Chief operating officer jobs in balham, greater london

Age International are offering a fantastic opportunity for a Programme Development and Funding Manager.

Working within our Programme Development and Funding Team, this role offers variety, and a chance to make a meaningful contribution to our work with, and for older people around the world.

The post-holder will work closely with partners globally, across the programme funding cycle, from the design and development of projects to contract management and reporting. They will also support Age International to build relations and secure funding from a wide range of institutional donors, and to manage one of our key donor portfolios. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with experience of working with and securing funds from large UK and European trusts and foundations.

This role focuses on helping secure funds for projects which align with our core thematic priorities: healthy ageing, secure incomes, combatting ageism, and inclusive humanitarian action. This is not just about securing funding however, and the post-holder will also be a focal point for one of Age International's strategic areas of focus, helping to share and promote thematic learning across the organisation, and with our partners.

We operate a hybrid working model. We offer flexibility on working from home but require the applicant to be in our central London office a minimum of three days per month. Travel costs to the London office are the responsibility of the postholder and are not covered by the charity.

Must haves:

The below competencies will be assessed at the indicated stage of the recruitment process: Application = A, Interview = I, Test = T, Presentation = P

Experience

• A strong background in international development, and commitment to the values and work of Age International and the wider HelpAge network. (A, I)
• Demonstrable experience of working with a wide range of institutional donors, and of securing high value grants from multiple sources. (A, I)
• Experience of supporting work in Africa, Asia, Eurasia / Middle East. (A

Skills and knowledge

• Excellent grant management skills, and demonstrable experience of managing multiple projects and programmes, in a range of contexts globally. (A, I)
• Solid experience leading in the design and development of project proposals, and of ensuring effective involvement of all stakeholders. (A, I, T)
• Fluent in English with excellent written and verbal communication skills (A, I, P)

Personal attributes

• Able to work proactively and supportively within a team. (I)
• Ability to operate under pressure and manage multiple, often competing demands with sound judgement and composure. (A)

Great to haves:

The below competencies will be assessed at the indicated stage of the recruitment process: Application = A, Interview = I, Test = T, Presentation = P

Experience

• Experience of securing funds from non-traditional sources. (I)
• Experience of working on any of Age International's thematic priority areas. (I)
• Experience of fundraising for humanitarian programming. (I)
• Experience of leading in the development and implementation of fundraising strategies and plans. (I, P)

Skills and Knowledge

• A degree calibre level of education or equivalent in experience. (A)
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications, with confidence in using Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams in a professional environment. (T)
• Experience of cross-cultural capacity building and training. (I)

Personal attributes

• Able to travel to, and work with staff in overseas programme offices, sometimes at short notice. (I)

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• Techscheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free
• Blue Light Card Scheme
• You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

Supporting statements and anonymisation
Candidates are expected to provide a supporting statement that explains how they meet the competencies annotated with an ‘A’ in the job description, to assess suitability for the position. Age UK acknowledges and accepts that AI may be used to support the application; we do expect candidates to personalise experience, knowledge and skills and failure to do so, may result in your application being rejected.

Please submit a Word version of your CV as it will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role. Our system is unable to anonymise supporting statements and heavily formatted CVs. Please could you remove any personal information including your name before you upload to support our inclusive recruitment process. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us if invited for interview.

Equal opportunities & Disability Confident Scheme
Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. Age UK is a Disability Confident Scheme employer. Due to high numbers of applications received, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Reasonable adjustments
Disabled job seekers can access reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. All requests for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with the disabled job seeker to best meet their needs, by contacting the Recruitment Team. Disability disclosures will be kept confidential and only shared on a need-to-know basis to support the implementation of adjustments. Disclosures will not be used to inform hiring decisions.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Age UK politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

For a full list of benefits please visit our website.

Stewardship is seeking an inspiring and strategic leader to head our Philanthropy Fund service. As part of our Leadership Team, you’ll champion biblical generosity, drive innovation, and lead a passionate team delivering exceptional service to high-impact donors.

You will lead a team of ten to deliver the vision for our Philanthropy Fund within Stewardship’s corporate strategy, lead and grow our Donor Advisory Board service, cultivate deep client relationships and expand our reach across philanthropy networks.  Driving income growth, providing data-led insights as well as representing Stewardship at key events. 

You'll need to be an empathetic leader, able to work strategically and collaboratively across teams.  A strong communicator with a passion for innovation and client relationships who is motivated by seeing lives transformed through Christian generosity. 

This is a 12 month, maternity cover role. 

As a result of our Christian ethos, this post is covered by an Occupational Requirement (OR) under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010. The successful applicant will be expected to be a practising Christian and to clearly demonstrate a personal commitment to the mission, principles, values and practices contained in our Ethos Statement, by:

· Active membership of local church congregation.

An understanding of the faith aspects of the work of Christian charities, including the preparedness to pray with colleagues, where appropriate.

Job Title:  Head of Policy and Engagement

Location:  London, (The Foundry, Vauxhall) 

Type: Permanent, hybrid

Hours: 4 days/28 hours a week 

Salary: £50k pa (FTE) 

About Equally Ours 

Equally Ours (previously the Equality and Diversity Forum) is a UK charity that brings together people and organisations working across equality, human rights and social justice to make a reality of these in everyone’s lives.

Through our members and networks, Equally Ours joins up research, policy and communications to shift public opinion and policy in positive and powerful ways. This is an exciting and pivotal time for us. At the end of 2022, we launched a 10-year strategy, 'Together for social justice', which sets out our bold agenda to increase equality and strengthen rights at scale.  

We are a voluntary membership organisation dedicated to supporting networks, communities and grassroots groups across the UK to influence public policy and decision-making processes.

This important new role aims to support London-based members and our wider networks in shaping meaningful, structural public policy changes that address climate action, social justice, and economic opportunity. This role will work at the intersection of national and London government agendas, ensuring that the diverse experiences of Londoners shape a more socially just London and the UK that protect and advances people's equality and human rights. 

Role Overview 

We are seeking a Head of Policy and Community Engagement to lead our policy advocacy and community engagement initiatives. This role is crucial in helping our members develop a collective voice, influence policy at both local and national levels, and drive long-lasting, systemic change. The successful candidate will work closely with London-based members and grassroots organisations, convening and facilitating opportunities to develop a unified and impactful voice and advocate for systemic change on key issues such as climate justice and resilience, employment inequality and economic inclusion, particularly in the context of public sector investment and the green economy. They will have a passion for human rights, equality and social justice, and strong policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement experience. 

Key Responsibilities 

Policy Advocacy & Engagement 

• Support Member Voice: Facilitate opportunities for our members (and their networks) to develop a unified and impactful voice on key policy issues.

• Drive structural change: Advocate for systemic, rather than piecemeal, policy reform on issues relating to climate action, law and economic opportunity.

• Policy research & analysis: synthesize research data, commission research, and stay informed on the priorities of national government, Greater London Authority and local borough councils, as well as those of funders, to provide members with strategic analysis and support in developing and influencing policy. 

• Focus on intersectionality: Promote the adoption of an intersectional, pan-equality, and human rights-based framework in policy areas such as the equality and human rights legal framework, climate justice and social investment. 

Community & Network Development 

• Develop and strengthen membership model: Lead efforts to develop and adapt our membership and engagement model, ensuring it remains responsive to the evolving needs of our London network and the wider movement.

• Equip grassroots groups: Work closely with grassroots organisations to build their capacity and influence on key issues, supporting them to engage directly with policymakers and participate meaningfully in policy debates.

• Promote collaboration and capacity building: Promote collaboration among members, encouraging the sharing of best practice, strengthening their collective voice, and enhancing their effectiveness in advocating for their communities. 

Strategic Initiatives & emerging trends 

• Horizon scanning and trend analysis: Monitor emerging trends in the climate, social justice, and community development sectors, ensuring strategies are adapted to address these developments.

• Network expansion: Identify opportunities to grow our network and extend our reach, ensuring more grassroots organisations are empowered to engage with policy agendas and drive systemic change. 

What skills and experiences we’re looking for: 

• Strong policy expertise: demonstrable experience of analysing evidence from a range of sources (lived experience, think tank and academic reports,) and working collaboratively with communities to identify the root causes of inequality and create policy solutions. Ideally in one or more of the areas of climate justice, economic opportunity, and social inclusion. 

• Community Engagement: Experience of working with grassroots organisations and local communities, with a focus on building capacity and amplifying their voices at local borough, London and UK government levels. 

• Advocacy Skills:

• Strong understanding and demonstrable experience of public policy change processes at the intersection of UK and London government agendas

• Proven ability to develop, lead, implement and monitor influencing strategies that drive systemic change 

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to think creatively and strategically about developing engagement models and responding to emerging trends in social and environmental justice movements. 

• Commitment: commitment to and a sound understanding of how to apply equality, intersectionality and human rights principles to public policy development, and the credibility to build trust with communities. 

• Network Building: Demonstrable experience in growing and supporting membership networks or coalitions, ideally in the voluntary or charity sector. 

• Emotional intelligence: High levels of emotional intelligence and resilience, including the understanding and ability to manage how lived experience of our privilege and inequality can impact in the workplace for yourself, colleagues and external stakeholders. 

• Managing staff: Experience managing at least one staff member, providing both task centered and pastoral support. The ability to hold and manage difficult feelings and conversations with tact and sensitivity. 

• Anti-racism: Commitment to embed anti-racism across all aspects of our work.

Desirable: 

• Experience of commissioning different types of research 

• Experience of working with impact monitoring and evaluation frameworks, for example theory of change methodology. 

Every second of every day, London’s Air Ambulance delivers rapid response and cutting-edge medical care to save lives in the city. Critical injury can happen to anyone, at any time and we are bring the hospital emergency department to the scene, delivering life-saving treatment to the 10 million people who live and work in London. 

This is a unique role based at The Royal London Hospital supporting our clinical and operational colleagues with the smooth running of our Helipad. It is a fast-paced support role in a busy emergency environment with competing priorities. Reporting to the Helipad Operations Manager, the role works closely with the London Air Ambulance operations and clinical teams.   

Crucially you will support with the maintenance of the emergency vehicles ensuring they are mission ready at all times, while managing the stock of medical equipment and supporting with general operations and administration.  

We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic person to join the team. You’ll have significant experience in an operational / administrative role and hold strong organisational and communication skills. A good understanding of patient confidentially is essential for the role and a background in a clinical environment and/or the charity sector is advantageous.

Essential requirements of this role are to have a full UK driving licence (maximum of 3 penalty points), be a minimum of 21 years of age and be a confident driver. 

At Radcliffe Housing Society, we believe in putting people first. We provide high-quality, person-centred housing services that empower residents to live independently and with dignity. We’re looking for a compassionate and proactive Independent Living Manager to help us achieve this mission across our Independent Living schemes.

About the role

As an Independent Living Manager, you’ll support older and vulnerable residents to sustain their tenancies, improve their well-being, and stay connected to their communities. You’ll offer practical advice, develop support plans, promote independence, and respond to emerging needs — all while managing properties to a high standard, and ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements.

What we’re looking for

· Experience supporting older/vulnerable adults, including those with complex needs

·Knowledge of tenancy management and housing-related legislation

·Excellent interpersonal skills and a compassionate, person-centred approach

·Ability to work under pressure.

·Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

·Strong organisational skills and confidence using IT systems

· Understanding of safeguarding, health and safety, and GDPR

· Ability to work flexibly across multiple locations

· Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (essential)

Why join Radcliffe?

We’re a small, committed, high-performing housing provider with big ambitions for our residents. You’ll be part of a supportive team where your voice counts, and your work makes a genuine impact. We offer flexible working, ongoing training, and a culture that values inclusion, integrity, and continuous improvement.

People’s Palace Projects (PPP) is a research-led arts charity based at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) of Arts Council England (ACE). We develop collaborative arts-based projects with artists, activists, academics, policy advocates, and audiences to address social and climate injustices in the UK, Brazil and beyond. Over the past 28 years, PPP has gained national and international recognition for extensive work exploring the power of creative practices and partnering with marginalised communities to drive change. 

The next five years (2025-2030) will focus on expanding research supported by leadership transition, strengthening capacity, and strategic development, while maintaining core values of collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation. At this exciting moment, PPP is seeking a new General Manager (part-time) to deliver and develop the financial, administrative, and HR systems that anchor our energetic programme of arts research activity and support our committed team to flourish.

Job Description 

• Title: General Manager
• Hours of work: 22.5 hours per week (0.6FTE) 
• Salary: £43,000 FTE (£25,800 actual)
• Location: PPP office, Queen Mary University of London Mile End campus.
  • Hybrid homeworking is available, and there will be an occasional requirement to attend events or meetings elsewhere.
• Reporting to: Executive Director (ED) 
• Supervising: Administration & Finance Officer (A&FO) 
• Notice period: 3 months (either side) 

Key Objectives 

• To lead on the Financial Accounting & Management, Human Resources, and Administration functions of People’s Palace Projects (PPP), working closely with the Directors and A&FO. 

• To support the operations of PPP’s Board of Trustees, including managing the business planning process. 

• To manage statistical monitoring and funder reporting. 

• To contribute to PPP’s overall strategic development as a member of the Governance Group (senior management team).

A thorough list of the role's duties and responsibilities, along with the person specification, can be found in the attached application pack.

Help build and diversity our income streams, and support the fundraising skills of the VCSE in Hammersmith & Fulham.

The post holder will be responsible for raising funds for Sobus from community fundraising, grants/trusts and developing other key income streams: major donors, regular giving and corporate.

The postholder will also provide information, support and guidance to Hammersmith & Fulham based VCSE organisations on fundraising activities.

The post holder will hold a strategic over view of Sobus’s fundraising needs and be a key player in the charity’s communications and marketing.

Your main duties will be to develop and manage our fundraising strategy, identify potential funding sources and create persuasive, winning funding applications and proposals.

You will also develop and deliver beginner level fundraising workshops for local micro and newly established VCS organisations, and provide help local VCSE organisations develop their fundraising strategies and funding applications

Job Title: Duty Independent Gender Violence Advocate (Duty IGVA)

Location: Lambeth, London
Salary: £23,085.69 per annum, inclusive of London weighting allowance 
Contract type: Part Time, Permanent 

Hours: 30 hours per week (Tuesday-Friday). Please note that the the operating hours of the service are 8AM- 6PM Monday- Friday with the expectation to work on some days 8- 4pm or 10- 6pm to cover. 

This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Duty Independent Domestic Violence Advocate to be the first point of contact for women who are impacted by domestic violence. You will work closely with victims of domestic abuse from the point of crisis and other gender-based abuse to provide high quality independent support to survivors all risk levels and their children..

In this role you will be part of a busy team. You will be the first point of contact for survivors who have been referred to the Gaia Centre. The duty IGVA will be responding to daily enquiries (specify from whom- public, agencies, individuals? over the phone and email as well as contacting survivors, assessing their risks and needs.

The duty IGVA will be responsible for carrying out and implementing safety plans and needs and will ensure an effective handover to the over to the relevant GAIA team for ongoing support. The post holder will also empower survivors by providing them with emotional, practical and personal welfare support. You will ensure that survivors are provided with a safe, supportive and welcoming environment, enabling them to access their rights, make decisions and increase their life options. The job involves working within a multi-agency framework consisting of the MARAC and local partnership protocols and procedures that prioritise the safety of survivors.

As part of this role, you will be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota.

Please note that this post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Closing Date: 09:00am 3rd September 2025

Interview Date: 11 and 12 September 2025

Purpose of the Role

To lead and manage support staff, working with service users in their homes. Be aware of and work to trauma informed principles and manage the service as a psychologically informed environment. Ensure staff to work to psychologically informed principles and help service users to develop aspirations for their future. This will include developing goals for employment training and education. To assist support staff to achieve tangible progress outcomes for their support clients. Outcomes that are in line with Causeway’s mission and with LB Haringey’s contractual requirements. Work with the CEO to review and develop policies, including for specialist training and support as necessary. Support the CEO to develop and implement an organisational client mental health strategy, for all support services. Ensure staff understand the purpose of the service and their role in delivering outcomes. Ensure continuous learning and development across the team by embedding learning from training and service reviews. Work closely with Causeway’s internal Housing Team to ensure residents are complying with the terms of their tenancy or licence agreements. Lead on client involvement within the service. To represent CIHA at external events and meetings when necessary.

Our Organisation

You will work a combination of office, client-home, community, and home-based working. Causeway is a 4-day week employer, so you will work 32 hours over 4 days a week. Causeway is a London living wage employer. You will receive a 6% pension contribution, rising to 12% after two years service. We also offer an employee assistance programme that provides free financial, legal, and mental health advice and support to our employees. We provide core training, and continuous learning and development throughout your career with us. Travel schemes such as cycle to work and travelcard loans are also available.

About Habitat for Humanity Great Britain

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain (Habitat GB) is part of the global Habitat for Humanity network fighting global poverty and homelessness. We believe that a decent home helps to permanently break the cycle of poverty and allows families to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Habitat GB has recently completed a strategic review, resulting in a new National Strategy and an organisational restructure, to ensure the organisation is able to deliver the Strategy impactfully, efficiently and effectively.

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Location of this role: Home-based with regular travel to internal and external meetings and team events.

Job Purpose

Head of Major Gifts, Foundations and Trusts will be a key member of the Team.

With strong foundations already in place, Habitat for Humanity Great Britain are ready to take philanthropy to the next level—growing income from high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and foundations. This role offers the opportunity to grow and lead a talented team, cultivate transformational gifts, and build a sustainable, high-performing philanthropy programme. The role offers flexibility in how you manage your time and team, giving you the freedom to creatively approach donor stewardship, team development, and pipeline growth.

The foundations are already in place, over the past 3 years our team have established relationships with established and emerging Trusts and Foundations and created a robust set of stewardship journeys for new and existing donors.  We are in the process of launching an inspiring calendar of events from online webinars for mid-level donor conversion and early engagement to tailored thought leadership events and international project engagement. This is an exciting time to lend your philanthropy experience to a high growth area within Habitat for Humanity.

The role leverages the connections, networks, support, proposals/programmes and partnerships from across Habitat for Humanity GB and the Habitat for Humanity International network by working in collaboration, support and shared vision with others. As a member of the Fundraising and Partnerships Team the role will support and enable the development of the whole organisation. Externally, the role develops the profile of HFHGB, bringing in new relationships as well as managing existing, requiring strong oversight of fundraising and delivery.

We’re looking for a proven leader with hands-on experience in securing six and seven-figure gifts, developing high-value pipelines, and inspiring teams. The role is based remotely with frequent travel within the UK, and occasional global travel. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic and operational planning and research.
• Partnership working and development.
• Management and reporting of Major Donor fundraising.
• Being an active leader, collaborating effectively with teams, and contributing fully to initiatives and opportunities.
• Co-creating ways of working to enable an adaptive, collaborative and high performing team
• Leading and managing a team.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Strategic and operational planning and research

• Research and develop plans for fundraising from trusts, foundations, & philanthropists.  Collaborate with CEO, Board, and Development Councils to explore and equip opportunities to extend networks and relationships.
• Partnership working and development: Cultivate, secure and steward funding and relationships for HFHGB from major donors, high net worth individuals, trusts and foundations. Design and implement a programme of relationship development/stewardship and cultivation events.

Management and Reporting

• Develop oversight and reporting on development and delivery of Major Donor fundraising monitoring progress against key performance indicators.
• Maintaining the database of critical information (pipeline proposals, meetings, grants and donations. 

Leadership, networking and representation

• To develop a culture of support within the organisation. To lift others up and to give voice, agency and equity to all. Contribute to the Development Team, taking the lead on cross-organisational activities.
• Collaborate with the CEO to support/enable them to develop engagement with HFHGB.  Represent HFHGB externally at a senior level, building the organisational profile.

Skills and competencies:

• Extensive knowledge of trusts, foundations and high net worth individual fundraising best practice.
• Proven experience of raising 6 and 7 figure gifts from Trusts, Foundations and High Net Worth Individuals.
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing strategic plans for high value donors/ trusts and foundations.
• A strong track record of overseeing prospect research, pipeline development and delivering growth.
• Extensive experience of producing high quality and compelling donor facing proposals, reports and other materials.
• Experience of fundraising management databases.
• Strong interpersonal and professional network development skills
• Engaging communications style for all stakeholders.
• Empowering and engaging line management style and approach.
• Excellent numeracy skills including experience of financial planning, budgeting, target setting and presenting detailed financial information.
• A self-starter with creative, entrepreneurial energy and confidence to take calculated risks with tenacity to manage setbacks. 
• Strong integrity, showing respect for others, trustworthiness and responsibility.
• Commitment to our vision, mission and values.
• Right to work in the UK at time of application.
• Ability to travel in the UK and occasionally globally

The role and responsibilities will be carried out in a way which reflects:

•  Habitat GB’s commitment to safeguarding children in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy.
• A commitment to Habitat GB’s vision, mission, values and approach.
•  A commitment to effective management of risk, by operating within the Charity’s code of conduct, policies, procedures and controls and by carrying out the risk management and assurance responsibilities of the role as set out in relevant Policy and Procedures.

Sustainable Merton, Merton's award winning environmental charity, is recruiting a dynamic individual to oversee our Community Changemakers initiative and deliver grassroots acitivity in Pollards Hill, Mitcham.  If you are passionate about sustainability, volunteering and making a difference in a local community, we would love to hear from you!

This role combines volunteer leadership with project management. The successful candidate will split their time between:
- Project management and delivery of the WeRPollards project (2 days/week), a grassroots local initiative running from September 2025 to September 2026
- Volunteer and operational management (1 day/week), supporting the charity as a whole
You will work closely with Moat Housing to deliver the WeR Pollards Community Changemaker project and also lead the development and implementation of a new volunteering strategy, support colleagues to adopt new volunteer processes,
and oversee our charity policies to support compliance and our organisational growth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
WeRPollards project management
1. Group Development and Coordination
● Coordinate and facilitate monthly volunteer meetings at the Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio.
● Attend the Wellbeing Studio on a weekly basis, attend schools and community pop-up events to increase awareness of and community engagement in the project
● Support volunteers with soft and technical skills development on their path to becoming Community Changemakers.
● Encourage retention and progression of existing volunteers whilst increasing group membership from 15 to 30.
● Liaise with Moat Foundation officer and project tutors to establish a pathway into volunteering and increasing membership of the WeRPollards group
● Work with colleagues at Sustainable Merton to align this grass roots work with their borough wide initiatives such as Merton Garden Streets, Mitcham Community Orchard, Repair Cafes, Preloved Studio and Merton’s Community Fridge.

2. Community Engagement
● In partnership with Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio team, develop and implement a local engagement strategy to recruit and retain volunteers to become WeRPollards Community Changemakers.
● Design and deliver an induction and training programme for new volunteers.
● In collaboration with the PH Wellbeing Studio team conduct regular listening sessions to identify resident needs, interests and connect volunteers to, or help them develop, relevant community activities.
3. Project and Event Delivery
● Lead the volunteer group to plan and deliver community activities aligned with the 3R’s agenda, that are run out of the Wellbeing Studio, including:
○ Sewing Skills Workshops (Monthly, 10 sessions)
○ Community Gardening Sessions (Min. 5 sessions)
○ Repair Shed Sessions (Monthly, 9 sessions)
○ Street Planting Engagement & Delivery (Min. 3 events)

4. Capacity Building and Progression
● Deliver at least 6 training workshops including SMART goal setting and planning.
● Support residents to lead and take ownership of initiatives and to become Community Changemakers.
● Build a clear, accessible pathway for participation and leadership within the group and studio.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
● Track Key Performance Indicators including:
○ Volunteer numbers, growth and retention (Target: 30 volunteers, 60% retention)
○ Number of volunteer hours contributed
○ Number of accredited or certified training courses completed
○ Number of volunteers progressing into leadership roles
○ Attendance and engagement in all community sessions
● Conduct volunteer satisfaction surveys and gather qualitative feedback.
● Report quarterly on progress to PHCC meetings, outcomes and impact to the Pollards Hill Community Committee.

Volunteer and operational management - Sustainable Merton

● Develop and implement a volunteering strategy covering recruitment, retention, induction, training, and development
● Identify and recruit a cohort of Community Changemakers
● Draft volunteer role descriptions across all projects
● Conduct annual volunteer surveys
● Plan and deliver twice-yearly recruitment drives
● Establish a volunteer recognition scheme
● Build partnerships with local organisations
● Create centralised onboarding systems
● Maintain and manage safeguarding policies and training records
● Collaborate with volunteers and staff on fundraising campaigns and applications
● Ensure our policies are kept up to date
● Oversee risk register
● Support reporting and KPI tracking
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential

● Experience of managing and supporting volunteers
● Community Engagement experience
● Understanding of environmental issues & the 3R’s agenda
● Project coordination and planning
● Knowledge of volunteer database management and GDPR for volunteers
● Excellent organisational and communication skills
● Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
● Proficiency with Google Suite
Desirable

● Budget monitoring or financial oversight experience
● Bid writing experience
● Knowledge of Merton and the Pollards Hill area

The Vacancy

Job Title: Policy Manager

Location: London/Hybrid

Salary: £43,294.95 per annum

Weekly Hours: 35

Reference: YMC1130049

There’s a new opportunity for a strategic thinker with a passion for influencing public policy and making a real difference in young people’s lives.  YMCA England & Wales is looking for a Policy Manager to play a pivotal role in shaping the future for communities across the country.

As the largest and oldest youth charity in the world, YMCA is a dynamic federation committed to supporting young people in mind, body, and spirit. In this exciting and influential role, you’ll lead our policy function – ensuring YMCA's voice is heard across Westminster, Whitehall, and beyond.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Policy, Campaigns & Research, the Policy Manager will drive our engagement with government, policymakers, and stakeholders by crafting evidence-based positions that reflect the needs of the YMCA movement and the young people we serve.

You will be responsible for monitoring emerging policy developments, preparing responses to government announcements, and producing high-quality briefings and reports for internal and external stakeholders. You’ll work closely with local YMCAs to ensure our positions are grounded in lived experience and reflect the realities faced by communities across England and Wales.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape public discourse, build influential relationships, and help us champion the issues that matter most – from youth homelessness and mental health to employment and education.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of YMCA’s public policy positions using robust research and insights.
• Monitor, analyse, and respond to government announcements, select committee work, and policy shifts.
• Produce briefings and reports for the Chief Executive, Board of Trustees, and senior leaders.
• Develop strong relationships with government departments, civil servants, and coalition partners.
• Collaborate with local YMCAs to ensure grassroots experiences inform national policy.
• Amplify the voice of young people in all areas of policy development.
• Support and work closely with colleagues across the Policy, Communications & International (PCI) team.

About You

You are a confident communicator with a deep understanding of the UK policy landscape and experience influencing public policy at a senior level. You bring strategic insight, exceptional analytical skills, and the ability to turn complex information into clear, impactful messages.

You’ll have:

• Proven experience in a policy role, ideally in the charity or public sector.
• Strong political awareness and understanding of policy-making processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing briefings and reports for senior audiences.
• The ability to build collaborative relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.
• A passion for social justice and a commitment to YMCA’s mission and values.

Why Join Us?

At YMCA England & Wales, you’ll be part of a supportive, inclusive organisation making a tangible impact. You’ll help drive real change for young people and communities, working in a role that offers purpose, flexibility, and professional development.  If you're interested please do not delay, due to recent high volume of applications we may have to close the application window earlier than 24th August.

Our recruitment process is anonymised and candidates' names are hidden. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration, safeguarding training and undertake a DBS check.

A part-time role developing, curating, delivering and finessing training for two distinct audiences – training for those who have low digital confidence, as well as young people, in how to use digital devices effectively and efficiently; and also training for those who may come into contact with, or wish to learn about, digital poverty, including staff of corporates and community providers. 

The former audience – learning about digital skills – will need to gain knowledge and understanding about the foundational elements of using laptops, tablets and smartphones.  This includes Essential Digital Skills such as setting passwords, connecting to Wi-Fi and using keyboards, as well as soft skills such as staying safe online, critical thinking and recognising fake news or AI generated imagery.

The latter audience – learning about digital poverty – will need to learn about the causes and impacts of digital poverty, what impact digital exclusion has on families and communities, and how to understand if someone is digitally included.

There may be other training requirements as well – such as training external users of our systems, training corporate volunteers, or a train-the-train model of supporting young people to work with those in their communities.

Key responsibilities

• Work with CEO and SMT to gain a strong understanding of the content we wish to deliver.
• Design a range of standardised training materials, developing curriculum plans, which are able to be tailored easily for cohorts.
• Work with the Head of Development to ensure training meets the needs of potential partners.
• Work with delivery and project officers to understand training requirements as they relate to specific programmatic requirements.
• Deliver training as the lead trainer for the charity, usually in person but sometimes online.
• Work with partner organisations to build strong relationships, especially when working with corporate volunteers.
• Create and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the effectiveness of the training, gather feedback and finesse the training models you have created.
• Be able to run a train the trainer model for corporate volunteers, other staff, and young people on specific programmes, briefing them and ensuring consistency and quality.
• Work with the Head of External Affairs to produce high quality materials, including presentations, leaflets and other resources.
• Support marketing, project management, contract management and other functions delivered by other team members.
• Provide accurate reporting on the basis of feedback, participation and other indicators of current success.
• Take a self-sufficient approach to logistical management, whilst also working with colleagues where duties overlap.
• Keep up to date on developments in digital skills, maintaining subject matter knowledge.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the digital poverty landscape, including across policy, research and interventions, to inform training delivery.
• Work with colleagues to role model best practice in training.

The role is remote based - the whole team works from home - but you will need to be able to regularly travel across the UK including potential overnight stays and evening working.  You must feel comfortable being the person who sets up at a training event, and have a hands-on approach.  (The costs of travel are, of course, covered.)

Who we are

Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. Our mission is to improve kids' health, through improving school food & food education. We focus our efforts in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, where more than a third of children are entitled to free school meals, and diet-related disease is driving further inequality. 

We support and train school kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share learning and resources, aiming to inspire and enable others to follow our lead.

We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education,  setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.

About you and the role

The purpose of this role is to manage operational delivery of our School by School Programme, ensuring efficient and effective delivery. 

You will be supported by our Chief Innovation Officer, and manage our Chef Trainers delivering our School by School interventions. You will work closely with the Director of Partnerships & Impact, our School Engagement Manager and our Research Supervisor. 

Your role will oversee our School by School interventions, delivered across multiple school sites. This role will be primarily focused in London, but will include supporting schools in locations across the UK as we develop new hubs. You will be joining a dynamic and growing charity who are passionate about delivering exceptional training, skill sharing, expertise and know-how to advance the quality of food preparation, food service and food education in schools.

You will have an understanding of the context that we operate in, education and food sectors. You will have strong people skills, and the ability to manage effective partnerships with external organisations. 

The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every single requirement, but feel as though you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we would urge you to apply anyway. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and for us the most important ‘experience’ is passion for our mission. You may be just the right candidate for this, or other roles. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented communities, to apply.

We want to get to know you at the interview and understand we can do this best if you’re at ease. We’re an inclusive employer and work hard to create a welcoming working environment for everyone, including appointing a neurodiversity champion to help us identify how we can make our work environment work for everyone. If you need adjustments to the interview process please let us know.

As we work with children & young people, an offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS clearance, in line with our safeguarding policy.  

The responsibilities:

• To work with the Chief Innovation Officer to ensure that all programme delivery of school interventions is delivered in line with our vision, values and ethos.

• To support and manage our Chef Trainers to ensure that programme delivery is carried out in the most effective and efficient way.

• Coordinate and oversee all programme activities, including scheduling, logistics, and resource allocation.

• Managing the programme budget, identifying issues, and ensuring milestones are met. 

• Work closely with the Chief Innovation Officer, Director of Partnerships & Impact and the School Engagement Manager to assess, cost and propose suitable programmes of support for schools and multi-academy trusts interested in our School by School programme. 

• Working with the School Chef Educator and Membership teams on our regional expansion strategy, creating schools that are centres of excellence across the country.

• Working with the School Engagement Manager, attend and contribute to meetings with the Senior Leadership of prospective new schools and academies, developing proposals and financial forecasting.

• Liaise and manage relationships with the Senior Leadership in the schools and academies we work with, being the key contact for operational delivery of programmes. 

• To ensure that service level agreements are agreed with schools and that our delivery matches the agreements.

• To monitor costs of the programme delivery, reporting progress of programmes to the Chief Innovation Officer, identifying any risks or delays to programme delivery. 

• At all times to ensure that our school interventions are being delivered in a legally compliant, cost-effective way.

• Work closely with the Chef Trainers to ensure our advice to, and work in, schools is legally compliant.

• Support the Chef Trainers in monitoring legal safety compliance in schools, promptly flagging major concerns to the Chief Innovation Officer and where appropriate, the key school contact.

• Ensuring learning and evaluation is embedded in our programme delivery, working with the Chef Trainers to document best practice learnt from each programme. 

• To work alongside the Director of Partnerships & Impact and Research Supervisor to ensure that we’re collecting accurate and relevant data to measure our impact, evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the programmes, conducting regular assessments and measurements.

• Work with the Research Supervisor to support preparing reports on the impact of the School by School programmes, including statistical data, trends, and success stories. 

• Work with the School Engagement Manager to maintain accurate data records and ensure our contacts database is up to date with relevant chef, school lead and engagement information. 

• Collaborate with the Chef Trainers to ensure the delivery of high-quality services that meet the needs of schools. 

Your skills and experience

You'll be the right person for this job if:

• You are passionate about food and believe in our mission to improve kids' health through improving food and food education in schools

• You enjoy problem-solving and working in a dynamic environment

• You have some experience in leading or managing a team within the food sector

• You have some experience working in a similar multi-site role 

• You have financial experience in the food sector - e.g. costing recipes, stocktaking, finding the best cost for ingredients. You’ll be comfortable with spreadsheets, monitoring financial costs, and producing financial forecasts

• You are organised, methodical, strong on detail, and able to map out deadlines and plan ahead

• You are able to engage effectively with senior leadership teams in educational settings, and are proactive and confident in addressing challenges

• You are an excellent writer and communicator with strong presentation and facilitation skills 

• You are skilled in building rapport with people and strike a balance between being supportive and challenging 

• You have experience working with various individuals and organisations, building relationships, and collaborating effectively to deliver successful projects

Benefits

You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who works hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We were voted one of CODE Hospitality’s happiest places to work in 2024. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.

We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays, 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period as well as wellbeing days over the summer school holidays.  We also have a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.

We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.

Application process

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we invite candidates to answer a series of questions related to their day-to-day job. Please follow this link to answer the questions and submit your application along with your CV.

We recommend that you develop your answers offline and copy them in when you’re ready to ensure you don’t lose your work if interrupted.

Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers. A long list of candidates will then additionally have their CVs reviewed.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30 mins online interview. Successful candidates will be invited to attend a second, in-person interview at our office in Brixton, London.

Expected duration of this application process: 6 weeks

Application deadline - Midnight Tues 19th Aug.

First interviews (online video call) will be held online on Thurs 28th Aug.

Second interviews (in-person) will be held on Thurs 4th Sept.