Challenge events fundraiser jobs in Bristol, bristol city

Are you a skilled relationship-builder with corporate fundraising experience? Do you love spending time in the outdoors and want to help young people from Somerset? Join the Youth Adventure Trust's small but mighty team and use your skills to help transform the lives of vulnerable young people.

The Role

Having launched our Youth Adventure Programmes in Somerset in 2024, we are now looking for somebody who wants to take the next step in their fundraising career to build on the foundations of the last two years and significantly increase our presence in the county. 

As our Regional Corporate Fundraiser,  you'll be the driving force behind our local business partnerships, working with both large companies operating in the region and smaller local businesses looking to support their communities. 

Your role will encompass:

• Relationship building: Identifying and securing new corporate partnerships while providing high-quality stewardship to our existing Somerset-based supporters.

• Community Engagement: Championing our work in Somerset by giving engaging talks to community groups and networking with local businesses.

• Event delivery: Playing a key role in delivering local fundraising challenge events, the bi-annual Somerset Adventure Dinner and developing new opportunities to unite the Somerset business community behind our mission.

You'll work closely with the Corporate Partnership Manager and the Director of Fundraising and Communications to ensure each proposal is bespoke and every corporate partner understands the impact of their support on local young people.  You must live in Somerset, have a good local awareness and be willing to travel around the county and beyond to nurture long-lasting, strategic relationships.

About You

We are looking for a people-person, who is self-motivated and highly organised. You are as comfortable in the board room engaging business leaders as  you are standing on a mountain side in your waterproofs! You will be:

• Experienced: A proven track record in building successful corporate partnerships and achieving income targets;

• A relationship fundraiser: building long-lasting meaningful relationships should be at the heart of every single corporate partnership;

• An inspiring communicator:  You will be telling our story in a variety of different ways to inspire support and grow our networks;

• Self-motivated:  You are comfortable working from home but eager to be ‘out and about’ in the business community;

• Pro-active and creative: No corporate partnership is the same, so you will be proactive in understanding a corporate partner’s motivation and coming up with creative ideas to build successful relationships;

• Local: You must live in or near Somerset to maximise local networking opportunities, attend regular in-person meetings and events  and confidently talk about local issues facing both businesses and the young people we support through our programmes;

• Outdoorsy: A genuine love for the outdoors, comfortable in wellies and waterproofs with an understanding of 'the power of the outdoors'.

The Charity

At the Youth Adventure Trust, we use outdoor adventure to empower vulnerable young people from Swindon, Wiltshire and Somerset to fulfil their potential and lead positive lives in the future. We work with them to build resilience, develop confidence and learn skills that will last a lifetime, helping them to face the challenges in their lives. Dedicated support, guidance and mentoring from our staff and volunteers ensures young people receive the maximum benefit from our long-term intervention. Our aim is to make a lasting improvement to the lives of vulnerable young people. All our services are provided completely free of charge to the young people who are nominated by schools and other youth organisations to take part.

We’re proud to offer our programmes completely free of charge to participants which means the fundraising team is crucial. With ambitious plans to help more young people from Somerset over the coming years, our Regional Corporate Fundraiser role is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference for local young people.  Whilst you will have the flexibility of a 21-hours-per-week role, this could increase as more corporate partnerships are secured. You’ll be part of a small fundraising team with a big heart, with plenty of opportunities to visit our programmes and see the tangible impact of your work. 

Safer Recruitment

The Youth Adventure Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and requires all employees to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

Does this sound like you?

If you love being outdoors, enjoy talking to people and have amazing organisation skills, then our Events Fundraising Officer role is for you. Each year, almost 1,000 people take part in a Youth Adventure Challenge Event. We are looking for a dynamic Events Fundraising Officer to help recruit and support our fundraisers, assist with the organisation of events and help us to develop this significant income stream.

Working alongside the Challenge Events Manager, the Events Fundraising Officer is instrumental in every step of delivering well-managed, fun and safe events for our corporate partners and event participants, as well as ensuring the fundraising success of each event.

Excellent communication and people skills will be essential as you will play a key role in building up relationships with the clients, the participants and their supporters. Furthermore, you will be involved in the whole process of event organisation, including developing the event, preparing the resources, helping with logistics, maintaining accurate records, reporting and banking and thanking. 

The Fundraising Officer must be self-motivated, well organised, able to multi-task, a strong administrator, a fantastic team player, have excellent inter-personal skills and enjoy being outdoors.  Paid or voluntary experience in a fundraising environment is essential.  This is a great opportunity for somebody looking to take the next step in their career, with plenty of scope to develop your skills and experience within a supportive team. Whilst the role is home-based you must live in the South West to ensure easy access for in-person meetings.

The Charity

At the Youth Adventure Trust, we use outdoor adventure to empower vulnerable young people from Swindon, Wiltshire and Somerset to fulfil their potential and lead positive lives in the future. We work with them to build resilience, develop confidence and learn skills that will last a lifetime, helping them to face the challenges in their lives. Dedicated support, guidance and mentoring from our staff and volunteers ensures young people receive the maximum benefit from our long-term intervention. Our aim is to make a lasting improvement to the lives of vulnerable young people. All our services are provided completely free of charge to the young people who are nominated by schools and other youth organisations to take part.

We’re proud to offer our programmes completely free of charge to participants which means the fundraising team is crucial. With ambitious plans to help more young people over the coming years, our Events Fundraising Officer role is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference. You’ll be well-supported as part of a small fundraising team with a big heart, with plenty of opportunities to visit our programmes and see the tangible impact of your work.

Safer Recruitment

The Youth Adventure Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and requires all employees to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance. 

We have an exciting new role at Bags of Taste!

We’re looking for an  enthusiastic and passionate experienced Corporate and Community Fundraiser to play a key role in the growth of our corporate and community income and develop new partners. This brand new role will develop fundraising opportunities with businesses and  community groups, helping to broaden our supporter base and strengthen long-term relationships. 

This is an fantastic opportunity for a motivated and proactive individual who is keen to make a tangible difference. This is the first time we’ve recruited a corporate and community fundraiser and there is significant opportunity to raise funds as our organisation grows. The issues of health and well-being across the population and food insecurity are urgent and our work directly addresses these critical issues. 

You’ll be a key part of the growth of Bags of Taste’s fundraising activity and will be able to make this your own role. We’re initially recruiting this role as a one year contract however we expect this to become a permanent role as funding allows and we’ll review this with the post holder after six months.

Key responsibilities

Corporate Fundraising

● Develop and implement a plan to raise funds from companies (this could be nationwide or within local project areas) with the Head of Fundraising and Comms

● Research corporate fundraising opportunities and develop a pipeline of prospects

● Approach new businesses to financially support Bags of Taste through presentations, applications, pitches and proposals

● Devise partnership opportunities where required eg volunteering days/fundraising ideas

● Work across the organisation to develop leads via staff, Directors and volunteers

● Account manage all corporate supporters in order to develop strong long-term relationships

● Attend networking events to develop new leads.

Community Fundraising

● Develop and implement a plan to raise funds from community groups. This could include events, peer to peer fundraising or volunteer led activity

● Provide guidance, resources, and encouragement to community fundraisersto help maximise their fundraising efforts.

● Attend networking events where needed.

Relationship Development and Stewardship

● Build and develop relationships with all corporate and community partners

● Develop fundraising tools and guidance for all supporters

● Ensure excellent stewardship for all partners in order to build strong, long term relationships. This includes good recognition and communication (reporting and updating).

Administration

● Prepare budgets where needed, track income and forecasts

● Maintain accurate records acrosscorporate and community fundraising

● Ensure compliance with all fundraising regulations, GDPR and organisational policies.

General

● Support and supervise volunteers as and when required

● Attend and support networking events or other events or fundraising activity as required to represent Bags of Taste, including occasional working outside of normal office hours, including some evenings or weekends.

● Undertake other duties appropriate to the role to support the aims of Bags of Taste.

Person specification

Essential

● A minimum of  2 years of experience managing all aspects of corporate fundraising within a charity (including experience of securing new business, account management and stewardship)

● Experience of community fundraising

● A successful track record of securing corporate and community income

● Exceptional interpersonal and presentation skills

● Excellent written skills - you’ll need to be able to write compelling presentations, proposals, applications and reports

● Ability to build a rapport with a wide range of stakeholders

● Strong negotiation skills

● Ability to network, build, and nurture relationships with a wide variety of people

● Excellent organisation and project management skills and ability to work to tight deadlines

● Proactive, self motivated and tenacious 

● Self starter with the ability to set your own workload

● Strong attention to detail 

● Strong IT skills including all Word packages

● Strong knowledge of all social media channels including relationship building on Linked in 

● Good understanding of the relevant fundraising codes of practice and GDPR/data protection

● Passion for the work of Bags of Taste 

● Flexible and able to attend networking events/events occasionally out of work hours as part of the role.

Desirable

● A relevant professional qualification eg Institute of Fundraising Certificate or Diploma in Fundraising or sales or marketing

● Good understanding of CANVA and WordPress

● Good understanding and knowledge of food insecurity and health issues

Why join Bags of Taste?

● You’ll be part of a small, ambitious organisation with a big vision and a strong sense of purpose. The issues around health inequalities and poor diets and the need for solutions are critical.

● This is a hugely flexible role in a supportive organisation.

About Bags of Taste

The work of Bags of Taste and the issues that we tackle are highly topical and relevant so there is a lot of opportunity and scope to raise funds from companies and the community. Our vision that everyone should be able to access and cook good food has never been more important. 

We address dietary related health inequalities and food insecurity - both these issues have been exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis and public health challenges. There is recognition now that food banks are not a sustainable solution and Bags of Taste works across a number of high need communities enabling people to be happier, healthier and more resilient.

The main purpose of this role is to write persuasive funding applications to secure the income needed to enable Cerebral Palsy Plus to continue its work.

The postholder will build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing supporters and contribute to the development of all areas of fundraising.

The part-time fundraiser will also work with the Director to contribute to the development and implementation of Cerebral Palsy Plus’s Income Generation & Fundraising strategy.

Supporter Care and Engagement Fundraiser

We are seeking a motivated and organised Supporter Care and Engagement Fundraiser to help deliver an outstanding supporter journey for a national children’s charity.

Position: Supporter Care and Engagement Fundraiser
Salary: £27,285 per annum
Location: Remote, with options to work from offices in Cornwall, Derbyshire or London
Hours: Full time, flexible options may be available
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 17:00 on 20 March 2026

Early applications are encouraged as the organisation reserves the right to close the advert early should a suitable candidate be identified.

About the Role

This is a key frontline role within a driven and collaborative Fundraising and Communications team. You will play an essential part in delivering excellent supporter care, managing fundraising systems and strengthening engagement across the charity’s growing supporter base.

Working closely with the Supporter Engagement and Fundraising Manager, you will help deliver an ambitious fundraising strategy, ensuring supporters receive a positive, consistent and engaging experience at every touchpoint.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the first point of contact for supporter enquiries via phone, email and post
• Managing the fundraising inbox and responding to requests from individuals and organisations
• Processing and recording donations accurately, including Gift Aid compliance
• Supporting personalised acknowledgement and stewardship of donors
• Maintaining and updating the CRM system, including The Raiser’s Edge
• Producing reports and supporting fundraising appeals through data segmentation and analysis
• Supporting individual fundraisers and challenge events participants
• Assisting with fundraising campaigns, appeals and donor events
• Contributing to the production of fundraising and marketing materials
• Identifying opportunities to improve systems and automate processes

You will also support the wider day to day operations of the Fundraising and Communications function, ensuring efficiency and sustainability.

About You

You will be confident working with data and CRM systems and motivated by delivering excellent supporter experiences.

You will bring:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in fundraising, events, business development or supporter care
• Experience of working with a donor database, ideally The Raiser’s Edge
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office
• A proactive and positive approach
• The ability to work collaboratively within a small team

You will be highly motivated, compassionate and committed to providing a high quality service. A willingness to travel and work occasional evenings or weekends will be required.

About the Organisation

You will be joining a small but ambitious national children’s charity that supports young people facing significant challenges. The organisation provides life changing opportunities that allow children to step away from daily pressures and build confidence for a brighter future.

The team is friendly, collaborative and values driven, with a strong commitment to safeguarding, equality and reducing environmental impact.

You may also have experience in areas such as; Fundraising Officer, Supporter Care Officer, Individual Giving Officer, Donor Care Executive, Fundraising Administrator, CRM Executive, Events Fundraiser, Challenge Events Officer, Development Officer, or Supporter Engagement Officer.

If you feel you would be a strong fit for this role and share the organisation’s values, we would welcome your application.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client - Not For Profit People.

We are looking for a skilled and energetic Fundraiser to lead revenue generation at this outstanding, award-winning, international charity. Working alongside the Director, there is exceptional scope for securing the support of high net-worth individuals, regular givers and Trusts and Foundations. This is a new post and you will have an important role in shaping the future of HYT.

Please see attached the full job description below.

Dataro are looking for a Partnerships & Marketing UK Manager to help grow their presence across the UK charity sector. This is a varied role that combines partnership development with hands-on marketing and events delivery, making it ideal for someone who enjoys building relationships, spotting opportunities, and turning ideas into action. 

Around 70% of the role will focus on partnerships and new business growth; identifying and developing collaborations that build pipeline and raise Dataro’s profile across the UK. The remaining 30% will focus on delivering marketing activity and events on the ground, from conferences and webinars to partner activations and community engagement. 

You’ll work closely with Dataro’s global marketing and partnerships team, with access to the tools, systems and support needed to make things happen. While the role sits within a global team, this position will play a key part in shaping and delivering activity specifically for the UK charity market. 

This role could suit people from a range of backgrounds. You might currently be working in corporate partnerships, marketing, partnerships, data, or events within a UK charity, or in a technology or service provider that works with the nonprofit sector. What matters most is that you understand how strong relationships translate into income and impact, and that you’re comfortable taking ideas from concept through to delivery. 

Importantly, you don’t need to meet every single element on the person specification to apply. If you have experience building partnerships, running sector-facing marketing activity, or working closely with charities - and you’re someone who enjoys spotting opportunities and making things happen - we’d love to hear from you. 

This is a great opportunity to join a growing organisation that still retains the energy and ownership of a startup environment, while working with charities across the UK to help them strengthen their fundraising and supporter engagement. 

Application notes

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please contact THINK Recruitment via the contact info in the pack to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date.

If you need assistance with downloading the pack, please scontact THINK Recruitment and our team will support you.

Timeframes 

Closing date for applications: Midnight 24th March

Virtual interviews – Tuesday 1st or Wednesday 2nd April 

There when it matters

About the role:

The prospect research and pipeline management role will support high value fundraising across the Corporate, Trust and Community or Regional fundraising teams through prospect research, network mapping, lead qualification, and due diligence checks. This role will also manage the pipeline management process on our CRM ensuring the teams have access to dashboards tracking their donors across the stages of solicitation and be able to provide insight reports into how well we are moving prospects through the pipelines. This role will also be required to develop processes and ensure we are working within data protection and fundraising regulations and that our due diligence is tracked and auditable.

About you:

• Educated to degree level or with equivalent relevant work experience
• Familiarity with prospect research tools and the ability to identify and recommend the best tools to support our work using the budget as cost effectively as possible.
• Thorough working knowledge of GDPR as it relates to major donor fundraising and the Fundraising codes to practise.
• Experience of undertaking due diligence checks on prospective donors and of setting up and implementing policies and processes to ensure and demonstrate adherence to regulatory compliance.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build supportive and collaborative relationships with colleagues both across fundraising and the organisation including the ability to chair meetings and present data and insight.
• Experience of working on a variety of requests and ability to manage and prioritise workload whilst being responsive

Essential Criteria
• Previous experience of driving forward process improvements, implementing new processes or systems, and working with colleagues to embed such change.
• Skilled at using a relationship management database (or CRM) to track prospects through the solicitation process, produce dashboards and reports and glean insight from data.
• Experience of delivering prospect research activities to identify and qualify leads for fundraising teams across corporate, trust and major donor income streams.
• Working knowledge of high value income streams and what will support fundraisers in achieving income growth.
• Experience of providing relevant high quality and accurate research profiles with developed research skills and attention to detail
• Proven experience in identifying new high-value funding prospects from the database and other sources including major donors, corporate partners, and trusts.
• Proven ability to be proactive in network mapping securing new prospects or additional opportunities from existing networks e.g. see that a major donor is also a trustee of a grant giving trust or the CEO of a potential corporate partner.

Sue Ryder is here to make sure everyone approaching the end of their life or living with grief can access the support they need. There is no one size fits all when it comes to how we cope and the help we need, but with our support, no one has to face dying or grief alone.

Benefits
• Company pension scheme
• 27 days holiday - rising to 33 with length of service plus bank holidays
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Enhanced sick pay
• Employee Networks - LGBTQ+, Ethnic Diversity and Equality, People with Disabilities, and Women and Non Binary Individuals
• Staff discount of 10% on new goods online
• Structured induction programme and learning and development opportunities.

For more of our employee benefits please visit our website.

We actively encourage applications from people from all backgrounds to help us to provide the best possible experience for the people who use our services and continue to make Sue Ryder a great place to work, and attract and recruit the best, most diverse workforce possible.
We are particularly interested in increasing applications from the global majority, LGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities as they are currently underrepresented in our organisation.

If you want more than just a job, we want you.
Join the team and be there when it matters.

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 delighted to be recruiting for Head of Northern Ireland to be the senior ambassador and strategic leader for Mary’s Meals across Northern Ireland. This role is remote however we require candidates to be based in Northern Ireland.

While playing a key role within the wider Development Directorate, you will guide how Mary’s Meals is seen, understood, and felt in Northern Ireland – shaping our public profile, driving sustained income growth, and building the partnerships and grassroots energy needed to grow our movement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working cross-directorate to create and deliver a fundraising growth strategy for Northern Ireland, rooted in regional insight, cultural understanding, and community needs, and aligned with the global and national strategy.​

• Working with the Communications team, shape a clear and compelling narrative, respecting the nation’s strong identity.​

• Identify emerging opportunities across Northern Ireland, including diocesan networks, local relationships, and regional giving patterns, adjusting plans quickly to drive maximum impact.​

• Serve as the senior MMUK representative in Northern Ireland, ensuring activity aligns with the national organisational strategy.​

• Act as the leading spokesperson for Mary’s Meals in Northern Ireland, representing the charity to churches, schools, local authorities, individuals, universities, and community or business networks.​

• Spend focused time externally; networking, nurturing partnerships and driving growth through representing the charity at events, meetings, faith gatherings, conferences, and civic forums.

• Proactively cultivate, pursue, and develop fundraising opportunities via networking and outreach with the aim of securing support for our school feeding programme.​

• Develop and maintain a robust national growth pipeline, ensuring proactive identification, cultivation, conversion, and stewardship of opportunities.​

• Significant focus on the growth and development of new Volunteer Fundraising Groups in counties across Northern Ireland.

• Line manage and coach a Regional Development Officer, enabling them to become a confident, high‑performing fundraiser.

• Serve as a trusted media spokesperson for press, broadcast, and faith media when required.​

• Work closely with the Communications team to provide compelling local supporter stories, impactful moments, and local activity to showcase.​

• Shape national to local messaging so that campaigns resonate with audiences across Northern Ireland.

To apply for the role of Head of Northern Ireland based at Mary’s Meals UK, please follow 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.

Closing date for applications is Tuesday, 24 March 2026.

Interviews will commence week commencing 30th March 2026. 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.

Health Professional Education and Engagement Manager

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We currently have employees working across four nations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to deliver our ambitious new strategy, On a Mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Job Summary

A key focus of our strategy is to reach and engage with as many people as possible, affected by and at risk of bowel cancer, by embedding our information and support services within NHS diagnostic, treatment and care pathways. As Health Professional Education and Engagement Manager you will play a central role in helping us achieve this. With a focus on developing networks in primary care and developing existing relationships with CNS’s and secondary care health professionals, you will work across the UK to understand the needs of these stakeholders and identify ways in which we can support them. You will lead the development of our health professional education programme, combining live education events with online learning modules.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

Head of Mass Supporter Fundraising

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We currently have employees working across four nations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to deliver our ambitious new strategy, On a Mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Are you an experienced fundraising leader who wants to be part of creating a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer? This could be the role for you!

Bowel Cancer UK is seeking an exceptional, growth-driven Head of Mass Supporter Fundraising to join our team. We have set a bold ambition to significantly increase income over the next five years, ensuring everyone diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK receives the support they need.

This is a rare opportunity to build and scale a data-led fundraising programme, increase our visibility in a competitive landscape, and develop a high-performing talented team capable of delivering sustained, multi-million-pound income growth. You will lead the development of transformational strategies and play a critical role in the management of the charities CRM to significantly scale revenue while ensuring digital innovation is at the heart of all strategic decision-making. You will take full ownership of mass supporter fundraising budgets and provide visionary leadership by directly managing team managers to foster a culture of professional growth.

The salary is £51,241, plus £2,000 London Weighting if applicable and a contributory pension scheme. The position is home-based UK-wide, with required travel to our London-based Hub space in Kennington. We offer 27 days of holiday, plus three discretionary days between Christmas and New Year in addition to statutory holidays, complimented by a range of brilliant staff benefits.

If you have a proven track record in digital acquisition, harnessing data to support decision-making, managing multi-million-pound budgets, and know what it takes to motivate and lead a brilliant team, we want to hear from you.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

This is a home-based role, working Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Applications are welcome from candidates based outside Belfast, provided they are resident in Northern Ireland and able to commute to the Belfast office if required.

The External Affairs Manager plays a pivotal role in empowering people with sight loss to live the life they choose. This position leads the development of policy and campaigns within the country, aligning with Guide Dogs’ strategic objectives. Working collaboratively with the central policy, public affairs, and campaigns team, as well as the country leadership team, the role builds strategic partnerships with government bodies, local authorities, societies, and other key organisations. This ensures Guide Dogs remains informed and influential on all policy initiatives affecting the organisation and its stakeholders.

The post holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day leadership, management and oversight of a team.

The post-holder is responsible for shaping policy positions, drafting responses to consultations from councils, combined authorities, and devolved governments, and driving impactful campaigns at a regional level. A key focus is increasing the involvement of blind and partially sighted people in advocacy and campaigning.

Additionally, the role leads the implementation of Guide Dogs’ regional marketing and communications strategy across the Devolved Nations. This includes raising brand awareness, engaging diverse audiences—service users, families, volunteers, donors, and the public—and delivering integrated communications plans that strengthen Guide Dogs’ presence and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Development

• Lead the creation of country-specific policy and position papers, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy.
• Prepare responses to consultation papers from devolved administrations, local government, and regional bodies.
• Represent Guide Dogs on committees, working groups, and forums, staying informed on policy issues impacting the organisation and its service users.

Public Affairs

• Build and influence relationships with key stakeholders, including elected representatives and senior officials.
• Represent Guide Dogs at Government Scrutiny Committees and cross-party groups.
• Act as the primary liaison with local government and statutory agencies.

Campaigns & Influence

• Strategically lead and coordinate campaigns at a country level, ensuring alignment with devolved policy priorities.
• Develop and deliver campaigns addressing local needs of the visually impaired community.
• Foster partnerships within the Third Sector to build consensus and amplify Guide Dogs’ strategic aims. 

Leadership & People Management

• Provide strong leadership to local staff and volunteers, promoting best practice and knowledge-sharing.
• Oversee recruitment, performance management, and compliance with safeguarding policies.
• Ensure high levels of engagement through effective communication and leadership.

Financial Accountability

• Support fundraising initiatives and monitor operational budgets to ensure efficiency and compliance.

Diversity & Inclusion

• Champion Guide Dogs’ diversity agenda, ensuring services are inclusive and accessible.
• Work with external partners to create a more inclusive environment for people with sight loss.

How to apply 

Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, or require any accessibility support to apply, our friendly recruitment team is ready and waiting to help.

As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.

Are you a highly organised project leader with a track record of developing rigorous and impactful processes? Do you want to lead the delivery of the nationally-recognised accreditation transforming mental health in higher education? This could be the role for you.

We’re looking for a methodical and strategic Programme Manager (Award) to manage the end-to-end delivery of University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) Award and act as key spokesperson for the programme. 

You’ll play a vital role in ensuring that the Award upholds its standards and values, and continues to develop and scale, supporting positive change for staff and students at universities across the UK.

About the role

• Lead the delivery of the nationally-recognised accreditation for mental health in higher education: the University Mental Health Charter Award.
• The UMHC Award recognises universities that promote the mental health and wellbeing of their university communities and supports them to continually improve. 
• You will own the end-to-end management of a complex, high-profile and impactful programme, balancing administrative excellence and strategic development.

Key responsibilities

• Drive the Award lifecycle, from onboarding universities, coordinating our network of assessors and managing the Award panel.
• Scale and continually improve the Award process, ensuring it remains rigorous, impactful and values-led.
• Act as key spokesperson and point of contact for universities and other stakeholders.
• Responsible for budget, risk and line management. 

What we’re looking for

• Proven track record of managing complex projects.
• Experience developing, maintaining and improving robust systems and processes.
• A rigorous approach to accuracy and quality control.
• Comfortable holding difficult conversations with stakeholders at all levels.
• A commitment to co-production, equality, anti-racism and an interest in mental health.

Find out more about the essential criteria for this role by downloading our Recruitment Pack from the documents section.

What you will gain

• The chance to contribute to a high-impact national programme supporting better mental health for university communities across the UK.
• Experience in a varied role with opportunities to learn and develop.
• A supportive and collaborative workplace culture that values wellbeing.
• Flexibility in how and where you work. 

How to apply
If this sounds like a good fit, we’d love to hear from you!

1. Click “Redirect to recruiter”, then scroll to the 'Vacancies and volunteering' section of our 'Join our team' page to access the job listing.
2. Download the recruitment pack in the document section at the bottom of this page, where you’ll find more information about the role including responsibilities and person specifications. 
3. Download and complete our application form - instead of collecting CVs, we use an application form to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all. 
   1. Please refrain from including any identifying details in your application answers.
4. Upload your completed application form as a word document. 
   1. Please note that once you start your application on our portal, you will have 24 hours to upload your completed form. Before clicking 'Apply' and beginning the application process, make sure your form is fully completed and ready to upload.
5. Complete the Equality Monitoring Form.

Student Minds is committed to building an inclusive team and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and walks of life.