Development assistant climate change jobs

The Ada Lovelace Institute (Ada) is looking to hire an Executive Assistant to provide dedicated support to our Director. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced EA to play a pivotal role in the smooth day-to-day running of Ada's Director's office, working at the heart of a small, mission-driven organisation dedicated to ensuring that data and AI work for people and society.

Between late November/ early December 2026 and July 2027, the Director will be on maternity leave. During this period, the role will support two Co-Directors, who will be covering the Director's responsibilities between them. This will call for particular dexterity and adaptability. It is also an excellent opportunity to help shape and refine approaches to the smooth running of a senior office, pivoting to support the Director on her return.

You will provide high-quality executive support across diary and inbox management, correspondence, and briefing preparation, ensuring the Co-Directors are well prepared and well represented in all their engagements. You will coordinate Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meetings and communications, ensuring key outcomes and decisions are shared clearly across the team, and triage external invitations and requests to ensure they align with organisational priorities. The role also carries responsibility coordination of the Co-Director travel.

The role will be managed by Ada's Head of Operations and Strategic Development, working closely with the Operations Administrator and members of the Senior Leadership Team to support a well organised, supportive, and inclusive working environment.

About you

You are an experienced Executive Assistant or Diary Administrator who thrives on keeping a busy office running smoothly, and who is energised by the prospect of supporting more than one senior leader through a period of change. You have:

• Significant experience providing executive support, including complex diary management and correspondence, to a senior leader or executive in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience acting as a first point of contact for senior leaders, managing external relationships with professionalism and discretion.

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to problem-solve, coordinate multiple moving parts, adapt to shifting priorities, and maintain accuracy under pressure.

You'll bring flexibility and good judgement to working across two Co-Directors during this period, along with the discretion to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately. You'll enjoy building trusted working relationships across a small team and take pride in providing a consistently high standard of support, whoever you're working with on a given day.

For further information about the role, please click through to the vacancy listing on our website.

About us

The Ada Lovelace Institute is an independent research institute funded and incubated by the Nuffield Foundation since 2018.

Our mission is to ensure data and artificial intelligence work for people and society. We do this by building evidence and fostering rigorous debate on how data and AI affect people and society. We recognise the power asymmetries that exist in ethical and legal debates around the development of data-driven technologies and seek to level those asymmetries by convening diverse voices and creating a shared understanding of the ethical issues arising from data and AI. Finally, we seek to define and inform good practice in the design and deployment of AI technologies.

The Institute has emerged as a leading independent voice on the ethical and societal impacts of data and AI. We have built relationships in the public, private and civil society sectors in the UK and internationally. Please find details of our work here.

Our research takes an interconnected approach to issues such as power, social justice, distributional impact and climate change (read our strategy to find out more), and our team have a wide range of expertise that cuts across policy, technology, academia, industry, law and human rights.

We value diversity in background, skills, perspectives and life experiences. As part of the Nuffield Foundation, we are a small team with the practical support of an established organisation that cares for its employees. 

Further information and how to apply

For further information about the role, please click through to the vacancy listing on our website. The closing date for applications is 09:30am (BST) on Wednesday 9th September 2026.

The successful candidate should be available to start in October or November 2026. 

We are committed to inclusive working practices and during the application process we commit to: 

• As a Disability Confident employer, we will offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the essential criteria for the job

• making any reasonable adjustments – for example providing documents in different formats, arranging for a sign language interpreter for interviews etc 

• reimbursing reasonable travel costs (and any childcare or care costs) for interviews where in-person attendance is required 

Our benefits package includes: 

• Genuine flexibility - we are open to requests for part-time hours, compressed working weeks, or job shares. 

• 28 days holiday per annum and all public holidays, with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days (prorated for part time staff). 

• A salary exchange pension scheme that offers employer contributions of up to 11%. 

• Life assurance scheme. 

• Family leave policies that provide an enhanced level of pay. 

• Cycle to work scheme, loans towards train season tickets and the option to make charitable donations via your pay.

• Regular opportunities for learning and development – including coaching, mentoring, and dedicated reading days for personal development and reflection. 

• Support with your physical, mental and financial wellbeing including an employee assistance provider, a private GP service, personal health reviews with Bupa, a will and funeral planning service and a staff network of trained Mental Health First Aiders. 

• A warm and welcoming workplace culture, with active peer groups and social networks to help you connect and belong.

With a 110-year history, we are proud to be able to say that the WI continues to be the largest and most influential UK women’s organisation, with over 170,000 members. Our campaigns push for change on the issues that matter to women and their communities, from equal pay to climate change, mental health and violence against women. The WI has brought about real change, and this record of action shows that we are as relevant today as we were in 1915.

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes (the NFWI) is responsible for running the organisation and provides support and advice to members at both regional and local levels.

About the role

Leading innovation across the organisation, you will be responsible for developing and delivering a strategy to grow our movement, to increase our membership and reach whilst ensuring we continue to reflect the needs and aspirations of women. You will oversee research into women’s evolving needs and preferences, whilst testing approaches with new external audiences to maximise our relevance, diversity and inclusivity. At the same time, you will actively embed innovation into strategy and decision-making in all areas, constantly find new ways to reach underrepresented women and build a wealth of data to support your recommendations. You will lead transformation across the organisation by championing change, creativity and a forward-thinking strategy that ensures the continued growth for the WI.

Location: Hybrid, with one day per week at our London, Oxfordshire or Wales office.

About you

Highly experienced in innovation, organisational development or programme management, you will bring an impressive track record of instigating and managing successful organisational change that leads to sustainable income generation. You will be adept at designing and delivering pilot programmes, as well as commissioning research and deploying data to support action. The role requires excellent communication skills and the confidence to advise and lead at both senior leadership and Board level, as the organisation looks to you to lead fundamental organisational change. Experience within the charity or not-for-profit sector would be beneficial, as would an understanding of trends and issues affecting women across different demographics in the UK.

How to apply

For further information about this Head of Innovation role, please download the recruitment pack which includes the job description and person specification.

To apply, please submit your current CV with a covering letter clearly explaining why you would be suitable for the role to the HR department.

Closing date: 3 September 2026.

First round interview (virtual): 11 September 2026.

Second round interview (in-person): 15 September 2026.

No other media or agencies, please.

The WI is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and values diversity. Reg. Charity No. 803793.

We are looking for a policy adviser to work primarily in our resource stewardship theme to help deliver ambitious leadership for the environment. You will also have opportunities to work on projects in our Legislation & Governance unit.

Using your strong research and strong communication skills, you will contribute to work that shapes the future of circular economy policy and environmental legislation in the UK. Collaborating with colleagues across the organization, including in comms and politics, you will help identify compelling evidence, stories, and projects to drive better use of resources in the UK and will secure support for projects and policy proposals by building relationships with politicians and policymakers, environmental NGOs and community groups, business partners and other stakeholders.

This is a varied role that will also include project management to ensure effective delivery, including ensuring outputs and events are effectively planned and executed to deadline and to a high quality.

You will need to understand, or be willing to learn about, the political and environmental policy contexts we work in and the state of resources policy and wider environmental legislation in the UK.

Location: Bristol office, hybrid (minimum three days a week onsite)

Salary: £50,285 per annum

Job Type: Fixed term maternity cover, approximately 15 months. Minimum 30 hours a week, up to full time (37.5 hours)

The role:

This role covers the current post-holder's maternity leave for an anticipated 15 months. As Financial Controller you will lead CSE's finance team, directing and overseeing the finance function in compliance with appropriate accounting standards and practices, company and charity law.

You will provide timely, accurate financial and management information to support strategic decision-making and effective budgetary control by our Senior Leadership Team, Trustees, project managers and other budget holders. You will line manage the Finance Manager and Finance Assistant and be a member of CSE's Senior Management Team.

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations, you will work alongside the wider Operations Team to provide operational support that underpins delivery of our charitable mission. This is a fast-paced role and we need someone who can get up to speed with minimal delay.

Specific responsibilities

An applicant appointed to the role will be expected to:

• Take responsibility for day-to-day accounting, invoicing, payroll, VAT returns, payments and banking, credit control and cash management, including timely monthly management accounts.
• Line manage the Finance Manager and Finance Assistant.
• Co-ordinate the annual budget cycle and mid-year budget refresh alongside the Director of Finance & Operations and SLT.
• Attend monthly SMT meetings to share the previous month's financial results and handle related queries.
• Prepare accurate, accessible reports on organisational, team, staff and project financial indicators to support timely decision-making.
• Maintain the organisation's financial records to appropriate accounting standards and prepare documentation for the annual audit and other statutory reporting.
• Liaise with CSE's auditors to enable an effective and timely annual audit.
• Support project managers to plan and manage project budgets, providing financial data for reporting to clients and funders.
• Provide expertise on financial costing and monitoring approaches for new project funding proposals, reflecting funder requirements.
• Provide finance support to Retrofit West CIC, including financial reporting, statutory obligations and payroll as required.

To see a more detailed list of responsibilities please see the supporting documents attached. These documents are also available to download from our website.

About you:

Essential attributes for this role include:

• Fully qualified ACA, ACCA or equivalent accountant.
• At least seven years' post-qualification experience, including at least five years in a financial management role.
• Working knowledge of accounting standards, VAT and HMRC regulations in England, including requirements applicable to a UK charity with a trading subsidiary.
• Experience of leading the preparation for an annual audit.
• Experience of preparing routine financial and management information reports for senior executives and staff.
• Experience of using timesheet software to track allocation of staff time to different cost centres.
• High level competence with Sage accounting software and MS Excel.
• Able to analyse, structure and sense-check financial data to produce clear, informative reports, with excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven management skills.
• Self-motivated and organised, able to work with limited supervision and manage conflicting priorities.

Please note, the above is an overview of the skills required for this role. To see the full list of essential and desirable skills please see the attached job description.

Benefits:

CSE offer a range of other benefits including:

• You will be entitled to 25 days' paid holiday (plus statutory holidays)
• Company pension scheme with 8% employer and 6% employee contributions
• Subsidised bike purchase and Tech Scheme
• Life Assurance
• Health Cash plan
• Retail discounts
• Discounted breakdown cover and many more.
• We will pay fees and expenses on relevant training courses.
• We are flexible with working hours and will discuss this openly if you are invited to interview.

How to apply

To apply, submit a CV and cover letter our Jobs email (available in the candidate pack). Your application should demonstrate your suitability against the criteria in the person specification and job description. 

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 7 September 2026.

First interviews are expected online on w/c 14 September 2026, with final panel interviews at our Bristol office on w/c 21 September September 2026. The earliest start date is early October 2026.

This role requires a basic DBS check. If invited to interview, we will ask for evidence of eligibility to work in the UK.