Chief operating officer jobs in Cambridge, cambridgeshire
Remote (UK-based) | Full-time | £123,969 + benefits
Oak is a fully remote, mission-driven organisation offering high levels of flexibility, autonomy, and purpose. We’re a national not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with teachers to create high-quality, sequenced curriculum and lesson resources for pupils across all subjects and age groups.
Our culture has been independently recognised through:
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Flexa verified (93% overall score, including 95% for working hours and 97% for role modelling)
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Escape the City's Top 1% Employers – based on anonymous colleague reviews of culture, development, and impact
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Investors in People Gold - through external accreditation and colleague feedback
About the Role
Oak is entering a critical new phase. Over the next three years, we will support the implementation of a revised national curriculum, deepen adoption of our digital products across schools, and play a leading role in shaping the safe and ethical use of AI in education.
We are now seeking a Director of Engineering to lead the technology that underpins this work.
This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for Oak’s engineering strategy, technical architecture and platform delivery. You will lead engineering teams to build and operate reliable, secure and scalable systems that support teachers at scale and enable innovation across the education sector.
You’ll work closely with product, design, data, teachers and content leaders to ensure our technology choices are grounded in real classroom needs, strong pedagogy and value for money, while also pushing forward what’s possible with the latest approaches and tools. You’ll empower teams to get solutions built and products and features shipped.
We welcome applications from candidates with senior engineering leadership experience across technology, digital or public service environments, including those who have not previously worked in education.
If you’re excited by the challenge of building dependable systems that quietly do the heavy lifting for teachers, and shaping how safe AI is used across the sector, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing
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Develop and manage a high-performing Engineering department, leveraging internal and/or external relationships
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Manage the Engineering department budget (minimum of 6-figures)
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Accountable for the department's delivery against division and organisation-wide KPIs.
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Set and lead Oak’s technical direction, ensuring secure, scalable and high-performing platforms aligned with organisational and product priorities and public sector digital standards.
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Oversee software engineering, architecture, embedding engineering excellence, operational reliability, strong SDLC practice and continuous improvement, and ensuring compliance with relevant digital, security and data standards (including GDS and GDPR).
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Lead the implementation of data-intensive and emerging technologies (including AI/ML), ensuring production-ready systems and compliance with Oak’s technical and safety requirements.
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Member of the Senior Leadership Team.
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Lead the strategy and planning, and model the culture of the organisation.
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Work in cross-functional and product-oriented squads with colleagues from across the organisation, as required.
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Deputise for the CEO and take on other general responsibilities as required.
What We’re Looking For
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3+ years’ experience overseeing engineering or technical capabilities of a department or division.
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Experience of being part of a senior or wider leadership team.
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Experience of recruiting, developing and managing a high-performing department
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Experience of managing a 6-figure budget and ensuring value for money.
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Extensive experience delivering secure, scalable, high-quality digital services in production environments.
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Experience implementing and operating data-intensive or emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML), ensuring safe, reliable and responsible deployment.
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Experience leading the evolution of engineering systems over time, including evaluating new technologies, scaling cloud-based services, and ensuring high availability, CI/CD maturity and long-term platform resilience.
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Experience having deployed production ready AI technology (desirable).
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You will be comfortable working at pace, with a range of digital systems (including proprietary ones as required) and you will continuously look at ways that the team can keep getting better. You will be excellent at working as part of a remote team, building relationships and managing your time effectively.
Our Benefits
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25 days annual leave, plus one extra day for each year of service (up to 28)
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Additional Oak closure days over Christmas/New Year
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11% employer pension contribution (with no minimum employee contribution)
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A 36-hour working week, with half-days on Fridays or every other Friday off
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Fully remote working — we’ll support your home set-up and offer coworking options if preferred
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Twice-yearly in-person offsites to collaborate, connect, and have fun
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A culture that genuinely supports flexibility, autonomy, and trust
Inclusion and Belonging
We believe diverse teams build better products. We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those who are underrepresented in the tech and education sectors.
We use the Applied recruitment platform to help reduce bias in our hiring process.
Key Info
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Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK with the legal right to work here
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Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time
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Closing date: 23:59 on Wednesday, 4 February 2026. We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in, and may close the role early
If this sounds like the kind of role and team where you could do your life’s best work, we’d love to hear from you.
Next Steps
We aim to run a fair, inclusive process that helps people show what they can really do.
Stage 1: Apply (via Applied)
You’ll apply through the Applied platform. Your application will be scored anonymously against the published criteria and reviewed by more than one assessor.
Stage 2: Short practical exercise (video)
If you progress, we’ll send you a short brief and a few suggested technologies you could use. You’ll then have time to go away, create a simple prototype or generate an insight in response to the brief, and record a short video walking us through what you have produced and why.
For this role, we will be looking for evidence of technical judgement and engineering thinking, for example, how you approach system design, reliability, security, data or AI safety, rather than production quality or polished demos. The exercise is designed to be accessible to candidates who lead engineering teams and may not code day to day.
Videos will be scored by a small group of assessors using clear criteria.
Stage 3: Interview
A shortlist of candidates will be invited to a competency-based interview, assessed against the criteria set out in the job description.
We’ll share full details, timelines and support as you progress. We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments at any stage.
Use of AI in applications
You can use AI to help draft your answers, but remember, we are looking for your experiences and insights, not generic or AI-generated responses.
We score for specific, real examples and your own judgement. If your answers read like AI output or could describe anyone’s experience, they will score poorly.
We are receiving excellent responses to our job advertisements. This may lead us to close the role early, so if you are considering applying, then please get your application in early to avoid missing out.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are recruiting a Senior Member Network Account Manager to join our busy Member Networks team at the British Psychological Society for a fixed period of 12 months starting in March 2026.
The team supports over 60 psychology‑focused member networks, each with its own specialist interests and passions. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves working with people and wants to make an impact. You will be right at the centre of supporting our Member Networks, helping passionate volunteers bring ideas to life - no two days will be the same.
About the Role
As Senior Member Network Account Manager, you will be the main contact for several Member Networks, including Divisions. You’ll support and guide volunteers across multiple committees, helping them deliver activity for their members confidently and effectively. This includes advising on governance, finance, volunteer recruitment, events and wider activity planning. You will also build strong relationships, lead projects, and work closely with teams across the organisation to strengthen collaboration and network growth.
A day in the life may include:
- Advising volunteers on governance, finance, awards, planning and compliance matters
- Ensuring Networks deliver their activity plans, managing timelines and aligning work to strategic goals and budgets
- Supporting events and projects that drive member engagement, including budgeting, venue liaison and travel bookings
- Managing inboxes and responding to enquiries with clear advice and signposting
- Attending meetings, collating actions and following up to ensure progress
- Sharing best practice and improving processes, tools and systems as needed
- Maintaining documents in Google Workspace, including budgets, reports and committee lists.
- Delivering volunteer training on new processes or systems
- Coordinating awards and grants, updating web content and communicating with applicants
- Managing committee recruitment, posting roles and handling applications
- Working with internal teams such as Membership, and Marketing to provide seamless support.
What We’re Looking For
To be successful, you will have strong communication and interpersonal skills. You will excel in negotiation, problem solving and managing multiple tasks and projects with foresight and strategic thinking. You will be expected to act autonomously, managing your networks and working independently using your own initiative. Highly organised, you will lead and coordinate delivery of activities, managing timelines and working with key stakeholders.
Why Join Us?
We offer a supportive environment, opportunities for professional development, and the chance to make a real difference. We offer a friendly, values led working culture with an excellent benefits package that includes:
- Agile & flexible working
- Generous leave entitlement
- Occupational pension scheme
- Cycle to work scheme / free eye care vouchers / Winter flu vaccinations
- Tailored learning & development
- Employee Assistance Programme counselling
- Life Assurance Scheme
- Discounts scheme with national organisations
How to apply
The closing date for applications is 31st January 2026, with interviews held on-line w/c 9th February. To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter detailing how you meet the specification. Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.
The British Psychological Society is committed to a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of your background or circumstances. We are only able to accept applications that can demonstrate a right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor people requiring a work visa.
Due to the large number of applications we receive, it is not possible to update you on the progress of the application until after the closing date. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
Building a world where psychology transforms lives
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Community Project Lead
- Two-year fixed term, full-time (35 hours per week) or part-time (minimum 21 hours per week considered), £28,000 – £32,000 per annum depending on experience (pro rata if part-time)
- Remote or office-based. Occasional visits to IPSEA’s office in Takeley or a London venue required. This role will also include frequent travel to meet with community partners.
Do you have experience working with under-served communities and leading impactful outreach projects? Are you passionate about improving access to support for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?
IPSEA is the leading charity in the field of SEND law in England, and we provide free and independent legal advice and support to families of children and young people with SEND. We also provide training on the SEND legal framework, and we influence policy at both a local and national level.
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Community Project Lead to join our team and lead the development of our advice services for under-served communities. This two-year, fixed-term role is a key part of our strategy to reach groups who may not traditionally engage with IPSEA’s support - including children and families with English as an additional language, cared-for children (children in care), migrant children, detained children, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
The project builds on a detailed scoping exercise we’ve recently completed, which involved working closely with a wide range of charities and organisations that support these communities. The resulting report outlines the barriers they face, and will form the foundation for this project and directly inform the work you will lead.
What you’ll do
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Design and develop pilot advice services that are tailored to the needs of under-served communities, using findings from IPSEA’s research
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Build and maintain strong relationships with community groups, charities and service providers to co-produce accessible services
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Collaborate with IPSEA’s advice, legal and policy teams to address the barriers these communities face in accessing SEND legal advice
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Contribute to and share outreach materials, training resources and toolkits to support families of under-served communities and empower local advocates
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Plan and lead workshops, focus groups and community events to raise awareness, gather feedback and enhance service delivery
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Monitor and report on project outcomes and impact, providing regular updates to IPSEA staff and stakeholders
You can work remotely or from IPSEA’s office in Takeley, with frequent travel required for essential meetings and community engagement.
If you share our commitment to protecting, promoting, and upholding the rights of children and young people with SEND, and would like to use your skills to improve access to vital advice and support, we would love to hear from you.
To apply
Please visit our website to download the recruitment pack and application form, and apply
Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 9 February 2026
First-round interviews: Wednesday 18 February 2026 (London)
We help children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) get the education they are entitled to by law


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Evaluation and Evidence Specialist
We’re 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 around 95 staff based in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to grow our staff team to deliver our ambitious 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 future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.
Job Summary for Evaluation and Evidence Specialist
This role forms a key part of a new Strategy & Insight Team at Bowel Cancer UK, which seeks to build core capabilities to enable us to be as effective as we can be for people affected by bowel cancer. The Evaluation and Evidence Specialist will be an internal leader driving a step-change in the way we understand and articulate our impact, as well as how we use evidence in our work. You will be responsible for delivering evaluations of high-priority activities, as well as supporting other teams to evaluate the impact of their area. You will drive a cultural shift in evidence-based decision making where the charity begins to move from reacting to evidence to proactively generating its own evidence. You will ensure that insight, evidence and impact are delivered in a useful way to colleagues to support planning, decisions, income generation and communications.
Main responsibilities
- Lead a step-change in the way Bowel Cancer UK approaches evaluation, impact, and evidence.
- Develop evaluation frameworks for Bowel Cancer UK’s high-priority programmes and projects, ensuring that they can demonstrate the impact of our work.
- Develop, maintain and renew a set of compelling impact statements that support Bowel Cancer UK’s brand and meets the needs of other teams in engaging their key audiences.
- Establish a programme of routine evaluation for key ongoing activities across the charity, which can demonstrate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
- Proactively provide analysis of internal and external evidence sources to deliver meaningful insight for the organisation.
- Support teams to identify the evidence they require, including checking to ensure evidence is used consistently and robustly.
- Develop our capability in how evidence is presented to different audiences, including through data visualisation.
- Develop and maintain a central repository for evaluation and key evidence for the organisation to use.
- Identify gaps in evaluation and evidence and develop plans for how these can be addressed.
- Provide training and development opportunities to colleagues to upskill on the best approaches to evaluation and evidence.
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.
#Evaluation #Strategy #Insight #Data #Evidence
We’re 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.
Working closely with the Fundraising Manager and Head of Philanthropy, you will support a range of fundraising activities, most predominantly researching new avenues for funding within trusts, foundations and corporate partners, completing grant applications, carrying out communications and reporting to existing funders and raising the profile of the charity through representing Action Tutoring at funder or networking events. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in the world of fundraising activities, working with a passionate, committed and driven team.
Closing date: Sunday, 15th February 2026
Interviews: Wednesday, 25th and Thursday 26th February 2026
Start date: Tuesday 7th April 2026
Contract and hours: Full time permanent contract. We offer flexible hours with 9.30-4 as core hours. A full working week is 37.5 hours.
Location: This role is remote. The candidate can be based anywhere in the England. Our London office address is: x+why, 8-10, Fivefields, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH. Occasional travel may be required for this role.
Duties and responsibilities
- Research new opportunities for Action Tutoring to explore for fundraising and carry out initial enquiries to determine suitability to apply to trusts and foundations.
- Prepare and submit grant applications to suitable trusts, foundations and corporates, carrying out careful research to ensure the applications are as strong as possible and include relevant data and case studies.
- Work alongside the Corporate Partnerships Team to encourage corporate support through donations or grants.
- Identify and lead on local fundraising opportunities in Action Tutoring’s nine key regions, for example researching and submitting applications for local grants and to local businesses.
- Research and determine suitability of profile raising opportunities or awards for Action Tutoring to apply to, such as corporate Charity of the Year opportunities, the Third Sector Awards and Charity Awards.
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description attached to the BreatheHR advert.
Person specification
Qualifications criteria:
- Previous experience in fundraising, or transferable experience that shows strong writing skills.
- Right to work in the UK.
We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others:
- Outstanding communicator; strong written and verbal communication skills; able to make an exciting and compelling case for support.
- Creative and ambitious.
- Proactive and tenacious personality; willing to seek out and pursue opportunities.
- Highly organised; able to prioritise, multi-task and manage work to deadlines.
- High computer literacy.
- Adaptable and open to learning and feedback.
- Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children.
You will likely be more successful in this role if you have:
- Prior experience of fundraising work, particularly if it is within trusts and foundations. This could be in a paid role, or on a voluntary basis or as part of work experience.
- Experience of building relationships with stakeholders.
How to apply:
To apply for this position you will need to complete and attach an application form to your application. To do this, please download the attached application form, complete the sections in full and save the new file, and then click the 'apply' button.
You will be able to upload the completed application form on the next page.
Applications without an attached application form will automatically be discounted. We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help you with making the application process work for you.
Award-winning national education charity working towards a world in which no child’s life chances are limited by their socio-economic background.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.