5 Customer service assistant jobs in Birmingham, West Midlands

We are Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.

We want to create a nation where walking is the natural choice for everyday, local journeys; free from congested roads and pollution, reducing the risk of preventable illnesses and social isolation. We want to achieve a better walking environment and to inspire people of all generations to walk and wheel more.

We’re looking for an organised and customer-focused Commercial Assistant to join our Development and Delivery department.

You will support Living Streets Services Ltd – our trading subsidiary and successful social enterprise – helping to deliver products and services including WOW – the walk to school challenge, Walk to School Week and Little Feet.

This is a varied role combining administration, customer service and sales support. You will process orders, respond to enquiries, maintain accurate records, and work with customers, suppliers and colleagues to resolve issues. Your work will help us provide excellent service, while contributing to the efficiency and financial success of our trading activity.

What you’ll do:

·Process customer orders accurately and coordinate fulfilment and invoicing.

·Respond to enquiries from schools, local authorities, project coordinators and other customers by telephone and email.

·Investigate and help resolve order, product and delivery issues.

·Maintain accurate sales, purchasing, stock and customer records.

·Monitor stock levels and support relationships with key suppliers.

·Prepare quotations and respond to sales enquiries.

·Support new and existing customer accounts and maintain database records.

·Assist schools using the WOW Travel Tracker platform and other digital products.

·Support the delivery of engagement and evaluation activities, including our annual design  competition.

·Help coordinate outreach events and tender submissions.

·Provide general administrative support, including taking minutes at quarterly board meetings.

What we’re looking for:

·Experience of providing administrative, customer-service or operational support.

·Experience of responding to enquiries by telephone and email.

·Experience of supporting sales activity, such as preparing quotations or processing orders.

·Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.

·Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills.

·Accuracy and close attention to detail.

·Confidence using CRM systems and Microsoft Office or equivalent workplace software.

·A practical approach to solving routine problems and knowing when to escalate an issue.

·The ability to work independently and collaboratively.

·A helpful, professional and customer-focused approach.

·A commitment to Living Streets’ purpose and to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Living Streets is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.

Closing date: 30/09/2026 (11:59 PM)

Interviews: 08/10/2026 – 09/10/2026

12-month fixed-term contract | Full-time 

Salary: £58,560 – £71,480 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Location: Home-based with regular national travel 

Job reference number: 1766

Help shape the future of Cranstoun’s services 

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity supporting and empowering people to live healthier and safer lives. Each year, we support more than 45,000 people through services including substance use, criminal justice, domestic abuse, housing and services for children and young people. 

Following a successful five-year strategy and significant growth, we remain ambitious about the difference we can make. As we enter our next phase, we are investing in the leadership and operational capability needed to support our continued development. We are now recruiting an Assistant Directors of Services to join our senior management team. 

This is a significant senior leadership role offering the opportunity to lead substantial service portfolios while helping shape how Cranstoun’s services are led and delivered across the organisation. 

The role 

Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will lead a substantial portfolio of complex commissioned services and senior operational managers. 

You will lead nine services with nine direct reports, spanning criminal justice and housing/homelessness provision. You will have clear accountability for ensuring services are safe, effective and well-led, with strong contractual performance, financial sustainability and positive outcomes for the people and communities we support. 

You will provide operational grip and evidence-based assurance, strengthen safeguarding and management accountability, build effective relationships with commissioners and partners, and ensure risks and underperformance are identified, escalated and addressed early. 

You will also work collectively with fellow senior operational leaders to embed a One Cranstoun approach, strengthening common standards, sharing learning, developing leadership capability and improving quality and resilience across our services. 

What you will be accountable for 

As an Assistant Director, you will take senior operational accountability for: 

• Safe, effective and well-led services – ensuring strong safeguarding, quality, operational risk management and service user outcomes.  
• Contractual performance – ensuring services deliver against contractual requirements and KPIs, with strong commissioner relationships and timely action to address underperformance.  
• Financial sustainability – maintaining strong financial oversight, effective workforce management and oversight of the sustainability of individual contracts.  
• Evidence-based assurance – using reliable performance, quality, workforce and financial information to identify risks and drive improvement.  
• Collective organisational leadership – working beyond individual portfolio boundaries to build consistent standards, stronger leadership and shared ways of working across Cranstoun.  

You will lead and develop senior operational managers, set clear expectations and create a culture in which support and accountability operate together. 

You will also lead and contribute to service mobilisation, transformation, workforce planning and continuous improvement. 

Who we are looking for 

We are looking for established senior operational leaders with substantial experience leading complex commissioned services and geographically dispersed teams. 

You will bring a strong track record of: 

• leading safe, high-quality services for people with complex needs;  
• safeguarding, quality and operational risk management;  
• contract and performance management;  
• managing significant service budgets and improving financial performance;  
• building effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and strategic partners;  
• leading service improvement, mobilisation and organisational change;  
• developing senior operational managers and addressing underperformance; and  
• using performance, quality, workforce and financial information to provide assurance and drive improvement.  

You will need to combine strategic leadership with operational pragmatism, understanding the detail when necessary while maintaining oversight of performance, risk, quality and sustainability across a complex portfolio. 

Above all, we are looking for collaborative, credible and values-led leaders who can support and challenge in equal measure, build leadership capability and bring people together around common standards and organisational priorities. 

Specialist experience 

For this role, you will need significant leadership experience across both Criminal Justice and Housing/Homelessness services, including housing or accommodation-based provision. 

You will understand the complexity of working across criminal justice, housing, local government and other statutory systems and be experienced in building effective relationships with commissioners and partners while maintaining strong operational and contractual oversight. 

This is a 12-month fixed-term appointment at an important stage in Cranstoun’s transformation, offering the opportunity to lead a significant portfolio, strengthen operational performance and help shape the future development of our operating model. 

Be part of Cranstoun’s next chapter 

Our successful five-year strategy has seen Cranstoun grow considerably, extending our reach and the range of services we provide. We remain ambitious and innovative, committed to developing services that respond to the changing needs of people and communities. 

As we look to the future, we are investing in the leadership, operational capability and organisational infrastructure needed to support our continued development, strengthening operational governance, consistency and assurance across our services. 

This role offers the opportunity to do more than manage established portfolios. You will help shape the future of our services and build an Operations Directorate characterised by high standards, clear accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. 

Find out more 

Please refer to the accompanying recruitment pack for the full Job Description, Person Specification and details of the application process.

Please note: All posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

How to Apply:

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button. Please quote the appropriate Job Ref in all correspondence.

Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence of their right to work in the UK at the application stage.

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Closing date: Sunday 20 September 2026.

We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work. 

Registered Charity No: 1061582

Accreditation Manager        

Salary: £58,000p.a.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week 

Location: Wigan or Home Based with extensive travel throughout the UK and occasional international travel.

Keep Britain Tidy is one of the UK’s leading environmental charities. At a time when we are living in a world that is facing its greatest environmental challenges, the work we do has never been more important or more urgent.

About the role

This is a leadership role for someone who can combine strategic thinking, strong project management, commercial awareness and excellent stakeholder engagement. You will ensure our accreditation programmes continue to inspire participation, generate income and deliver measurable impact for people, places and the environment.

As Accreditation Manager, you will lead the strategy, growth and delivery of our accreditation programmes, ensuring they support accessible, high-quality places, promote wellbeing and sustainability, generate income and demonstrate measurable impact. You will oversee budgets, partnerships, quality assurance, impact reporting and programme teams, while acting as a senior contact for government, sector bodies, partners, customers and stakeholders in the UK and internationally.

We are looking for someone with strong leadership, project management and relationship-building skills, together with the confidence to work with senior stakeholders and represent the organisation externally. You will bring experience of managing budgets, developing commercial or partner-funded relationships, solving complex problems and leading teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Knowledge of the green spaces sector is essential, while knowledge of the coastal and hospitality sectors would be an advantage.

Benefits

All our roles benefit from generous holiday entitlement and pension contributions, including the opportunity to join the UK’s first net zero carbon pension scheme and to receive extra days leave for using alternatives to flights. You can view our range of benefits on our website.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from all backgrounds including those from underrepresented groups.

If you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know. 

How to Apply

If this sounds like the perfect role for you and you’d like to help us make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.  Please review a copy of the full job description and ensure you meet the essential criteria before applying. 

After reading the application information, if you would love to work with us please continue to apply.

As part of the application process you will need to answer 3 sift questions relating to your relevant experience and submit your tailored CV which highlights how you meet the essential criteria of the role.  We also ask that you complete equal opportunities monitoring information as we want to try to make sure that our workforce is representative of the population and we are not excluding any community. Please note that this information will be held separately.

Please submit your application before the closing date.

The deadline for applications is 09:00 Monday 28 September 2026. Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so recommend that you submit your application at the earliest opportunity. 

Interviews will be held via MS Teams on 14 or 15 October 2026. 

If you require an in-person interview, please let us know. 

We have signed the pledge to always #ShowTheSalary for the roles that we advertise.

No agencies please.

About RMC

RMC Charity (RMC) is an established, award winning, regional charity working across the West Midlands to support newcomers and people facing barriers to accessing services, rights and opportunities.

RMC is a growing and ambitious organisation. As we continue to develop our services, partnerships and organisational infrastructure, we are strengthening the support available to our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Trustee Board.

We’re also embarking on an exciting new asset development project, which will represent a significant long-term investment in the organisation and its future. The project is expected to be sizeable and complex, involving a range of external parties, professional advisers, stakeholders and partners, and will develop over the next two years and beyond.

The Senior Executive Assistant will play an important role in supporting the SLT through this period, including helping to coordinate meetings, information, actions and communications involving external parties. The postholder will need to bring structure, organisation and follow-through to a lengthy and evolving programme of work, ensuring that key actions, decisions, commitments and deadlines are effectively tracked.

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Executive Assistant who can operate at a senior level, bring structure and discipline to executive and governance activity, and act as a trusted partner to the SLT and the Board.

This is not simply an administrative role. The postholder will be an important part of how RMC ensures that decisions are followed through, commitments are delivered, information flows effectively and governance remains strong.

About the Role:

The Senior Executive Assistant will provide high-level executive, governance and organisational support to the SLT, working particularly closely with the CEO and Executive Director of Services.

The postholder will manage complex diaries and relationships, support the effective operation of the Trustee Board, prepare high-quality information and reports, and ensure that important actions and commitments do not get lost.

The successful candidate will have the confidence to work with senior leaders and managers, trustees and external stakeholders while maintaining the highest levels of discretion and professionalism.

They will also be someone who is prepared to "keep the executives honest" constructively challenging where appropriate, identifying gaps, following up on commitments and helping the SLT to anticipate and manage organisational risks.

Key Responsibilities

1. Trustee Board and Governance

• Coordinate the effective administration and operation of Trustee Board meetings, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and papers, circulating documentation and managing follow-up actions
• Attend Trustee Board meetings and produce accurate, concise and timely minutes and records of decisions
• Maintain an effective system for tracking Board decisions and actions and ensure that these are followed through
• Act as an important conduit between the Trustee Board and SLT, ensuring appropriate information flows between governance and executive leadership
• Support the SLT in maintaining an effective overview of governance requirements, deadlines, decisions and actions
• Maintain appropriate governance records and documentation and support the preparation of relevant papers
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies or emerging governance issues and appropriately flag these to the SLT
• Maintain absolute confidentiality in relation to Board discussions and sensitive organisational matters 

2. Executive Support and Diary Management

• Provide high-level diary management and executive support to the CEO and Executive Director of Services
• Proactively manage complex and competing priorities, identifying diary conflicts and resolving them before they become problems
• Help executives prioritise meetings and commitments according to organisational importance and strategic priorities
• Ensure executives are properly prepared for important meetings by coordinating papers, briefings, agendas and relevant information
• Arrange travel, accommodation, meeting logistics and expenses where required
• Manage meeting schedules involving internal teams, trustees, funders, partners, commissioners and other external stakeholders
• Act as an appropriate first point of contact on behalf of the SLT, maintaining positive and professional relationships
• Support the SLT in coordinating the new asset development project, which will involve a significant programme of work over the next two years and require engagement with a range of external parties
• Coordinate meetings and communications with external professionals, partners, funders, and other parties involved in the asset project
• Maintain an overview of key milestones, deadlines, and dependencies associated with the project and ensure that the relevant members of the SLT are appropriately briefed
• Ensure important commitments, deadlines and follow-up actions are tracked and completed as well as anticipate the needs of the Executives and proactively identify issues before they arise

3. Executive Information and Reporting

• Draft, edit and coordinate reports, briefing papers, presentations and other executive-level documentation
• Compile information from across the organisation and turn it into clear, concise and useful briefings, identifying areas requiring further consideration and raise these appropriately
• Prepare agendas and supporting information for SLT, Senior Management Team (SMT) and other senior meetings
• Attend relevant meetings and produce precise, action-focused minutes and records
• Support the preparation of information for strategy sessions, appraisals and organisational reviews
• Ensure that information presented to senior leaders is accurate, appropriately sourced and clearly communicated

4. Leadership Accountability and Organisational Follow-Through

A key part of this role will be ensuring that decisions and commitments made by the SLT translate into action.

The postholder will;

• Maintain oversight of key leadership and senior management commitments and actions
• Track commitments made to staff, service users, trustees, partners and other stakeholders
• Prompt senior leaders and managers where actions or deadlines are approaching or have not been completed
• Identify gaps between agreed decisions and implementation
• Constructively challenge where commitments appear to be at risk of being missed
• Help the SLT maintain visibility of emerging organisational risks, issues and dependencies
• Support the SLT to maintain oversight of the asset development project, ensuring that key actions, deadlines and dependencies are captured and followed through
• Help coordinate the flow of information between the SLT and the range of external parties involved in the asset project, ensuring that requests, actions and decisions are appropriately followed up
• Help the SLT maintain visibility of emerging organisational and project risks, issues and dependencies
• Escalate concerns appropriately and proportionately
• Support a culture of accountability, transparency and delivery

This will require judgement and courage. The successful candidate must be comfortable respectfully challenging senior colleagues when something does not look right, while maintaining trust and confidentiality.

5. Relationships and Communication

• Communicate confidently and professionally with people at all levels of the organisation
• Contribute to the existing environment where colleagues feel able to share concerns, provide candid information and challenge decisions appropriately
• Handle sensitive conversations with empathy, discretion and objectivity
• Represent the SLT professionally when communicating with internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain appropriate boundaries and confidentiality at all time

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria:

Executive support and organisation

• Minimum 5 years’ experience of providing high-level executive, senior administrative or governance support
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and complex schedules
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to work accurately under pressure
• Experience preparing professional reports, briefings, minutes and correspondence
• Strong written and verbal communication skills 

Governance

• Understanding of effective governance and the relationship between trustees and senior leadership
• Experience supporting Boards, committees or senior-level meetings
• Ability to understand complex information and identify actions, risks and gaps
• Strong understanding of confidentiality and appropriate information handling

Technology

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams
• Confidence using CRM systems, digital collaboration platforms and online meeting tools
• Ability to use technology to improve organisation, information management and workflow

Judgement and Discretion

• Demonstrable ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information
• Excellent professional judgement and understanding of when information should be shared, withheld or escalated
• Ability to remain calm, balanced and objective in difficult or sensitive situations

Suitable Candidate Leadership Profile

We are particularly interested in people who demonstrate the following qualities:

• High Courage - You will need the confidence to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and respectfully tell senior colleagues when something needs attention
• Deep Empathy - You will understand that leadership decisions affect real people. You will listen carefully, understand different perspectives and approach sensitive situations with humanity
• Sharp Objectivity - You will be able to separate facts from assumptions, remain impartial and provide senior leaders with an honest and clear view of an issue – even when that view may be uncomfortable
• Strategic Thinking - You will understand the bigger picture. You will not simply manage diaries and actions; you will understand why they matter, how they connect to RMC's priorities and where a missed action or emerging issue could create wider organisational risk

What Success Looks Like

Within this role, success will mean:

• The CEO and Executive Director of Services are well organised, properly briefed and able to focus on strategic priorities
• Trustee Board meetings are well planned, professional and supported by accurate information and records
• Board and SLT decisions are translated into clear actions and followed through
• Important commitments do not get lost
• Risks, gaps and emerging issues are identified early and appropriately escalated
• Information provided to senior leaders is accurate, concise and useful
• Internal and external relationships are handled professionally and with discretion
• The SLT has a trusted partner who can provide challenge as well as support
• RMC's governance and executive functions operate with greater consistency, discipline and accountability

The Person We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is more than an administrator.

You will be highly organised, but also intellectually curious. You will be discreet, but not passive. You will be supportive of senior leaders, but willing to challenge them. You will be empathetic, but able to remain objective. You will be comfortable dealing with detail while keeping sight of the wider strategic picture.

Above all, you will be someone the SLT and Trustee Board can trust completely, someone who will see what needs to be done, make sure it happens, and have the courage to speak up when it doesn't.

Flexibility 

In order to deliver the stated aims of this post, a degree of flexibility is needed and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. This could include data, administrative and/or project support to other cross-organisational departments. Such duties will fall within the scope of the job within the appropriate pay grade. The job description will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties that are being performed.

Equal Opportunities

We're an equal opportunity employer, which means we'll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we're committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Closing Date:  Thursday 1^st October 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date.

Please note that RMC is not a sponsoring organisation. If your visa requires an extension within the next 12 months with the support of employer sponsorship, the RMC Charity is unable to provide assistance with this.