Design impact advisor jobs in Glasgow

Cerebra is the national charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with neurological conditions and their families. We provide vital research, support, and practical solutions that empower families facing complex challenges.

With an annual income of £3 million and a headcount of 68 employees, we have ambitious plans to double our income between 2025 and 2027, ensuring we can extend our impact, reach more families, and drive real change. To achieve this, we are investing in fundraising innovation, income generating ventures, and strategic partnerships, alongside enhancing our brand to increase our national recognition.

Our work is underpinned by our values ensuring that everything we do aligns with our mission to create a better world for children with neurological conditions.

This is an incredibly exciting time to join Cerebra, as we are preparing to launch our new strategy and brand. The COO is a vital leadership role that will support the drive towards even greater impact for children and families across the UK.

Our Services

Sleep Advice Service

Cerebra understands that if you have a child that doesn’t sleep, the whole family suffers. Many children with neurological conditions suffer from disrupted sleep. Our sleep advice service provides bespoke advice and support so that everyone can get a good night’s sleep.

Legal Rights Service

Our Legal Rights Service provides help and support to families of children with neurological conditions when they are faced with barriers and difficulties in accessing statutory support services they are entitled to. The service provides information on their legal entitlements.

Book and Toy Library Service

Our specialist postal lending library contains a wide range of books for both adults and children, plus a selection of sensory toys specifically chosen for children with a neurological condition.

Innovation and Product Design Service

Our Innovation Service designs and builds bespoke products that cater to the specific needs of children with neurological conditions. The aim of the service is to make products that are desirable and exciting, therefore promoting social inclusion, peer acceptance and enabling children to participate in everyday activities that are so often close to them.

Information Products

Cerebra publishes different information products to help families with a child with a neurological condition. Our information products offer comprehensive, up-to-date support and research-driven strategies to assist families with a wide range of issues.

Buzgi and Toy Adaptation Service

Cerebra designs and builds bespoke assistive equipment for disabled children, this includes creating custom mobility aids, switch‑adapted toys, and other innovative solutions to help children access play, learning, and independence.

The Bugzi - a mini powered wheelchair for children offers many children their first experience of independent mobility. It uses either a joystick or switches and adaptable seating for complex needs, and helps develop spatial awareness, confidence, and early mobility skills. The Bugzi is available through a national loan scheme.

Additionally, we operate commercial services (including a web shop) to supplement our income to support children and their families.

Our services are provided to families free of charge.

Job Title:

Chief Operating Officer

Reports To:

Chief Executive Officer

Direct reports:

3 senior managers (Finance (headcount of 3), HR (headcount of 1), IT (headcount of 5))

Purpose of the Role:

The Chief Operating Officer will play a vital role in supporting the Chief Executive Officer, Board and Leadership Team to deliver Cerebra’s vision and ambitious strategic aims. The Chief Operating Officer will provide strategic leadership and operational management across key areas within Cerebra including:

• Operational Systems
• Governance
• Compliance
• Finance and Growth

This is a pivotal executive leadership role, responsible for driving organisational performance, sustainability and growth. The COO will translate Cerebra’s strategic ambitions into effective operational delivery, ensuring robust governance, financial stewardship and a high-performing, values-led culture.

As a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board, the COO will lead core operational services and commercial activity, enabling the charity to maximise impact and generate sustainable income in support of its charitable objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Executive Leadership

• Partner with the CEO and Board to deliver strategic priorities, growth and long-term sustainability
• Collaboration with the Director’s Group to ensure strategic alignment across the charity. The Director’s Group consists of:

            Chief Executive Officer

            Chief Operating Officer

            Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications

            Director of Research and Support Services

• Provide expert advice on finance, operations, commercial performance and organisational risk
• Lead organisational planning, business continuity, and operational resilience
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and inclusion

Finance, Commercial & Sustainability

• Lead financial strategy, planning and performance, ensuring long-term sustainability
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, cashflow and financial controls
• Lead and develop Cerebra’s strategy for commercial income , ensuring alignment with charitable objectives
• Support funding growth through strong financial insight and business case development
• Ensure robust financial governance, audit and compliance

Operations & Infrastructure

• Lead and strengthen operational functions including HR, IT, governance and administration
• Ensure effective systems, processes and infrastructure that enable growth, efficiency and impact
• Oversee procurement, contracts, facilities, and organisational compliance
• Drive innovation and value for money across operations

People & Culture

• Champion a positive, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture
• Oversee HR strategy, workforce planning and leadership development
• Ensure compliance with employment law and best practice
• Promote wellbeing, engagement and organisational effectiveness

Digital & Technology

• Provide strategic oversight of IT, data and digital development
• Ensure systems are secure, resilient and aligned to organisational needs
• Leverage data and technology to improve insight, decision-making and organisational impact

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure effective governance frameworks, risk management and regulatory compliance
• Support the CEO and Board with high-quality reporting and strategic insight
• Lead safeguarding, data protection and organisational risk strategy
• Drive a strong culture of accountability and ethical practice

Leadership & Management

• Lead and develop a small senior team across finance, HR and IT
• Build capability, strengthen performance, and embed a collaborative culture
• Model Cerebra’s values and leadership behaviours

Key Attributes

• Strategic and commercially minded leader with strong operational delivery experience
• Strong financial leadership and business acumen
• Proven track record of driving income growth, sustainability and organisational performance
• Skilled in governance, risk and stakeholder engagement

Please see attached job description for the Person Specification.

What you need to know: 

• Job Title: Community & Support Lead 
• Reports to: Head of Operations 
• Salary: £15,000 (FTE equivalent £35,000) 
• Hours: 15 hours per week, worked flexibly across the week between 7:00am and 7:00pm. Occasional evening and weekend working may be required to support organisational needs, with advance notice provided wherever possible. 
• Location: Fully remote with occasional UK travel 
• Contract Type: Fixed-term 1 year - This post is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Experience in one or more of the following areas is required for this role: oncology, cancer care, urology, gynaecology, adolescent and young adult services, community nursing, or a related healthcare setting. Please provide evidence of your relevant experience in your covering letter and/or CV.

The knowledge, compassion and communication skills developed through supporting patients and families affected by cancer are directly transferable to this role. 

You will be responsible for leading our community and support services, building meaningful relationships with people affected by cancer, and helping us continue to develop services that are shaped by lived experience. 

About Us 

The Robin Cancer Trust is looking for a Community & Support Lead to help shape and grow the support we provide to people affected by testicular and ovarian germ cell cancers across the UK.  Driven by our community built from lived experience - we support individuals and families navigating diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and life beyond cancer. We connect our community with trusted information, supportive communities, opportunities to share their experiences, and services designed to help them feel informed, empowered and understood. 

We do this by: 

• Connecting people affected by cancer through our community and shared lived experiences. 
• Providing trusted information, signposting and practical support when people need it most. 
• Creating opportunities for patients, families and supporters to help shape our services and future work. 
• Building a community that breaks isolation, starts conversations and reminds people they are not alone. 

Our values: 

• Respect: Not only for the important work we undertake, but also for the people who support our mission. We believe in open, honest and empathetic communication between ourselves and our community. 
• Creativity: We are a small team with a big vision. In order to drive the change we want to see in the world, we must innovate, disrupt and experiment. 
• Trust: We are accountable to each other and our community. We are responsible for upholding these values and the quality of work we undertake and will do so with integrity at all times. 

If our mission, vision and values inspire you and resonate with you, we would love to hear from you. 

About the role

This is a newly redesigned role created following a review of Robin Cancer Trust's support services. 

The Community & Support Lead will play a key role in ensuring that people affected by testicular and ovarian germ cell cancers can access compassionate support, trusted information, meaningful connections and opportunities to shape our future work. 

We particularly welcome applications from nurses and other healthcare professionals who may be looking for a career change, greater flexibility, or an opportunity to use their skills in a non-clinical setting. Whilst this is not a clinical position and does not involve providing medical advice, your understanding of the patient experience, treatment pathways and the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis would help us deliver high-quality, person-centred support to our community.

This role may particularly appeal to nurses seeking flexible, remote working arrangements, including those looking for school-hours working, a better work-life balance, or an opportunity to continue making a meaningful difference outside of frontline clinical practice. 

Our Culture: 

Our culture is the most important thing to us. 

We want someone to join our team with empathy, creativity, versatility and initiative. We are looking for someone who can make this role their own, help shape the future of our support services, and grow alongside the charity as we continue to evolve. 

We are looking for someone who cares deeply about people, is comfortable having meaningful conversations, and is passionate about building communities that make a difference. 

Job Purpose: 

The Community & Support Lead will act as the primary point of contact for Robin Cancer Trust's support services and community activity.

The role will lead the development and delivery of our support offer, including patient enquiries, community engagement, signposting, Thriver Packs, WhatsApp communities, lived experience involvement and service development. 

The role will work closely with the CEO, Head of Operations, Medical Advisory Board and Clinical Advisor to ensure our support services remain compassionate, effective, safe and impactful. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Community Support 

• Respond to support enquiries from patients, families and supporters. 
• Coordinate the delivery of Thriver Packs. 
• Signpost individuals to relevant organisations, services and resources. 
• Maintain accurate support records and impact data. 
• Ensure enquiries are managed professionally and compassionately. 

Community Development 

• Lead and develop the Thriver Community. 
• Manage and moderate Robin Cancer Trust's WhatsApp communities. 
• Build meaningful relationships with people affected by cancer. 
• Create opportunities for lived experience involvement. 
• Recruit, engage and support community volunteers. 

Service Development 

• Identify gaps, opportunities and emerging community needs. 
• Support the development of new support services and wellbeing initiatives. 
• Build relationships with charities, healthcare professionals and support organisations. 
• Contribute to the evaluation and continuous improvement of services. 

Governance & Administration 

• Coordinate Medical Advisory Board meetings and actions. 
• Maintain support service reporting and records. 
• Support safeguarding processes and escalation pathways. 
• Work alongside the Clinical Advisor where specialist support is required. 

 Equal Opportunities: 

Robin Cancer Trust is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We recruit based upon capability and all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. The Robin Cancer Trust is aware  that we are not as diverse as we want to be, so we are actively searching for people who share our passion for our mission, with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, to collectively make a difference. If there is anything we can do to support you during the application or interview process, please let us know and we will do everything we can to ensure you have a positive and comfortable experience. 

Use your experience as a Safeguarding Lead to set clear direction, challenge thinking and ensure safeguarding is consistently strong, effective and trusted.

You will drive meaningful change ensure safeguarding is embedded across every part of the organisation. If you are ready to bring your expertise into a role where your decisions have real impact, this is your chance to lead with purpose and authority.

As our Safeguarding Lead, you will play a central role in strengthening safeguarding practice across the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, helping ensure the right support is in place at the right time.

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead the development and delivery of the MND Association’s safeguarding strategy
• Provide expert safeguarding advice and support for staff and volunteers
• Oversee responses to serious safeguarding incidents, including reporting and learning
• Lead the Association’s Safeguarding Board and annual action planning
• Work in partnership with senior leaders to ensure safeguarding awareness at all levels of the organisation
• Maintain and review risk management and reporting, safeguarding policies, ensuring compliance and best practice
• Develop quality assurance frameworks, audits and case reviews
• Strengthen safeguarding culture through training, engagement and clear standards

About You 

• Significant experience in a senior safeguarding role and working within multi-agency safeguarding environments
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation and multi-agency working
• Experience managing complex safeguarding incidents and reviews
• Ability to provide safeguarding KPIs, reporting, data and risk analysis
• Confident communicator who can challenge constructively
• Proven ability to provide positive safeguarding outcomes for  
• Skilled in analysing data to drive improvement and risk mitigation

Desirable

• Experience in a charity or voluntary sector setting
• Social Work or other relevant qualification

Further information about working for the MND Association and full job description is available in the attached Candidate Pack. 

• Screening calls taking place Wednesday 15th July
• Interviews Wednesday 29th July inperson at our Northampton Office

This is a Home-based role with requirement to attend a main office (Northampton or London) or other designated location for team meetings, training, client visits, or other business purposes. This applies regardless of contractual location and is in line with the needs of the Association.

We can consider part time applications of 30 hours + for this role.

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We work to remove barriers for everyone affected by MND, employees, volunteers, and stakeholders. 

As part of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the role's requirements. 

What We Offer 

• 28 days holiday, increasing to 33 days after 5 years, plus Bank Holidays 
• Access to UK Healthcare, including dental, eyecare, health screenings, and therapies 
• 24/7 GP access via phone and video 
• Life assurance and confidential counselling helplines 
• Salary sacrifice schemes (Cycle to Work, Buy/Sell Annual Leave) 
• Access to Benefit Hub for discounts on everyday shopping 
• Enhanced pension scheme 
• Opportunities for training and personal development 

About Us 

Motor Neurone Disease moves fast. It takes away time, it takes away independence and it has no cure. Every day we support people affected by MND. We fund ground-breaking research. We campaign for better care. We’re here for everyone who needs us. Because with MND, every day matters.

Role Purpose:

About Responsible Finance

Responsible Finance is the membership association for the UK’s Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs are community lenders, committed to delivering positive social impact, and offer fair and affordable finance to businesses, social enterprises and to people unable to access it elsewhere.

This is an exciting moment to be joining the CDFI sector. Responsible Finance and its members are focused on increasing access to fair and affordable finance for SMEs, social enterprises, people, places and communities that are underserved by mainstream finance. The Partnerships Manager will play a central role in turning that ambition into practical referral pathways, stronger partnerships and measurable growth in responsible lending.

Awareness of CDFIs remains low among many organisations that support SMEs and entrepreneurs. Many businesses that could benefit from CDFI finance are therefore not currently being directed to the sector. An increasing number seem to be turning to high interest lenders, which don’t always consider good customer outcomes.

We are therefore seeking an exceptional Partnerships Manager to develop and deliver a partnership outreach and creation strategy that raises awareness of CDFIs, increases referrals and signposting, and supports growth in CDFI SME lending. Our recent pilot with Lloyds Bank to refer declined SMEs to Responsible Finance, and our partnership with Grow London Local are just two examples.

Success in this role will mean building a prioritised partnership pipeline, converting relationships into active referral pathways, improving the quality and volume of referrals to CDFIs, and using data to learn what works.

Purpose of the Role

As Responsible Finance’s dedicated Partnerships Manager you will build strong relationships with banks, brokers and broker organisations, professional advisers, business organisations, government, local growth bodies and others to raise awareness, establish referral routes and strengthen onward pathways to finance readiness and business support.

Your work will be a driving force in delivering Responsible Finance’s ambition to unlock an additional £1bn of lending over the next five years.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading the development of Responsible Finance’s partnership and stakeholder relationship strategy, working with our CDFI members to identify the organisations with the greatest potential to support growth in demand and referral pathways.
• Educating potential partners and referrers about what CDFIs are, the finance and support they provide, and of their role in local economic growth and community development.
• Increasing referrals and signposting to CDFIs centrally through Finding Finance and locally from organisations supporting businesses, improving access to finance and supporting lending growth.
• Managing the ongoing development and continuous improvement of the Finding Finance platform to ensure that it supports frictionless referrals and good customer outcomes – and that ongoing attribution data informs the ongoing targeting of partners.
• Developing routes for onward referrals to organisations that can support businesses with technical assistance, finance readiness and wider business support, creating a stronger future pipeline for CDFIs.
• Representing Responsible Finance at sector events, roundtables and stakeholder meetings, with a clear engagement plan, follow-up process and route for converting contacts into partnership opportunities.

This is a varied and dynamic role, working closely with our members and a range of external stakeholders. This job description is not exhaustive; it outlines the key tasks and responsibilities of the post which are subject to change. Any changes will be made in consultation with the post holder.

Role success measures and outcomes

• A prioritised partnership strategy and engagement plan agreed with Responsible Finance and informed by CDFI member needs.
• A live pipeline of target partners, with clear next actions, ownership, status and expected impact.
• New or improved referral pathways from priority partner segments, such as banks, brokers, accountants, local growth bodies, business support organisations and others.
• Improved quality, tracking and attribution of referrals through Finding Finance and local partner routes.
• Evidence of learning from pilots, including what drives referral quality, customer engagement, member value and responsible lending growth.

Skills and Experience:

Essential

We are looking for someone with experience of partnership development, stakeholder engagement or business development in a relevant environment. Experience of the finance ecosystem, SME support landscape or local economic development networks would be particularly valuable. Knowledge of CDFIs is highly desirable but not essential for the right candidate.

• Strong relationship-building skills. Must be comfortable working with stakeholders at a range of levels.
• Proven ability to build partnerships from prospecting through to implementation, including converting conversations into practical actions, pilots or agreements.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Previous experience in a similar stakeholder / partner facing role.
• Highly self-motivated and able to drive your own work forward, but equally a team player with a collaborative working style.
• Willingness to travel regularly – this role is partner and stakeholder facing and the post holder will be required to travel frequently, up to twice a week, and sometimes at short notice.
• Strong presentational and public speaking skills and experience.
• Ability to develop compelling value propositions and engagement materials for different audiences.
• Strong project management skills, including planning, budgeting, prioritisation, delivery against milestones and managing dependencies across multiple stakeholders.
• Confidence using data, dashboards or CRM-style tools to track pipeline activity, referral performance and outcomes.
• Ability to work collaboratively with members or delivery partners, balancing different organisational priorities and capacities.
• Understanding of good customer outcomes, referral quality, consent and data-sharing considerations in a partnership or customer journey context.
• Strong judgement and political/stakeholder awareness when representing an organisation externally.

Desirable

Working as part of a small organisation, you will need to demonstrate flexibility and versatility and have opportunities to support a range of other projects and support services for our members, developing a wide range of skills and competencies.

Therefore, in addition to the essential criteria above, we are also interested in candidates with the following skills and experience:

• Experience in organising and delivering events and workshops.
• Experience of creating and delivering presentations.
• An understanding of CDFIs and/or lending helpful – particularly investor relations and social enterprises.
• Experience line managing and/or directing the work of other team members.
• Experience working with banks, brokers, accountants, business support organisations, local authorities, combined authorities, chambers of commerce, growth hubs or social investment networks.
• Experience designing referral journeys, customer pathways, partner onboarding processes or account-management frameworks.
• Experience using or improving digital referral platforms, CRM systems, forms or reporting processes.
• Understanding of SME finance, access-to-finance barriers, finance readiness, social enterprise finance or inclusive/local economic growth.
• Experience developing partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding, pilot plans or data-sharing processes.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and responses to the following questions to Careers4Change:

• What appeals to you about this job/Responsible Finance and why do you think you’ll do a great job?
• Tell us about a partnership or stakeholder relationship you developed. What was your approach, what changed as a result, and what did you learn?
• Based on what you know about Responsible Finance and CDFIs, what would your approach be to developing strong partnerships and referral pathways?

We recognise that the use of AI tools is widespread these days, and it is often obvious when it’s used. We will automatically reject applications where the use of AI without any editing or your original thoughts is evident. The ability to be thoughtful and tailor to your audience is crucial for being successful in this role.

Job title: Responsible Finance, Partnerships Manager

Location: Remote with frequent expenses-paid travel – up to 10 times /month

Reporting To: Programme Director 

Contract: 18-month fixed term contract with intention to make permanent, subject to performance and funding 

Salary: £40,000

Date Closes: Friday 17th July