Campaigns and advocacy officer jobs in Birmingham

What does it take to lead the national voice for special schools at a time of real change?

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – National Association of Special Schools (NASS)

National – home-based, with regular travel across England and Wales, particularly London

£90,000–£110,000 per annum

Full-time, permanent.

About NASS 

The National Association of Special Schools (NASS) is the membership association for special schools in England and Wales. We bring together independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, special academies, maintained special schools and multi-academy trusts with specialist provision.

We exist to inform, support and represent our members, helping specialist schools improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and secure the place of specialist provision within the wider education system. NASS is known for being accessible, responsive and personal, combining national influence with practical support that members value as timely, human and trustworthy.

This is a pivotal moment for the organisation. In February this year, the Department for Education published a major white paper on SEND reform which will require NASS to both influence national policy on behalf of our members and children and young people, as well as support them to navigate the changes. Our new CEO will need to review our strategy while building on our strong platform and momentum to further deepen our influence and strengthen our internal capacity.

As our next Chief Executive, you will:

• Strategy & Impact: Lead NASS through a period of policy and structural change, ensuring the organisation remains clear on purpose, responsive to members and influential in the SEND landscape.
• Governance & Finance: Work closely with the Board of Trustees to provide strong governance, prudent financial stewardship, robust risk management and clear strategic oversight.
• Operational Leadership: Provide confident leadership to a small, remote team, strengthening collaboration, accountability, resilience and a positive, high-trust culture.
• Income Generation: Oversee budgeting, planning and reporting while developing thoughtful opportunities to diversify income through membership, partnerships, events and related activity.
• Community & Partnerships: Build and sustain trusted relationships with government, parliament, regulators, sector bodies and member schools, ensuring NASS remains relevant and well connected.
• Member Services: Protect and enhance the practical offer to members, from briefings and special interest groups to conferences, webinars, training and peer-to-peer learning.
• Brand & Profile: Act as a credible public ambassador for NASS, helping to modernise communications and broaden the organisation’s voice beyond a founder-shaped model.
• Future Growth: Shape a distributed leadership profile and support a more varied, accessible and engaging approach to membership, advocacy and communications.
• A seasoned senior leader with experience in a charity, membership body, education or public sector setting, and a clear track record of leading through change.
• A strong strategic thinker, able to absorb complex information quickly and translate it into clear, practical direction.
• A confident communicator with the gravitas to represent NASS with members, staff, trustees, MPs, peers, media and national partners.
• A politically astute relationship-builder, comfortable navigating a complex and fast-moving external environment.
• Experienced in governance, with a sound understanding of working with boards or trustees and supporting effective decision-making.
• Numerate and commercially minded, with experience of budgets, financial planning, income generation or partnership development.
• Credible, approachable and resilient, with the emotional intelligence to lead well in a high-profile, remote and sometimes uncertain context.
• Direct SEND experience would be a significant advantage, alongside understanding of specialist education or similarly complex stakeholder environments.

Why NASS?

• This is a chance to lead a respected, member-led organisation with a strong national reputation and a clear public purpose.
• You will help shape the future of specialist education at a time when SEND reform is high on the agenda.
• NASS has a loyal, experienced and collegiate remote staff team, supported by an active Board of Trustees.
• The organisation offers a genuinely influential platform, with strong connections across the sector and with government.

Application

For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 8th June 2026

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Overview of the Role:  We are recruiting a South East Senior Programme Officer for the National Education Nature Park to:

· Lead the National Education Nature Park programme across South East England, increasing participation in schools and education settings

· Manage and support a regional Programme Officer, including performance, development and wellbeing

· Build strong partnerships with schools, colleges, local authorities, NGOs and environmental networks

· Deliver a regional engagement strategy aligned with national KPIs on biodiversity, climate education and wellbeing

· Be a passionate advocate for nature-based learning, sustainability, biodiversity gain and green skills for children and young people

· Manage a regional budget, travel planning and reporting, ensuring compliance and audit requirements

· Facilitate workshops, training and events for educators, children and young people

· Provide expert guidance on outdoor learning, horticulture, biodiversity and environmental education resources

To work for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is to join a thriving charity, whose mission is to be there for everyone on their lifelong adventure with gardening. Everything we do is built on the transformational power of gardening – and the benefits it brings to people, places and our planet.

And we couldn’t do this without our people. We’re proud of the knowledge, enthusiasm and ideas that each one of our team members brings. From working across our social media channels, to volunteering in the RHS Gardens, from serving customers in our garden centres to running national marketing campaigns, we believe that every member of the RHS team should have the opportunity to make a difference.  Our careers portal here provides a comprehensive overview of what we offer, the teams that work at the RHS and our great benefits.

Location: Home-based within the South East region, with regular travel across the region, or opportuntiy to be based at RHS Wisley.

Contract: 12 month Fixed Term Contract (maternity cover) to 31st July 2027

Safeguarding and Inclusion

The RHS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all personnel to share in this commitment. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Job Title: Equipment Advice and Outreach Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive / Practice Lead

Contract: Fixed term, 18 months

Hours: Part-time, approximately 22.5 hours per week (0.6 FTE)

Location: Home-based in England, with regular travel across a large region and occasional overnight stays

Salary: £20,556 (Full-time equivalent salary (FTE): £34,259)

About Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance

Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance is a user-led charity run by and for people with muscle-weakening conditions. We provide advocacy, peer support, information, training and campaigning to help disabled people live with greater confidence, connection and control.

We are developing a new service model to help adults with neuromuscular conditions identify practical needs relating to equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day transitions, and to connect them to people with relevant lived-experience expertise.

Purpose of the Role

The Outreach and Practitioner–Evaluator will help Pathfinders identify adults with neuromuscular conditions who may benefit from practical support around equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day challenges.

The role is not primarily to provide complex specialist advice directly. Instead, the postholder will:

• build relationships with services and organisations to identify potential clients
• hold structured conversations to understand people’s needs
• offer initial information, practical resources and signposting
• connect people to Pathfinders’ lived-experience specialists where more specific insight is needed
• support the development of reusable lived-experience resources, including short videos, blogs and written guidance
• collect routine feedback and help document and evaluate the service

Pathfinders’ lived-experience specialists are people with direct personal experience of neuromuscular conditions and of specific issues, transitions or practical solutions. A key part of this role is helping people access that expertise.

The role is to help people make sense of what might help, what routes may be available, and who they may need to speak to next. It is not to guarantee that equipment will be obtained, but to improve people’s understanding, preparedness and access to relevant expertise and pathways.

Main Responsibilities

1. Outreach and relationship-building

• Build and maintain relationships with clinics, hospices, charities, networks and other relevant services.
• Travel regularly to external settings to identify potential clients and raise awareness of the service.
• Confidently approach professionals, families and individuals to explain the offer and encourage engagement.
• Help create practical referral and engagement routes into the service.
• Prioritise outreach activity in line with project aims and agreed target regions.

2. Needs identification and support coordination

• Hold 1-to-1 conversations with adults with neuromuscular conditions and, where appropriate, family members or supporters, to identify practical needs relating to equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day challenges.
• Provide initial information, signposting and relevant resources within agreed boundaries.
• Recognise when an issue would benefit from connection to a Pathfinders lived-experience specialist and facilitate that connection.
• Recognise when an issue requires statutory or clinical input and support onward referral or escalation where appropriate.
• Work with Pathfinders staff to help ensure people are connected to the most appropriate source of practical or professional support.

3. Working with lived-experience specialists and resource development

• Work with freelance lived-experience specialists to identify practical solutions, insights and examples relevant to the issues raised by service users.
• Support and encourage lived-experience specialists to share their expertise in accessible ways.
• Help coordinate and develop practical resources based on lived-experience knowledge, including short videos, blogs and written guidance.
• Contribute to ensuring these resources are accessible, organised and responsive to recurring needs identified through the service.

4. Documentation and evaluation support

• Maintain accurate records of outreach activity, contacts, needs identified, resources shared, onward connections and follow-up.
• Support the collection of routine feedback, including post-support forms and short follow-up conversations.
• Use agreed templates and systems to document contacts clearly and consistently.
• Share reflections and emerging themes with the team to support ongoing learning, evaluation and service development.

5. Teamworking and service development

• Participate in regular supervision, planning and reflective review meetings.
• Work collaboratively with the Chief Executive, Advocacy Officer, freelance lived-experience specialists and external partners.
• Contribute to the refinement of service processes, boundaries and referral pathways.
• Support dissemination of learning through briefings, webinars or other outputs as required.

Additional Requirements

• Regular travel across England is required, typically around once per week, with priority given to areas closest to the postholder’s base in the first instance. 
• Some travel may involve overnight stays.
• The postholder must have access to and use of a car for work purposes, although train travel may be used for some visits.
• Travel expenses and mileage will be reimbursed in line with organisational policy.

Person Specification

Essential

• Confident, outgoing and comfortable starting conversations with new people in professional and community settings.
• Experience of outreach, community engagement, advice, advocacy, support work or case coordination.
• Strong organisational skills and confidence managing follow-up, coordination and documentation.
• Comfortable using forms, spreadsheets, databases or case-recording systems and completing paperwork accurately.
• Familiarity with equipment, adaptations or practical support issues affecting disabled people.
• Ability to identify needs and know when to seek support, connect someone to lived-experience expertise, or refer on.
• Strong communication skills and a sensitive, respectful approach with service users, families and professionals.
• Ability to work independently while remaining well connected to a small team.
• Able and willing to travel regularly across England, including occasional overnight stays.
• Access to and use of a car for work purposes.
• Commitment to inclusion, dignity and user-led practice.

Desirable

• Experience of working alongside people with lived experience to co-produce support or resources.
• Experience of gathering feedback or supporting service evaluation.
• Knowledge of health or social care systems.
• Personal or close lived experience of disability or long-term conditions.

We are aiming to recruit immediately for this role with the first round of interviews on 1st June, but will conduct further interviews if necessary until we identify a suitable candidate.

Money & Energy Adviser
FTE salary: £28,000 FTE
Pro rata salary: £18400 (23 hour week)
Home-based, with travel as required
23 hours per week
Fixed term maternity cover till 31 Dec 26 (subject to external funding)

About the role
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced welfare benefits advisor with a passion for sharing knowledge and supporting vulnerable people.

This post is providing maternity cover until 31 December 2026 – or until the early return of the substantive postholder.

With around 4 in 10 beneficiaries, we support seeking help with financial difficulties, this is a pivotal role for Kidney Care UK.

You will be working remotely providing income maximisation and energy advice and support for kidney patients in the UK, supporting them to achieve better financial security. Working closely with Patient Support & Advocacy Officers, provide informed and compassionate support to provide excellent outcomes for our beneficiaries.

Our external partners – British Gas Energy Trust have committed to fund our Money and Energy Service until March 2027. We anticipate confirmation by December 2026 whether funding will be extended beyond March 2027.

This role is made possible thanks to the support of British Gas Energy Trust.

About Kidney Care UK
Around 3.5 million people in the UK live with chronic kidney disease, and one million of them don’t know that they do.
Since 1975, Kidney Care UK has been at the forefront of supporting people with kidney disease. From our early days when we campaigned to introduce donor cards in the UK, we have worked hard to support and represent the interests of everyone affected by kidney disease.

About the Money & Energy Advice Service
The Money & Energy Advice Service (MEAS) provides information and support for welfare benefits and income maximisation and promotes awareness of efficient energy use. Working closely with Patient Support officers, MEAS provides specialist knowledge and directly supports clients to achieve sustainable financial outcomes. The service was established in 2023 with the support of British Gas Energy Trust and is embedded as a valued element of the many ways Kidney Care UK supports people affected by kidney failure.

What we offer
 

Working at Kidney Care UK is incredibly rewarding and you will see the life-changing impact that the charity has on kidney patients and their families:
• Flexi-time – we are flexible about start and finish times, and flexible about your location.
• Annual and Christmas leave – we offer 25 days annual leave for full time employees plus bank holidays. We also close for three days between Christmas and New Year, and you don’t need to take this from your annual leave allowance.
• Pension – you’ll be eligible for and auto-enrolled into a pension scheme where your employer will contribute 8% of your salary.
• Health cashback plan – ability to claim back a wide variety of routine medical treatments.
• Employee Assistance Programme – access to a wide variety of support including counselling, health resources and advice.
• Cycle2Work scheme

Ready to define what “good” looks like and make it real across our services?

Hft has turned a corner. After navigating a period of significant financial and operational challenge, we have delivered a major turnaround, reducing a £17 million deficit, stabilising our workforce, and restoring confidence across every level of the organisation.

Now, with a new and focused Executive Team working closely with our Senior Leadership Teams, clear governance, and a collective understanding of the need to embed sustainable improvement across all areas of the organisation, we are moving from recovery to transformation.

The Opportunity

You will lead the development and delivery of an integrated, organisation-wide approach to quality, safety, safeguarding and great practice. Your focus will be on ensuring people are supported to live safe, meaningful and aspirational lives. This role brings together quality assurance, safeguarding, safety and practice into a clear and consistent approach across a complex, national organisation.

You will drive and oversee quality, safety and governance systems that support them. You will maintain clear oversight of performance, risk and compliance, and provide assurance, insight and challenge to the Executive Team and the Board. You will ensure regulatory compliance, safeguarding, and health and safety systems are robust, responsive, and consistently upheld, but, importantly, rooted in the understanding that all of this is to make sure that the people supported have great lives.

Working closely with operational leaders, you will identify underperformance and support improvement. You will use data, audits, incidents, and feedback to generate insights and drive continuous improvement. You will also help shape a shared understanding of what great practice looks like across services.

If you have senior leadership experience across quality, safety, safeguarding and practice within a learning disability charity or social care provider, we would love to hear from you. Please refer to the candidate brief attachment for full details of the role.

Please note: This role is a Home-based position (travel 3 times per month to Bristol/other locations)

What you will bring to succeed in this role

Essential

• Senior leadership experience across quality, safety, safeguarding and practice within a large learning disability charity or social care provider
• Accountable experience of leading operational health and safety within a multi-site, CQC regulated care environment
• Ability to lead and develop high-performing teams
• Experience of providing clear assurance and reporting on health and safety performance, risks and compliance to senior leadership and/or Board
• Communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries
• Experience embedding co-production and lived experience into organisational approaches
• Highly developed analytical skills and ability to use data to drive decisions
• Confident in leading change, improvement and cultural development

Selection Process

We will be shortlisting applications on an ongoing basis. If your application is shortlisted, we will invite you to a pre-screening interview with a member of the senior hiring team. If you are successful at this stage, the final assessment process will include a competency-based interview, a presentation, and the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders to get to know the team and Hft.

As part of our recruitment process, we are proud to include the voices of people with learning disabilities. You will meet them throughout the process, and they will play a key role in the final stages of selection. Their perspective shapes how we lead, listen and make decisions at Hft.

We anticipate the following timelines:

• Closing date: 9 June 2026
• Pre-screening interviews: 12, 15 or 16 June 2026
• Final assessment: 30 June 2026

We may close this role early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to recruiting people from diverse backgrounds and believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce helps us better support the people we work with to live their best lives. If there is anything we can do to support you to do your best during the application and selection process, please contact our recruitment team at Hft.

Relationship Manager (North and Scotland)

Full-time (37 hours) | permanent

c£36,000 depending on experience | Home-based | Hybrid

At the Bone Cancer Research Trust, we exist because families refused to accept a world where primary bone cancer had no hope, no answers and almost no research. Today, we’re the UK’s leading bone cancer charity and every supporter you engage helps push vital research forward and provides comfort to families who need us.

About the role

As Relationship Manager, you’ll build genuine, lasting connections with our Special Funds - our named funds created in honour or memory of someone affected by primary bone cancer, community supporters and local businesses. Your relationship-led approach will help create the family feel connections we’re known for, inspiring long-term support and raising vital income for people affected by primary bone cancer

You will:

• Grow and manage Special Funds, our named funds created in honour or memory of someone affected by primary bone cancer.
• Build strong, meaningful relationships with all our supporters, ensuring every person feels valued and connected.
• Secure and steward regional corporate partnerships
• Meet a regional income target of approx. £300,000
• Represent BCRT in your region, strengthening awareness and community connections at meetings and events.

About you:

• A natural relationship builder with 3+ years’ fundraising experience and a genuine passion for supporter care.
• Compassionate and professional, especially when working with families personally affected by primary bone cancer.
• Organised, proactive and confident working independently, able to balance a varied workload.
• A clear and engaging communicator, bringing warmth and positivity to every interaction.
• Able to travel across the region (car required).

Why you’ll love working with us

You’ll join a small team that works collaboratively and keeps our community at the centre of everything we do. We’re supportive, friendly and you’ll have the flexibility to manage your work while seeing the direct impact of the relationships you build.

What we offer

· Flexible approach to working hours

· 30 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays

· Private Health Insurance (following successful probation)

· 6% employer pension contributions

· Life Assurance of 4x annual salary