Community enterprise catalyst jobs
As CEO, you will work closely with our Board and Senior Leadership Team to shape a bold vision for Bolton CVS, ensuring our work remains innovative, inclusive, and impactful. You will enable trust, shared accountability, and collective ambition; strengthening our position as a catalyst for collaboration, equity, and social change.
From influencing policy to driving investment into the sector, your leadership will help organisations and individuals thrive. You will champion financial sustainability, nurture a values-driven culture, and enable colleagues to take ownership and deliver exceptional support.
As a trusted advocate, you will represent Bolton CVS and 10GM in strategic spaces and high-profile events, amplifying the voice of the VCSE sector and forging partnerships that unlock opportunity and resilience.
We're looking for someone who:
Leads with Energy: Brings dynamic, values-driven leadership that motivates teams and partners toward shared goals. Creates momentum and a culture of ambition and collaboration.
Thrives in the Fast Lane: Enjoys an evolving environment and embraces new challenges with enthusiasm, agility and resilience.
Adapts and Innovates: Translates strategic ambition into clear priorities and measurable outcomes that deliver lasting change. Anticipates future needs, embraces innovation, and leverages new approaches to strengthen organisational and sector-wide effectiveness and impact.
Celebrates Diversity: Promotes equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. Builds an organisational culture where all voices are valued and shape decisions.
Connects Hearts and Minds: Builds authentic relationships with stakeholders, partners, and communities. Creates trust and shared purpose to unlock collaboration and collective impact.
Speaks the Language of Impact: Communicates with clarity and influence across diverse audiences. Articulates complex ideas in ways that inspire confidence, engagement, and action.
Navigates Complexity: Provides strategic leadership across internal operations and external partnerships. Balances organisational priorities with sector-wide opportunities to drive alignment, collaboration, and sustainable outcomes.
Leads Through Challenge: Provides confident, values-driven leadership in sensitive or high-pressure situations. Creates space for constructive dialogue, builds consensus, and transforms challenges into opportunities for growth and resilience.
Ready to Lead Boldly? If you’re prepared to bring vision, energy and influence to the table, this is your opportunity to strengthen the future of Bolton CVS, 10GM and the wider VCSE sector. As CEO, you’ll be at the heart of driving collaboration, championing equity, and unlocking potential, helping organisations and communities thrive. This isn’t just a role; it’s a chance to lead with purpose and make a lasting impact.
If you believe you can fulfil the role summary, we’d love to hear from you!
Please email a Supporting Statement which describes how you meet the things
listed in the ‘We’re looking for someone who:’ section, plus your CV (2 pages
max)
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This is a very special role with huge potential for the right candidate to deliver transformational impact in our communities in Somerset.
The Opportunity
There is significant potential for growth, particularly through gifts in Wills, working in partnership with professional advisers and growing high-value fundraising. We’re also broadening our appeal to a wider range of donors and partners having launched our Collective Giving Funds, which offer a compelling way for anyone to give strategically to the causes and places they care about in Somerset
As our Philanthropy and Marketing Director you will be at the forefront of this ambition. We’re looking for a strategic leader who can balance vision with execution to deliver great results. You’ll need to be a credible, emotionally intelligent and authentic relationship builder, adept at building trust, genuinely passionate about our mission and have strong alignment with our values.
This senior leadership role also holds strategic responsibility for marketing and brand positioning, enabling us to unlock the full potential of philanthropy in Somerset to drive change in our communities. We’ve recently invested in the growth of our Philanthropy and Marketing Team, and have welcomed a specialist marketing Trustee on to our Board.
We’re looking for an experienced and inclusive manager, confident at providing a balance of coaching and mentoring to help our talented team to develop and shine. And as an active and engaged member of our Senior Leadership Team, you’ll share our passion for continuous improvement, help to drive organisational growth and development, and provide expert advice and guidance to our Board of Trustees.
The impact we make as a charity is achieved largely through our funding programmes. You must have an appreciation of the role that community-led charities and groups play in creating positive change locally. And the role we, as a place-based funder, can play to support that work. You do not, however, need experience of working for a funder previously.
Download the recruitment pack to see the roles full responsibilities and required skills, knowledge and experience.
About Somerset Community Foundation
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) (charity no.1094446) is a grant-making charity that helps build strong communities where everyone can thrive. We do this by funding local charities and facilitating local giving.
We provide simple, rewarding and impactful ways for donors to give locally, guided by research and our unrivalled local knowledge.
For small, local charities, community groups and social enterprises, we provide vital funding and support to help their organisations flourish. We raise and distribute between £4 million and £5 million of funding to local groups every year. We’re also building an endowment for long-term investment into our communities, which is currently valued at around £11 million.
By inspiring local giving and funding social action, we support local communities to drive change and realise their dreams.
SCF is part of a network of 47 Community Foundations operating throughout the UK. Together we are one of the largest funders of communities across the nation.
WE HELP PASSIONATE PEOPLE IN SOMERSET CHANGE THE WORLD ON THEIR DOORSTEP BY FUNDING LOCAL CAUSES AND INSPIRING LOCAL GIVING AND PHILANTHROPY.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Chief Executive Officer – The Abbey Centre
Location: The Abbey Centre, Westminster, London (site-based role, flexible working available)
Salary: £90,000 – £95,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent (Full-time, 37.5 hours/week; regular evening attendance for events as required)
Could you lead a much-loved community hub through its next chapter of stability, growth and civic impact?
About The Abbey Centre
Our charity has served the community of south Westminster since 1948 and has occupied The Abbey Centre building, a converted Victorian public bath house a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey, since 1991. We are a site-based community hub and social enterprise, combining community services, training and outreach with venue hire, an on-site café and catering to generate income that supports our charitable work.
We work across employability, health and wellbeing, volunteering and practical support for vulnerable residents; the Centre welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds, and sees over 1,000 visits each week. Our strong partnerships with Westminster City Council, statutory bodies and corporate donors underpin commissioned activity and solidify our position as a trusted local delivery partner.
This is an opportunity for a visionary but hands-on leader to preserve the Centre’s warm, inclusive culture and outstanding reputation while further professionalising systems, developing our income, and shaping a multi-year strategy that secures the building and grows impact.
As our next Chief Executive Officer, you will:
• Strategy & Impact: lead a collaborative listening phase and then develop and deliver a 3–5 year strategy and rolling business plan that defines the Centre’s core offer and impact targets.
• Governance & Finance: own the annual budget and medium-term financial modelling, deliver full-cost recovery across activity lines and present timely, accurate management information to trustees.
• Operational Leadership: ensure continuity of community services, venue trading and café operations and strengthen operational systems including safeguarding, H&S and business continuity.
• Income Generation: drive commercial performance of venue hire, events and catering, professionalise fundraising (major donors, legacies, corporate partnerships) and lead bids for multi-year statutory contracts.
• Community & Partnerships: sustain and deepen strategic relationships with Westminster City Council, commissioners, local partners and corporate supporters to secure commissioned work and philanthropic income.
• Estate Stewardship: manage day-to-day stewardship of the Centre’s significant ageing building, overseeing maintenance, lease/compliance obligations and contractor relationships.
• People & Culture: build a cohesive senior team, embed clear role accountabilities, performance management and development, and protect the Centre’s welcoming culture while managing change.
• Brand & Profile: act as a visible ambassador locally and with funders to raise the Centre’s profile and champion its social value.
Who you are:
• A seasoned senior leader with proven experience in a small/medium charity, community organisation or social enterprise that combines front-line delivery with significant premises/estate responsibility.
• Demonstrable track record of leading strategic development and delivering organisational growth while balancing hands-on operational leadership.
• Strong commercial and earned-income expertise, with experience of running successful commercial – ideally site-based - operations.
• Confident in winning and managing statutory contracts and multi-year grant programmes; credible with local authorities, commissioners and corporate partners.
• Financially literate with direct budget and cash-flow accountability and experience of full-cost recovery modelling.
• A collaborative, visible and warm ambassador who builds trust quickly, communicates clearly and can present concise management information to trustees.
Why The Abbey Centre?
• A powerful mission: deliver practical services, companionship and opportunity for south Westminster residents in a civic, high-impact setting.
• A prominent, historic central Westminster location and a cherished community building offering scope for strategic estate planning and growth.
• A warm, loyal staff team and an engaged board navigating a positive leadership transition.
• A social enterprise model where successful trading directly funds frontline services and creates a platform for entrepreneurial leadership.
• The opportunity to shape a multi-year strategy that secures the long-term future of the charity and grows its impact in the community.
For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via the apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 12th January 2026
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.
Exciting Opportunity
Fixed Term until the end of January 2027
Regional Manager, North East & Cumbria (0.8 FTE)
We are pleased to offer a fixed-term opportunity within the Lloyds Bank Foundation due to the current Regional Manager taking a secondment.
This is a part-time (4 days per week) position, working from home, with regular travel across North East & Cumbria and to London. The post holder must live in the North East or Cumbria.
About the Role
Are you passionate about supporting local charities and driving community-led change? The Lloyds Bank Foundation is seeking a Manager for the North East & Cumbria region to play a pivotal role in our evolving strategy.
As Manager for North East & Cumbria, you’ll:
- Build trusted relationships with local charities, helping them grow stronger and more resilient.
- Support organisations to identify and overcome challenges, connecting them with resources and opportunities.
- Champion community-led change and ensure our work is shaped by the communities we serve.
- Collaborate with partners, stakeholders, and colleagues to maximise the impact of our investments.
About you
You’ll have extensive knowledge of the voluntary sector, experience supporting local charities, and excellent relationship-building and organisational skills. You’ll be proactive, collaborative, and comfortable navigating change.
You’ll be responsible for managing a portfolio of relationships with charitable partners and collaborating with other charities.You will support our charity partners in becoming more resilient and stronger, enabling them to thrive beyond the duration of their relationship with us. You will do this by building trusted relationships with them, supporting them to identify their most pressing organisational challenges; and help them overcome the challenges by building the knowledge, skills and capabilities of staff and trustees. You will work with charities, CICs, and partnerships to identify the most appropriate form of support to respond to the identified priorities. Further information about LBFEW and our approach to supporting charity partners can be found on our website under the 'Development' section.
You’ll be the face of the Foundation in the area, able to build strong and trusting relationships and be an advocate for community organisations across the patch. You’ll have a good understanding of the operating environment in the North East & Cumbria with well-established networks across the patch. You will also play a pivotal role in sharing learning, intelligence and insights to ensure the Foundations’ strategy development, delivery and relationship with the Lloyds Banking Group considers regional needs and the operating context of our funded partners.
If you have experience working with or in the voluntary, community or social enterprise sector and are creative, adaptable, resilient, flexible in your approach, keen to learn and hungry for change, then this could be the role for you!
About the Foundation
We’re an independent charitable foundation funded by Lloyds Banking Group. We work in partnership with local charities and community-led organisations, connecting people, and providing money and resources so that communities can thrive.
This is an exciting time to join Lloyds Bank Foundation. We are coming to the end of our strategy period and, under the leadership of a new CEO, we are developing and rolling out our new strategy, brand and values. We believe this will enable us to turbocharge our work, allowing us to have an even bigger impact to create social change and cohesion and ensuring people in England and Wales are in a good place.
We encourage applications from all sections of our diverse community, irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sexual orientation, religion or belief, or because someone is married or in a civil partnership. We want an inclusive organisation that reflects our community and where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We believe our organisation will be a better, more creative and innovative place to work if we can harness the benefit of different perspectives.
The Foundation is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for people who have a disability or long-term health condition. If you need any adjustments such as our application form in an accessible format such as a Word document, or for any part of the recruitment process, please email us in confidence to discuss this.
How to Apply
· Closing date: 23:59 on 18 December 2025
· 1st Interview (Newcastle, venue to be confirmed) 13th January 2026
· 2nd Interview (online) 19th January 2026
We support small, local and specialist charities across England and Wales.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.