Community engagement executive jobs in leeds
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
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Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
UK-based/ Colchester or Home-based with monthly travel to Colchester office. Overseas travel with trips lasting from 10-14 days.
This post requires the candidates to have independent rights to live and work in the UK
Background
Lepra is dedicated to addressing leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) and their consequences through direct support, advocacy, and the promotion of inclusive communities. We work in Bangladesh and in India, through our sister organisation, LEPRA Society. We work in partnership with people affected by leprosy and LF to improve detection, ensure access to treatment and care, and promote inclusion and wellbeing. Last year we finalised our new Global Strategy for 2024-30, which will guide us in our efforts to accelerate progress towards global targets for leprosy and LF, and towards our vision of a world free from leprosy and LF.
Job Context
Our Global Strategy marks a significant evolution in our organisational direction, introducing innovative approaches and renewed priorities. This includes our first-ever global Theory of Change (ToC), our most comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework to date, a Research and Innovation strategy, and a dedicated Advocacy sub-strategy to guide our influencing efforts.
With the Lepra Advocacy Strategy, we will be working over the next 6 years to strengthen our approaches to our advocacy efforts. The post holder will play a key role in supporting the roll out of the Advocacy strategy working closely with the Director of Programmes and Advocacy, the Head of Research, the Senior Programme Manager, the Programme Officer and the teams where we work.
Job Purpose
This role is an exciting role within the programmes team in response to evolving needs. The incoming post holder will work within the 5 person UK’s Programme and Advocacy team and will drive, advise and support the team in relation to Lepra’s advocacy profile. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, strategic and creative person who has outstanding skills to engage and work with a diverse team. We are looking for someone to work with a clear strategy and then develop, grow and successfully shape the future of Lepra’s advocacy efforts.
Working Relationships
Reports to Lepra UK’s Director of Programmes and Advocacy (DPA)
Works closely with the Programmes and Advocacy Team
Close working links with colleagues in India and in Bangladesh and the UK’s communications team
International travel as needed for programmes oversight and support, and external representation.
Key responsibilities
Advocacy Delivery (50%)
Under the supervision of the DPA implement Lepra’s global Advocacy strategy and coordinate advocacy initiatives.
Serve as the driver of advocacy efforts, facilitating the transitional year of implementation including coordinating the Advocacy Steering Group; advocacy toolkit development; action planning.
Represent Lepra in specific fora and advocacy networks and within the broader leprosy and NTD community in close coordination with the DPA.
Produce quarterly advocacy newsletters
Maintain quarterly reports on flagging areas of concern and actioning steering committee advice.
Assist in the preparation of policy documents and the presentation of papers for publication, conferences, or specific institutions and/or individuals - identifying and targeting the most appropriate audiences.
Support and contribute to the development and implementation of initiatives that foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment across organisational programmes, policies, and advocacy efforts.
Support and contribute to initiatives that promote inclusion and equity, with a strong focus on developing the leadership and advocacy capacity of people with lived experience of leprosy, ensuring their voices are central in decision-making and programme design.
Knowledge management / Learning and Development (20%)
Support the preparation of Lepra advocacy and policy documents.
Disseminate knowledge so that it is integrated into Lepra’s portfolio to amplify the impact for target audiences and improve their outcomes.
Facilitate the new knowledge and learning hub and forge a clear path for its evolution.
Facilitate knowledge sharing through updating the communications team with relevant materials for the new programme folder on the website.
Organise and develop advocacy training.
Develop and take ownership of the new programme’ s team knowledge sharing approaches.
Develop a workplan of knowledge sharing events.
Support annual review meetings.
Communications (10%)
Assist the programmes team with the documentation of Lepra examples and models of best practice, at the same time identifying and developing mechanisms and avenues for the effective dissemination of this knowledge – internally and externally.
Assist the programmes team, DPO, Chief Executive and Country Programme staff in the synthesis of complex technical/scientific information adapting it to language and formats easily used by target audiences.
Contribute to content development of community engagement materials (public information, brochures, leaflets) that help explain the operations and impact of Lepra’s work to LF and/or leprosy affected communities.
Maintain good working links with Lepra’s UK Fundraising and Communications Team, contributing towards UK facing communications materials as and when required.
Prepare updates, papers, and reports for trustee meetings, funding partners, and wherever else applicable.
External representation (10%)
Support the Chief Executive, DPA and programmes team to maintain and expand existing strategic relationships with key international stakeholders to further Lepra’s advocacy strategy and advance Lepra’s agenda.
Ensure Lepra’s external profile is raised and become the go-to organisation for the leprosy community in terms of advocacy and policy briefings.
Support the preparation of documents for presentation, publication or dissemination at international fora.
Develop/support the development of country specific briefing notes/press kits with the communications team.
Represent Lepra at key events, conferences, and meetings to enhance our visibility and opportunity for impact.
Safeguarding (5%)
Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within Lepra’s implemented projects.
Ensuring that safeguarding mechanisms are in place and remain at the heart of all activities.
Support the integration of strong safeguarding and PSEA practices into project design and delivery.
Monitoring, evaluation, and impact (5%)
Ensure that all advocacy and knowledge transfer efforts are captured and embedded in appropriate results frameworks, objectives, outputs, indicators and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Provide inputs to Lepra’s reports, according to Lepra’s needs.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Relevant degree level of education in Public Health, Social Sciences, Global Health, Human Rights, Political Sciences or equivalent experience.
Desirable
Relevant post-graduate qualification
Relevant professional health-related qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
Minimum of 2 yrs experience of advocacy/campaigning/policy work with an overseas development organisation
Experience of working to advance the rights of excluded populations
Extensive knowledge of global health issues and an up-to-date familiarity with issues and practice in the international development sector
Experience in planning and implementing successful strategies/campaigns/advocacy in Asia.
Experience in programme/project planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting, within a non-governmental organisation, including the preparation of reports for institutional donors.
Ability to analyse and act on data.
Experience of working on issues in relation to disability, mental health, gender, human rights and social inclusion.
Experience in project coordination and management.
Desirable
At least two years’ experience as an advocacy manager, preferably gained with an overseas development organisation or in academia, in a similar health focused role.
Familiarity with data visualisation tools and packages.
Proficiency in one or more Indian languages (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, etc.) is an asset.
Skills, Attitudes and Personal Qualities
Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal to build strong relationships, negotiate and persuade a wide range of audiences, with confidence at presenting and representing.
Proven strength in both written and verbal communication
Able to reach, network with and communicate to a wide range of stakeholders and potential stakeholders.
Excellent attention to detail, and organisational and time management skills
Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.
Ability to use databases, Word, excel, PowerPoint and other Office packages
Ability to work independently, be flexible and prioritise workload.
Ability to travel within the UK and overseas.
The right to work in the UK.
We operate a non-bias recruitment process and run our job advertisements through anonymous recruitment methods.
We offer a lot of flexibility in working practices and there is free reserved parking available at our Colchester office. We also offer 26 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro-rated), pension, Employee Assistance Programme and support from an in-house well-being team.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for interview. Please check your email inbox and spam/junk mail folder for any email correspondence for this vacancy.
If you require any reasonable considerations such as access or information in an alternative format, please inform us soon as you are able so that we can make the appropriate adjustments.
Please do not use AI to help you write cover letters, CVs and responses to any screening questions. We want to hear your original voice.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About the role
We’re recruiting for a Head of Retail Operations for our Northern Division. In this role, you’ll be at the heart of driving success within six regions, leading a team of dedicated Regional Managers across 85 shops with around 270 colleagues.
This isn’t just about overseeing operations – it’s about owning them. You’ll have the freedom and autonomy to shape the strategy for your division, making key decisions on everything from financial performance to people development. You’ll build a values-led, inclusive culture – one where our people feel appreciated, respected and supported.
As part of the senior leadership team, you’ll play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of Mind Retail, bringing fresh ideas and driving initiatives that make a real impact. And because every pound we make in our shops helps support Mind’s mission, the work you do will have a lasting and meaningful impact.
This is a role for an ambitious leader – someone ready to take ownership, think strategically and inspire a team to do great things.
We’re looking for someone who:
· Is a natural leader, passionate about creating high-performing teams and building an inclusive culture
· Has senior-level experience leading multi-site, large-scale retail operations and knows how to drive commercial success
· Understands retail finances inside out, from managing P&L’s, to spotting opportunities for growth
· Thinks strategically, but isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen
· Embodies our values and behaviours
Ready to make a difference?
Join Mind Retail. Join the fight for mental health.
Due to our commitment to work/life balance, you must live within reasonable travelling distance of the division. The geography of the division covers the North West, Yorkshire & Humber, North East, East & West Midlands and North Wales.
Mind Retail reserve the right to close the vacancy to applications earlier, should we receive a high volume of strong candidates. Therefore we encourage an early application.
About our benefits
As Head of Operations, you’ll receive:
· A competitive salary of £59,753 per year
· A company car
· A strong commitment to work-life balance with a working pattern that supports this, with the occasional weekend working
· 25 days’ paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays
· Development workshops & courses, to help build your career
· Comprehensive, personalised induction programmes, tailored to your role when you join us
· A huge variety of additional qualifications & development programmes for anyone looking to grow their skills
· Family friendly policies & enhanced pay
· A competitive pension scheme & life assurance, available to all our employees
· 25% staff discount in all Mind shops
· Access to exclusive discounts at over 160 retailers through our employee savings app
· Employee Assistance Programme
· Cycle to Work Scheme
· Interest free season ticket loan
About Mind Retail
Mind Retail are a network of almost 200 shops across England and Wales, generating an income of around £25 million per year. We have ambitious plans to grow over the next few years and we’re going to be fighting for mental health in a way we never have before. We won't stop until everyone with a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. There’s never been a more exciting time to join us.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We value the power of diversity. We embrace the different perspectives that each of us bring. We are creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is appreciated for being authentic and bringing their whole selves to work.
Safer Recruitment at Mind Retail
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our employees and volunteers and we expect anyone working with us to share this commitment. In line with our Safer Recruitment policy, the successful candidate will be required to provide references and will be expected to undertake an enhanced DBS check with a check of the Children's Barred List and/or ‘Work with Adults' workforce check based on their role and responsibilities. A DBS check is a process to check someone's criminal record (if they have any). A Barred List is a list of people who are barred from working with children. To enable you to predetermine what might be disclosed in your DBS check, please use this disclosure calculator.
Mind Retail is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applicants from all communities. We are committed to the fair treatment of our staff, potential staff and volunteers, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.
This job vacancy is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.
More details
For more information and a full person specification, please check on the Job Description button below.
Registered Charity
Mind Retail are a network of over 170 Mind charity shops across England and Wales.
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Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The CSE Team Leader will play a crucial role in supporting the Operations Manager and wider Basis management team to oversee the delivery of 1:1 and group-based support to young people in our service offering high quality, effective safety advice, information and support, enabling young people to navigate exploitative and abusive relationships. The Team Leader will hold a protected caseload to enable them to carry out their other duties.
The Role includes line managing the staff on the Young People’s Team, supporting with reports, recruitment and safeguarding. There will be an expectation to attend Child Focussed and Contextual MACE as an expert panel member and to support the Operations Manager with attendance at Silver MACE meetings. The role will work to ensure young people receive an exceptional service and contribute to the strategic development of Basis.
The Young People’s team work across Leeds and Bradford providing specialist support to young people experiencing CSE. The team work to Basis’ organisational values, taking a harm reduction approach to enable and empower young people to make positive choices, whilst working to reduce risk. The team have an established reputation for providing high quality, effective safety advice, information and support, enabling young people to navigate exploitative and abusive relationships. Services are provided within the community, at venues as young people determine.
Basis Yorkshire is an award-winning charity that was founded in 1995 and now operates across Yorkshire. This is a unique opportunity to join a challenging and vibrant organisation, working with women and young people who are being sexually exploited or are involved in sex work.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Basis works with women and nonbinary people who work in the sex industry and women and young people who are sexually exploited
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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We are seeking a dynamic Director of Professional Activities to lead Education and Conferences & Events portfolios – the organisation’s primary revenue streams and most visible platforms for impact.
Remote | Full-time | Global impact
Salary: £58,000
In this newly created senior leadership position, you will reshape the education department, develop innovative learning products, and oversee the delivery of large-scale international conferences (4,000+ delegates). As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will ensure programmes are strategically aligned, financially sustainable, and operationally excellent.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead education and event strategy, innovation, and delivery
- Develop new professional learning offerings (e.g. micro-credentials, global training)
- Oversee major conferences, hybrid/virtual events, and delegate engagement
- Manage budgets, drive revenue growth, and mitigate risk
- Mentor and develop senior staff, building a high-performing team
- Represent the organization internationally and build strategic partnerships
About You
- Senior leadership experience in education, events, or membership organizations
- Proven ability to deliver large-scale programmes and conferences
- Strong commercial and financial management skills
- Innovative, strategic thinker with excellent communication skills
- Global mindset and willingness to travel
This is a rare opportunity to make a tangible impact on a global stage, shaping education and events that influence thousands of professionals worldwide. You will join a mission-driven organisation committed to advancing knowledge, building capacity, and supporting professional development across borders.
A global outlook and willingness to travel internationally (as required) are essential.
For more information, please submit your CV to .
Please note, CVs are being reviewed on a rolling basis, and only successful applicants will be contacted with more information.
As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.
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Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Urban Saints equips youth leaders to disciple young people in today’s changing world. Our vision is to see every young person given the opportunity to explore faith, wherever they are.
About the Role
The Content Creator will play a vital role in helping Urban Saints communicate with clarity, creativity, and consistency across all platforms. From video editing and creating social media graphics, to designing resources, brochures, or branded assets, this role is responsible for creating visually engaging content that amplifies our message and inspires action.
You'll be responsible for:
- Designing and producing compelling visual content across digital and print formats.
- Filming and editing videos for campaigns, training materials and resources.
- Managing and editing visual assets, including team-supplied images.
- Contributing ideas and visual concepts to support campaigns and storytelling.
- Acting as a brand guardian for visual content, ensuring consistency across all channels.
- Working closely with other members of the Communications team to deliver content for campaigns, training, and wider initiatives.
Please note, this is predominantly a remote role, but with travel as the role requires. All full-time Urban Saints employees are required to attend two team residentials per year (3 days/ 2 nights each).
About You
You'll shape and deliver high-quality content that supports campaigns, promotes our training and resources, and strengthens Urban Saints’ brand both online and in print.
Key Skills and Experience:
- Strong design and video editing skills across digital and print formats.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and video editing software (Premiere Pro, Final Cut etc)
- Confident in video production – from filming to postproduction.
- Ability to develop content for a range of platforms including social media, web, email, and YouTube.
- Strong attention to detail and visual consistency.
- Proven experience in a content creation, multimedia, or graphic design role.
- Experience creating visual content as part of multi-channel campaigns (e.g. email, social media, website etc).
- Experience working with brand guidelines and visual identities.
- Understanding of digital content trends, platform specifications, and audience behaviour.
How to Apply
This post is subject to an Occupational Requirement that the post holder is a committed Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010.
Please visit our website to fill out an application form. We would love to see your creativity in action. After we’ve received your application we’ll be in touch asking for a link to your portfolio or examples of your work (graphics, videos, or other creative projects) that you’re most proud of.
The closing date for applications is Friday 26th September, midday. Please note, we will be actively reviewing applications ahead of the closing date and reserve the right to close applications before this date.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.