Community service manager jobs in Greater london

About the role:

This is a leadership role with real scale, real accountability and real impact. As Services Manager, you’ll lead a multi-site service supporting young people across Greenwich - shaping environments that are safe, consistent and genuinely geared towards helping young people move forward with confidence.

Your presence will be felt across every part of the service. You’ll move between sites, staying close to delivery while holding a clear line of sight on performance, quality and risk. You’ll back your teams to deliver strong, personalised support while keeping a firm grip on housing management, safeguarding and service standards - making sure good practice isn’t occasional, but embedded everywhere.

This is about more than oversight. You’ll build confident, reflective teams who understand young people’s experiences and respond with clarity, consistency and belief in what’s possible. Psychologically informed, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches won’t sit in policy - you’ll make sure they show up in how teams think, act and support every day.

You’ll also be the connector across the system. Working closely with commissioners, local authorities and partners, you’ll ensure referrals are right, pathways are clear and move-on is intentional from day one. You’ll use data, insight and feedback to challenge drift, drive improvement and keep the service evolving - because standing still isn’t an option when young people are relying on you to get this right.

If you’re motivated by high standards, thrive on leading at scale and believe young people deserve services that are ambitious, consistent and built around their strengths — this is where you make it happen.

About you:

• You’re an experienced manager who can lead and develop teams across multi-site, accommodation-based services, holding clear accountability for performance and standards.
• You have a strong grasp of housing management, safeguarding and health & safety, and are confident managing risk and complexity in a young people’s service.
• You bring experience of working with young people facing multiple disadvantage, and can embed trauma-informed, psychologically informed and strengths-based approaches in practice.
• You build credible, effective relationships with local authorities, commissioners and partner agencies, and represent your service with confidence and clarity.
• You use data, insight and professional judgement to challenge, improve and strengthen outcomes, leading with integrity, curiosity and resilience.

About us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important Info:

Closing Date: Sunday 17th May at midnight

Interview Date: Thursday 28th and Friday 29th May at a Young Person's SHP service in Greenwich 

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant. 

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications requiring sponsorship or with insufficient right to work will not be accepted or progressed.

Do you have experience in leading operations and developing a quality service?

We are looking for a Service Manager to join our team team in Ealing. This is a well-resourced and dynamic service in which you will lead a team of 2 Coordinators and 9 Outreach & Resettlement workers.

In this role you will focus on combining outreach with clients on the streets and supporting them through placements in temporary accommodation until a suitable home is found. Several additional services are also embedded within the team including Street Legal, an Employment Specialist, and a Homeless Health Nurse – and the team has lots of well-established connections with specialist providers and community organisations locally, as well as having strong relationships with commissioners and local authority partners.

Based in Ealing, West London; the office has roadside parking available & is also well connected on the Piccadilly, Elizabeth and Central line at Boston Manor, Ealing Broadway & Hanwell station.

About you

To thrive in this role you will have a experience or a good working understanding of providing to support to junior managers.

In this role you will be providing management direction and leadership, some team guidance around professional conduct, and a clear drive around getting the basics right and implementing our new outreach model.

We are working hard to create a diverse and fully inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and we welcome applications from all under-represented groups, particularly Global Majority candidates who are underrepresented at this management level.

How to apply

To view the job description and guidance on completing your application form, please click on the ‘document’ tab on the advert page on our website.

Visit our website to apply click the ‘Apply Now’ Button to start your online application form

Closing date: 10am on 15 May 2026

Interview and assessments on: TBC

Data Services Manager

Permanent

Salary: £44,000 - £47,000 per annum, plus benefits

London N1

Full time – 37.5 hours a week 

We're a hybrid working employer, meaning you're required to come into the office at least 2 days per week currently Tuesday, and Wednesday or Thursday.

The role is being advertised as full-time, but we would consider someone working 4 days per week pro rata.

Closing date: 5pm, Friday 29th May 2026

First Interviews: Tuesday 9th June 2026

Second interviews: Tuesday 16th June 2026

An exciting opportunity for a Data Services Manager has arisen at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). 

WCRF is the UK’s leading cancer prevention charity focusing on the link between cancer and risk factors such as diet, body weight and physical activity. 

We are seeking a Data Services Manager to lead and be responsible for the management, use and maintenance of systems and in-house CRM databases to support the achievement of the charity’s fundraising strategic objectives. You will be analysing and reviewing data and reporting on results that can then be used to build engagement with our supporters.You will also be responsible for a team of two people. 

The successful candidate will have proven experience of working with industry standard fundraising software solutions in the charity sector, ideally have knowledge of Claris Filemaker products and will have experience of creating new, and maintaining and updating existing, complex database systems.Experience of creating scripts and troubleshooting existing scripts is key, along with considerable hands-on experience of working with complex data sources, transfers and imports. An understanding and working knowledge of Data Protection regulations is required. 

Application Details:

If you are interested in this role and feel you possess the necessary requirements, please submit a current CV and covering letter (maximum 2 pages) by the closing date. You must have current right to work in the UK.

Please note: Your cover letter should highlight how your skills and experience will benefit WCRF and equip you for the role.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to provide feedback to shortlisted candidates. If you do not hear from us within 14 days of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. 

East London Students' Union is a progressive charity that supports around 25,000 students that study at the University of East London. We are based in one of the most diverse boroughs in Europe and our membership proudly reflects the communities where we are based.

Our purpose is to support and empower our students by representing their views and providing a range of supportive services, events and activities to make university life the amazing experience it should be. We're now working to build a students' union that champions their aspirations and can deliver what's needed to make a difference. We're excited about this and have invested in several new posts to give us the expertise needed. We're currently reviewing our strategic plan and hope to launch our new plan in the coming months.

We are looking for an Executive Support Manager to provide high-level assistance to the Chief Executive and oversee the smooth running of our governance and leadership operations. This is a key role that combines strategic project support with the management of the senior leadership office. You'll lead on special projects commissioned by the Chief Executive, including strategic and operational planning support, coordinating research projects, and will be responsible for the administration of the Board of Trustees and its committees. You'll also coordinate diaries and workflows for the senior leadership team and student officers, ensuring the Students' Union's leadership remains effective and aligned.

To be a contender, you'll need proven experience in operational delivery, taking responsibility for tasks from an initial brief through to completion. You'll also have the ability to manage complex, competing priorities and high-volume diaries, exercising appropriate judgement. You should have experience servicing boards or senior committees, or of writing papers and reports for discussion and decision by others.

A big part of our work is about helping our student staff, student representatives and volunteers to develop; all our career staff are required to support this.

The Salvation Army in Chelmsford has been meeting the needs of its local community for 140 years, offering to all visitors to our centre hope and abundance in all its forms: sanctuary, friendship, work, purpose and, ultimately, new life in Jesus. Reporting to the Corps Officer and accountable to the Corps Leadership Team, the Community Programme Manager will strengthen community engagement and advance the corps’ aims to serve its neighbourhood with integrity, compassion, accountability, passion, respect and boldness through consistent and dedicated service delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with program participants, the local council, other relevant charities, and members of our corps (church).
• Develop & deliver operational elements of the mission program.
• Manage the business resources of the corps, including finances, people, and buildings.
• Ensure procedural and statutory compliance.

If you have an eye for detail and a heart for people, we would love to have you join our team and help us make a positive impact in our community.

The successful candidate(s) will:

• Have proven interpersonal skills
• Experience in a complex & busy setting, and in managing staff and/or volunteers
• Strong administration skills, with the ability to plan, organise, prioritise and enjoy working with people
• The ability to deal tactfully with staff, volunteers and the public.

In order to complete your application please download and read the job profile and any other attachments.

In the job profile you will find the criteria required for the role please make sure that you address this in your supporting statement as this forms the basis of our shortlisting.

Appointment will be subject to satisfactory references, a criminal record check and evidence of your Right to Work in the UK in line with Home Office requirements. As we are not a licensed sponsor, applicants must already have the right to work in the UK.

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier if we feel that we have received sufficient applications.

Promoting equality in the workplace and as a disability confident leader scheme employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet all the minimum essential criteria for the vacancy.

Benefits:
25 days annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata for part-time) a contributory pension scheme; an employee assistance programme.

Closing date: Wednesday 13th May 2026.

Help lead a high-quality supported housing service and make a real difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Join SPEAR as our Hostel Manager and play a key role in supporting residents to achieve stability and move towards independent living.

SPEAR is a charity working to end homelessness across South West London. We believe homelessness should be rare, brief and non-recurring, and our teams work every day to support people into safe, stable accommodation.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated manager to lead a 14-bed, 24-hour supported hostel service in Richmond. You will oversee the day-to-day running of the service, ensuring it operates safely, effectively, and in line with SPEAR’s values, while delivering high-quality, trauma-informed support to residents with complex needs. 

About the role

This is a hands-on leadership role where you will:

• Lead and manage a team including a Team Leader and Support Workers
• Ensure safe staffing levels and effective rota management
• Oversee safeguarding, risk management, and incident response
• Drive high standards of service delivery and resident support
• Build strong relationships with local authorities and partner agencies
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, including fire safety and building standards
• Support residents to progress towards independence and move-on opportunities

You will combine operational leadership, staff management, and service development to create a safe, respectful, and recovery-focused environment.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience working with people experiencing homelessness or complex needs
• Has managed or supervised staff in a supported housing, hostel, or similar setting
• Has strong knowledge of safeguarding, risk assessment, and trauma-informed practice
• Can lead and motivate a team in a fast-paced environment
• Is confident managing complex and high-risk situations
• Has excellent communication and organisational skills

Why join us

At SPEAR, you’ll be part of a passionate, skilled team dedicated to ending homelessness. We offer a supportive environment where you can grow your career while making a meaningful impact.

Your benefits

• Generous holiday – 26 days plus public holidays, rising to 31 days with length of service
• Wellbeing & EAP – 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme with free counselling, money and legal advice
• Health support – Occupational health service and free annual eye test (with contribution towards glasses if required)
• Cycle to Work – Save on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice
• Season ticket loan – Interest-free loan for annual travel passes
• Moving house day – Extra day’s leave when you move home
• Financial security – Life assurance (4x salary) and interest-free emergency staff loan
• Family-friendly policies – Enhanced maternity and adoption pay, plus flexible working options
• Career development – Ongoing training, learning and progression opportunities
• Blue Light Card – Discounts across a wide range of shops, restaurants and services

We’re looking for a hands-on General Manager to lead an exciting new social enterprise in Lambeth — combining a busy bike repair workshop with a welcoming community café.

This is a unique opportunity to run and grow a business that not only serves the local community but also supports people with mental health challenges and other barriers to employment to gain skills, confidence and move into work.

You’ll oversee the day-to-day running of the bike shop and café, balancing commercial performance with meaningful social impact. This is a varied, fast-paced role where you’ll need to be proactive, organised and happy to get stuck in.

Abbevilles Bikes is part of First Step Trust, a charity with over 30 years’ experience supporting people into employment.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading daily operations across the bike shop and café
• Managing a small team and supporting volunteers
• Driving sales and working towards financial sustainability
• Delivering excellent customer service and building local relationships
• Supporting on-site training and development activity

What we’re looking for:

• Experience managing a service, project or small business
• A hands-on approach and confidence taking ownership
• Strong organisational and people management skills
• A commercial mindset with a passion for social impact

You don’t need to be a bike expert — just a willingness to learn.

What we offer:

• The chance to build and grow a new social enterprise
• A supportive and friendly working environment

We're the UK's specialist blood cancer charity and our vision is clear: we’re here to beat blood cancer. We fund world-class research; provide information and support to patients and their loved ones; and raise awareness of blood cancer. 

Blood Cancer UK is looking for a Direct Marketing Manager to deliver innovative, insight-led direct marketing campaigns that grow supporter engagement and maximize income. This is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative, high-performing team and help shape digital fundraising products and campaigns that make a real difference to people affected by blood cancer.

Based in London with hybrid working options (2–4 days per month in the office may increase dependent on business needs) this role offers hands-on campaign delivery, opportunities to develop new fundraising products, and the chance to contribute to strategic digital acquisition. If you enjoy using data to drive decisions, experimenting with new approaches, and delivering campaigns that really engage supporters, we’d love to hear from you.

We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. In line with our strategy we welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minority communities, and applicants with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a passionate, supportive team and to help grow community and events frundraising directly enables Bipolar UK to reach more people, reduce harm, and save lives. You will be trusted to lead, encouraged to innovate, and supported to do your best work.This is a management role focussed on strategic planning, enabling delivery and leading a small team to perform at their best.

Working closely with the Director of Fundraising and alongside the Strategic Partnerships and Trusts teams, you will be responsible for setting clear plans, developing effective fundraising approaches, and ensuring strong systems, processes and supporter experiences are in place to drive sustainable income growth.

You will lead the delivery and development of community fundraising, challenge events, individual giving through community activity, and in-memory fundraising. A key part of the role will be developing a clear and engaging events and fundraising volunteer offer, including an effective induction process that enables volunteers to fundraise confidently on behalf of Bipolar UK.

This role requires a thoughtful, organised and people-centred manager who understands how to balance ambition with compassion in a mental health charity context.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic leadership and planning

• Develop and deliver a clear community and events fundraising strategy aligned with Bipolar UK’s wider fundraising and organisational goals.
• Translate strategy into achievable annual plans, income targets and team objectives.
• Use insight, data and evaluation to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Work with the Director of Fundraising to forecast income, manage risk and maximise return on investment.

2. Community and events fundraising delivery

• Lead the planning, delivery and growth of a portfolio of community fundraising initiatives and challenge events, both in person and online.
• Ensure a consistently high-quality supporter experience across all community and events activity.
• Oversee web content and digital resources to support community and event fundraising
• Identify and develop new fundraising opportunities that align with Bipolar UK’s mission, values and supporter base.
• Act as an ambassador for Bipolar UK at key events when required.

3. Volunteer fundraising offer

• Develop a clear, accessible and motivating events and community fundraising volunteer offer.
• Design and implement an effective volunteer induction process, ensuring fundraisers feel confident, supported and well-equipped.
• Work with colleagues to ensure volunteer fundraising activity is aligned with safeguarding, wellbeing and organisational policies.

4. Digital campaigns and income growth

• Lead on the planning and delivery of digital-led community and events fundraising campaigns.
• Work collaboratively with Marketing and Communications colleagues to develop supporter journeys, content and communications that drive engagement and income.
• Develop approaches to grow connected income streams, including regular giving and in-memory giving, through community and digital activity.
• Monitor performance, assess impact and report clearly on outcomes and learning.

5. Supporter experience and stewardship

• Ensure supporters are stewarded with care, empathy and professionalism, recognising the personal connection many have to bipolar.
• Oversee thanking, updating and re-engagement activity to build long-term supporter relationships.
• Ensure accurate and compliant use of the CRM and fundraising data.

6. Team leadership and organisational contribution

• Line-manage and support the Fundraising Officer and Supporter Engagement Assistant, providing clear direction, coaching and development.
• Create a positive, supportive and high-performing team culture focused on impact and learning.
• Oversee income and expenditure for the community and events portfolio, monitoring budgets and performance against targets.
• Contribute to organisational planning, cross-team working and the development of efficient systems and processes.
• Evaluate performance and produce insight-led reports to support decision-making and improvement.
• Uphold Bipolar UK’s values at all times.

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience managing community and/or events fundraising, with a track record of achieving income and engagement targets.
• Experience of line-managing staff and leading a small team to deliver effectively.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with experience translating strategy into delivery plans.
• Experience of managing budgets and reporting on performance and impact.
• Demonstrable experience of digital fundraising and use of online fundraising platforms.
• Experience working with volunteers or community fundraisers.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire others.
• Confidence using CRM systems and fundraising data.
• Knowledge of the UK charity sector, GDPR and fundraising best practice.
• A compassionate, values-led approach and confidence working in a mental health context.

Desirable Criteria

• Fundraising qualification or Chartered Institute of Fundraising membership.
• Lived experience of bipolar, or a close personal connection to someone affected by the condition.

Could you bring your excellent project management and community engagement skills to help rural communities identify housing need and increase the pipeline of rural affordable homes in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes?

About us

At the heart of Buckinghamshire’s communities, Community Impact Bucks is a locally rooted charity committed to helping communities and charities thrive. Our impact is made possible by a passionate and committed team who believe in the power of local action and understand the places and people they serve.

We expect all staff to deliver activity within Buckinghamshire’s communities and to bring local knowledge, relationships and contextual understanding to ensure our support is relevant, inclusive and community‑led.

About you

You will bring passion and energy to make a difference to rural communities.  You will enjoy working with people and helping communities to achieve their goals.

An excellent communicator, you will enjoy building partnerships and working with people from a variety of backgrounds, with a strong awareness of diversity and inclusion, and the ability to be diplomatic and take the initiative when needed. 

Your knowledge and experience might involve: 

• Asset-based community development 
• Developing and delivering activities in a community setting
• Lived experience of the challenges Buckinghamshire’s rural communities face
• Experience of working in the field of housing delivery and working with local authority planning and housing teams.

Training and support will be provided so you don’t need to be an expert in everything. You will be part of a supportive staff team within the charity, and you will be part of a national network of Rural Housing Enablers offering peer support and shared learning.

You will benefit from an interest in housing and must be able to work with Parish Councils, Housing Associations and Local Housing & Planning Authorities.

Key responsibilities

• Support, advise and steer communities, and town and parish councillors from their initial interest in providing affordable housing, through scheme inception and pre-development phases to completion, with the aim of increasing the speed of schemes through the pre-development phase.
• Assist communities to identify the nature and extent of affordable local housing need in their community including, where appropriate, through a Housing Needs Survey.
• Assist communities to identify a deliverable site for development of affordable housing and/or secure affordable housing as part of market led schemes.
• Build collaborative partnerships with key partners to provide a clear pathway to a successful planning application and delivery. Partners may include, but are not limited to, local communities, parish councils, housing association staff, officers from the Local Authorities (including in their role as providers of affordable housing) and local developers.
• Provide project management including regular reporting on project progress against workplan and housing pipeline.

Key requirements

• Experience of building and sustaining relationships within and across organisations and sectors, and working collaboratively.
• A highly capable communicator in person and in writing. Able to engage the public, local politicians, and officials on their own terms, whilst remaining independent and trusted.
• Experience delivering research, strategic assessment & planning, data analysis, and evaluation reports.
• Excellent organisational, planning and management skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Agile and proactive in approach to challenges and opportunities.
• Able to work under pressure, multi-task and meet strict deadlines.
• Competent user of databases and the Microsoft suite of software.
• Either Full British driving licence and access to private means of transport or ability to demonstrate how you will meet this requirement.
• Available to work evenings and weekends when necessary (in accordance with our Time Off In Lieu Policy)

Diversity & Inclusion

Community Impact Bucks is committed to challenging inequality and values the diversity of our communities in Buckinghamshire. We recognise that reflecting that diversity will only ever make our organisation better. We work to ensure an inclusive culture where colleagues feel welcomed and supported to succeed and thrive. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those from under-represented communities.  

How to apply

For more information please download the Job Description and Person Specification below, or visit our website at Community Impact Bucks.

Please apply via the CharityJob website with a CV and a cover letter explaining how your skills, experience and interests meet the Job Description and Person Specification by 9am on Tuesday 26th May 2026.

We are committed to finding the right fit for this role. We will be reviewing applications and shortlisting candidates to interview as they are received. We will close this position once the right person is found.

This is an exciting and engaging job opportunity to join elop’s dedicated and enthusiastic team in a central coordination and development role within elop’s youth and community services. You’ll have an active role providing LGBTQ+ affirmative support for LGBTQ+ children and young people. 

Working alongside the senior leadership team you will have a key role in identifying and actively contributing to and supporting the attainment of strategic objectives, sustainability, future service development, service standards and delivery strategy of elop’s youth and community services.  This will include overseeing and ensuring efficient, effective, and smooth operations; maintaining accountable, professional, safe, and well administered services; service promotion, monitoring and evaluation; maintaining and developing new cross-sector networks, partnerships and collaborative relationships; ensuring services continue to meet existing and emerging needs and positively impact and make a genuine difference to those using them. 

Our youth service includes age restricted youth groups, 1:1 mentoring, some school-based delivery with occasional training workshops; and our community services include delivery of an LGBTQ+ community forum, community events, social groups, and volunteering programmes.

Working both in-person office based, with some remote home-based working (particularly required whilst awaiting completion of building works and relocation to new premises) you will be required to work one late evening a week and occasional other evenings and weekends when required.

Full time: 37 hours per week

Salary: £34,000 inclusive London Weighting

This role is part funded by the Mercers Charitable Foundation and initially funded to 31 March 2028.

Closing deadline for submission of application: 10.00am Monday 1 June 2026

Interviews will take place Wednesday 17 June 2026 between 9.00am – 3.00pm

HMC is seeking a confident and capable Community Manager to deliver our community-based 'Wednesday Service' for migrants and refugees. Our Wednesday Service is a multi-functioning hub, offering a warm, welcoming space for appointments and activities, and has long been the heart and soul of HMC's service. 

The Community Manager role is responsible for the coordination and delivery of HMC's Wednesday Service, including the management of all volunteers involved in the delivery of the service and oversight of our popular Holistic Advocacy service, delivered by volunteers.

This is a new post which recognises the importance of our Wednesday Service and the focus and resources required to deliver it effectively, whilst also recognising and seeking to empower the vital role our volunteers play in sustaining and enriching our services.

Please review the full Job Description & Person Specification for details of the role.

The South East Gambling Harms Partnership is a consortium of regional Citizens Advice offices that include: Wokingham, Reading, West Berkshire and East Berkshire offices in Berkshire and Hart, Rushmore, Basingstoke and Tadley in North Hampshire. This is a high-profile initiative funded by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to tackle gambling harms through the collaboration of the South East Gambling Harms Partnership. 

The Role

We are looking for a strategically-minded Regional Service Manager to lead the South East Gambling Harms Partnership. You will be the architect of our strategic engagement, building trusted partnerships with NHS commissioners and local authorities to ensure gambling harms are a priority in local health responses. You will lead a dedicated team of Training Leads and Prevention Workers, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation, building strong links with VCSE partners and the wider community. 

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Influence: Act as the lead advocate for the partnership, engaging with NHS and Local Authority commissioners to ensure gambling harm prevention is embedded into local health strategies and regional policies.

• Partnership Management: Provide cohesive leadership for a collaboration of eight Citizens Advice offices, ensuring all locations are aligned, accountable, and integrating gambling screening into daily practice.

• Operational Oversight: Lead the project team (Data Officer, Training Leads, and Prevention Workers) to meet ambitious targets, while managing budgets, risks, and funder reporting.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Foster "trusted partner" relationships with grassroots organisations and wider community sectors to reach high-risk groups, including young people, veterans, minority communities and affected others. 

We are seeking an exceptional leader to be our next chief executive, leading a respected and influential membership organisation at the heart of a thriving grassroots movement.

You’ll be working to build on the success we’ve seen and strong position and voice we have established for ourselves and our members, as a leading force for inclusive and sustainable transport and communities.

You’ll bring an impressive track record in values-based leadership, a proven ability to engage and inspire grassroots change-makers, strategic partners and policy-makers, and a deep belief in the importance of community-led change towards a sustainable, equitable future.

About us

Community Rail Network is a national not-for-profit organisation, which is in the process of applying for charitable status, supporting a growing ‘community rail’ movement, which helps communities get the most from their railways, promotes sustainable and inclusive travel, coordinates volunteering and place-making, and brings people together.

Community rail is made up of 77 community-based organisations, and around 1,300 station volunteer groups and other community-led initiatives around Britain. Their activities range from creative projects for young people, to advising train operators on service improvements, to building travel confidence among marginalised groups, to biodiversity projects at stations, to promoting greener tourism by rail.

Our enthusiastic team of 24 works from home in dispersed locations, but we come together regularly in person and online. We work collaboratively to support members, provide training, events and resources, run campaigns, and champion community rail and its insights. We believe in helping everyone reach their potential while having a good work-life balance.

About this role, and your main responsibilities

Our current CEO is moving on after nine years in role, leaving the organisation, team and wider movement in a strong and empowered position to deliver on the next phase of our development.

Your opportunity is to lead the organisation, and to deliver on our new five-year strategy setting an ambitious course for the future during a period of major transformation for our railways and the wider transport system. You will ensure that we are:

• clear in our identity and our independence, and seen as thought leaders in our field;
• are supporting our members and stakeholders to meet their changing and diverse needs; and
• ensuring the financial and operational resilience of the organisation in an environment that is undergoing a period of rapid change.

As CEO, you will lead a passionate and experienced senior leadership team with three direct reports, while working closely with and reporting into our Board, key partners and funders, and ensuing an engaging, empowering, tenacious approach across all we do.

Advocacy of community rail and its benefits will be high on your agenda, and you will be working closely across multiple stakeholders including UK and devolved national governments, regional and local authorities as well as forging collaborative partnerships with like-minded organisations.

Maintaining our community-centric ethos, you will need to ensure we're effective in enabling members to unlock greater value from the railways at a grassroots level, while drawing on their insights to affect wider change. With hundreds of member groups and organisations across Britain delivering life-changing, place-enhancing work, you will have a solid foundation to build on, to take community rail forward and expand our impact in the years ahead.

Last, but not least, you will be responsible for ensuring the strong and effective governance of the organisation, modelling our governing principles, values and behaviours, and ensuring that we have robust financial and resource management in place.

Skills, competencies and qualities

1. Exceptional leadership skills, including a proven ability to lead, develop and grow third sector organisations or multi-faceted teams delivering complex activities, projects and campaigns;
2. Excellent communication and external leadership skills: articulate, assertive, with the ability to work diplomatically and persuasively with stakeholders at all levels;
3. Experienced in acting as the public face of an organisation, such as through the media, public speaking and high-level meetings, and using evidence and storytelling to articulate and champion a cause;
4. Politically astute, with knowledge of and commitment to social inclusion, social justice and sustainability, and a sound grasp of the importance of public transport, sustainable travel, and community-led action;
5. A proven ability to influence policy and decision-makers, and to identify influencing opportunities, ideally in relation to community development, sustainability and/or transport, including sharing community insights;
6. A strong track record in income generation and development, building strong funder relationships and delivery partnerships, managing programme or organisational budgets and controlling expenditure;
7. Experience of working with and/or reporting to a board, ideally in a not-for-profit and/or membership context;
8. An empowering, engaging approach to leadership, management and change-making;
9. Resilient, pragmatic and determined, with the ability to work under pressure, seize emergent opportunities, manage risk, and support others dealing with competing priorities.

Other information

The role will involve extensive travel within Britain as part of building your profile and that of the organisation with central and devolved government in Scotland and Wales, and increasingly with the devolved regions of England.

There is flexibility on location given the requirement to travel and that your office will be home-based. You will need to travel to in-person quarterly team meetings (usually in London or West Yorkshire) and to Board meetings which alternate between online and London. It is expected that travel will be by public transport and easy access to the rail network is therefore required to ensure journeys can be made sustainably. 

This is a full-time position, 37 hours per week. We use a flexi-time system with core hours 10am-3pm, and are committed to being a flexible, supportive and understanding employer. This is a permanent position with a probationary period of six months. 

Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising up to 30 days, plus Bank Holidays, in line with long service); pension with employer contribution of 7%; and access to Employee Assistance Programme.

Successful applicants will need to provide proof that they have the right to work in the UK and provide two references.

Community Rail Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and Black, Asian and other minoritised groups, who meet with the skills and competencies for this role. We will provide reasonable adjustments for interviews as required.