48 Associate director of services jobs

Associate Director, Charity Services
Salary: £81,265 per annum
Based: Leicester-based (LE3 1UT) with hybrid working and travel for meetings and events.

About us

Our vision is an RAF community that is connected, empowered and resilient. To achieve our mission, we are committed to a simple yet important task: to support and enable the RAF community to meet the challenges of everyday life. We believe that we are at our strongest when we work together and that early intervention is most effective. We not only help members of the RAF community to endure times of acute need, we also help them to thrive, preventing many of them from reaching crisis point by offering practical support and resilience services.

About the role

This role is central to the successful execution of the RAF Association’s strategic welfare objectives, with specific responsibility for leading the delivery of its personalised support, wellbeing and community / volunteer-delivered welfare strategies. As part of the RAF Association Senior Leadership Team, you will also contribute to the Group’s overall strategic direction and operational management as well as inspiring our talented teams and driving impactful change across our organisation. You will work collaboratively to ensure our ethos, values and high standards are reflected in every aspect of our work.

Primary responsibilities include

• Leading service delivery and development
• Strategic leadership and people development
• Performance and impact management
• Stakeholder and partner engagement
• Contribution to organisational strategy

About you

We are looking for an experienced and passionate leader who shares our commitment to excellence, innovation and inclusion. This role is not only about achieving outstanding results but also about inspiring a shared vision, building strong relationships and fostering an environment where all members of our RAF community, past and present, can thrive. With substantial experience in developing high performance teams, you will have the ability to deliver across multiple programme strands simultaneously. Educated to degree level or with equivalent specialist experience related to volunteering, welfare and wellbeing, you’ll also have experience of contributing to the development and delivery of Welfare and Wellbeing strategies, ideally within the charity sector. We need you to hold a UK driving licence as the role involves occasional travel to meetings and events.

Want to join us?

You may find it helpful to have a look at our website and social media to find out more about who we are and what we do. When you get to submitting our final application, to make your application really stand out, please take some time to include a cover letter to tell us how your skills and experience align with our role profile and person specification. Relevant supporting cover letters lead to a better chance of shortlisting for interview.

Benefits include:

• Up to 42 days annual leave, life insurance and sick pay
• Enrolment in our Medicash Health Cash Plan to cover everyday healthcare needs
• Free virtual GP service
• Mental health and wellbeing support
• Discounted gym membership
• ‘Refer a Friend’ bonus scheme
• Cycle to work scheme / close to park and ride at Leicester Forest East 
• Subsidised short breaks at selected RAFA Accommodation

Closing Date 8am Monday 12 October 2026
First Stage Online Interview 7-16 October 2026
Assessment Day Wednesday 21 October 2026

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The RAF Association is a Disability Confident Employer. Please let us know if you require any assistance with the application process.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK as we are unable to enter into sponsorship agreements.

No agencies please.