Communication and programme funding officer jobs

We need a Programme Director to lead a tri-borough initiative tackling serious youth violence across Kilburn, Queen's Park and surrounding communities.

This is a challenging and a rewarding role where you will be exercising your considerable judgement, diplomacy and practical project management skills.

Shared Ground is an innovative, co-funded project, seeking to work for the benefit of young people at risk of serious youth violence, with buy-in from stakeholders including Local Authority senior leads and Central government.

If you have a passion for the value and importance of community-based work in supporting positive futures for young people, why not help ensure that this ambitious programme thrives?

See the job description for more details.

We are recruiting multiple Funding Officers to support a range of initiatives across England, including Community Wealth Fund, National Lottery Awards for All, Programme Funding and Every Child Can. A mixture of permanent roles and fixed term contracts on a full or part-time basis are available.

As outlined in our It Starts with Community strategy, we are committed to placing community agency, power, and control at the heart of our England funding portfolio. We aim to stand alongside communities, supporting them as they tackle challenges and fulfil their potential. This is a great opportunity to take a mission-driven approach to funding while working flexibly across different programmes and priorities.We are looking for people who are collaborative, adaptable and passionate about putting communities first.

You will be expected to work on different initiatives across our England portfolio. This covers a broad range of thematic areas, from small grant funding up to larger scale projects, working with a wide range of different customers.As a Funding Officer you will work alongside fellow Funding Officers, supported by a Funding Manager.

We have a hybrid approach to working. Successful candidates will be required to attend meetings and training at our Birmingham or Newcastle offices.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived or working experience within under-represented communities.

Responsibilities & Expectations of the Role

• You will assess applications for funding and manage grants using best practice, thematic expertise and the experience of customers and stakeholders to improve our grant making and inform our decision making.
• You will provide clear, constructive feedback to applicants. 
• You will manage your own caseload, liaise with grant recipients, undertake project visits, identify and manage risk, support organisations to meet their grant requirements and measure their impact.
• You will ensure that grant management and assessment play an effective part in contributing to the Fund’s knowledge and learning as a grant maker.
• You will be a proactive member of the England Funding Team. You will contribute your skills, knowledge and expertise to a range of work and programmes as need arises. Within an organisation and sector experiencing on-going change, an agile & flexible approach to the role will be essential for success.
• You will need to work within the Fund’s policies and procedures, and relevant legislation in a way that is in line with our vision and values.

Interview Details:

• Dates: w/c 14 September 2026, w/c 21 September 2026 & w/c 28 September 2026
• Format: Microsoft Teams
• Location:England with regular travel to Newcastle and Birmingham 

How to Apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (max 1,000 words) to align with the criteria below. We will use this to score your application. 

If you have any questions on the process, please email us

Essential Criteria 

• Communication skills: Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on written communication for assessment purposes.
• Analytical skills: Ability to assess a high volume of applications, make good judgements, challenge when appropriate and manage risk.
• Relational skills: Ability to build, develop, and promote effective relationships with colleagues and community organisations, with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Organisational skills: Ability to use your initiative and manage your workload and time, juggle competing priorities and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Adaptability: Ability to adapt and respond to changing organisational priorities, working flexibly across a number of workstreams adapting quickly to new processes and ways of working.
• Demonstrable sound IT skills, in particular Microsoft Office products and the ability to learn detailed processes quickly and accurate.
• Values driven and passionate about the Fund’s purpose.

Desirable Criteria  

• Understanding of financial planning and business plans, ability to analyse accounts and numerical data.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.  

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.) 

Join London Legal Support Trust and use your communications skills to champion access to justice. Create engaging content, manage our website and social channels, and promote our programmes and fundraising events. We are looking for an organised, creative communicator with strong writing, digital and content management skills. This permanent, full-time hybrid role is based in Holborn and offers flexible working, generous leave and development opportunities.

We’re looking for a talented communications officer to join the Trust for London team, at a time when communications has never been more important to our work.

The role

You will work with the head of communications to support delivery of our communications strategy. This includes:

• telling stories that matter by turning research, data and funded project work into engaging, accessible content
• leading our day-to-day social media activity
• creating brilliant content for regular newsletters, blogs and web content
• monitoring and analysing our communications impact

and so much more. Please see the full job description in the application pack.

About you

We're looking for someone who is curious as much as creative, with an excellent eye for detail. You’ll enjoy digging beneath the headline, asking why something matters and finding the story that helps other people care.

You're just as comfortable thinking about what the data tells us as you are turning that insight into an engaging social media post or newsletter feature.

You don't need experience in every part of the role. We know great candidates don't always meet every requirement, and we'd encourage you to apply if you're excited about the opportunity and think you could thrive here.

Most importantly, you'll care about creating a fairer London and want your work to have a positive social impact.

Closing date: 7 September 2026

Interviews: Second half of September 

If you think we’re the right fit for you, we’d love to hear from you. To apply, please go to our website and download the application pack.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Help us shape the future of community funding across the West of England

Quartet Community Foundation is looking for an experienced, collaborative and forward-thinking Head of Programmes to lead our grant-making and programmes work across Bristol, Bath & North-East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

This is an exciting time to join Quartet. We recently launched our new three-year strategy 2026-9, containing ambitious plans to increase our impact through grant giving, strengthen our understanding of local communities and raise the profile of place-based giving. The strategy outlines how we aim to diversify and strengthen our donor base, driving increasing philanthropic giving, so that we can distribute £6.5 million in grants annually by 2029. As Head of Programmes, you will play a key role in turning that ambition into action.

You will lead and develop our grant-making programmes, ensuring they are informed by community need, insight and evidence and reflect best practice in equitable and accessible funding. You will work closely with local communities, voluntary and community organisations, funders and partners to understand emerging needs and identify opportunities for collaboration and innovation.  You will be able to administer funds directed by local authorities and other partners to their specification, bringing a high quality service and repeat “business” to our revenue funding through high quality grant assessment and distribution.

You will also manage and support our experienced Programmes Team, three direct reports, ensuring an environment where they can develop, perform at their best and embody a culture of continual improvement (please see attached staff plan).

Asylum Link Merseyside is looking for an experienced fundraiser with a proven track record of developing successful funding proposals to lead our fundraising activity and coordinate our external communications.

Based at St Anne’s Centre in Liverpool, we provide practical support, specialist advice and opportunities for connection and participation to people seeking asylum in Liverpool and others who access our services from across Merseyside.

The role will focus on identifying suitable opportunities, developing high-quality funding applications and maintaining relationships with funders. It will also involve developing selected income streams and coordinating communications across our website, social media and supporter channels.

We are looking for someone with strong grant fundraising experience, excellent writing and relationship-building skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities. Communications experience is desirable but is not essential.

For nearly 20 years, Lively Minds has been proving that parents are the sleeping giants of early childhood development. With strong evidence and a national scale proof point in Ghana, we have shown that parent powered approaches delivered through government systems can transform children's lives at scale.

We are now at a pivotal moment. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum, and we need the funding, profile and influence to match our ambition. This is a rare opportunity to lead income generation and external voice for an award winning NGO entering an exciting new phase of growth. You will lead our fundraising strategy and direct engagement with Funders ensuring that we maximise all funding opportunities as we continue our strategic evolution. You will also shape a compelling external narrative that will help position Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments strengthening their early childhood development systems.

If you are an exceptional fundraiser and communicator who is equally comfortable in a strategic conversation and writing a winning proposal, we would love to hear from you.

Read the full advert and apply below. Closing date: 3rd September 2026.

About Lively Minds

Lively Minds is an award-winning NGO with nearly 20 years of experience designing, testing and scaling early childhood development (ECD) solutions across the Global South. Our core idea is simple but radical: parents are the sleeping giants of ECD. Governments and donors have long overlooked parents, assuming that poverty and low literacy make them unable or unwilling to support their childrenʼs development. We have spent two decades proving otherwise. With RCT-backed evidence and a national-scale proof point in Ghana, we have demonstrated that parent-powered approaches, delivered through government systems, can achieve meaningful child development outcomes at scale.

Our 2026–2028 strategy marks a pivotal shift. Having demonstrated what is possible, we are now helping pioneer an innovative model of country-led sustainable scale. Rather than delivering programmes ourselves, we provide lean, time-limited technical advisory support to governments to help them integrate parent-powered ECD into their own systems, budgets and institutions. We are currently working with the governments of Ghana, Uganda, Oromia state (Ethiopia) and The Gambia in 2026, growing to six or more country engagements by 2028. Our ambition is to catalyse a sector-wide shift, positioning Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments seeking to strengthen their ECD systems.

Our scale strategy rests on three interdependent pillars: fixed-term Technical Advisory partnerships with governments; the development of a modular radio model simple and affordable enough for governments to adopt and fund independently; and an advocacy and sector influence agenda designed to make parent-powered ECD the norm globally.

Purpose of the Role

Lively Minds is at a critical inflection point. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum. We now need the funding, profile and sector influence to match our ambition. The Director of Fundraising and Communications is a priority hire, created to provide the dedicated, experienced leadership that this moment demands.

The Director will own and drive Lively Mindsʼ income generation, building new funder relationships, managing and deepening existing ones, and ensuring the organisation has the pipeline, discipline and quality of engagement to meet and exceed its fundraising targets. Working in close partnership with the Founding CEO, who retains ownership of a small number of long-standing strategic relationships, the Director will take primary responsibility for securing the funding that makes the 2026–2028 strategy deliverable, and that opens the door to greater scale beyond it. We need to raise approximately £3.4m over the next 3 years to deliver our strategy. But our ambition is to exceed that target so we can support additional governments.

Alongside fundraising, the Director will provide strategic leadership to Lively Mindsʼ communications and advocacy work, ensuring that the organisationʼs external voice is compelling and that we are building credibility in the spaces where funding decisions are made. The Director will lead and provide strategic coherence to a small but outward-facing team, including Head of Partnerships and Advocacy Lead who are active on the international stage. Lively Minds is committed to thought-leadership and active external engagement, but equally committed to ensuring that communications resource is deployed with discipline and rigour. The Director will set a clear strategic filter for where the organisation shows up, what it publishes and who it engages: prioritising focus and quality over volume, and always asking whether external activity is building the relationships and reputation that ultimately drive income and/or systems change.

Lively Minds is a dispersed, remote organisation. The Directorʼs team the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer - are internationally distributed. The ability to lead, develop and maintain high standards across a dispersed team is essential. The role requires regular travel to international conferences and events.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Income Generation

• Own and deliver the multi-year fundraising strategy with clear priorities, targets, income streams and a disciplined pipeline to support the 2026–2028 strategy and future scale
• Steward existing funder relationships, turning strong partnerships into long-term supporters, advocates and connectors to new funding opportunities.
• Lead the shift towards Big Bet and catalytic funding, personally cultivating and negotiating high-value, multi-year partnerships and positioning Lively Minds for system-level scale
• Maintain a high standard of fundraising quality, pipeline management and forecasting, while coaching the team to produce compelling, sophisticated fundraising materials
•  Build and continuously strengthen a diverse funding pipeline, identifying emerging opportunities, new funding markets and strategic partnerships that reduce concentration risk and support long-term financial sustainability

Communications, Brand & Advocacy

• Own and deliver Lively Mindsʼ communications and marketing strategy, balancing visibility and sector influence with the need to strengthen fundraising and systems-change objectives
• Partner closely with the CEO to shape and steward a coherent external narrative, brand and messaging framework across all audiences and channels
• Oversee high-quality core communications and fundraising materials, including cases for support, pitch decks, website content, proposals and donor reports
• Provide strategic communications expertise to Advocacy, Partnerships and MEL, ensuring evidence and learning are translated into compelling narratives and consistent external messaging
• Lead efforts to strengthen Lively Mindsʼ profile and thought leadership in the ECD sector, identifying opportunities for strategic media, events, publications and external platforms that reinforce its positioning and influence

Organizational Leadership&TeamDevelopment

• Contribute actively to SMT and organisational strategy, bringing funder intelligence, external perspective and communications expertise to strategic decision-making.
• Work closely with Finance and MEL to align fundraising targets, forecasting, budgets and evidence, ensuring proposals are credible, accurately costed and evidence-led
• Act as the organisationʼs communications subject matter expert, providing guidance and challenge to ensure high-quality, consistent external communications
• Lead and develop the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer, fostering a team culture of quality, accountability, strategic clarity and continuous improvement
• Build strong cross-organisational collaboration, ensuring teams understand how fundraising, communications, advocacy and evidence work together to advance Lively Mindsʼ strategic priorities

Person Specification

Essential Experience & Skills

• 10+ years of significant senior-level fundraising experience within international development, education, philanthropy or a comparable sector
• Proven track record of securing major grants from foundations, institutional donors and high-net-worth individuals, alongside demonstrated experience securing or meaningfully progressing large-scale, catalytic funding from Big Bet philanthropy programmes such as the Audacious Project, Skoll Foundation or comparable funders. A strong understanding of what these funders look for and how to position an organisation compellingly within their processes is essential
• Exceptional fundraising writing skills, with the ability to personally develop compelling cases for support, funding proposals, award applications and pitch decks tailored to sophisticated impact funders. This is a hands-on role requiring both strong writing capability and the ability to coach others to consistently produce high-quality fundraising content
• Experienced in developing and owning a marketing and communications strategy, with a strong understanding of how to balance organisational visibility, thought leadership and sector influence with coherence, strategic focus and income generation
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with a Founding CEO to shape and steward the organisationʼs external narrative and brand. Comfortable working in a founder-led environment, providing expertise and constructive challenge while ensuring the organisation maintains a clear, consistent and coherent external voice

Desirable Experience

• Experienced fundraising for a technical advisory, systems change or government-facing organisation
• Knowledge of the ECD, education or early childhood sector and its funding landscape
• Familiarity with the Big Bang Philanthropy network or equivalent impact-focused funder communities
• Experience working alongside advocacy and partnerships teams, providing communications expertise and strategic coherence to their external activity
• Familiarity with the funding landscape for organisations operating in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience working remotely across multiple countries and effectively collaborating with cross-cultural teams

Behaviours & Ways of Working

• A doer, equally comfortable in strategic conversations and writing a funding proposal
• Sets a high bar for quality and clarity in all external communications and holds it consistently
• Builds a strong, trust-based partnership with the Founding CEO, provides honest challenge and operates effectively within a founder-led dynamic without losing their own voice or judgement
• Collaborative and cross-organisational. Invests in strong relationships with programme, MEL and finance colleagues, understanding that the best fundraising is grounded in organisational reality
• Calm and focused under pressure - able to manage competing priorities and maintain quality when the stakes are high

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• 25 days annual leave
• Health insurance
• Pension contribution
• Generous learning and development budget
• Flexible, remote working

Application Instruction

Interested candidates are encouraged to read the Job Description carefully before applying to ensure they understand the role and meet the required criteria.

To apply, please complete the pre-screening questions and submit your updated CV

PLEASE NOTE - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Timeline

Closing Date: 3rd September 2026

Our Stance

Lively Minds operates a strict Safeguarding Policy and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable people. As part of our recruitment process, the suitability of successful candidates will be verified through appropriate background checks including professional references and police checks.

Lively Minds is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities throughout our recruitment process. We want this commitment to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, experiences and perspectives.

We are committed to ensuring that recruitment decisions are based on merit, skills, experience and suitability for the role, and that all candidates are treated fairly and with respect throughout the recruitment process.

The Worker Support Centre (WSC) is a Scottish charity working in partnership with migrant workers at risk of exploitation across Scotland to secure their rights, challenge labour exploitation, build collective power, and drive lasting law and policy change. We are an evidence-led, worker-driven organisation with strong governance and a growing track record of policy impact. We're building a movement of people who welcome all workers, working towards a world where we are all safe, valued and respected at work — no matter our job or nationality.

WSC operates a worker-driven structure that places migrant workers at the centre of our governance and decision-making. We deliver casework alongside worker-led organising and policy advocacy, supporting migrant workers in seasonal agriculture and social care to meet basic needs and to understand and exercise their rights, including through our Worker Power programme, which builds solidarity between workers and within communities.

This is a new, senior role bringing together fundraising and communications leadership at WSC. The Fundraising and Communications Manager will lead the strategic direction for both functions, with a particular emphasis on hands-on delivery of fundraising activity — building relationships with trusts, corporate partners and individual donors, and securing the income that underpins WSC's growth.

On the communications side, the postholder will set strategy, editorial direction and quality standards, working closely with and line managing the Senior Communications and Movement Building Officer, who leads day-to-day content and campaign delivery. This is a role for someone who can operate strategically with the Executive Director and Board while remaining close to the detail of funding applications, donor relationships and income targets.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

● Lead the development and delivery of an integrated Fundraising and Communications strategy that grows WSC's income and public profile in support of organisational goals.

● Advise the Executive Director and Board of Trustees on income generation, funding risk, and public positioning.

● Own annual fundraising and communications targets, budgets and KPIs, reporting regularly on progress.

● Work collaboratively with the team on both fundraising and communications work.

Fundraising (primary delivery focus)

● Lead on identifying, cultivating and securing funding from trusts, foundations, statutory sources, corporate partners and major donors, with hands-on responsibility for research, applications and relationship management.

● Develop diversified income streams, including individual giving, community fundraising and philanthropic support.

● Write and submit compelling funding proposals and grant applications, working closely with the Executive Director and programme colleagues to develop a strong case for support and evidence impact.

● Build and maintain funder relationships, including stewardship, reporting deadlines and site visits.

● Maintain the funder pipeline, income tracking and forecasting, and provide regular financial reporting to the Executive Director.

● Ensure fundraising activity complies with charity governance, fundraising regulation and data protection requirements.

Communications (strategic oversight and delegated delivery)

● Set the strategic direction for WSC's communications, ensuring it amplifies the voices of migrant workers and supports movement-building, policy influence and fundraising goals.

● Develop streams of work specifically targeting Scottish Government pledges on areas including fair work, human trafficking, migrant integration, housing and poverty, working with policy colleagues to shape public messaging.

● Provide direction, editorial oversight and quality assurance for content produced by the Senior Communications and Movement Building Officer, including the website, social media, press, newsletters and campaign materials.

● Act as WSC's senior media contact, and through the Senior Communications and Movement Building Officer ensure appropriate relationships are built with journalists to secure profile-raising opportunities on migrant worker rights, fair work and labour exploitation.

● Ensure consistent brand, tone of voice and values-led, worker-centred storytelling across all communications channels.

● Oversee communications that support fundraising campaigns, donor communications and public engagement.

Line Management

● Line manage the Senior Communications and Movement Building Officer, including regular supervision, goal-setting and professional development.

● Support the Senior Communications and Movement Building Officer to deliver day-to-day content, campaigns and movement-building communications activity in line with agreed strategy.

● Manage freelancers, agencies or consultants (for example design, digital or PR support) as required.

Governance & Reporting

● Ensure compliance with fundraising, charity, data protection (GDPR) and safeguarding legislation across fundraising and communications activity.

● Maintain accurate fundraising and communications databases (CRM, Mailchimp and similar), and provide regular reporting and analysis to the Executive Director and Board.

● Support the Executive Director and Board in reporting income and impact to funders, trustees and other stakeholders.

● Participate in the WSC Senior Management Team, helping review alignment of WSC’s work with strategic vision. 

Participation & Values

● Champion WSC's worker-driven governance model, ensuring workers' voices lead our fundraising and communications narratives.

● Collaborate with policy, casework and operations colleagues to align fundraising, communications and organisational priorities.

● Co-produce fundraising and communications outputs with workers, prioritising their voices, interests and concerns.

● Actively contribute to a values-led, inclusive and collaborative working culture.

Person Specification

Knowledge, skills and experience

Significant experience in fundraising, with a demonstrable track record of securing income from trusts, corporate partners and/or individual donors (Essential)

Experience developing and delivering fundraising and communications strategies (Essential)

Experience writing successful funding proposals, grant applications and funder reports (Essential)

Strong track record in communications, with experience overseeing brand, messaging and multi-channel content (Essential)

Experience managing staff (Essential)

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences (Essential)

Experience of budget setting, monitoring and income forecasting (Essential)

Understanding of charity governance, fundraising regulation and data protection (GDPR) (Essential)

Experience using a CRM or donor database and digital communications tools (e.g. Mailchimp) (Essential)

Knowledge of, or strong interest in, labour rights, migrant rights and/or human rights issues (Essential)

Knowledge of accessible and inclusive communications, and values-led, ethical storytelling (Essential)

Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities (Essential)

Experience of media relations and press office activity (Essential)

Desirable experience:

Direct experience of migrant worker rights, labour exploitation or related sectors 

Experience managing external agencies, freelancers or consultants 

Media trained

Membership of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising

Lived experience of precarious work and/or the immigration system

Intermediate level or above of languages spoken by workers WSC partners with, e.g. Russian, Filipino.

Qualifications

● Advanced level degree or equivalent professional experience in Fundraising, Communications, Marketing, or a related field (Essential).

The Programme Manager will provide leadership for the Meet N Match programme, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, inclusive services that support people with learning disabilities and autistic adults to build friendships, develop relationships and increase social connections. Meet N Match is our friendship and dating agency, supporting people to develop friendships, relationships and greater independence. Alongside relationship support, the programme delivers a range of inclusive social events that reduce social isolation and create opportunities for people to build meaningful connections. Now in its tenth year and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Meet N Match continues to respond to a growing demand for high-quality relationship and social opportunities.

Alongside leading a small team who provide the day-to-day delivery of Meet N Match, an exciting part of this role is the development of a new Partnership Network. This is an exciting opportunity to shape an innovative model that will enable other organisations to deliver inclusive social events using Spring into Action's framework, training and support. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the development of this model, with the long-term ambition of creating an accredited network that extends our reach, improves opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, and contributes to the long-term sustainability of the organisation.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone to help shape the future direction of Meet N Match while supporting Spring into Action's long-term sustainability.

Government, Multilateral and Climate Funding Manager

Permanent. Full Time. Hybrid working (minimum of 2 days in the office per week)

Location: This role can be based in any one of our UK offices - Edinburgh, London, Warrington

Salary: £49,062 per year for Edinburgh, and Warrington. £53,994 per year for London (including London allowance)

About us

Christian Aid exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We are a global movement of people, churches and local organisations who passionately champion dignity, equality and justice worldwide. We are the changemakers, the peacemakers, the mighty of heart.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and recognise the value this brings in forming strong, creative and high performing teams. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, and from those with experience from outside of the voluntary sector. And no, you don’t have to be Christian to work here – we encourage people of all faiths and none to apply. We just ask that everyone lives out our values of dignity, equality, justice and love. We value a good work-life balance, so we’re open to part-time and flexible working. We also offer hybrid working for our office-based colleagues. 

About the role

Reporting in to the Partnership and Business Development Lead, the Government, Multilateral and Climate Funding Manager is responsible for driving sustained growth in income and impact outcomes by actively engaging and cultivating strong relationships with existing and new institutional and climate funding partners.

The role co-creates and leads bidding with MCCs and Global Programmes teams, securing multi-year, multi-million government, multilateral, and climate funding awards.

The post-holder will co-lead and deliver the government, multilateral and climate funding strategy, positioning Christian Aid and its partners to access and scale climate finance, including adaptation, resilience, loss and damage, and nature-based solutions funding.

The role ensures a strong long-term pipeline of funding opportunities, aligned to organisational priorities and climate justice commitments, maximising both income and programme impact.

Some of the main areas of responsibility for the Government, Multilateral and Climate Funding Manager include:

• Working with the Partnerships and Business Development Lead and Heads of Impact to implement an ambitious long-term strategic framework to enhance engagement and build strong partnerships with Government, Multilateral and Climate Funding Partners (including Global Climate Funds such as the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund, UN agencies, World Bank climate windows, Regional Development Banks, and bilateral donors including UK and devolved Governments, European and other Governments), setting clear objectives and key areas for collaboration, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and climate justice priorities.
• Acquire, develop and retain key Government, Multilateral and Climate Funder relationships and strategic partnerships by building a wide network of contacts across Government Departments, development finance institutions, and climate finance mechanisms, ensuring sustained engagement and strong positioning over time.
• Build and maintain a forward-looking, multi-year pipeline of institutional and climate funding opportunities, identifying emerging climate finance trends and positioning Christian Aid to access strategic funding, collaborating closely with CA Ireland and global teams to maximise funding growth.
• Oversee agreed Supplier Framework Agreements, including those linked to climate and environment programming, working with MCC Business Development Managers in taking forward pipeline opportunities.
• Collaborate across the Partnerships and Business Development Team and MCC BD Team on tenders and grants, leading bid preparation and ensuring alignment with funding requirements, including integration of climate considerations and compliance with donor requirements (e.g. climate rationale, safeguards, and reporting).
• Collaborate with Impact colleagues to onboard new programmes, including those funded through climate finance mechanisms, working with MCC Contracts and Portfolio Managers to ensure readiness for delivery and compliance requirements.
• Develop and proactively pitch new strategic Signature Programmes, including climate-focused and climate-integrated programmes, in agreement with Directors and MCCs.
• Strengthen internal capability by supporting colleagues to integrate climate considerations into programme design and funding approaches, sharing knowledge and best practice on climate funding requirements.
• Represent Christian Aid externally, strengthening organisational visibility and positioning within climate finance spaces.
• This level role may include line management responsibilities of an adviser level role.

Role Characteristics

• Permanent, income-generating role aligned to multi-year institutional and climate funding cycles
• Focus on sustained pipeline development and relationship management
• Requires long-term positioning with government, multilateral, and climate funders
• Builds and retains organisational expertise in complex and competitive funding mechanisms
• Critical to delivering predictable income growth and scaled programme impact

Strategic Context

This role is critical to ensuring Christian Aid can:

• Compete effectively in an increasingly climate-focused and competitive funding landscape
• Build and sustain high-value institutional and climate funding partnerships
• Access and scale climate finance as a core income stream
• Deliver long-term, impactful programmes aligned to climate justice priorities

The permanent nature of this role reflects the long-term horizon of institutional and climate funding, and the need for sustained engagement, expertise, and strategic positioning.

Integration with Senior Leadership

This role will be complemented by senior strategic oversight, ensuring strong alignment between operational delivery and high-level engagement with key funders, strengthening Christian Aid’s positioning, influence, and ability to secure large-scale funding opportunities.

About you

Who we are looking for:

Essential:

• Highly developed communication, networking, consulting and relationship-building skills, including but not limited to Government Departments, INGOs, NGOs and Private Sector and country missions
• Highly developed interpersonal skills at senior levels with advanced negotiation and conflict resolution
• Highly developed research skills for identifying strategic funding and partnership
• Highly developed organisational, planning, and prioritisation
• Substantial knowledge and experience of humanitarian programming and humanitarian donor funding modalities with UN, EU and bilateral donors and/or international climate funding architecture, Global Climate Funds, donor accreditation and management modalities
• Developed skills and experience in strategy development, decision-making, and managing high-pressure
• Substantial experience and a proven track record of securing multiple multi-million-pound
• Substantial experience with project design, as well as monitoring and evaluation
• Substantial experience in developing, writing, and budgeting technical grant and service contract bids, and strong excel and budgeting skills.
• Detailed understanding and knowledge of institutional donor programming and partnership models, especially with Governments and Multilateral donors.

Desirable:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Developed in synthesising complex information
• Demonstrable experience in line management and managing teams remotely and providing coaching support.
• Medium level proficiency in speaking and writing in French or Spanish
• Understanding in negotiating government grant and supplier contracts, including compliance agreements.

Further information

At Christian Aid we strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer and recognise the value that this brings in helping to build strong, creative and high performing teams.

We are actively encouraging racialised minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people with caring responsibilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and older workers to apply. This is because these groups are under-represented within our teams, especially at senior level, and we recognise and value the contributions members of these groups make to strong, creative and high performing teams. 

We have a strong Christian ethos and we encourage applications from all faiths. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and sympathy with Christian Aid’s faith identity. 

All successful candidates will require a DBS/police check appropriate to the role and location and a Counter Terrorism Sanction check as part of your clearance for commencing your role with us. We also participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information as part of the referencing process from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

This role requires applicants to have the right to live and work in the country where this position is based and undertake the role that you have been offered. If you are successful and we make you an offer for the role, we will be required to conduct a right to work check on your immigration status in the UK. We will contact you regarding the documentation you will need to provide to evidence this. 

Universify Education is looking for a passionate and motivated Fundraising Officer to deliver the charity's fundraising activities and engage Universify’s community to enable the ongoing running of our transformative programmes. This is a great opportunity for someone experienced in fundraising to gain a deeper understanding of charity fundraising, finance, impact reporting and governance.

THE ROLE

As the Fundraising Officer, you will plan and deliver the charity’s income generation strategy, covering Trusts and Foundations, Individual Giving and Public Fundraising. You will work with the programme team to create integrated charity communications to increase awareness of the charity’s impact. You will also work in collaboration with the CEO on the charity’s financial management and governance.

There is flexibility within the role to try other aspects of the charity’s work, including programme delivery and working with young people. Please see our job description for further information about working at Universify.

THE CHARITY

Universify exists to create a fairer, more equal society where every young person can fulfil their potential regardless of their background. We work primarily with Year 10-11 students (aged 14-16) to increase their aspirations, improve GCSE attainment and to gain a greater understanding of post-18 pathways, particularly university, to make a more informed decision about their future. Our main Oxford programme includes a week-long residential in summer of Year 10, a 3-day GCSE-focused revision residential in the spring of Year 11, and regular online coaching. 

Main Duties

• Plan and deliver the charity’s income generation strategy, including Trusts and Foundations, Individual Giving, and Public Fundraising campaigns
  • Identify new opportunities and maintain a database of fundraising prospects
  • Create funding bids, project budgets and grant reports
  • Track and report on fundraising progress to the CEO and wider staff team, with development opportunities to report to the board of trustees
• Deepen engagement with existing stakeholders through stewardship
• Collaborate with the programme team to create and manage integrated charity communications to increase awareness of the charity’s impact
• Alongside the CEO, contribute to the charity's financial management including payments and payroll
• Support the team in one ad hoc function (based on candidate’s preferences and skills)
  • Volunteer and tutor recruitment and onboarding, or
  • Impact reporting and CRM maintenance, or
  • Charity governance, filing duties, and financial management, or
  • Safeguarding support.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Required skills and characteristics

• Clear communicator, able to adapt written communication to suit a range of audiences
• Ability to work independently, organise a pipeline of work and communicate progress to a team
• Ability to create and maintain relationships with a range of external stakeholders
• Able to think creatively and identify opportunities to raise funds
• Proactive, adaptable and self-motivated
• Basic understanding of trusts and foundations fundraising processes (prospecting, application cycles, stewardship)
• Basic understanding of project budgets and data analysis; attention to detail and accurate with handling information
• Works well in a small team and is interested in working in a small organisation

Required experience

We are looking for candidates with the following experience:

• Experience prospecting and writing bids in a charity or commercial setting
• Experience in stakeholder management and stewardship
• Experience working flexibly across multiple projects
• Experience in managing a large project independently; ready to take the initiative to deliver a project to a high standard
• Experience and confidence in using MS Office and Excel

Desirable experience and skills

Ideally, candidates would have experience in some of the following areas:

• Track record of fundraising success across multiple income streams and identifying new opportunities to raise funds
• Experience preparing fundraising budgets
• Experience in using Canva or other design tools
• Experience of using the basic functions of a CRM and a willingness to build this knowledge
• Previous experience working within the UK secondary education sector and knowledge of the UK university access and outreach sector
• Some data analysis skills

About DadVocates

DadVocates is a new four-year project, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, that will train, mentor and supervise young dads with lived experience of young fatherhood to act as volunteer peer advocates for young fathers going through children’s social care (CSC) proceedings, including Child Protection, Child in Need and Public Law Outline.

The project responds to evidence from our work with over 800 young dads, which shows that the majority felt negatively about CSC proceedings from the outset: many hold fatalistic expectations about losing contact with their children and are reluctant to engage. By matching young dads with a trained volunteer DadVocate at the earliest possible stage, the project aims to build agency, improve engagement and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Over four years, the project will train 40 volunteer DadVocates, support 100 young dads through CSC proceedings, and deliver father-inclusive practice training to 160 social workers and other professionals across five local authorities. It will also co-design clear guidance on what good father-inclusive practice looks like within children’s social care teams.

This is a genuinely ambitious project, working at the intersection of lived experience, peer advocacy, social care practice and systems change. It was conceived by a young dad who is now a NEYDL trustee and qualified social worker and has been co-designed with 174 young dads over three years.

The role

The DadVocate Programme Manager will lead this project from the outset. You will recruit, train, mentor and supervise our volunteer DadVocates; chair and manage the project Steering Committee; lead the development and delivery of professional training for social workers; oversee monitoring, evaluation and funder reporting; and manage the project budget.

This is a programme management role, not a casework role. Cases are held by NEYDL’s Senior Young Dads Workers; the DadVocates you manage provide peer support within those cases. You will have direct relationships with young dad beneficiaries through steering committee meetings, evaluation sessions and learning events, but your primary responsibility is managing and supporting the DadVocates and the systems around them.

The DadVocates are young dads with lived experience of young fatherhood, not professional practitioners. They will need significant support, encouragement and professional development to operate effectively in what can be a challenging environment. The quality of that management and support is central to the success of this project.

You will work alongside training and research providers, closely with NEYDL’s Senior Young Dads Workers as the case holders and be supported day-to-day by the CEO.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone with substantial experience, knowledge and competency working within the children’s social care and social work arena, alongside a track record of managing projects in the voluntary sector. The ideal candidate will bring both: professional grounding in children’s social care/social work and the programme management experience to lead a complex, multi-strand project over four years.

You will possess a deep understand of the children’s social care and social work system, be able to design and deliver training that changes professional culture and have the people management skills to support a team of volunteer young dads who are developing professional skills alongside their advocacy role. You will also need to build trusted relationships with young dad beneficiaries, social workers, academic partners and a range of local statutory and voluntary organisations.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of young fatherhood or young parenthood, from people with personal or professional experience of children’s social care proceedings (including professionally qualified social workers) and people from minoritised backgrounds.

What we offer

NEYDL is a close, inclusive and supportive team that actively invests in the development of its staff. We are a non-judgmental organisation built on mutual trust, respect and honesty. If you join us, you will be part of a team that genuinely believes in what it does.

In addition, we offer:

• 7.2 weeks’ annual leave per year, inclusive of statutory and public holidays
• 5% employer pension contribution
• A flexible hybrid working arrangement
• Regular supervision and fortnightly team meetings
• Funded professional development and training
• Mileage paid at 55p per mile for business travel
• The opportunity to lead a nationally significant project at the forefront of father-inclusive practice

Job purpose

To lead and manage the DadVocates project, a four-year National Lottery-funded programme training volunteer young dads as peer advocates for young fathers in children’s social care proceedings; delivering professional training to social workers; and working towards the embedding of father-inclusive practice across children’s social care teams in five local authorities.

Key responsibilities

1. Project management

• Take day-to-day responsibility for the management and delivery of the DadVocates project across all strands of activity
• Manage the project budget, monitor expenditure and liaise with the CEO and Finance Officer
• Update and maintain NEYDL’s Evaluation Framework with DadVocates-specific indicators and methodologies within the first two months of the project start date
• Ensure the project meets its funder milestones and KPIs, maintaining accurate records of outputs and outcomes
• Produce quarterly progress reports for internal review and contribute to annual funder reports
• Commission and manage the external evaluator for the four-year evaluation
• Identify and escalate risks and challenges to the CEO, recommending solutions

2. Steering Committee

• Chair and manage the project Steering Committee, which meets every two months and comprises young dads, NEYDL frontline staff, the safeguarding lead, social work professionals, related experts and academic partners
• Induct Steering Committee members, including young dads, into their roles, providing tailored support to ensure they can contribute confidently alongside professionals
• Use Steering Committee meetings to review progress, identify challenges and agree recommendations for the next period of delivery

3. Co-creating the DadVocate training programme

• Work with training and research providers, young dads and Steering Committee members to co-create a 100-hour peer advocacy training programme for volunteer DadVocates
• Deliver the DadVocate training programme alongside NEYDL staff and delivery partners
• Lead annual reviews of the training programme and update content in response to learning and feedback

4. Managing and supporting volunteer DadVocates

• Recruit and train 10 young dad volunteers per year (40 over four years), all with lived experience of young fatherhood
• Provide ongoing mentoring, supervision and wellbeing support to all active DadVocate volunteers: at least 50 hours per volunteer per year
• Set clear objectives for each volunteer, conduct regular appraisals and team meetings, and support their professional development and progression
• Recognise that DadVocates are young dads with lived experience rather than professional backgrounds, and provide the high level of structured support this requires, including supporting them to navigate professional environments with confidence
• Support the progression of volunteers into employment, further training and community leadership roles

5. Matching DadVocates with young dads in CSC proceedings

• Build and maintain referral pathways with social services, midwifery, Family Nurse Partnerships, Family Hubs and other local networks across target local authorities
• Match 100 young dads over four years with a volunteer DadVocate (10 in year 1, rising to 40 in year 4)
• Work closely with NEYDL’s Senior Young Dads Workers, who hold cases, to coordinate peer advocacy support within CSC proceedings
• Maintain oversight of active advocacy arrangements, ensuring DadVocates are appropriately supported and that safeguarding obligations are met at all times
• Engage directly with young dad beneficiaries through steering committee meetings, evaluation sessions and project learning events

6. Professional training for social workers

• Co-create professional training content with social workers and young dads on the Steering Committee, drawing on national research and NEYDL’s practice experience
• Deliver half-day induction training to 15-20 social workers per local authority at the outset of each area’s involvement, co-facilitated by young dads or DadVocate volunteers
• Deliver annual refresher training in each local authority
• Facilitate quarterly case review and learning meetings with social workers in each local authority, involving DadVocate volunteers
• Co-design guidance on what father-inclusive practice looks like within children’s social care teams, with social workers and young dads (first version in year 2; updated version in year 4)
• Organise and host two information-sharing events for social care professionals in years 2 and 4 (approximately 100 professionals per event)

7. Monitoring, evaluation and learning

• Coordinate data collection with young dads, DadVocate volunteers and social workers using NEYDL’s evaluation tools and new instruments co-designed for this project
• Produce annual evaluation reports and disseminate learning through NEYDL’s wider networks, events and conferences
• Share learning through stakeholder events, professional networks and NEYDL’s regular sector-facing activity

8. Safeguarding

• Ensure robust safeguarding arrangements are in place for all project activity, particularly for DadVocate volunteers operating within CSC proceedings
• Work closely with NEYDL’s Safeguarding Lead to ensure policies and protocols relevant to the project are current, understood and followed by volunteers and partners
• Act as first point of contact for safeguarding concerns arising within the DadVocates project

9. Collaboration and partnerships

• Work closely with NEYDL’s Senior Young Dads Workers as case holders, ensuring a joined-up and consistent approach to supporting young dads involved in the project
• Build and maintain relationships with academic, statutory and voluntary sector partners
• Work with the Business Development Manager to help secure longer-term Local Authority funding for DadVocates, using evidence of impact from the project to support conversations with Local Authorities and expand the project’s reach beyond the areas and targets in the original funding bid
• Represent NEYDL and the DadVocates project at external meetings, networks and conferences
• Contribute to NEYDL’s wider communications and engagement activity

10. Other

• Deputise for the CEO as required
• Report to the Board of Trustees in person or in writing on a quarterly basis as required

11. Standard clauses

• The post holder must carry out their responsibilities at all times with due regard to NEYDL’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, policy and statement, and Safeguarding Policy
• The post holder is responsible for ensuring that policies and procedures relating to health and safety in the workplace are adhered to at all times
• The post holder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means, in line with NEYDL’s Data Protection Policy
• This role requires satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance prior to appointment
• This job description is not exhaustive. NEYDL reserves the right to reasonably add to or revise it at any time in agreement with the post holder.

We’re looking for an experienced fundraising leader who can combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery and take the next step into a broad senior leadership role.

As Head of Income Generation and Communications, you will lead Cosmic’s fundraising, marketing and communications function, with responsibility for sustainable income growth, team leadership and strengthening our profile. You will oversee a varied portfolio spanning community and challenge fundraising, corporate partnerships, major donors, events, volunteering and supporter stewardship, while also setting the direction for our communications, brand and digital activity.

This is a role with real scope to shape our future. You will work closely with the CEO and Trustees, lead a small team and external communications support, and develop a three-to-five-year strategy that turns ambition into clear plans, targets and results.

We are looking for someone with a strong track record in fundraising and income generation, experience of managing people and performance, and the confidence to oversee communications and volunteering strategically. You do not need to be a communications specialist, but you should understand how strong storytelling, supporter engagement and volunteer involvement can help drive income and impact.

Salary: £45,000–£50,000 | Full-time | Permanent | Hybrid, primarily based near St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington

Are you passionate about racial justice and supporting young Black people to thrive?

Our Youth Employment Manager role is an exciting new opportunity to lead on Poetic Unity’s innovative Employment programmes, which makes up one of our three priority areas: Mental Health, Employment and Education. This role, forming part of our Senior Leadership Team, will play a critical role in supporting thousands of Black young people across the UK to access safe, inclusive and empowering employment opportunities - changing culture and reshaping systems.

Key responsbilities 

- Be responsible for the development and management of the Chief Operations Officer Senior Leadership Training (COO SLT) - an innovative training programme for 10 Black young people to achieve the skills required to thrive in positions of senior leadership

- Be directly responsible for the management of the annual Cultural Leaders programme - a 12 month employment programme for 5 Black young people each year, working across different areas of Poetic Unity and with partners across the sector to develop transferable skills.

- Design, implement and manage The Blueprint - a national framework of best practice for the employment of Black young people in creative organisations

- Ensure all Employment programmes are effectively meeting the needs of the target demographic and are aligned with Poetic Unity’s strategic Vision

- Ensure all Employment programmes are effectively meeting the objectives and funding goals as outlined in associated funding requirements

- Be responsible for the effective monitoring and evaluation of all Employment programmes

- Be responsible for programme budget and finance management, working in line with awarded funding allocations and following all documentation protocols. 

Person specification 

- At least 2 years experience in leadership, people and project management roles, preferably within the charity sector

- Proven track record of effectively managing programmes and services, including programme development, implementation, and evaluation. To hold the knowledge, skills and confidence to bring programmes to life, oversee and manage their efficiency and deliver against outlined project goals and funding requirements

- Experience in project finance management, including keeping to budgets, managing over or underspend, and maintaining required evidence for efficient fund management

- Strong background in operational management - programme impact and evaluation, risk management and programme development

- Experience in stakeholder engagement, relationship management, and advocacy, with the ability to represent Poetic Unity effectively at various levels and build strong, sustainable partnerships to support the programme goals and our strategic vision. 

About us

Poetic Unity is a Black-led charity committed to addressing systemic racism and its impacts on children and young people’s mental health, education and employment. We use poetry and social action to cultivate joy, connection and empowerment across our communities. Based in Brixton and founded in 2015, we have since worked with over 60,000 young people across the UK in communities, education, cultural spaces and prisons. 

As a Black-led charity working towards racial justice, we strongly welcome applications from people with lived experience of racism. We are also particularly interested in applications from women and people from and/or with knowledge of our local Brixton community.

If this role sounds of interest to you please read full job description below with more details and how you can apply