Counselling service team leader jobs

Join Beacon to drive projects that place patients at the heart of translational research, shaping progress and improving outcomes with and for rare disease communities.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

Beacon, now in its second decade of operation, has experienced substantial growth over the last three years, including an organisational rebrand and expansion into international projects. We are now recruiting a Senior Patient and Scientific Engagement Officer to play a central role in delivering ambitious projects that put patients at the heart of translational research.

This role sits at the crossroads of patient involvement and scientific communication, building meaningful collaborations between patients, researchers, and other stakeholders. You’ll provide essential operational support and subject expertise to ensure projects run smoothly and reflect the real-world needs of the rare disease community.

You will contribute primarily to two of Beacon’s major collaborative initiatives: REMEDi4ALL, a European-wide drug repurposing platform with over 25 partner organisations, and the LifeArc Translational Research Centres for Rare Disease (LifeArc TrC4RD), a UK-wide partnership. In this role, you will work directly and regularly with partners across these consortia, encompassing patient group leaders, patient representatives, academic researchers, clinical trialists, and beyond. You will act as a vital interface between patients and researchers in both projects, coordinating activities, facilitating collaboration, and embedding patient perspectives throughout the work. While these will be your main focus, you will also support other initiatives across the charity, particularly those aimed at advancing scientific understanding of rare diseases and strengthening patient involvement in research.

This is a varied position offering the chance to apply and further develop your expertise across areas such as patient and public involvement, scientific content development, training, and stakeholder engagement. We are looking for someone with a strong grasp of both the scientific and patient landscapes, who can balance attention to detail with big-picture awareness and work confidently in highly collaborative settings with multiple partner organisations. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible contribution to advancing rare disease research and ensuring patients’ voices drive progress across the UK and Europe.

See our full job description for more information on REMEDi4ALL and The LifeArc TrC4RD

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Your main responsibilities will span aspects of project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and patient-centred scientific support. In this role, you will:

• Support the delivery of Beacon’s work within REMEDi4ALL and the LifeArc TrC4RD, collaborating directly with partners across these consortia to coordinate activities and ensure timely delivery of shared goals.
• Assist in the preparation of project materials, reports, and updates for consortium meetings and communications.
• Write, review, and refine accessible, patient-facing materials that explain complex scientific concepts and research projects clearly.
• Help design and deliver patient engagement strategies for major collaborative projects, ensuring patient perspectives are embedded throughout.
• Support and liaise with REMEDi4ALL Patient Champions and the LifeArc Patient Engagement Group, including coordinating mentorship, facilitating input into project teams, and managing communications.
•  Build and maintain strong working relationships with patient advocates, researchers, funders, and partner organisations, ensuring clear communication and effective collaboration.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of multi-stakeholder meetings, workshops, and webinars that bring together patients, researchers, and other partners to discuss research priorities and approaches.
• Support the creation and delivery of training materials, sessions, and talks for patient groups, researchers, and other stakeholders on topics such as patient and public involvement (PPIE) and rare disease research.
• Participate in project discussions to understand current patient engagement and provide input or signposting to improve engagement and support.
• Represent Beacon and its work at consortium meetings, external conferences, and events – both as a delegate and, where appropriate, as a speaker.
• Support other Beacon-led projects as required, particularly those focused on advancing patient knowledge, engagement, and scientific understanding.
• Provide hands-on support for the on-the-day delivery of Beacon events, training programmes, and other charity activities.

 PERSON SPECIFICATION

This is a mid-to-senior level role. Candidates should have professional experience in scientific engagement, patient involvement, or research coordination, and be ready to contribute confidently to collaborative consortium projects with external partners.

We are looking for someone with a strong commitment to patient-centric approaches, who is willing to advocate for patients’ perspectives and priorities, while also navigating the need for compromise and collaboration across multiple organisations.

Essential

• Relevant professional experience (e.g., life sciences, medical communication, translational research, or patient engagement), ideally accompanied by a scientific qualification.
• Experience in patient and public involvement or patient engagement within research, ideally in health contexts.
• Strong understanding of scientific processes, translational research, or clinical research, with the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to non-specialist audiences.
• Ability to work effectively within multi-partner or consortium projects, collaborating with external organisations.
• Confidence in liaising with a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, researchers, funders, and partner organisations.
• Experience developing accessible, patient-centred materials, training, or communications.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and confidence in building relationships across diverse groups.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, while contributing effectively as part of a team.
• Commitment to patient-centred research and improving outcomes for the rare disease community.
• Flexibility to travel for in-person meetings, workshops, and events within the UK and internationally multiple times a year.

 Desirable

• Experience supporting or delivering training sessions, workshops, or webinars for patient or professional audiences.
• Familiarity with drug repurposing, translational research, or rare disease research environments.
• Experience managing or contributing to multi-stakeholder research projects.
• Experience working or volunteering in the charity or not-for-profit sector.
• An understanding of rare diseases, health charities, or small-organisation dynamics

WORKING AT BEACON

Beacon is a small, tight-knit team, with a friendly atmosphere and strong commitment to our beneficiaries. We aim to give all employees opportunities to pursue their interests, develop their skills, and shape their career path.

We offer flexible working practices to help our staff balance their personal and professional lives, including hybrid working (50% split between home and office working) and flexible hours. We also recognise the substantial benefits of in-person collaboration and communication for the organisation, team morale, and for individual staff development, and are committed to maintaining this as a core part of how we work.

After the initial in-person onboarding period, we’d like this role to be based in the office for around 2–3 days a week on average (though not necessarily every single week) to support effective teamwork, strong communication, and smooth daily operations.

BENEFITS

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and Christmas to New Year closure 
• Flexible working practices including hybrid working and flexitime
• Time off in lieu to support appropriate work/life balance
• 5% pension contribution 
• Annual training budget to support personal and professional development 
• A close knit and friendly small team environment 
• Frequent opportunities to meet with beneficiaries and expand your professional network
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) including access to mental health support, 24/7 GP service, discounted gym membership, shopping savings and more

About the role:

Battersea is entering an exciting phase of innovation and transformation as we embark on the first year of our new five-year strategy. With increased investment in income generation starting in 2025, we are expanding our team to drive the growth necessary to achieve our organisational goals. Our fundraising team bridges the journey of the animals in our care with the wider public, demonstrating how their contributions enable us to support every dog and cat. We now have several new roles within this team to further our mission.

Main purpose of the role:

This is a new role working within Battersea’s Income Generation department to develop and deliver the campaign plan for a £4-6million pound capital fundraising appeal.

One of the key pillars of Battersea’s current strategy is to ensure that we continue to provide expert care for all the dogs and cats that come through our gates. One of the ways in which we do this is by investing in our facilities to ensure that they continue to meet the changing needs of the animals we care for. This fundraising campaign will help to achieve that aim.

You will work with teams across Battersea to develop a comprehensive plan for the campaign and co-ordinate the work of multiple specialist teams to deliver the campaign on a day-to-day basis. You will also be responsible for developing a clear governance structure for the campaign, and ensuring all stakeholders are kept informed of progress. You will also oversee and track progress of a series of internal process improvements that support the running of the campaign.

Please note, this is not a direct fundraising position, but will support our fundraising teams in delivering ambitious financial targets for the appeal.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: 28th September 2025

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview date(s):

First Stage (online): w/c 6th and 13th October 2025

Second Stage (in person): to be confirmed

For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack from our Careers website.

Battersea has recently approved a new 5-year organisational strategy to deliver an even greater impact for dogs and cats through our Prevent, Support and Care activity. This, alongside Battersea’s significant growth in recent years, means that we now require greater coordination and structure to support how we prioritise and manage key organisational activity and manage our resources effectively.

To support the delivery of the new strategy and its respective programme of works, we are now seeking a new role of Head of Project and Strategic Planning to play a central role in shaping how we deliver our priorities across the organisation, supporting the leadership team, directors and strategic project leads in the delivery of our objectives, and ensuring there is effective management and oversight of projects and programmes which facilitates sound decision making and governance principles.

To support a significant CRM implementation programme, the programme has incorporated some formal governance structures and processes to support effective change management and decision making. We are now looking to embed and expand on those and ensure we have fit for purpose mechanisms for overseeing all key activity across the charity.

This role will therefore be responsible for developing, embedding, and leading a fit for purpose and effective Project Management Office (PMO), shaping delivery practices, building project management capability, and improve organisational alignment and performance in a way that supports dynamic cross-organisational decision making and innovation. As this is a new position, and will result in changes to our ways of working, the Head of Project and Strategic Planning will also be required to play a leading role in supporting and enabling organisational change, ensuring there is a clear understanding of change impacts associated with projects and programmes, strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills are applied, and clear transparent communication of the roadmap, including risks and benefits, is shared to bring people on the journey and enable us to embed best practice methodology.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: 28th September 2025
Interview date(s): 9th/10th October 2025

For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack. All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Job Title: Senior Programme Manager
Closing date: 26th September 2025 17.00 GMT
Interviews: 3rd October 2025
Reports to: Ubele Founder/ CEO
Location: Min 2 days per week based in North London office, remote working available for max 3 days a week
Pay: £60,000- £63,000 full time, gross per annum
Type of Contract: One-year fixed term contract
Annual Leave Entitlement: 28 days’ annual leave, including UK bank holidays.
Pension: 3% employer pension contribution on eligible earnings.

About The Role  

The purpose of this role is to have overall responsibility for The Phoenix Way (TPW) Programme across the London, South and East regions and delegating day to day management South and East Regions to a dedicated Programme Manager. The role includes:

Strategic oversight of and accountability for the London, South and East regions of The Phoenix Way the creation of sustainable Black and racially minoritised communities and community-led organisations across three separate regions, with an in-depth focus on Greater London by ensuring there is an equitable stake in decisions relating to funding processes, priorities, funding allocations and beyond.
Collaborating with funders, statutory bodies, community organisations and voluntary sector, and other stakeholders committed to the development of an equitable future.
Actively supporting all funding bodies to seek change for diverse communities and deliver significant improvements in their organisation’s cultures, strategies, competences, and capabilities.
Helping funding bodies to adopt equitable policies and practises based on the evidence and learning garnered from the community organisations that receive funding and support from TPW.