Communications officer jobs in luton, cambridgeshire

We are working in partnership with the Church of England who are seeking an Independent Chair for their Racial Justice Panel.

The Racial Justice Panel (RJP) was established by the Archbishops’ Council in December 2024 following the successful conclusion of the work on the Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice led by the Lord Boateng PC, CVO. The RJP is to provide independent assurance that the work of racial justice is being carried out effectively by the Church, in accordance with agreed plans and wider best practice.

The RJP Panel, albeit a critical friend, maintains its independence, offering rigorous scrutiny and challenge to the Church in its work on racial justice including examining progress against strategic and delivery plans. It shall produce an annual report to be laid before the General Synod. 

The RJP are looking to appoint an experienced independent Chair who will provide excellent leadership, direction and independent scrutiny and challenge to the Church of England and bring external expertise from holding a highly senior role. 

They are looking for an independent chair who:

• Is a gifted leader, who will support the Church of England in further strengthening its safeguarding arrangements and partnerships.
• Is passionate about working collaboratively at all levels, with a proven track record in improvement work at a national level.
• Knows how to hold organisations to account and possesses the skills to support the development of senior leaders.
• Understands through senior level personal experience, the core aspects of racial justice at a national level and in the field of statutory and/or voluntary sector.
• Is empathetic, strategic, emotional and has analytical skills, and able to act as a ‘critical friend’ in supporting and challenging people and institutions to help improve their racial justice focus, practice and arrangements.
• Has a relevant academic or professional qualification.
• Has an understanding of the structure of the Church of England and an appreciation for the role that faith plays in the context of racial justice.

The successful candidate will be a senior leader, with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.   

Please note: Experience of church structures and practices, either professionally or personally, are neither a barrier nor a qualification required for this role. However, the candidate must be in sympathy with the aims and work of the Church of England.

The AC is due to be replaced by CENS in 2-3 years’ time, and the role of the RJP will be reviewed once CENS is established. 

For more information, please contact Sandra Smith, Associate Director, Charisma Charity Recruitment. Applications should be submitted through the Charisma website and include your CV and supporting statement (each of which should not exceed two A4 pages). 

We welcome and encourage applications from prospective candidates of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or other category protected by law.

Closing date for applications: 11 June 2025

Client Interview date: TBC

You will act as the first point of contact for members of the public, taking and triaging enquiries, preparing responses, and referring more complex cases to our network of trained planning volunteers. Your work will directly help people understand and navigate the planning system in Wales.

This is a part-time, home-based role that offers flexibility and purpose. Full training and response templates will be provided.

· Respond to phone and email enquiries to the Planning Aid Wales Helpline.

· Record enquiry details, assess eligibility and decide on next steps.

· Draft email responses to basic enquiries (with training and templates provided).

· Refer eligible cases to volunteers and monitor their progress.

· Close case files and prepare quarterly Helpline activity reports.

 The ability to speak and write in Welsh is highly desirable.

CVs will not be accepted.

Title: Trusts & Foundations Advisor

Location: UK / Remote

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £40,000 per annum 

About the role

Sightsavers’ Trusts and Corporate Partnerships team is excited to be expanding its team in response to growing demands and opportunities in the trusts & foundation sector. We are recruiting for two additional Trusts & Foundations Advisors to be key contributors to the development of Sightsavers trusts and foundations programme. They will play a crucial role in the successful recruitment and cultivation of new business, while also managing a portfolio of existing trust and foundation donors primarily based in the UK, U.S and Europe.

In this role, the Advisor will be instrumental in contributing towards the team’s annual income target and supporting additional planned growth in the coming years. 

Responsibilities

• Manage and cultivate relationships with a portfolio of key trust and foundation donors for Sightsavers (up to 7-figure funding agreements) via proposals, mailings, reports, telephone or face-to-face meetings as appropriate, and coordinate donor visits, dealing with CEOs, Directors, and Trustees.
• Develop key external and internal relationships and donor engagement activities for the achievement of planned objectives with these donors.
• Research, identify, prioritise, and develop personalised engagement plans and donor strategies to cultivate new trust prospects in targeted global markets. Lead on cultivating relationships with CEOs, Directors, and Trustees, with the aim of establishing additional high-value funding relationships.
• Work proactively across the organisation, including cross-culturally, to coordinate, develop, and deliver a high standard of compelling project proposals and reports ready for submission to donors whilst ensuring excellent grant/contract management to existing donor relationships.
• Actively participate in the networks surrounding trusts and foundations, sharing information, insights, opportunities, and fundraising materials produced.
• Represent Sightsavers and/or support staff delegations at conferences and networks to engage with and cultivate new donor relationships.
• Contribute to team, departmental, and wider organisational systems development and initiatives.

This is a highly varied and involved role and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. Please see the Job Description for full details.

Jobholder Requirements

Essential

• Relevant experience working in the charity sector, ideally in international development.
• Experience of long-term grant/contract management of significant funders/clients.
• Proven success in personally cultivating new relationships with prospective donors/clients and maintaining relationships with existing donors/clients.
• Demonstrative experience of excellent written skills, including proposals, bids, and reports for external audiences.
• Proven success in creating successful funding proposals.
• Knowledge of good fundraising practice.
• Experience of in-person networking at conferences or face-to-face meetings with senior trusts and foundations staff/board.
• Understanding of and interest in charity sector and international development issues.
• First-class presentation and writing skills, including preparation of proposals, project budgets, and reports with excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent IT skills, including Word and Excel, and experience of using fundraising databases.
• Capable of relating well to a wide range of people.
• Strong listening and negotiating skills.
• Research experience, including the development of engagement plans.
• Experience of in-person networking at conferences.
• Self-confidence with the ability to take the initiative, manage time effectively, and work to deadlines.
• Good analytical skills – can prioritise and plan opportunities based on available information.
• Highly collaborative approach.

Desirable

• Experience of Fundraising from the US market.
• Experience of writing for the US market.

Next Steps

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying.

Successful candidates will be invited to participate in a virtual interview via Microsoft Teams, and we will also ask all candidates to complete a short task related to the responsibilities of the Trusts & Foundations Advisor role.

As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people living with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Due to project deadlines, we are keen to fill this role as quickly as possible. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and considered as soon as they are received. The closing date for applications is 1 June 2025. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible, as early submissions will be reviewed promptly.

1. To be the point of contact at Headway Hertfordshire’s peer support groups, coffee mornings and existing Carers evening support group, within your designated area.
2. To organise and facilitate our Welwyn and Letchworth peer support groups that are held within a hall setting, together with our volunteers.
3. To attend coffee mornings at venues in East Herts (Hertford), North Herts (Hitchin) and Stevenage, together with our volunteers.
4. To attend our existing Carers Evening Support Group in Stevenage with potential for a further Carers Support Group during the day.
5. To raise any issues of concern and/or queries from group members/volunteers with the Support Coordinator as soon as possible for her to follow up.
6. To distribute information to those attending the groups sent by Headway Hertfordshire
7. Obtain signed Registers at each peer support group and coffee morning and input them onto the Headway Hertfordshire database. Records to be kept up to date.
8. Collect subscriptions from our clients at relevant Welwyn Peer Support Group(s) and pass to the Support Coordinator.  Also, be responsible for collecting money from clients and/or carers for any activities or events that Headway Hertfordshire may arrange.
9. To report any health and safety related incidents to the Support Coordinator as soon as possible for the necessary paperwork to be completed.
10. To notify the Support Coordinator as soon as possible if you are unable to attend any of the peer support groups due to illness.
11. To give the Support Coordinator at least two weeks’ notice if unable to attend the peer support groups due to holiday.
12. To support the Support Coordinator when new clients and/or carers attend the groups – Support Coordinator will try to attend with new person, but if not possible, details will be sent in advance by the Support Coordinator.
13. Administration of annual Premises Risk Assessments and individual Risk Assessments of Volunteers within your designated area.

Can you help us to support new dads and dads-to-be?

We are recruiting a Dad Matters Coordinator to help us reach more families in Brent. This is a great opportunity for someone with parenting experience to support new dads at a critical time in their parenting journey.

The Dad Matters Coordinator will support dads with attachment and bonding, mental health and access to services. You will have the ability to work with professionals and healthcare services to ensure dads are engaged, supported and heard within clinical pathways. Additionally, you will help develop and run group sessions with dads and will be at the forefront of growing our volunteering opportunities.

No formal experience of healthcare, mental health services or children's services is required - you will just need the compassion and skills to enable dads to have those difficult conversations, and talk about how they’re really feeling.

We are looking for someone proactive who is keen to make a difference. Someone with good people-skills, who can build on our existing relationships in the borough. The work requires a regular presence in Brent for visibility, field-based community engagement and training.

We would love to speak to you if you're curious about the role but you're not quite sure whether it's right for you.