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The National Youth Agency is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to join our Executive Leadership Team.

Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £85,000 per annum
Remote: This role is homebased (within the UK) with occasional to meetings, events and conferences.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

Responsibilities will include:

• The COO leads the day-to-day functioning of the organisation to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective delivery of services. This is vital for maintaining operational stability and achieving strategic outcomes.
• They design and execute strategies that align with the organisation’s mission and long-term goals ensuring resources are used effectively and priorities are clear.
• They promote a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through supporting employee engagement, productivity, and organisational success.
• The COO collaborates closely with the CEO/CFO and other senior leaders to drive strategic initiatives and business growth, ensuring unified leadership and coherent decision-making.
• They partner with the CFO to manage budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation. Financial oversight ensures sustainability and supports informed investment in strategic priorities.
• Strengthen governance and risk management frameworks, aligned to regulatory expectations and best practice while proactively managing reputational and operational risks.
• The COO cultivates strong relationships with partners, clients, and stakeholders to enhance service delivery and reputation. These relationships are key to influence, collaboration, and impact.
• They lead efforts to improve processes and adopt best practices across the charity to enhance efficiency and keeps the organisation competitive and responsive.
• They ensure that daily activities support the charities long-term objectives.
• The COO mentors other directors and departmental heads and fosters leadership capabilities across teams.
• They establish and track KPIs to identify inefficiencies and guide improvements through data-driven decision-making to enhance accountability and results.
• They evaluate and refine workflows to boost productivity developing efficient processes to reduce waste and improve service quality.
• They act as a bridge between departments and the CEO to ensure cohesive execution of strategic plans preventing silos and promoting organisational synergy.
• The COO serves as a senior figure in national and cross-sector forums, conferences, and strategic partnerships to strengthens the organisation’s voice and influence.
• They demonstrate commitment to Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in both internal culture and external programmes to foster a fair and inclusive organisation.
• They work with the CEO, CFO and Director of Growth to identify and pursue new revenue streams and strategic partnerships. This expands the organisation’s reach and sustainability.
• They engage in public speaking, media interactions, and external representation demonstrating clear communication, credibility, and stakeholder engagement.
• They develop and embed evaluation frameworks to assess progress against strategic goals. The measuring of our impact ensures accountability and informs future planning.
• They promote the organisation’s brand at events and through networking.

The COO takes on other responsibilities as needed to support the organisation’s mission.

About You

Essential competencies of the Chief Operating Officer:

• Extensive experience in senior leadership with a proven track record in operations, financial and risk management, and delivering high-performing teams, ideally in the charity sector.
• Strong understanding of business functions such as HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and execute effectively.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Commercially astute, process-driven, and highly pragmatic in approach.
• Experience in driving performance and fostering a collaborative culture.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field; MBA preferred

Why Work for NYA?

• NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
• NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
• A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
• NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
• We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Monday 29th September 2025:

A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
A covering letter highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.

Please note: The covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 80% AI generated content will be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Youth Work changes lives

Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it.As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.

We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.

REF-223747

About UKCF 

At UK Community Foundations (UKCF), we put inclusivity at the forefront of all we do, we put relationships first and we are ambitious for our members and the communities they serve. 

Everyone should have the opportunity to have a fulfilling life and to feel they belong. This can’t be mandated by government, or done to people, only with them. Change needs to be driven by people who understand the local situation and our support makes this possible. 

UKCF is a national network of community foundations based all over the UK. Community foundations connect philanthropic people with local causes that matter to them. They are charitable organisations focused on supporting a defined geographical area by leveraging funds to support community needs and local organisations making a difference. As well as supporting our members, at UKCF we explore social challenges, we provide national funding and we work with those who have the solutions to improve lives. 

Benefits of working at UKCF include 30 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays, up to two days paid leave for volunteer days, enhanced pension and a flexible working plan. As a disability confident employer, we encourage applications irrespective of your age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex or sexual orientation. 

About the role 

This is an exciting opportunity to join UKCF at a time of growth, ambition and innovation. We are looking for an interim Partnerships Officer to help us build and deliver impactful national partnerships that bring real, measurable benefits to communities across the UK. 

Initially for a period of six months, you will hit the ground running to pick up an existing portfolio of national programmes currently under delivery. You’ll lead on programme administration including design and delivery, as well as collaborating with UKCF finance and membership colleagues to collate and disseminate programme data for funders and internal stakeholders. 

In this client facing role, you will be responsible for administration and operational support in the development, delivery, and evaluation of high-value, strategic partnerships, whether with government departments, major trusts and foundations, corporate partners, or other longstanding partners. 

You’ll work closely with the Director of Partnerships & Insight and community foundations to deliver an existing portfolio of programmes and to shape strong proposals and administer the end-to-end implementation of new partnerships. 

You’ll also play a key role in helping UKCF and the wider network become more insight-led and data-driven, strengthening our approach to programme design, learning, and impact evaluation.

This role requires exceptional organisational, programme and project management skills. Experience in a trust or foundation, grantmaking, especially within programme design, is a bonus.

You will report to the Director of Partnerships & Insight and also work closely with the wider team including finance, membership and communications staff. 

Key responsibilities 

• Programme delivery and administration – Support the smooth running of national partnerships and programmes, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to a high standard. Maintain accurate financial and programme records, track deadlines, and make sure monitoring and reporting requirements are met. 

• Reporting and insight – Analyse programme data and contribute to clear, high-quality reports for funders, partners, and internal teams. Capture learning and examples of good practice to strengthen future programmes. 

• Collaboration and communication – Work closely with colleagues across UKCF, including communications, finance and membership, to ensure effective programme delivery. Provide timely advice and support to team members, community foundations, and funders, resolving queries quickly and accurately. 

• Relationships and improvement – Build and maintain strong, positive working relationships with funders, community foundations, and delivery partners. Identify opportunities to refine and improve processes to make delivery more efficient and impactful. 

Who we’re looking for: 

We’re seeking someone who is proactive, highly organised, confident with data, and comfortable juggling competing priorities while building strong relationships. You’ll bring experience in programme administration, accurate record-keeping, and reporting, with the ability to translate information into clear insights. Strong digital and technology skills are important, as is the ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external partners. Ideally, you’ll also have some experience in grant-making, process improvement, or using systems like Salesforce, but above all we’re looking for someone who is adaptable, curious, and motivated by UKCF’s values of inclusivity, collaboration, and ambition for communities. 

ROLE SUMMARY 

Reporting to the Director of Partnerships & Insight, this role is central to the effective day-to-day running of UKCF’s national partnerships and grant programmes. You will play a key role in keeping programmes on schedule and within budget, with strong administration and attention to detail at the heart of the position. At the same time, you will build and maintain positive working relationships with funders, community foundations, and colleagues across UKCF, acting as a reliable point of contact and ensuring information flows smoothly. This role is well suited to someone who enjoys balancing deadlines and detail with the opportunity to work alongside a wide range of people. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Under the supervision of the Director of Partnerships & Insight ensure the partnerships and programmes are delivered on time and in budget. 

• Administer the partnerships and programmes, keeping accurate records of funding allocated, spending by Community Foundations, and collating monitoring reports etc.

• Analyse partnership and programme data and contribute to reports for funders and internal teams. 

• Write and/or support with production of internal and external reports on delivery and impact. 

• Work closely with the UKCF Communications, Finance and Membership teams to deliver programmes.

• Develop and maintain quality relationships with delivery partners, including Community Foundations and funders. 

• Provide appropriate advice, guidance and support for grant applicants, Community Foundations or funders.

• Capture good practice and learning from grant recipients, Community Foundations and funders. 

• Identify refinements and improvements to our programmes

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS REQUIRED 

Essential: 

• Support and administration – accuracy/record keeping/ working to deadlines across multiple programmes and/or priorities 

• Customer service/relationship management

• Analysing information and producing or contributing to reports

• Working as part of a team

• Experienced with Microsoft Office, with strong excel skills 

Desirable: 

• Implementing new processes to streamline and improve delivery 

• Grant making

• Experience of community foundations

• Experience with Salesforce or other similar CRM system

• Analytical experience – used to working with large data sets

SKILLS AND ABILITIES 

• Effective verbal and written communication skills 

• Persuasion and interpersonal skills; diplomatic, and confident with people from all backgrounds 

• Ability to manage competing deadlines and priorities 

• Ability to problem solve and act on initiative 

• Committed to learning and developing skills and experience 

• Willingness to learn and take on a variety of tasks 

• Creative, thorough & organised, flexible, and intuitive

This is initially a 6 month contract, full time 35 hours per week, remote working but with the opportunity to work flexibly from the London office if desired.

A rapid start is required - please state notice period on application.