Community engagement manager early action partnership jobs
About the role
The Programme Director role is an exciting new opportunity to lead the recently established Southern VCSE Collaborative (SVC), enabling it to deliver contracts collaboratively across the voluntary and community sector and at scale. The role will be employed technically by Southampton Voluntary Services but fully seconded into SVC.
SVC is a newly established, system-backed partnership bringing together five charities – No Limits, Solent Mind, Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS), Citizens Advice Southampton and Social Care in Action (SCiA).
SVC does not directly deliver services; instead, it works through a network of VCSE partners to deliver high-quality, community-based provision. SVC currently holds a £2.8m per annum contract (6 years with the option to extend for a further 4 years) delivered through 15 providers and has ambitious plans to grow its reach and impact across Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
We are seeking an experienced Programme Director to provide strategic and operational leadership at this critical stage of development. This is a senior system leadership role, combining partnership-building, programme development and disciplined oversight of performance, finance and governance. As a new role, we are open to exploring the precise make up hours. The role is advertised as 0.8FTE, but other options can be suggested to deliver the required responsibilities.
You will:
- Act as the senior representative and “face” of SVC with commissioners, statutory partners and the VCSE
- Lead system, partnership and programme development across Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
- Position SVC as a trusted system partner and secure new programmes and contracts
- Oversee delivery across multiple VCSE partners, ensuring strong performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement
- Manage contract performance, including KPIs, financial oversight and risk
- Support the Board of Directors with governance, strategy and organisational development, including fulfilling Company Secretary responsibilities
About you
You will bring:
- Significant experience working with commissioners and the voluntary sector in complex, multi-partner environments
- A strong track record of leading programmes or contracts involving multiple delivery partners
- Financial and performance management credibility, with the ability to oversee budgets, risk and value for money
- Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills
- The ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and shape emerging models
- A values-driven, collaborative leadership style, with the confidence to both support and challenge partners
You will have a recognised programme or transformation qualification, or equivalent senior-level experience leading complex programmes.
We are open to flexible delivery models within the set budget and welcome candidates to propose how they would structure the role.
About Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS)
Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS) is the umbrella body for local voluntary and community groups working in Southampton. They provide a wide range of services including specialist support, advice and training to their membership. They also provide and promote information to individuals and organisations on volunteering in the city.
Please note this role is employed by Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS) which means you will get the following benefits:
- 25 days' holiday (pro-rata) increasing to 30 after five years
- 5% employer contribution pension with Aviva
Hours: 30 hours per week.
Location: Multiple partnerships and sub-contractors across the local VCSE Sector.
Closing date: Monday 25 May 2026 (11.59pm).
Interview date: The first stage of interview will be a 30 minute MS Teams call on 3 and 4 June. If you are successful you will then be invited to a second stage interview which will be face to face on 12 June 2026.
NOTE TO APPLICANTS - You will be asked about gaps in your employment at interview and you will need to provide proof of your right to work in the UK before you start your employment.
Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor this role as we do not hold a sponsorship licence. Any offer for this role will be subject to a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and receiving your references.
We welcome people from all the communities we work in to apply. Offers are made based on merit.
Please submit your application as early as possible, as we may close this advert before the advertised closing date.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
Thank you!
The Organisation
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is the UK’s leading children’s charity, driven by a single, unwavering belief: every child deserves to be safe, loved, and free from abuse. Established in 1884 and operating under Royal Charter, the organisation has spent more than 140 years working to prevent cruelty to children and create lasting change in their lives.
Today, that mission has never been more urgent. As the challenges facing children continue to evolve, from the risks of online harm to complex family circumstances, the NSPCC provides vital frontline support while also working to influence the systems that protect children. Each year, it helps make over a million children safer from abuse, with thousands of adults turning to its Helpline and children and young people relying on Childline’s 24/7 counselling when they have nowhere else to turn.
Working across all four nations of the UK and the Channel Islands, the NSPCC combines direct services, education programmes, and national advocacy to drive impact far beyond its immediate reach. Central to its work is a commitment to evidence-led practice, ensuring every action is informed by what works, and that the voices and experiences of children and young people remain at the heart of a safer, more protective society.
The Role
At the heart of NSPCC is its Services Directorate, delivering practical, child-centred support that helps keep children and young people safe. These services translate the organisation’s mission into action through prevention, therapeutic support, and strengthening safeguarding practice.
The Services Director will play a critical role in shaping the NSPCC’s future as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, leading the development and delivery of a national services strategy and overseeing a complex portfolio of services.
Key aspects of the role include:
- Leading high-quality national and local services that improve outcomes for children and young people
- Shaping and delivering the services strategy to support the organisation’s wider ambitions
- Driving integration and impact across NSPCC and Childline services
- Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including the Chief Executive, Board, and external partners
The Person
This is an opportunity for a collaborative, values-driven leader to navigate complexity, drive meaningful change, and make a lasting difference to children’s lives at scale. The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:
- Extensive experience and proven track record at Director level of successfully developing and delivering services, including co-production and collaboration with partners, in a complex stakeholder environment that have a measurably positive impact for beneficiaries.
- Highly experienced in child protection with demonstrable knowledge and experience of child safeguarding. A social work qualification will be highly advantageous.
- Proven experience leading and managing teams of functional experts, overseeing significant income and expenditure budgets, and driving operational performance through the setting and monitoring of clear, aligned objectives.
- Experience of designing and delivering transformational change and driving performance management using appropriate quality and management methods and models, to deliver efficient and effective services.
- Demonstrable understanding of the operational context for services including the commissioning and market environment.
- Experience of managing senior stakeholders, both internally and externally, and confidence in dealing with, and influencing, senior employees and volunteer colleagues, and producing and imparting clear and non-technical advice and information.
- Values the different skills and attributes of others, utilising the insight, experience and expertise of colleagues.
- Experience of representing an organisation at the highest level. Clearly articulates a compelling vision, focussing on both what the future might hold and the more immediate stepping stones to realise those outcomes.
- Challenges constructively and evidences a willingness to receive constructive challenge in order to drive our individual and collective efforts forward.
Further Information
For further information about NSPCC, the role responsibilities, and the person we are looking for, please download the Candidate Briefing Pack.
How to Apply
If you are interested in this key role within the NSPCC and feel you have the skills and experience required, please include the following with your application:
- An up to date CV with the details of two referees (we will not contact them without your prior permission).
- A supporting statement which addresses how you meet the criteria for the role as detailed in the Person Specification. Please also discuss your motivations for applying.
Closing date for applications: Monday 1st June 2026
Preliminary interviews with Russam: 12th-16th June 2026
First stage interviews with NSPCC: Week commencing 29th June 2026
Second stage interviews with NSPCC: Week commencing 6th July 2026
Thank you!
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 Marketing Officer/Senior Marketing Officer (Acquisition) at CBM UK is an important role in making our life-changing work possible. Advertised at Officer or Senior Officer level (subject to experience), the role delivers direct and digital marketing communications to grow awareness, and recruit and engage with new long-term CBM supporters, through creative and impactful fundraising communications.
Key responsibilities:
The position holder is responsible for developing and delivering fundraising campaigns that will engage with CBM target individual audiences; supporting the development of the annual public fundraising plan; building supporter journeys and testing new channels and messages.
Working closely with the Head of Marketing and across the Fundraising & Communications team to plan, coordinate and deliver donor acquisition appeals to recruit new individual supporters, using a variety of direct and digital marketing channels.
Regular giving (mostly monthly Direct Debits) are a large part of CBMs donor acquisition activity, and as such, part of this acquisition role is the planning and co-ordination of regular giving conversion, recruitment, retention, and upgrade campaigns.
Donor Acquisition (30%)
- Working alongside the Head of Marketing and external agencies to plan and deliver a supporter recruitment programme, using channels that may include, but not limited to, inserts, press adverts, and door drops. email, paid social media adverts, Pay Per Click Googe adverts, and lead generation activities.
- Optimise the performance (traffic and income) of website fundraising pages, including appeal landing pages and donation platforms. Ensuring pages on the CBM website are engaging to existing and new audiences and utilising Search Engine Optimisation tools.
- Plan and coordinate an off-line and online welcome journey for new supporters to CBM, that will encourage ongoing engagement and long-term support.
- Develop excellent working relationships with existing and new agencies and suppliers, including marketing agencies, writers, designers, print suppliers and mailing houses. Source new agencies and suppliers as appropriate.
Regular Giving (20%)
- As part of the regular giving retention plan, deliver inspiring direct and digital marketing communications and updates to monthly supporters about CBMs work and the people their gifts are supporting. This can involve creating briefs, working alongside freelance copywriters and designers, and managing print and fulfilment suppliers.
- Working alongside our inhouse Supporter Relations team and external telephone fundraising agencies to co-ordinate regular giving conversion, upgrade and retention campaigns over the telephone.
- Deliver, test and refine a welcome and ongoing donor journey for regular giving supporters, across digital, post and phone channels, to update and thank supporters.
Legacy and In-Memoriam Giving (20%)
- Work alongside the Head of Marketing and Senior Supporter Relations Officer to develop marketing plans for legacy and in-memoriam giving.
- Responsible for legacy and in-memoriam giving direct mail and email appeals, and work alongside the Communications Team to ensure the legacy and in-memoriam giving website pages inspire new and existing supporters to support CBM in these ways.
New product testing (20%)
a. Test and develop new fundraising ideas, channels and messages to engage with and raise funds from new and existing audiences.
b. Maintain an awareness and anticipation of charity sector trends relating to direct marketing and keep abreast of competitor activities to enable CBM to respond and adapt quickly where appropriate.
Planning and reporting (10%)
- Analysis and reporting of appeals and projects, providing learnings that will enable informed decision making around future activity.
- Develop a good knowledge of the CRM system (Salesforce) and ensure appropriate recording and reporting of direct marketing activity.
Other
- Ensure the consistent implementation of CBMs brand, key messages and style guide in fundraising activities.
- Awareness of, and compliance across direct marketing, of Fundraising Regulator and Data Protection legal requirements (GDPR and PECR).
- Work with other teams, including the CBM Global Federation, to maximise collaboration opportunities and integrated working.
- Help develop a culture of enthusiasm, continual improvement and success which reflects the ambitions of CBM UK.
- Occasional out of normal office working hours. Occasional travel in the UK and possibility of travel internationally.
For full details, please download the recruitment pack.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.