Deputy chief executive jobs in Leeds

Role Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to shape Shine’s strategic direction while managing the operational delivery of our services for children, young people, and families aged 0–25. Building on the success of our Little Stars/Ser Bach programme for members aged 0–12 and the development and extension of the FIRE (Friendship, Independence, Resilience, Empowerment) programme for those aged 13–25, you will play a key role in shaping the future of our support for children, young people and their families.

Working across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you will lead the delivery of an established, evidence-based programme that improves health, social, and emotional outcomes for those living with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and associated conditions.

You’ll lead a passionate team and work closely with Shine’s Adult Services Team (25+), Health Team, Wales and Northern Ireland Managers and wider colleagues across the organisation to ensure work is coordinated, complementary, and beneficial to members. At the same time, you’ll forge strong partnerships with NHS professionals, statutory services, and voluntary organisations—driving collaboration that will support our vision of providing consistent, high-quality support for children, young people and families nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Team Management
• Programme Development & Delivery
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting
• Member Support & Engagement

Please see the full Job Description & Person Specification below and on our website. 

Benefits to working at Shine:

• Competitive salary: Review due April 2027
• Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings)  
• 3% pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year
• Additional annual leave awarded for ‘long service’
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Broadband allowance for home-based roles
• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment  
• Access to our Employee Support Programme and Mental Health First Aiders 
• Support to learn and develop 

How to apply 

Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria for the job. 

If you would like to discuss the role with our Deputy CEO, Gill Valentine, please contact Shine to arrange a convenient time for a call. 

To apply please submit your CV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteria. 

We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of your application but we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated. We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications. 

*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted* 

Closing date: Thursday 16th April 2026 at 11pm 

Interviews:  Monday 27th April 2026  

Please note: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore we encourage applications as soon as possible. 

Harrogate, North Yorkshire – with some travel across the Yorkshire region

We offer hybrid working.

About Us

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.

Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer – in Yorkshire, and beyond.

As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.

The Benefits

We offer all employees a wide range of benefits including an enhanced contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service), flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, enhanced maternity leave, career progression, learning and development, wellbeing initiatives, offices within walking distance of Hornbeam Park train station, and a whole lot more.

We’ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do and we’re looking for people who are aligned with these. As our Communications Manager (to Executive) you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.

The Role

The Communications Manager (to Executive) is responsible for what, where and how the Chief Executive, Directors (collective referred to as ‘Directors’ from this point forward) and members of the Board of Trustees communicate about the charity to employees, volunteers and supporters.

You will enable charity leaders to convey and reinforce consistent messages to build reputation and trust in both the charity and the leadership of the charity.

As Communications Manager (to Executive), you will be responsible for Directors’ communication about the charity and its:

- purpose

- brand

- public affairs

- reputation (including crisis management and responses to complaints)

The role holder will help to identify communication gaps and opportunity, working with Directors to address these through a communication plan.

You will plan, agree, draft and support Directors to deliver proactive thought-leadership.

Specifically, you will:

· Develop and agree a bespoke internal/external communication plan for Directors, reflecting both their shared, collective role in leading the charity.

· Optimise existing, and develop new, communication channels to enable Directors to reach new audiences and reinforce messages to existing audiences.

· Identify corporate developments, projects and initiatives that will benefit from Director communication and work with project/initiative leader(s) to ensure a planned, aligned and integrated approach to key messages and their delivery.

Brand

· Ensure the charity’s brand, strategy and purpose is accurately and proactively reflected in all messaging and content which quotes or is on behalf of Directors.

· Reflect the charity’s tone-of-voice, taking a plain-English approach to communication by avoiding technical terms, jargon and acronyms.

Process and Governance

· Ensure Directors are advised about potential PR and communication opportunities and can consider and input before they are committed to.

· For proactive communication, diarise approval time in Directors’ diaries and provide Executive briefings and content well in advance (giving weeks’ rather than days’ notice) so that there is plenty of time for Directors to review, adapt and approve before the deadline or event.

· Where reactive opportunities (e.g. tv and radio interviews) are available, ensure the relevant Director has adequate notice and time to prepare, negotiating longer timeframes on their behalf where this is possible and necessary.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will need:

· To be educated to degree level or equivalent.

· To have achieved a recognised professional qualification which demonstrates an ongoing commitment to learning and development.

· To have demonstrable experience of effective PR management, preferably with a not-for-profit organisation.

· To be experienced and confident working with and advising an organisation’s most senior leaders.

· To have clear experience of having embraced organisational change and transformation, and of helping colleagues and team members to do likewise.

· To have extensive experience of successfully prioritising projects, activities and work so that those activities that will have greatest strategic impact are delivered first and foremost.

· To have proven communications acumen with the ability to manage a budget.

· To have excellent collaboration, prioritisation and communication skills.

· To have Integrity and discretion when handling privileged information.

· To have the ability to plan own workload and manage that of others, on time.

· To have excellent written and verbal communication and influencing skills, with a strong background presenting complex information, simply and effectively to a range of audiences.

· To have excellent networking, influencing and relationship management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate others, as well as the confidence and personal authority to work with external organisations.

· To be a dedicated and respected team player creating effective working relationships with others.

· To be highly comfortable working with challenging and changing environments.

Application

Before applying, please visit our Careers Page to view the full role profile and find out more about working for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

To apply please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to Claire Wooldridge, Head of People, before 30 April 2026. Please read our privacy notice before applying.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer.  We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual’s circumstances against the needs of the charity.

We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us.

Mary’s Meals is a global movement supported by people from all walks of life and we are focused on one goal – that every child receives a nutritious daily meal in a place of education. We offer more than just a career, we offer the opportunity to support our global movement in a dynamic and inclusive environment with a real focus on personal development.

We are seeking an experienced, Glasgow-based fundraiser to join us as a Regional Development Officer. In this role, you’ll be a confident, visible champion for Mary’s Meals, someone who knows the city, understands its communities, and can build relationships that spark action. You’ll bring boldness and creativity to your work, whether delivering inspiring talks in churches and schools, making fundraising asks or forging genuine partnerships with local businesses and networks.

Using your deep knowledge of Glasgow’s people and places, you will identify high‑potential opportunities, grow income and participation, and cultivate a committed local movement of supporters and volunteers. Through strategic, outward‑facing work, you’ll turn first conversations into committed, long‑term support that strengthens our movement and fuels our mission.

Working closely with the Head of Scotland, you will co‑design and deliver a local growth plan shaped by the pulse of your region. You will represent Mary’s Meals across faith communities, schools, community groups, business networks, and key connectors, bringing energy, authenticity, and a passion for our mission.

Highly autonomous, you’ll combine insight, data, and local intuition to focus on areas of greatest opportunity. You’ll collaborate across the organisation to create seamless supporter journeys and tell compelling, meaningful stories. Everything you do will reflect Mary’s Meals’ warmth, simplicity, and dignity.

Key responsibilities include

• Work with the Head of Scotland to create and deliver an insight‑driven regional growth plan, with clear priorities around income, visibility, and volunteer mobilisation.
• Use local knowledge, data, and community insight to focus your time on the strongest opportunities for growth.
• Balance relationship‑building with a proactive, opportunity-led approach, identifying new supporters, networks, and partnerships and developing them from prospective supporters into committed donors.
• Actively network across Glasgow to initiate new meetings, build connections, and follow up purposefully.
• Represent Mary’s Meals with authenticity and enthusiasm across schools, churches, parishes, universities, community groups, and local businesses.
• Deliver engaging talks, assemblies, parish visits, small events, networking sessions, and partnership meetings that increase income, participation, and visibility.
• Build a diverse pipeline of leads and partnerships that reflect Glasgow’s communities and faith landscape.
• Create the environment for a strong volunteer network and empower volunteers through thoughtful delegation, coaching, encouragement, and recognition.

• Strengthen local visibility by nurturing community connectors and supporting appropriate local media engagement.

Please see the recruitment pack on our website for full list of duties.

To apply for the role of Regional Development Officer based at Mary’s Meals UK, please follow the apply instructions on Charity Job where you will be redirected to our website.

Your covering letter or video should make a compelling case for why you feel motivated to apply for this role within Mary’s Meals UK, as well as giving a concise overview of your most relevant skills and experience, and should fill no more than two pages of A4.

Applicants must hold full right to work in the UK.

We welcome applications from candidates of all different backgrounds and identities to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse charity providing a supportive place for you to do the best and most rewarding work of your career.

Closing date for applications is Friday, 24 April.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Please note: If you have any special requirements or adjustments before an interview, please let us know.