Children home deputy manager jobs in bishop auckland, county durham

Employer Policy Specialist

Working Hours: 0.6FTE (full-time equivalent 37.5 hours). There is a degree of flexibility surrounding the working hours which will be determined by the demands of the role.

Salary: 0.6FTE: £40,658 (the full-time equivalent salary is: £67,763).

Start Date: 1st September 2025.

Reporting to: Director of Public Affairs & Policy

Deadline for applications: Friday 18th July 2025, 5pm

Interviews: Interviews will be conducted online on Thursday 24th July

Overview

The DfE has nominated CST as the employer representative for academy trusts for specific purposes (for example, the school support staff negotiating body).  The postholder will be required to work directly with the Department for Education at a senior level to undertake the duties associated with this employer representative role.  CST also wishes to strengthen its support to members on wider matters of employer policy. There is significant scope to shape and develop this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Have a detailed understanding of the terms and conditions of employment of teaching and support staff and the workforce issues affecting the education sector, particularly those influencing recruitment and retention of staff.

• The ability to build relationships with key stakeholders (members, senior DfE officials and ministers) and work closely with other employer representative organisations.

• Working closely with the CEO and Deputy CEO, build relationships at senior level with trade unions (leadership, teacher and support staff unions).

• Lead on developing CST’s employer policy and guidance, working with our members and commanding their support and respect, and working closely with the policy team.

• Support the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Public Affairs and Policy to influence and respond to government policy in respect of employer policy, including drafting responses to government consultations and being our representative on the DfE’s formally constituted groups.

• Provide professional support and guidance to members on matters relating to employer policy, within the restrictions of what we are insured to do as a professional body.

• Support our HR professional community.

• Speak with authority at events and conferences as CST’s nominated representative on employer policy.

• Offer support to the wider CST policy team in other areas that fall within the postholder’s experience or expertise. This may include occasionally deputising for other team members for example covering for annual leave or sickness absence.

• Any other duties and responsibilities that may be delegated by the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive or Director of Public Affairs and Policy from time to time.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Likely educated to degree level (or holding a similar professional qualification or experience) with significant knowledge and experience of employment matters within the education sector and employer policy.

• The ideal candidate will have experience working at senior level likely within an educational, policy or consultancy setting. Knowledge of schools and the trust sector is essential as is the ability to respond to issues in a way which conveys the practical realities of working in schools.

• A sound understanding of the differences between academy trusts and the maintained sector.

• Secure knowledge of legislation, regulations and policy that affect school trusts.

• Authority and gravitas with the ability to speak up at meetings with senior officials with the required diplomacy and at all times with the members’ interests in mind.

• People-centred, with excellent relational skills, adept at forming and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues, members and senior external stakeholders (including policy makers, employer representative organisations and trade unions).

• Output focused, able to execute a range of communications across channels efficiently.

• Fluent and precise, an excellent communicator who writes well.

• The ability to analyse detail and distil key points, identifying matters of concern or interest to school trusts.

• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and work to tight deadlines, including turning around high-quality responses to members and DfE in short timescales.

• Someone who embodies the Nolan Principles and acts with integrity and discretion.

• Aligned with CST’s aims to promote education for public benefit.

• Skilled at working remotely as part of a close-knit team. Whilst this position is remote (home-based) there will be the requirement to attend in person meetings from time to time.

Head of Retail and FOOD Services

Department: Directorate of Development and External Affairs

Salary: Starting at £47,264, rising to £54,728 FTE per annum + £480 home-based allowance FTE per annum

Location: Homebased with weekly national travel 

Hours: 37 hours per week (full-time)

We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details. 

Contract: Permanent

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities. 

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as the Head of Retail and FOOD Services. This is a unique opportunity to lead and innovate in a role that combines strategic leadership, operational excellence, and community impact.

Main Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a multi-channel retail and food services strategy, including business planning, risk assessment, and performance management to increase net profit and service impact.
• Lead on budgeting, financial forecasting, and P&L management. Identify and develop new income-generating opportunities, including grants and tenders.
• Provide strategic leadership to geographically dispersed teams, ensuring effective recruitment, support and training of staff and volunteers.

Main Requirements 

• Educated to degree level or above in a relevant sector. 
• Demonstrable senior retail management knowledge and experience in managing complex projects, leading teams, and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Proven track record in income growth, financial planning, and managing budgets.

Benefits: 

• an annual paid leave entitlement of 30 working days plus bank holidays
• up to 6% matched-pension contributions
• enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
• eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
• cycle to work scheme
• investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

• Apply via the Family Action Careers Hub linked to this advert 

• Closing Date: 7th July at 23:59

Interviews are scheduled to take place from 16th-22nd July 2025.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.