Career coach jobs in Birmingham

Remote working however must be based in the region, Glasgow

Access to our Glasgow Office is available, 3 days a week

Mary’s Meals is a global movement supported by people from all walks of life and we are focused on one goal – that every child receives a nutritious daily meal in a place of education. We offer more than just a career, we offer the opportunity to support our global movement in a dynamic and inclusive environment with a real focus on personal development.

We are seeking an experienced, Glasgow-based fundraiser to join us as a Regional Development Officer. In this role, you’ll be a confident, visible champion for Mary’s Meals, someone who knows the city, understands its communities, and can build relationships that spark action. You’ll bring boldness and creativity to your work, whether delivering inspiring talks in churches and schools, making fundraising asks or forging genuine partnerships with local businesses and networks.

Using your deep knowledge of Glasgow’s people and places, you will identify high‑potential opportunities, grow income and participation, and cultivate a committed local movement of supporters and volunteers. Through strategic, outward‑facing work, you’ll turn first conversations into committed, long‑term support that strengthens our movement and fuels our mission.

Working closely with the Head of Scotland, you will co‑design and deliver a local growth plan shaped by the pulse of your region. You will represent Mary’s Meals across faith communities, schools, community groups, business networks, and key connectors, bringing energy, authenticity, and a passion for our mission.

Highly autonomous, you’ll combine insight, data, and local intuition to focus on areas of greatest opportunity. You’ll collaborate across the organisation to create seamless supporter journeys and tell compelling, meaningful stories. Everything you do will reflect Mary’s Meals’ warmth, simplicity, and dignity.

Key responsibilities include

• Work with the Head of Scotland to create and deliver an insight‑driven regional growth plan, with clear priorities around income, visibility, and volunteer mobilisation.
• Use local knowledge, data, and community insight to focus your time on the strongest opportunities for growth.
• Balance relationship‑building with a proactive, opportunity-led approach, identifying new supporters, networks, and partnerships and developing them from prospective supporters into committed donors.
• Actively network across Glasgow to initiate new meetings, build connections, and follow up purposefully.
• Represent Mary’s Meals with authenticity and enthusiasm across schools, churches, parishes, universities, community groups, and local businesses.
• Deliver engaging talks, assemblies, parish visits, small events, networking sessions, and partnership meetings that increase income, participation, and visibility.
• Build a diverse pipeline of leads and partnerships that reflect Glasgow’s communities and faith landscape.
• Create the environment for a strong volunteer network and empower volunteers through thoughtful delegation, coaching, encouragement, and recognition.
• Strengthen local visibility by nurturing community connectors and supporting appropriate local media engagement.

Please see the recruitment pack for full list of duties.

To apply, please visit our website bu following instructions on Charity Job.

Applicants must hold full right to work in the UK.

We welcome applications from candidates of all different backgrounds and identities to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse charity providing a supportive place for you to do the best and most rewarding work of your career.

Applications are ongoing.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Please note: If you have any special requirements or adjustments before an interview, please let us know.

SEQF Employment Specialist

Birmingham, B24 8HZ

We are advertising for 3 roles (2 x Full Time, 1 x Part Time 0.5FTE)

Salary: £31817 per annum (pro rata for Part Time). Fixed Term Contract to 31.3.27.

Location: Gravelly Hill, Birmingham B24 8HZ

Benefits: 25 days holiday, pro-rata, 5.5% Employer Pension Contribution including Life Cover, Occupational Sick Pay Benefits & Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Leave and Pay, plus more

Reporting to: Employability Manager

About FareShare Midlands

FareShare Midlands is the region’s largest food redistribution charity, tackling inequality, transforming lives and ensuring no good food goes to waste. We rescue surplus food and redistribute it to 650 local charities and community organisations, feeding 60,000 people every week. We also invest in communities, providing education, training and volunteering opportunities, helping over 700 individuals to date to build a better future. Together, we’re fighting hunger, reducing food waste and creating opportunities across the Midlands. Learn more here or read our latest Annual Report Snapshot here.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Supported Employment Specialist with a strong background in IPS (Individual Placement and Support) or SEQF (Supported Employment Quality Framework) models to join our team. The successful candidate will work directly with participants to help them identify, secure, and sustain competitive employment while building strong partnerships with employers and community support providers. This is a hands-on role that combines vocational coaching, employer engagement, and individualized support planning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify, recruit, and register eligible participants, conducting inductions and assessing individual employment barriers.
• Work with participants to develop personalized vocational profiles, action plans, and career goals.
• Deliver one-to-one and group coaching, employability workshops, and workplace skills training.
• Apply the SEQF supported employment model, guiding participants through all five stages to achieve and sustain competitive employment.
• Identify and develop relationships with local employers to create suitable, inclusive work opportunities.
• Negotiate reasonable adjustments, job carving, and return-to-work strategies with employers.
• Support employers to embed inclusive practices that meet business needs and participant goals.
• Maintain accurate records of participant progress, outcomes, and employer engagement in line with SEQF standards.
• Arrange access to training opportunities and develop partnerships with specialist support providers.
• Ensure all placements and employment opportunities comply with safeguarding, health, and safety requirements.

Essential Skills:

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience delivering one-to-one and group coaching or training sessions.
• Ability to assess understanding, adapt resources, and provide tailored guidance.
• Skilled at coaching, motivating, and inspiring participants to achieve employment goals.
• Experience supporting individuals with learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, or other employment barriers.
• Proven record in employer engagement and achieving positive participant outcomes.
• Knowledge and practical experience of SEQF or IPS supported employment frameworks.

Desirable Skills:

• Knowledge of the food industry and retail sector in the Midlands.
• Understanding of food waste and food poverty issues.
• Level 3 IAG (Information, Advice, and Guidance) in Employability.
• Understanding of welfare benefits.

How to Apply:

If you would like to apply for this role, please create a supporting statement to demonstrate your suitability and to explain your interest in both the job and FareShare Midlands. Please send your supporting statement with a copy of your CV.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands.

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 3rd June 2026

At Viva, we want children everywhere to have life in all its fullness. Viva inspires, supports and connects networks of churches and community-based organisations to work together to make a bigger, better and longer-lasting impact in the lives of children.

We do this by providing coaching, supporting programme implementation, helping them access funding, creating tools to measure impact, and facilitating a global community of learning.

As Viva’s Marketing & Creative Executive, you will play a key role in our Fundraising & Engagement team as you develop and deliver high-impact content across a wide range of media. Whether online or in person, your work will inspire new and existing supporters, build new community and enable Viva’s mission to be more widely known.  

You’ll need to be creative, curious and adaptable to digital trends so that you can deliver authentic, impactful stories. You’ll be quick and eager to learn, and keen to start or develop your career in digital media and marketing. And while you enjoy working closely with a global team, you will also be self-motivated and proactive.

Through your role, you will play a vital part in making it possible for Viva to achieve its goal of enabling more children to live life in all its fullness.

Your responsibilities will include:

· Social Media: leading and managing Viva’s social media channels by maintaining and developing current platforms while building a strong and growing community.

· Event and Campaign Marketing: planning and monitoring Viva’s marketing for campaigns and events, as well as representing Viva at events.

· Graphic Design and Creative Content: designing and creating engaging digital content.

· Supporter Communications: enabling Viva’s supporters to experience great communications.  

Location: this role can be remote, hybrid or office-based in Viva’s Oxford office with occasional travel in the UK

Hours: 37.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Part-time hours would be considered for the right candidate

Salary: £27,500 per annum (full-time salary)

How to apply: Take a look at the full job description and person spec in the Job Information Pack and then click the button below. You’ll need to submit a CV and cover letter including three specific pieces of content you have created.

Please note that you will need the right to live and work in the UK to apply for this role.

Key dates: the closing date will be midnight on Sunday 14th June 2026. Interviews will be held online on Thursday 25th June 2026.

Individual Giving Manager

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Acorns Children’s Hospice is seeking an experienced Individual Giving Manager to lead the planning, delivery and evaluation of an ambitious and effective Individual Giving programme. You will oversee the warm Individual Giving portfolio, including cash appeals, raffles, newsletters, regular giving and product development.

About the Role

At Acorns Children’s Hospice we offer specialist palliative care and support for children and their families across the West Midlands. We are there wherever and whenever they need us, in the hospice, community and at home. As the UK’s largest children’s hospice charity, in terms of both numbers of children and families supported, and annual expenditure on our care work- we need to raise more than £14 million each year to run and support our care services.

As Individual Giving Manager, you will:

• Plan, deliver and evaluate targeted and cost-effective direct marketing campaigns including cash appeals, raffles and supporter newsletters
• Manage effective Direct Debit retention and reactivation campaigns
• Collaborate with the Data & Insight team to develop detailed campaign briefs and support robust data analysis
• Work closely with the Marcomms team, ensuring effective case studies, photography, statistics, and organisational information are briefed and available in time for campaigns
• Develop and optimise the supporter journeys for specified audiences 

About You

• Experience of working in a Marketing or Fundraising environment
• Experience of running a multi-channel appeal/campaign programme
• Knowledge of regulatory environment for fundraising from individuals including data protection, Gift Aid and fundraising codes of practice and regulation
• Experience of and resilience to meeting targets and KPIs
• Track record of successfully managing and developing relationships with individual supporters, customers or clients

What We Offer 

• £40,000 per annum
• 37.5 hours per week
• Hybrid role - based in nearest Acorns hospice (Walsall, Worcester or Birmingham), home working and travel to across the West Midlands
• Employee discounts from leading retailers – including the Blue Light Card
• Discounts on refurbished tech
• Health cash plan
• Gym membership and equipment discount scheme
• Bike2Work scheme - save up to 42% on bikes and equipment 
• Wellbeing, legal and financial support
• Career development through our Acorns Academy offering leadership, coaching, fundraising, clinical training and more.   
• Generous contribution to group personal pension plan (7.5%) or continuation of current NHS pension scheme
• NHS pension scheme life assurance or Acorns group life assurance scheme
• Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service 

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 5 June

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and therefore any successful candidate will be asked to provide two satisfactory references.

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting organisation, we are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within the organisation. As an employee you will be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights and support all children to be Rights Holders.

Recruitment Coordinator

We are seeking an organised, proactive and customer-focused Recruitment Coordinator to join the People Services Team. 

This role is home-based but there will be a requirement to attend in person team meetings and training on a regular basis within the Preston Area.

Position: 6704 Recruitment Coordinator

Location: Remote (with regular meetings in the Preston area)

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £30,645.00 per annum

Closing Date: 07/06/2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if enough suitable applications are received.

The Role

As a Recruitment Coordinator, you will play a key role in delivering a safe, efficient and compliant recruitment service across the charity. Working closely with the Recruitment Lead and Recruitment Administrator, you will coordinate recruitment activity, support safer recruitment checks, act as a key contact for the ATS and contribute to continuous improvement across recruitment processes.

Key tasks include:

• Manage recruitment activity from advert to onboarding, ensuring compliance with employment legislation, safer recruitment and EDI requirements.
• Carry out checks on job adverts and recruitment documentation, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• Act as a key contact for the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), supporting hiring managers through the recruitment process.
• Complete pre employment checks, including referencing, Right to Work and DBS checks.
• Monitor recruitment activity, respond to queries and support continuous improvement across recruitment processes.

About You

Ideally, you will hold a CIPD level 3 qualification and have an understanding of EDI requirements and the impact on recruitment practices.  Experience using an Applicant Tracking System and other HR systems along with creating job adverts and working with job boards/advertising platforms is also beneficial.

You will need:

• Knowledge of employment legislation relating to recruitment processes
• To be able to interpret policies and procedures and apply them effectively in practice 
• Experience of recruitment processes and onboarding candidates
• An understanding of Safer Recruitment requirements
• Good IT skills, able to work with, understand and coach others to use a variety of systems
• Strong communication skills both verbally and written
• To be pro-active and solutions focused, able to work without direct supervision
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing demands
• The ability to build relationships and work with both internal and external stakeholders

If you are passionate about supporting victims of crime and have the necessary skills and experience, we encourage you to apply.

In Return…

Benefits include:

• Flexible Working Options: Including hybrid working.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 33 days plus Bank Holidays, with options to buy or sell annual leave.
• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.
• Pension Plan: 5% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Allowances: Enhanced sick pay, maternity, and paternity payments.
• Exclusive Discounts: High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment, and leisure discounts.
• Financial Wellbeing: Access to our financial wellbeing hub and salary-deducted finance.
• Wellbeing Support: Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
• Inclusive Networks: Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes.
• Sustainable Travel: Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Career Development: Ongoing training and support with opportunities for career progression.

About the Organisation

This independent charity is dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales.  They are at the heart of the organisation and the support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

The organisation is committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Our client is proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. They are committed to being an antiracist organisation, and actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, they will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so and are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

You may have experience in areas such as Recruitment Assistant, Recruitment Administrator, Recruitment Admin, Recruitment Support, Recruitment Officer, HR Assistant, Personnel Assistant, People Assistant.

Please note this role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of our client.  #INDNFP  

Lloyds Bank Foundation 

Strategic Lead for Systems Change 

Starting Salary: £59,098 (if London-based); £55,587 (if not London-based) 
Contract: Full-time, 2-year Fixed-Term Contract (we are open to conversations about flexibility - so please ask) 
Location: Remote role - can be based anywhere in England or Wales with an expectation of regular travel across England and Wales including overnight trips to London 

About Lloyds Bank Foundation 

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is an independent charitable foundation, backed by Lloyds Banking Group and the people within it. We want everyone to be in a good place - personally, in a home that’s a good place to live, and in a community that’s a good place to belong. 

We play our role by connecting and catalysing community-led change, providing the money, time, tools and connections that build organisations’ capacity and capability, to make people’s lives better and their communities stronger. 

We back people and communities across England and Wales, to make that happen, because when you back brilliant people, brilliant things happen. Our communities are full of ambitious, energetic and determined people stepping up to make their neighbours’ lives better and their communities grow stronger. Day in, day out. 

About the Role 

This is a key role strengthening the Foundation’s ability to work confidently within complex local systems and to support systems change across England and Wales. You will play a central role in shaping and developing our systems change approach, ensuring it is practical, consistent and embedded across our work in places. 

You will work closely with regional teams and partners to support effective collaboration within local systems, ensuring our work is well-informed by context and lived experience. A key part of the role is enabling others - building confidence, capability and practical understanding of systems change across the organisation. 

This is not a delivery-heavy role. Instead, you will focus on enabling, coaching and strengthening practice so that colleagues and partners are better equipped to work within complexity and drive meaningful change. 

About You 

We are looking for someone with strong, practical experience of working within systems change, place-based work or complex multi-stakeholder environments. You will bring confidence in working across boundaries and supporting others to navigate complexity. 

You will be skilled in coaching, facilitation and capability building, with the ability to translate systems thinking into practical approaches others can use. Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work credibly with a wide range of stakeholders will be essential. 

A commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging is essential. 

How to Apply 

Please click ‘Apply’ to be redirected to our website, where you can download the Candidate Information Pack and find details of how to apply. 

For an informal conversation about the role and application process, please contact our recruitment partner, Atkinson HR via the information available in the Candidate pack.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

We hold Disability Confident Employer status (Level 2) and are working towards full status by 2027. If you are a disabled applicant and your CV and application answers clearly demonstrate that you meet the essential criteria, we will invite you to interview. 

We are committed to building a diverse team that reflects the communities we work with. We actively welcome applications from people under-represented in the charity sector, including Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities, disabled people, and those with lived experience of the issues our funded charities address. 

Key Dates 

Closing Date: Midday, Monday 8th June 2026 

Optional Q&A Session: Wednesday 6th May 2026 at 09:00-10:00 

First Interview: Wednesday 17th June 2026 

Second Interview: Friday 26th June 2026 

Location: Any UK Trust office

Assessment: 17th - 21st June. If shortlisted, you will be asked to complete two tasks.

1st-stage interviews: 8th July at our Birmingham Centre. You must be available to attend face-to-face.

Join The King's Trust and help shape high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship assessments that support young people across the UK to build confidence, skills and progress into work, education or training.

We're looking for a specialist with a proven track record and experience of designing and developing regulated qualifications and/or end-point assessments. This is a technical role for someone who understands how to create qualifications and assessment products that are compliant, inclusive, fit for purpose and workable in practice.

In this role, you'll lead the development and review of qualifications and apprenticeship assessments, including specifications, assessment strategies, sample assessments and test banks. You'll manage work through development, regulatory submission, implementation and ongoing review, helping to ensure our products meet regulatory requirements and maintain standards for all learners.

We're particularly looking for someone with experience in:

• designing and developing regulated qualifications and EPAs
• working within Ofqual, Skills England and other relevant regulatory frameworks
• embedding accessibility, inclusion and reasonable adjustment considerations into assessment design
• working with providers, funders, regulators and sector partners.

This is an opportunity to use your technical expertise to create high-quality, fair and meaningful assessment products that make a real difference to young people across the UK. If you bring strong regulated assessment experience and want to apply it in a role with purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

What happens next?  

Please submit a CV, and Cover Letter that includes your experience, transferrable skills and motivation to work for The King's Trust! The Team will be in touch about the next steps shortly after the closing date. 

Why do we need Qualifications & Apprenticeship Development Managers? 

Last year, we helped more than 40,000 Young People, with three in four young people on our programmes moving into a positive outcome in work, education or training. The young people we help face a range of challenges, such as unemployment, mental health issues or some who have been in trouble with the law. We believe all young people should have the chance to succeed, and that young people are the key to a positive and prosperous future for all of us. We want to continue having a positive impact on young people’s lives and we couldn’t do this without the important work of Qualifications & Apprenticeship Development Managers! 

Perks for working at The Trust! 

• Great holiday package! 30 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays. Office closure on the days between Christmas and New Year 
• Flexible working! Where operationally possible, our roles require a combination of office days and working from home (please speak to the hiring manager about this particular role)
• You can volunteer for and/or attend events – The King's Trust Awards, Pride, active events etc. 
• In-house learning platform! Develop your skills for your career and your role 
• Benefits platform! Everything from health and financial well-being support to discounts on your favourite restaurants, shops and cinemas. 
• Personal development opportunities through our Networks – KT CAN (Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network), and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). 
• Fantastic Family leave! Receive 13 weeks of full pay and 13 weeks of half pay for maternity and adoption leave. Receive 8 weeks of full pay for paternity leave. 
• Interest-free season ticket loans 
• The Trust will contribute 5% of your salary to the Trust Pension Scheme 
• Generous life assurance cover (4 x annual salary) 

Legacy and In Memory Fundraising Manager

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Acorns Children’s Hospice is looking for a Legacy and In-Memory Manager to lead and grow its legacy and in-memory fundraising programmes. The role will shape and deliver strategies that inspire supporters to leave gifts in their wills and honour loved ones through giving. Blending strategic marketing, empathetic communication, and relationship management, this position will play a key role in building sustainable income and strengthening lifelong supporter connections.

About the Role

At Acorns Children’s Hospice we offer specialist palliative care and support for children and their families across the West Midlands. We are there wherever and whenever they need us, in the hospice, community and at home. As the UK’s largest children’s hospice charity, in terms of both numbers of children and families supported, and annual expenditure on our care work- we need to raise more than £14 million each year to run and support our care services.

As Legacy and In Memory Manager, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership, mentoring and development for the Legacy and In Memory Officer, ensuring a high-performing and motivated team
• Develop and implement a multi-channel legacy marketing programme to increase awareness, consideration, and pledges of gifts in wills to recruit and retain a pool of legacy prospects and pledgers to maximise future legacy income
• Create compelling storytelling materials—brochures, case studies, videos, web content—to highlight the importance of gifts in wills
• Develop strong relationships with all relevant external stakeholders and audiences such as solicitors, executors, funeral directors, legacy enquirers and pledgers and with supporters who may be recently bereaved
• Set and monitor KPIs, measure campaign performance, and report on results to internal stakeholders
• Develop annual budgets and plans to deliver the legacy and in memory programme

About You

• Experience of delivering a legacy and/or in-memory programme
• Experience of and resilience to meeting targets and KPIs
• Experience of delivering presentations or public speaking
• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams
• Strong level of knowledge and understanding of probate, trusts, tax and property issues related to charitable legacies

What We Offer 

• £40,000 per annum
• 37.5 hours per week
• Hybrid role - based in nearest Acorns hospice (Walsall, Worcester or Birmingham), home working and travel to across the West Midlands
• Employee discounts from leading retailers – including the Blue Light Card
• Discounts on refurbished tech
• Health cash plan
• Gym membership and equipment discount scheme
• Bike2Work scheme - save up to 42% on bikes and equipment 
• Wellbeing, legal and financial support
• Career development through our Acorns Academy offering leadership, coaching, fundraising, clinical training and more.   
• Generous contribution to group personal pension plan (7.5%) or continuation of current NHS pension scheme
• NHS pension scheme life assurance or Acorns group life assurance scheme
• Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service 

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 3 June

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and therefore any successful candidate will be asked to provide two satisfactory references.

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting organisation, we are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within the organisation. As an employee you will be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights and support all children to be Rights Holders.

Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.  ​

• Directorate: Innovation, Policy & Systems Change
• Reporting into: Associate Director of Research, Learning and Systems Change
• Colleagues reporting into role: No direct reports at present. However, coaching and managing of volunteers and/or consultants is expected. 
• Location: You can be home-based anywhere in the UK, with travel for meetings. You can also choose to work from our Bristol or London offices.
• Closing date: Monday 8 June at 12 midday
• Interview dates: Monday 15 June and Tuesday 16 June (please tell us in your application if you cannot attend interview on one of these days)

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.

We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise well-being. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time.

About the role

We’re looking for a Head of Research & Evidence to join our ambitious Research, Learning & Systems Change Team. 

Young Lives vs Cancer has a strong and growing commitment to changing the system for children and young people with cancer, and their loved ones. Our North Star vision and Time is Now Strategy focus on influencing how the wider system works – from services and policy to practice on the ground – so that families get the support they need.

The Head of Research and Evidence sits in the Research, Learning & Systems Change team, within our Innovation, Policy & Systems Change Directorate. The role is responsible for ensuring our work is grounded in strong, credible and useful evidence, and that learning is actively used to shape decisions, practice and change across the system.

This is a leadership role within a small but ambitious team. You will set direction and provide thought leadership, but you will also be hands on – designing, commissioning, managing and using research alongside colleagues and partners.

Building trusted relationships and using evidence to influence thinking and action are central. You will work with colleagues, children and young people, families, and partner organisations (such as the North Star Cancer Collective) to learn, strengthen credibility and create change.

This role is subject to a Criminal Record Check. In the event of a successful application, a Basic Criminal Record Check will be completed. A previous conviction is not necessarily a barrier to employment. We encourage qualified applicants to apply, and we will consider each case individually.

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. You’ll work as part of a strong internal team, collaborating closely with colleagues across the organisation and with key external partners to generate, use and apply evidence that supports learning, influence and system change. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description and pack:

• You’ll be setting the direction for research and learning, leading a clear and purposeful research programme focused on the psychosocial experiences of children and young people with cancer. You’ll ensure research is high‑quality, ethical and impactful, including commissioning work with partners and contributing to research funding bids.

• You’ll be understanding needs and experiences to grow a strong, credible evidence base, building and using robust evidence on need, inequality, impact and progress to inform strategy, services, policy and system change. You’ll ensure children, young people and families meaningfully shape research and that insight is shared in clear, practical ways.

• You’ll be providing system insight and leadership, analysing how the system works, identifying trends and pressures, and using evidence to guide where change is most needed. You’ll build trusted relationships across the voluntary sector, NHS and research community, sharing learning and strengthening our credibility and influence.

• You’ll be turning learning into action and influence, helping teams apply research to real‑world practice and supporting testing, learning and improvement over time. You’ll put feedback and learning loops in place and assess how research‑informed change is affecting practice and outcomes.

What do I need? 

Diverse perspectives and unique skill sets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.

The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:

• Experience leading and delivering research, including setting direction, choosing methods, commissioning or carrying out research, analysing data, and ensuring high quality and ethical practice.

• Strong research and analytical skills, with confidence working with both qualitative and quantitative data and evidence, and turning insight into practical action.

• Experience using evidence to support change, such as shaping strategy, influencing policy, improving services or supporting system change.

• Experience working across organisations, building trusted relationships with colleagues, partners, and where appropriate, children, young people and families.

• Ability to communicate complex research clearly and accessibly to different audiences, in writing and in conversation.

• A collaborative way of working, with strong people skills, curiosity and a learning mindset, and a clear commitment to equity, inclusion and anti‑oppressive practice.

What will I gain?

For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Well-being, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value AI adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to tell us about your skills and experiences in your own voice.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible. Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

To hear more about this role, please sign up to one of our informal drop in sessions taking place at 12:30pm on Tuesday 26th May and 17:30pm on Monday 01st June.

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