Deputy executive director jobs

Learning Disability Community Leader, L'Arche London

ABOUT THE ROLE

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week (including some evening and weekend working, and regular on-call)

Salary: £55,000 (including London weighting)

Reports to: L’Arche UK Director of Care and Communities

Place of work: L’Arche London Community, West Norwood, SE27. Some travel and overnight stays will be required within the UK.

Contract type: Permanent

Closing date: Thursday, 16th April, at midday

Notes: If you have already applied for this role and received an update on your application from us, please do not submit another application.

Main purpose of the role

The Community Leader is responsible for ensuring that the Community is living the mission of L’Arche, by providing excellent and sustainable care and support services, support for  spirituality, and engaging with our neighbours and the wider community around us.

The Community Leader will:

• Lead the Community by responding to the needs, choices and context of our members while being faithful to the L'Arche UK Vision and Values, the L'Arche International Identity and Mission Statement, and to a co-created Community Mandate and plan.
• Maintain and enhance high-quality, person-centred care, support, and housing for people with learning disabilities, both at home and in our day services in partnership with the Registered Manager, the Team in London, the National Leadership Team, individual circles of support, and external partners; 
• Ensure the Community's financial sustainability through robust financial planning and management, including setting budgets, controlling spending, maximising occupancy, negotiating care contracts, growing day services, and spotting fundraising opportunities;
• Foster a culture that maximises the voice and power for people with learning disabilities, building listening and collaboration between Community members with and without learning disabilities;
• Contribute to the national work programmes of L'Arche UK, as part of the National Council, collaborating with Community Leaders of other L'Arche Communities, to share skills, best practice, and resources

Key essential criteria

• Senior leadership experience in support to adults with learning disabilities (or transferable skills and experience in a closely related field);
• Experience in leading, managing, and developing an organisation or large teams to deliver results, maintain compliance and quality, and to respond to risks and opportunities;
• Good financial planning skills and experiences of successfully managing a substantial budget;
• Ability to think strategically and work collaboratively to develop and implement community plans;
• Experience of living or working alongside people with learning disabilities and/or autistic individuals;
• Passionate about person-centred support and the values and mission of L'Arche;

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS criminal record check. 

You may have held these job titles in the past: Registered Manager, Service Manager, Head of Care, Senior Operations Lead, Community Director, Head of Community Services, Country or Regional Lead, Learning Disability Services Manager, Head of Mission and Community Life, Health & Social Care Manager, Local Authority Commissioning Lead;

You can find more details about L'Arche London here.

Additional details about L'Arche can be found here.

Discover what makes L’Arche a rewarding place to work—explore our employee benefits here.

A full job description and person specification can be found in the Recruitment Pack.

To apply, please submit your CV and include a cover letter via our online application form. 

The closing date is: Thursday, 16th April at midday

First round interviews are expected to take place either on 22nd or 23rd April 2026 online via Microsoft Teams.

Second round interviews will take place on 30th April 2026 and will take place within the L'Arche London Community. 

We encourage you not to wait until the closing date to submit your application, as we may begin interviewing strong candidates before then.
We also reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive enough suitable applications.

Please also read our privacy notice for job applicants.

Partnerships Officer (Programme Officer)

Aga Khan Foundation

The position

AKF(UK) Partnerships Officers are part of the Global Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Partnerships team tasked with identifying funding partnerships and strengthening existing ones to support our strategic goals. Partnerships Officers manage a set of grants across a variety of themes and geographies. They also support engagement with European and Asian bilaterals, multilaterals and foundations to secure funding for ten multi-sector not-for-profit and for-profit agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) operating across Asia and Africa. This is all done in close collaboration with field units, global teams, and our partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND CORE TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Grants Management

• Manage a portfolio of grants through regular interface and coordination with AKF(UK)’s partnerships team, AKF(UK)’s programme finance team and relevant AKF/AKDN field units/agencies acting as a central resource for field units in donor best practice.
• Interface with donors about the implementation of ongoing grants to ensure strong, enduring relationships.
• Coordinate, review, and assure the quality of donor deliverables (e.g. work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, staffing plans, budgets, close-out plans, donor troubleshooting).
• Ensure adherence with donor requirements, rules, and regulations, and that grant deliverables are produced on time and to a high standard.
• Coordinate contractual amendments, changes, and project adaptations, engage with donors in a pro-active and diplomatic way, and flag potential changes (e.g. budget revisions, extensions, risks) in advance to ‘trouble shoot’ and ensure smooth project implementation.
• Facilitate grant monitoring efforts including routine coordination meetings and as needed, support with donor steering committees, donor project visits, and donor monitoring missions.
• Undertake coordination and administrative tasks related to grants and support the maintenance and update of grant management tools and tracking systems (e.g. Award Information Management System (AIMS)).
• Ensure strong relationship cultivation throughout the grants cycle, anticipate, and plan for future funding and project extensions.

Resource Mobilisation

• Coordinate and facilitate the development, review and quality assurance of expressions of interest, concept notes, and full proposals for funding opportunities.
• Liaise and coordinate with internal stakeholders as well as with donors, partners, and consortia to facilitate project design, align proposal and donor requirements, gather required legal and administrative documentation, and draft sections of proposals as needed.

Coordinate processes of contracting and negotiation, engaging relevant stakeholders, and ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’ in a timely and efficient way.

• Conduct due diligence of new partners (donors, NGOs, universities, etc.) in coordination with AKF(UK)’s programme finance team and AKF’s global programmes team.

• Develop and contribute to positioning pieces and communication materials (e.g., presentations, narrative overviews) to enable regular and effective engagement with donors.
• Research, scan and source relevant information regarding new donors and funding opportunities to identify potential funding matches and gather intelligence around European and Asian donors.
• Update donor profiles, researching and summarising latest donor strategies and using AIMS to update AKF/AKDN funding summaries. 
• Contribute to management systems, such as AIMS.

Carry out any other duties as assigned by the Senior Partnerships Manager, Deputy Regional Directors or Global Deputy Director for Institutional Partnerships.
 

The requirements

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, BEHAVIOURS, ATTRIBUTES
Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree essential
• Master’s degree in a relevant field preferred

Skills

• Strong level of fluency in French is highly desirable
• Creativity, critical thinking, and project management
• Entrepreneurial, pro-active self-starter with maturity and emotional intelligence
• Ability to problem-solve, work independently and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment with numerous and competing deadlines
• Ability to handle complex relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders in a professional manner
• Excellent writing, speaking and other communications skills, with thoroughness and attention to detail
• Ability to provide stable, consistent, reliable and courteous communication when dealing with external organisations, senior colleagues and community members
• Strong financial literacy, including the ability to read and produce detailed budgets and business plans
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 and Salesforce
• French language skills desirable, but not essential
• Proficiency in French language desirable

Knowledge

• Understanding and knowledge of the UK/European and Asian donor landscape preferred
• Knowledge of and commitment to international development

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of professional experience
• Experience in developing and writing proposals, developing budgets, business plans/cases, concept papers, briefs, executive summaries, as well as coordinating multiple inputs from a variety of sources
• Experience of managing relationships in complex organisations with numerous stakeholders
• Experience managing grants in complex organisations desirable

Attributes

• Committed to international development, improving the quality of life, and promoting pluralism through civil society.
• Demonstrates equity, transparency, and integrity with high personal and organisational ethical standards; is fair, honest, and trustworthy with respect for confidentiality; inspires and builds trust and respect from others; promotes credibility and professional reputation.

Behaviours

• Communicates clearly and concisely with a broad range of audiences at different levels; ability to expresses complex ideas and concepts in simple terms; listens to the views of others; changes communication styles to meet individual and audience needs; encourages dialogue and effective communication by others.
• Builds, maintains, and deepens constructive and effective relationships with stakeholders with a specific focus on AKF’s mission; balances business situations and the art of dealing with people and communities; changes approach to achieve desired results if required.
• Has a customer focused orientation to others, is flexible and always puts the good of others at the centre of decision making; optimises respect for others and is dedicated to AKF’s purpose and fulfilling the mission.
• Acknowledges creativity, has the desire to understand and use new innovations (including technology); adapts established methods for new uses; is focused on improving systems and processes; open to change; analyses, synthesises and challenges conventional thinking; supports the development of communities of practice.

FURTHER DETAILS

• The role will involve travel to countries where we operate programmes, and where the candidate is supporting grants management.
• As well as a rewarding role with a global international development organisation, you’ll get access to a wide range of enhanced benefits including but not limited to flexible hybrid working, enhanced leave entitlement and access to several health and wellbeing programmes and benefits.
• Must include CV and a supporting statement that outlines why you want the role, why you want to work for AKF(UK) and how your experiences and skills to date make you the most suitable applicant for the role.

Sector

Social Development

About the Agency

The Aga Khan Foundation is a leading global development organisation working to tackle the root causes of poverty. For more than 50 years, we have helped create strong community institutions that support sustainable, locally driven initiatives to improve the lives of millions of people. By combining local knowledge with global best practices, we strive to bring about transformative and long-lasting improvements to quality of life.

Working alongside the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and through partnerships with local communities, civil society and business as well as governments and international aid agencies, we are building a future where we all thrive together.

Job Expires: 25-Mar-2026

We’re looking for a dynamic and driven Individual Giving Manager to deliver and grow our newly created donor retention programme. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone who is ready to get hands-on and bring fresh ideas, a test and learn approach and a passion for delivering high-quality fundraising appeals.

You’ll be an experienced IG fundraiser with a strong understanding of how to inspire donors to give. You’ll be a great fit if you are detail-confident and motivated by continuous improvement. 

We are looking for a thoughtful, resilient, and effective person to lead on both the delivery of SPRING that City of Sanctuary Sheffield is responsible for, and the advocacy associated with that work. 

You will ensure that the SPRING is accessible, trauma-informed, and impactful for the community of new refugees accessing the service. 

You will also make sure that systemic issues faced by the community accessing SPRING are chronicled and highlighted, and that we take collective steps to bring about positive change.

We particularly welcome applications from people who have personal experience of the asylum system and migration. To support all applicants, a preparation session will be offered by the New Beginnings team at Voluntary Action Sheffield.

To Apply 

To apply, please submit the following:

1. A covering letter (no more than 2 pages long).  In this letter:

• Say why you are applying for the job.

• Tell us how you meet the job requirements detailed in the person specification. Give practical examples of what you have done that meets the requirements.

2. A brief summary of the work and volunteering you have done or a short CV.

3. Name, phone number, and email addresses of two references, at least one of whom can comment on recent work or volunteer experience.

A free preparation session will be run by the New Beginnings team at Voluntary Action Sheffield.  This will be open to anyone applying for the role to learn a bit more about the job and get support with their application. This session will take place on Thursday 2nd April at 4pm at The Sanctuary.Please contact Blessan at City of Sanctuary Sheffield if you have any questions about attending this session.

Closing date for applications is 15th April at 11:30pm

Interviews will be held on the week commencing 11th May and/or the week commencing 18th May

HEAD OF TRAINING AND IMPACT
Salary: £50,000–£55,000 (subject to experience)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full time, 9am–5pm, hybrid with minimum 3 days in the office, or on site at projects in prison, or in the community.
Location: Our Head Office is in Herne Hill, SE24 London
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. The closing date is Friday 3 April at 09:00am.

ABOUT THE CLINK CHARITY

The Clink Charity, founded in 2009, aims to prevent and reduce reoffending through training, rehabilitation, and support. We deliver hospitality and horticulture training behind the prison walls and in the community by creating an environment where our students are supported to gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to rebuild their lives.

Since that time, we have trained approximately 5,000 people in prison and delivered 2,600 City & Guilds qualifications in a variety of hospitality and food courses.
What makes The Clink unique is our post-release support and mentoring programmes that rehabilitates an offender back into society through assistance with health mental health issues, housing, employment, family connections and friendships.
The charity operates an award-winning fine-dining restaurant open to the public inside HMP Brixton, training kitchens in the prison estate, horticulture projects at HMP Send and HMP Erlestoke, a commercial bakery in Brixton, and a bespoke delivery service, Catered by Clink.

Additionally, Clink Events is our social enterprise catering business with food produced by the women at HMP Downview and also in additional kitchen at Herne Hill and then served by alumni in front of house at some of the best venues in London including: the Guildhall, the Science Museum, Cutty Sark, Kew Gardens and the Camden Roundhouse. In 2024, across 218 events, The Clink fed 36,000 people.
More information can be found on our website and social media channels

ABOUT THE ROLE

Our Head of Training and Impact is a vital and high-profile role within the organisation, responsible for overseeing the implementation of all training projects at The Clink Charity across our portfolio, both in prisons and out in the community, evaluating the outcomes and impact of our work for our beneficiaries.

This is a broad and varied role allowing the incumbent to work across catering, hospitality and horticulture training projects, delivering nationally accredited and high calibre City & Guilds qualifications to vulnerable learners.
Having oversight of the projects, and working closely with our team of expert project leads in our restaurant, bakery, gardens and in our youth café of South London, this role offers the opportunity to develop exceptional training programs, rigorous quality assurance processes, and reflective practice in evaluation work.

As we scale our youth projects to a second site in Guildford, this role also comes with the wonderful opportunity of mobilising a brand new project to meet the needs of a NEET community of 16–25 year olds in a café based at Guildford County Court.

The Head of Training and Skills will onboard referral partners, design the delivery program and impact framework, and work alongside a skilled support team to ensure the success of the site, with a view to opening more of these projects in 2027.
If you are committed to the mission of The Clink Charity to reduce reoffending by changing attitudes, transforming lives and creating second chances, and you have great experience and passion for using education, skills and training to be the tool to generate this rehabilitation, we want to hear from you.

A LITTLE ABOUT YOU

You could be a great fit for our Head of Training and Impact role if you bring a strong background in hospitality and a passion for developing others. Perhaps you’ve led hospitality training in a college or cookery school, delivered City & Guilds qualifications within an FE setting, or built your career as a Chef or hospitality professional in a busy restaurant, hotel or catering environment.

You may have combined industry experience with teaching, or progressed from the kitchen into education and leadership. We welcome applications from a wide range of professionals across the hospitality and training spectrum who are ready to use their expertise to drive quality training, inspire our learners and shape meaningful outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and line management

• Work with the CEO, ELT and Board to achieve The Clink’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.
• Lead the design and implementation of a skills and training strategy which delivers the agreed vision and goals, and to communicate its effectiveness to project leads via KPIs, targets, and regular briefings.
• Lead the design and implementation of effective and robust systems and processes for the operational delivery of training programmes in achieving required delivery outputs.
• Lead on the embedding and implementation of an effective Quality Assurance programme for all project delivery across the Charity.
• Provide line management support for the programme leads in the Restaurant, Bakery, Gardens and Café, providing wider leadership to the staff team on all matters connected to delivering training and measuring the outcomes and impact of our work.
• Line manage the Data and Compliance Manager and support him with preparation of data driven insights informing strategic decisions.
• Conduct 1:1s with your direct reports, manage appraisals and oversee performance management processes.
• Ensure the learning and development needs of all delivery staff are met.

Project delivery

• Oversee all project delivery work at The Clink Charity, ensuring consistent, quality delivery and effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all projects.
• Manage the recruitment, training and development of our training staff continuously reflecting on improvements to the roles that can more effectively achieve project outcomes.
• Own the design and implementation of our work based on insight and learnings, lead on reviewing existing services and assessing new services or approaches.
• Make operational delivery decisions to ensure quality projects and provision – oversight of logistics, staffing, and resource management.
• Provide cover and support for staff delivering projects across our portfolio as/when needed.
• Ensure the CPD needs of staff delivering projects are met – including tracking completion of IHASCO courses for mandatory training.

Qualifications, assessing and verification

• Act as the lead link to City & Guilds for the delivery of the charity’s training courses across all projects ensuring that the content of the training programmes enables learners to achieve their qualifications and meet the high standards of City & Guilds NVQs.
• Work with the project leads on preparing portfolios for hospitality, catering and horticulture projects ready for assessment and verification.
• Oversee all verification of these courses. Act as one of a team of IQA’s for The Clink Charity and facilitate the EQA (External Qualification Assessor) visits, and HMPPS/HMI inspections across all sites.
• Host standardisation meetings with colleagues to build a collaborative training culture.
• Regularly monitor qualification outcomes against targets.

Monitoring, evaluation and insight

• Work with the project team in prisons and in the community to develop measurement and evaluation processes to assess the impact and outcomes of The Clink’s training programme, inform future decisions about programme development, and enable robust reporting to stakeholders.
• Attend quarterly reporting meetings with the MoJ to share the outcomes of our projects, preparing reports for those meetings and working with colleagues at New Futures Network who monitor our work for the MoJ.
• Regularly review impact methodology and implementation to ensure The Clink’s impact is measured and demonstrated in the most effective way, showing the full impact of our programmes.
• Develop efficiencies in collecting and analysing data.
• Be impact-driven and use data and results to ensure the planning and delivery of high-quality programme to drive continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

• Champion safeguarding in all the work that you deliver in and out of prisons, ensuring processes are adhered to and a culture of safeguarding is sustained throughout the organisation.
• Act as a DDSL – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Approve updates to related policies and procedures annually.
• Ensure all staff working in our projects are appropriately trained in safeguarding practice at The Clink Charity.

New business, income generation and programme development

• Lead on strategic planning for delivery and programme development across all sites, seeking opportunities to grow/scale our impact by exploring new opportunities with our partners.
• Build and develop relationships with all relevant stakeholders, including MoJ and HMPPS colleagues, referral agencies for our community work, and strategic funding partners to increase our reach and deepen our impact on beneficiaries.
• Build and develop The Clink’s network of potential delivery partners including HMPPS, DWP, DfE, local authority, social care, schools, and other third sector organisations who work with us in supporting our beneficiaries.
• Provide expert content surrounding programme delivery and development for funding bids and proposals.
• Support the work of the CEO and Grants Manager in raising funds for the charity, including through attending pitches and meetings with current and prospective funders.

Finance

• With the support of the Director of Finance and Resources, prepare and oversee budgets for project delivery and track spending against forecasts ensuring good fiscal management of projects.

General Duties

• Report on delivery to the Board of Trustees, prepare papers for and attend subcommittee and full board meetings every quarter as requested.
• Carry out other duties as required by The Clink Charity.
• Act in a manner that is in keeping with The Clink’s values and promote inclusive practices.

PERSON SPECIFICATION – DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE

• Experience of leading projects and training and developing a team made up of staff members of differing levels of seniority.
• Experience of working in: social justice, education, youth work, or criminal justice projects, or having worked in hospitality or horticulture before, or having lived experience that reflects the lives of the beneficiaries that we serve.
• Have an IQA qualification or be willing to complete the course to become accredited.
• A track record of excellent project management skills (accuracy, attention to detail, scheduling, problem solving and monitoring) at a national level and have a strong working knowledge of GDPR.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of building relationships with various stakeholders at a senior level.
• Experience of contributing to the development of overall strategy as part of a senior management team, and ability to translate this into operational strategy and plans that help deliver the organisation’s vision and mission.
• Knowledge of implementing quality assurance systems and the ability to objectively assess the performance of partners and colleagues against an agreed competency matrix.
• Knowledge of report writing and extrapolating data to inform decisions.
• An understanding of the catering, hospitality or horticulture courses (NVQs) provided by City & Guilds.
• Proven experience and working knowledge of safeguarding principles and practices and investigation / reporting protocols.
• Proficient IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office programmes.
• Can work flexible hours when necessary and is willing to travel between our South East projects.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Demonstrable belief in The Clink’s mission and passion for our work.
• High levels of self-awareness, humility and flexibility, as well as an open and collaborative leadership style.
• Personal integrity, kindness, warmth and sound judgement.
• Good communicator: orally and in writing.
• Proactive, adaptable and can use initiative and find solutions to problems.
• Positive, entrepreneurial, energising and adopts a “can do” mentality.
• Values driven and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA).

REPORTING LINES AND MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS

You will report to our CEO and to the MD of Clink Events. You will line manage and support members of the delivery team across projects.

GENERAL CLINK CHARITY INFORMATION

All staff are expected to comply with all current legislation, comply with prison operational policies, comply with The Clink Staff Handbook and undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your manager.

Special requirements include passing the prison security vetting process to be able to draw keys and holding a valid driving licence.
Benefits include 28 days holiday plus bank holidays, a company pension scheme, and free meals on duty when based in a restaurant or visiting for business.

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like to apply for this post, please send your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 2 sides of A4).

In your supporting statement you should ensure that you try to address the desirable criteria set out in the person specification for the role. Make sure you give evidence which shows how you meet the criteria, not just telling us that you did it.

Interviews will be arranged on a rolling basis for this role, so early applications are encouraged. The deadline for applications is Friday 3rd April .

We do not send individual acknowledgment of applications due to the high volume we receive, and we will only contact candidates who are shortlisted for an interview. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, your application has not been successful on this occasion.

If you would like an informal chat about this role, we can offer a call with a member of The Clink Team. Even if you feel you do not meet some of the criteria listed above, we would still welcome applications from passionate candidates who are keen to make a difference.

Appointment process

Applicants who have demonstrated that they meet the desirable criteria set out in the person specification will be contacted and interviews arranged on a rolling basis.

Interview
If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be invited to a selection process. A panel of two or more, including the recruiting manager conducts all interviews. If there are any special arrangements associated with the selection process e.g. tests or presentations, you will be informed accordingly.

Interview outcome
If you are invited to attend an interview, you will be informed either verbally or in writing of the outcome. The successful candidate will have the decision confirmed in writing as an offer of employment. Unsuccessful candidates will be offered the opportunity for feedback.

References
If you are successful in your application, you are asked to provide us with the details of two referees. We only contact referees with your permission after an offer of employment has been made.
All offers of employment are conditional upon the receipt of references that are satisfactory to The Clink Charity, verification of right to work in the UK and where applicable, verification of qualifications and Disclosure and Barring Service (where required).

Personal information
The personal information that you have supplied will only be used for recruitment and selection purposes. You should refer to the Privacy Notice on our website, which sets out how The Clink Charity will deal with the personal and sensitive data you have provided in your application form and supporting information.

EDIA
We welcome all applicants and are keen to enhance our team to reflect the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We would like to encourage applications from disabled people, those from LGBTQIA+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those experiencing other forms of marginalisation, as they are underrepresented at this level. In addition, as this role works directly with people in prison and those at risk of offending, those with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Accessible recruitment
The Clink Charity is committed to making our recruitment process and workplace accessible to all. If you are an applicant with a disability and/or have any specific needs or adjustments that you would like us to consider, at application, interview, or appointment stage, please make us aware in your application.