative relationships quickly with a range of partners?
• Recovery oriented and hopeful about every person’s ability to succeed in employment, and open minded about helping people move into competitive jobs regardless of physical or mental health issues?
• A creative problem-solver who asks questions to learn more about a situation and is thoughtful and tenacious in working with others to find a range of possible solutions?

The successful candidate for this role will have a sound track record of working with people with mental and physical health conditions or disabilities and supporting them to gain and sustain work, as well as excellent employer engagement skills.

The role also requires strong networking and relationship management skills with the ability to work collaboratively with referral partners as we look to expand our service in the region.

Prior IPS experience would be a strong advantage, although training and support will be available

The Poppy Factory aims to be an exemplar employer. We provide competitive terms and conditions of employment including:

• A generous Company Pension scheme
• Basic annual leave entitlement 27 days + bank holidays
• Company-paid life assurance

For the full job description and more information about the role, please download the candidate pack.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Tom Adam.

How to apply:

To apply for this position please submit your CV and a covering letter clearly outlining how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification. You may address your covering letter to Tom Adam, Regional Manager.

We are accepting applicants on a rolling basis, so please ensure you apply early.

Employability Consultant

Full time: 37.5 hours per week

Fixed term for 2 year initial contract

This is an excellent opportunity to join The Poppy Factory at an exciting period of expansion in its activities supporting veterans as we look to work collaboratively with the NHS. 

The Poppy Factory Employability Service has supported over a thousand veterans back into work who have some form of mental or physical health challenge in relation to employment.  We are ambitious about supporting many more wounded; injured or sick veterans into meaningful and sustainable work as we look to expand our service in the South West.

Are you:

• Able to form effective & collaborative relationships quickly? 
• Recovery oriented and hopeful about every person’s ability to succeed in employment, open minded about helping people move into competitive jobs regardless of physical or mental health issues?
• A creative problem-solver who asks questions to learn more about a situation and is thoughtful and tenacious in working with others to find a range of possible solutions?

The successful candidate for this role will have a sound track record of working with people with mental and physical health conditions or disabilities and supporting them to gain and sustain work, as well as excellent employer engagement skills.The role also requires strong networking and relationship management skills.Prior IPS experience would be a strong advantage, although training and support will be available.The Poppy Factory aims to be an exemplar employer.  We provide competitive terms and conditions of employment including:

• A generous Company Pension scheme
• Company-paid life assurance
• Funding available for permanent employees to study for the Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance & Development 

For the full job description and more information about the role please download the Candidate Pack. 

How to apply

To apply for this position please submit your CV and a covering letter clearly outlining how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification. You may address your covering letter to Ian Waller, Interim Director of Operations and submit your application through our online portal.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage candidates to apply promptly. 

Job Title: DFN-MoveForward Progression Coach
Reporting To: Head of Programmes, DFN-MoveForward
Location: London, Islington
Contract: Permanent, full time (37.5hrs per week)
Starting salary: £35,045
Start Date: Late February, early March 2021

Interested applicants are invited to apply by 10th February with your CV and covering letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role.  Early applications are encouraged as we are keen to recruit into this role within the next few weeks.  

Overview of ThinkForward: 

ThinkForward is a breakthrough coaching programme that ensures young people who are disengaged from or underperforming at school receive support to transition into sustained employment. Young people are identified for the programme aged 13 based on risk factors known to increase their chances of future unemployment. They are offered one-to-one support from a progression coach who builds a trusted and long-term relationship over five years, helping them to overcome challenges in and out of school and linking them to ready for work activities provided by a community of businesses. By the end of the programme young people develop the aspirations, skills and mindsets needed to thrive and sustain employment. MoveForward is our programme designed specifically to work with young people who have mild to moderate learning disabilities.

Purpose of the Role:

To support x45 14-24 year-olds with moderate cognitive and/or communication learning difficulties across the region, to gain the skills and experiences necessary to transition to paid employment, and ensuring the quality and impact of the programme is delivered

Key Responsibilities:

With young people – to build and maintain relationships with young people and ensure that the ThinkForward programme has impact

• Work with school/college staff to ensure participants are engaged in the MoveForward programme
• Assess the needs of the young people, using data to design tailored action plans
• Provide one-to-one coaching for young people as well as group work sessions, both around building work readiness
• Support young people to engage with opportunities provided by third parties including employers and partner charities
• Ensure that young people meet the required outcomes and make a sustained transition to further paid employment, continually driving their work readiness
• Adhere to all relevant policies (safeguarding, health and safety, etc) when delivering activities with young people
• Collaborate with the school/college to safeguard young people
• Document and evidence all work and use data to provide the most effective support with young people

With special schools/colleges – accountable for day-to-day relationship management of partnerships

• Liaise with senior staff in a special school and college to establish and manage the relationship between the education provider and MoveForward
• Represent MoveForward at the senior leadership team and governor meetings
• Train and support school/college staff in a variety of activities and methodologies to support young people with LDs into employment 
• Build an extensive knowledge of the support available to the cohort of young people
• Establish a coordinated platform which enables schools and colleges to share learning, contacts and volunteering/placement/work exposure opportunities for young people
• Work with data managers for regular access to required data
• Produce and communicate termly reports to demonstrate impact
• Review quality and impact on a termly basis

With business partners

• Broker new business partnerships for the school/college you support, building on existing business partnerships already existing at the school/college
• Support with the training and supervision of business volunteers in mentoring, work exposure and work placements for young people with LDs
• Plan and lead session content and communicate with the business in advance of sessions
• Conduct review with the business during and after the activities

With parents of young people

• Together with the school/college, actively engage with parents, carers, guardians etc of the young people, in the journey the young person is taking into employment and help them to build their aspirations and support for their child, regarding employment. 

With colleagues - share knowledge and experience with colleagues to improve effectiveness of the programme

• Help to establish the curricula, tools and methodologies for the programme
• Feed into the design and evaluation of the programme
• Report risks to relevant member of staff
• Participate in peer quality assurance processes

Programme quality & standards – to ensure that delivery of the MoveForward programme meets the required standards

• Perform a termly review and plan of the MoveForward programme
• Ensure that the programme specification is met i.e. 1-2-1 coaching, group work, ready for work activities and parental engagement
• Activities are planned according to need and in line with budget
• Ensure that all interventions are logged on database
• Work in adherence to organisational policies
• Actively participate in QA process linked to quality and standards

Person Specification:

ThinkForward’s staff competency framework informs our recruitment and performance management of staff. The following behaviours for each competency define the expectations for this position:

Communication

• Ability to communicate with staff at all levels from a variety of different stakeholders
• Approachable, open and transparent with young people, stakeholders and colleagues
• Ability to deliver messages in an interesting and stimulating style, appropriate to each audience

Planning and Organising

• Self-motivated, able to work independently and proactively
• Strong organisational and project management skills, including use of appropriate tools and systems
• Excellent computer literacy

Teamwork

• Working in a team ideally in a fast pace environment, working collaboratively to achieve goals
• Building lasting relationships with different stakeholders for example schools, colleges, other charities, alternative education providers and employers

Impact and Quality Focused

• Comfortable working to targeted outcomes/goals for young people within the boundaries of a programme
• While working to targeted outcomes, ability to keep young people at the heart of what you do
• Knowledge of how to support young people with learning disabilities to become more job ready
• Driven by excellent standards and high quality
• Use of data to inform delivery and improve provision

Professional Expertise

• Three years direct experience of working with vulnerable young people, ideally in school and with learning disabilities
• An understanding of the complex barriers that young people with learning disabilities face and the services available for them
• Ability to support young people in both a one-to-one setting and by running group work
• Knowledge of careers and employment IAG and the importance of tailored progression planning for vulnerable young people
• Persistence, patience and empathy in challenging difficult individuals
• A professional qualification related to work with young people, or relevant experience

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we will only be able to contact successful applicants.

ThinkForward is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and post holders to share this commitment.

ThinkForward are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

As a registered Disability Confident employer, ThinkForward has an accessible recruitment process. We offer interviews to all applicants who meet the job requirements and who declare themselves as having a disability. If you need support, such as materials in larger print, dyslexic-friendly fonts or adjustments for yourself of your PA for the interview, please contact us and we will ensure you have what you require to successfully complete this process.

Farm Africa are partnering exclusively with Robertson Bell to recruit to a Director of Finance role on a permanent, full time basis. For more than 35 years Farm Africa has worked with farmers, helping them to increase their harvests, build their incomes and sustain their natural resources. They do this by working closely with local communities, partnering with governments and the private sector to find effective ways to fight poverty.

Farm Africa are now seeking an exceptional Director of Finance to provide outstanding leadership and expertise to strategically manage finance and other control functions. This role also plays a vital role providing broader leadership in the delivery of the ambitious strategy, and is a crucial business partner to the CEO, the SMT, and the board treasurer.

The key responsibilities will be:

• Responsible for accounting including the production of the annual accounts for the Charity & its subsidiaries, financial planning, the production of management accounts and all banking & cash management.
• Provide strategic input to the development of the organisation’s strategy and future growth plans, thinking beyond own direct areas of responsibility.
• Together with the Chief Executive, develop annual and medium-term financial plans for Farm Africa ensuring the longer term financial sustainability of the organisation.
• Set the strategic direction and annual objectives for the finance function, covering UK head office and Africa-based teams.
• Line manage the Head of Finance, and support Country Directors in their line management of country Finance leads.
• Ensure that financial risks throughout Farm Africa’s activities are identified and ensure that appropriate processes are in place to monitor and mitigate them.
• Act as the key staff contact for the Finance, Risk and Audit committee (FRAC), ensuring (together with the Treasurer) that meetings take place regularly, agendas are appropriate and that the committee discharges its devolved responsibilities on behalf of the board.
• Ensure all financial activity is compliant with relevant charity and statutory legislation and donor / contractual requirements.

The organisation:

Farm Africa operates in East Africa, with offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with a Head Office in London.  There is a finance team of four based in the UK, with other finance staff dispersed around the organisation, including country offices and field offices.

Farm Africa is embarking on a new five year strategy and is recruiting for a new Director of Finance to lead the financial management of the organisation through a period of growth. Building on foundation of strong financial planning and control and of exceptional audit compliance they are seeking an experienced and dynamic new Director to join their team. 

Essential requirements:

The successful candidate will have a recognised accountancy qualification, in-depth understanding of financial management in a complex grant-dependant organisation, experience of strategic planning and an aptitude for controls such as governance, risk management and the charity legal environment.

Farm Africa’s UK office is based in central London, however, we are flexible on working location and will consider substantial home working.

The closing date for applications is 9:00am on Monday 15th February 2021. Applications will be under constant review before the closing date so please submit your application to our retained search agent Robertson Bell. Apply now to be considered!

Internews are exclusively partnering with Robertson Bell to recruit their Finance Coordinator role on a permanent basis.

Following a recent period of rapid growth and expansion, Internews are now looking to recruit this key role.

The Finance Coordinator will be responsible for a variety of tasks across team including ensuring smooth operations between Internews Europe and its Related parties. The role will support both Corporate and Project finance tasks, as well as assume responsibility for key areas of Corporate reporting.

About Internews

Internews is an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to empower local information providers worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard.

Internews provides communities the resources to produce local news and information with integrity and independence. With global expertise and reach, Internews trains both media professionals and citizen journalists, supports business development strategies for the sector and helps establish policies needed for open access to information. Internews programmes create platforms for dialogue and enable informed debate, which bring about social and economic progress.

Internews’ commitment to research and evaluation creates effective and sustainable programs, even in the most challenging environments. Internews operates internationally, with administrative centres in Arcata, California; Washington DC; and London, UK; as well as regional hubs in Bangkok and Nairobi.

Formed in 1982, Internews has worked in more than 90 countries, and currently has offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.

Our commitment to a culture of belonging

Internews is passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams, and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, the self-taught, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, abilities, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and actively welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

The key responsibilities are as follows:

• Monthly review of financial records, ensuring the completeness of records and reconciled balances:
  • Balance Sheet reconciliations
  • Partner/Sub-grantee reconciliations
  • Regular Balance sheet reconciliations
• Supervision and management of organisational timesheets.
• Oversight for Internews Europe’s key financial relationships with its sister companies, including preparing monthly reconciliations and allocations, providing financial accounting support and regularly liaising with key stakeholders to manage relationships.
• Work closely with the Audit Manager to provide support in funder audits as required.
• Provide efficient delivery and support of periodical assignments such as annual budgeting, cashflow reporting and year-end statutory tasks.
• Provide invaluable support in the creation of new policies.
• Play a significant role in supporting the migration from Quick Books to Unit 4 ERP. 

The successful candidate will have:

• Made significant progress on working towards a professional accountancy qualification (ACCA/CIMA/CIPFA).
• A minimum of five years’ experience of working in a fast-paced finance department.
• Strong experience preparing balance sheet reconciliations.
• Ideally, previous experience working within an NGO. However, candidates without this are still strongly encouraged to apply.
• Previous experience assisting on management and/or financial accounts.
• Good Excel skills, including vlookups, SUMIFS and Pivot Tables.
• Proven experience in working across diverse teams and multi-cultural environments.
• Good understanding of other Microsoft Windows applications.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven multi-tasking skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

CVs are being reviewed on a daily basis with first stage screening interviews commencing as early as 14th January. Please submit your application ASAP with our exclusive agent Robertson Bell to avoid disappointment.