Development leader jobs in Bristol
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Hunger Project UK Marketing & Relationships Manager
Are you looking for a role that really makes a difference? Well, how about joining a global organisation helping to empower women and men to end their own hunger and poverty? If this sounds exciting, we might have the perfect role just for you!
Role: Marketing & Relationships Manager
Reports to: CEO
Salary: FTE £35,000 - £40,000 (Negotiable based on skills, experience and fit)
Contract type:Permanent
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location:The role is remote at present with occasional travel to London
About The Hunger Project
The Hunger Project UK is a registered charity in the UK committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. Our vision is a world without hunger. Our mission is to facilitate individual and collective action to transform the systems of inequity that create hunger and cause it to persist. We do this by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption worldwide.
We believe people living in hunger are key to ending hunger. We work to solve the root causes of hunger by supporting the communities experiencing them. As we adapt to meet local challenges and opportunities wherever we work, our programmes have a wide range of objectives. These include ending child marriage, empowering women leaders, increasing girls in education, engaging local governments, entrepreneurism and employability, climate resilient farming and maternal health.
In 2024, we reached nearly 12 million people in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. More than 1 million people are now living in self-reliant communities following investment from The Hunger Project. Our team is a mighty force of changemakers living around the world, including in our partner countries USA, Australia and across Europe.
Here in the UK, we work in collaboration with our global colleagues, to raise funds for our overseas programmes and amplify the voices of those affected by hunger. We are a small but awesome team, with big ambitions to grow and scale our fundraising efforts significantly over the next three years. So, if you’re up for the challenge... come and join us.
The role
This is a hands-on role: you’ll be directly creating content, running campaigns, and managing our operations.
This role is for you if you are…
- Passionate about social justice and motivated to make a positive impact on the world.
- Experienced, with at least eight years in communications or marketing and a proven ability to deliver meaningful results.
- A creative storyteller who produces engaging, high-quality content across multiple platforms and understands how to use digital marketing to drive social change.
- An exceptional communicator with excellent written and verbal skills, strong attention to detail, and pride in accuracy and quality.
- Highly organised and efficient, able to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and maintain focus in a fast-paced environment.
- Proactive, persistent, and solutions focused, approaching challenges with creativity, determination, and a positive attitude.
- Technically confident and quick to learn new tools or software, with the ability to help others solve technical problems and use technology effectively.
- A collaborative team player who works well independently while keeping the broader mission and shared goals in sight.
- Energised by the variety, pace, and purpose of a small, dynamic, globally minded charity where every contribution makes a difference.
Key responsibilities
Marketing and Communications
- Plan, coordinate and deliver integrated marketing and fundraising campaigns and events to achieve income targets, ensure consistent messaging and strengthen supporter engagement across all channels.
- Work closely with the global communications team to deliver the organisation’s marketing and communications strategy in alignment with global objectives.
- Manage website content in WordPress, ensuring it is accurate, engaging, and regularly updated.
- Oversee the social media strategy, creating and scheduling high-quality content (using Canva and Later) to grow brand awareness and supporter engagement.
- Manage ambassador and influencer relationships to support campaigns, storytelling, and reach.
- Design and deliver email campaigns and supporter newsletters through Mailchimp, ensuring timely and effective communication.
- Stay up to date with trends, world events, and digital innovations to keep content and messaging relevant and impactful.
Fundraising
- Create and deliver engaging donor experiences, content and supporter journeys to maintain and grow long-term investor support and ensure a high-quality experience for all supporters.
- Collaborate with the CEO and global team to identify and develop new fundraising opportunities and audiences.
Unleashed Women – Community & Investor Stewardship
- Act as the primary staff relationship lead for the Unleashed Women community.
- Support the recruitment, onboarding and ongoing stewardship of Unleashed Women members.
- Coordinate the planning, promotion and delivery of monthly virtual forums and quarterly in-person gatherings, working closely with the Executive & Operations VA on all logistics.
- Maintain regular communication and engagement with members through WhatsApp groups, email updates and event communications, ensuring consistent tone, warmth and responsiveness.
- Act as a key link between Unleashed Women and THP’s global country teams, ensuring meaningful programme engagement and feedback.
- Support retention and thoughtful growth of the community through relationship-led follow-up and investor care.
- Ensure all Unleashed Women activity is accurately reflected in Beacon and associated supporter systems.
Data Management and Reporting
- Maintain and manage the Beacon CRM database, ensuring accurate data capture, segmentation, and analysis to support effective fundraising, stewardship, and communications.
- Ensure all new and lapsed investors are correctly tagged and updated in Mailchimp, Beacon and other relevant systems.
- Evaluate and report on the performance of fundraising and marketing campaigns, interpreting data from CRM and digital platforms to measure impact and inform strategy.
Operations
- Establish, maintain, and continuously improve key operational systems and processes to ensure efficiency and smooth day-to-day functioning.
- Coordinate and maintain fundraising platforms such as Benevity and JustGiving, ensuring campaign pages are accurate, up to date, and performing effectively.
Line Management
- Oversee the recruitment, coordination, and management of volunteers, ensuring they are well-supported, effectively deployed, and aligned with the organisation’s goals.
Preferred requirements
Experience
- At least eight years’ experience in marketing, communications, or a related field.
- Proven success delivering multi-channel marketing and fundraising campaigns that meet or exceed targets.
- Confident in using and maintaining CRM systems (preferably Beacon) to manage supporter relationships and analyse data.
- Experience managing digital platforms, including social media, email marketing, and websites.
- Experience managing and developing team members, including supporting volunteers and junior staff.
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for diverse audiences.
- Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Highly organised, with excellent planning and project management abilities.
- Proficient in digital marketing tools such as WordPress, Mailchimp, Canva, and social media scheduling platforms.
- Skilled in interpreting data and insights to evaluate and improve marketing performance.
Personal Qualities and Attributes
- Enthusiastic, proactive, and self-motivated, with a positive and solution-focused approach.
- Collaborative and supportive, fostering strong teamwork and shared purpose.
- Creative and adaptable, comfortable working in a fast-paced and changing environment.
- An effective and empathetic team leader who inspires and empowers others.
Other Requirements
- Commitment to the aims and values of The Hunger Project UK and its mission to end hunger and poverty.
- Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and anti-discriminatory practice.
- Understanding of the collaborative, hands-on nature of working within a small charity.
- Passion for using marketing and communications to create positive social impact.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Who we’re looking for
We’re looking for an exceptional Director of Fundraising and Communication who will lead our fundraising and communications with vision and purpose, helping us grow our reach, deepen our impact and amplify our voice. You’ll be joining a people-centred, mission-driven team, united by a shared commitment to making a meaningful difference. At a time when vulnerable young people face increasing challenges, our work has never been more urgent. If you’re motivated by impact and driven by purpose, this is a good opportunity to contribute to lasting change.
You will be stepping into a well-established and highly effective organisation, but one that remains energised by innovation and continuous improvement. We actively welcome fresh thinking and new approaches that help us evolve and enhance our work.
What will you do?
This is a pivotal moment to join JET as we build on fourteen years of impact and enter a new chapter in our journey. We have ambitious plans to expand our reach and influence, and we’re seeking someone who can help us strengthen our funding base and sharpen our message.
Reporting directly to the CEO, you will lead and develop our fundraising team, shaping a cross-stream strategy and an integrated communications plan. You’ll be responsible for setting the strategic direction for fundraising, communications and events across the organisation. By doing so you will raise JET’s national profile, grow our supporter base and significantly increase income to support programme expansion.
You’ll bring strong experience across multiple fundraising streams, with a proven track record of securing significant multi-year funding and building lasting relationships with funders—both individuals and organisations. Alongside leading our fundraising efforts, you’ll take ownership of our brand, ensuring clarity and consistency in our messaging, helping partners tell our story, and securing positive media coverage.
You’ll lead the development of campaigns, fundraising and marketing activities, and digital engagement that not only enhance our national profile but also drive supporter engagement and income growth.
This is a home-based role, with travel required to and within the regions where we operate, including attendance at key events.
About you
You will provide strategic leadership across fundraising, communications, marketing and events. Your work will be closely aligned with JET’s five-year strategy, enabling continued growth in funding and programme delivery.
You’ll bring a wealth of experience in leading fundraising and communications at a strategic level, with a strong understanding of the sector and a track record of securing and sustaining major gifts and partnerships. You’ll be adept at managing integrated campaigns across multiple channels and growing income through sustainable funding models.
Your leadership style will be collaborative and empowering, with the ability to build high-performing teams and foster a culture of accountability and innovation. You’ll be a confident communicator, able to inspire and influence, with excellent relationship-building skills and a strategic mindset.
Above all, you’ll be passionate about JET’s mission to empower young people facing adversity. You’ll be a credible ambassador, committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and driven by the desire to make a meaningful difference.
Across the JET team we cultivate a culture of inclusion that respects individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better outcomes for our young people. We welcome applicants whatever your background and whatever your stage in life, so if you are returning to the workforce after a period away, or even seeking a change of pace, please get in touch.
About the Jon Egging Trust (JET)
At JET, we support vulnerable young people to get back on track and realise their potential; more than 45,000 young people right across the UK to date, and there’s so much more we can do. We’re an organisation that really values its people and we’re immensely proud that our team culture is based on caring and raising each other up.
Our benefits package includes:
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Flexible working
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Enhanced annual leave
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Homeworking allowance
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Occupational pension scheme
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Occupational sickness scheme
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Special paid leave provision
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Enhanced family leave
Download the Candidate Information Pack
Read our Applicant Privacy Notice
Child and adult at risk protection policy statement
The Jon Egging Trust is committed to providing a safe and positive environment for everyone involved in its services and activities. The Trust takes its extended moral and legal duty of care very seriously in relation to children, young people, staff and volunteers. We seek to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children and to protect them from harm or abuse when they engage in any of our activities. JET expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees or volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment.
To apply
Please complete our online application form.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The advert will close on Friday 16 January 2026 at [23:30] but may close earlier if a suitable candidate is found, so we encourage early applications.
Provisional Interview Process
Stage 1
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First interview: Online interview
Stage 2
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Online Workshop and fireside chat
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Face-to-face interview with presentation in London
Questions?
Contact us through our website.
Please note:
Due to our anonymised recruitment process, if your application is not shortlisted, we are unable to provide personalised feedback.
To become an employee at JET, you must be able to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK and a satisfactory DBS check – enhanced with children's barred is required for this role.
As part of our recruitment process, we want to make clear that we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
Please note that the interview process outlined above is provisional and may be subject to change.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives.
We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving alert assistance dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease.
We have an exciting new opportunity to join this innovative charity that is a world-leader in its specialist field.
JOB TITLE:Regional Assistance Dog Instructor Scotland
LOCATION:Scotland (Central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh)
SALARY:£24K - £29K per annum, depending on experience
JOB TYPE: Part time and full time hours considered, with occasional evening and weekend work required
REPORTS TO: Instructor Manager
The Job
We are looking for a passionate and driven person who ideally has previous experience and skills working as an Instructor within an Assistance Dog organisation, who has worked with clients and partnerships. The role includes supporting both clients who have had a MDD dog placed with them and also our own dog applicants with their puppies and young dogs to ensure they receive the highest standard of socialisation and early training in terms of obedience, public access and developing an alert to the applicant’s condition, with the aim to reach an accreditable assistance dog partnership status. It is also will include carrying out client specific and odour training for MDD own dogs, placing these dogs with their new clients and looking after a number of established partnerships. This role would suit somebody residing in the central belt of Scotland, between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Duties that encompass the role of an Instructor include:
- Be the first point of contact for the allocated partnerships in your area, covering all areas of Scotland. To provide guidance and instruction to applicants who have applied to the charity to have their own dogs considered for the training programme guidance and instruction on handling, behaviour and obedience and odour training as well as newly placed partnerships.
- Alongside the Instructing team, to run puppy classes, public access training, recall sessions in small groups for applicant own dogs that are in line with the charity’s quality standards and in accordance with timescales and targets.
- To also carry out support visits and home interviews for applicants and clients that have been allocated to you.
- Regularly monitor progress of the puppies and partnerships in training in your area and provide detailed, evidenced feedback to Instructor Manager and Head of Assistance Dog Programme.
- To carry out client specific training with any MDD owned dogs that have been matched, including the required odour scent training.
- Instructing, guiding and supporting new assistance dog clients in managing and handling a Medical Alert Assistance Dog effectively, via pre training, placement training and aftercare visits.
- Supporting partnerships in training in successfully reaching an accreditation standard and in maintaining this
- standard throughout the life of the partnership.
- To support a number of established partnerships in the form of aftercare, refresher training and yearly re-accreditations, assisting further afield on occasions as required.
Responsibilities
- To escalate issues and problems to the Instructor Manager as appropriate.
- To assist the Dog Supply Team with carrying out scent assessments on any MDD dogs in socialising as and when required with the support of the Instructor Manager and rest of the Instructing Team.
- To plan, organise and deliver practical and theoretical training to clients, meeting their individual needs in line with agreed standards to include areas such as dog welfare, appropriate handling, commanding and overall management. This will involve working with the parents as Team Leader and child as Client and working with adult clients.
- Assess the team dynamics of the family & balancing the needs of all family members as well as those of the dog.
- Assess the individuals preferred learning style and amending as relevant to aid a client.
- To accompany the client into all regular environments that they will take the dog to, ensuring the dog behaves in an acceptable manner and that the client and others are aware and clear in terms of where they dog should reside and behave for eg public transport, place of work. To complete a check list of environments for any applicant own dogs in training who are on the programme to be assessed within.
- To support and advise clients in transferring the odour training from pot training and recognising alerting behaviours to establish real life alerting.
- To monitor the correct and false alerting percentages of allocated partnerships via data analysis, advising where necessary until the correct alerting levels are achieved.
- To complete comprehensive reports and paperwork for any time spent with applicants or partnerships in training or established. Maintain accurate records by providing verbal and written information with agreed timescales about clients, dogs, applicants and apprentices as appropriate.
- To work alongside allocated partnerships with the aim of the partnership reaching an accredited standard and feeding back to the Instructor Manager and Assistance Dog Programme Manager if there are any concerns that the accreditation cannot be achieved.
- To provide clients with appropriate aftercare services at regular intervals in their own homes in the form of annual visits, support visits or at refresher workshops run at the Centre to agreed standards. This will include continual re-assessment of the dynamics of family and dog, formulating and training on appropriate solutions, as well as offering additional dog training advice.
- To deliver handling days as part of an applicant’s pre training to include ‘Introduction to Assistance Dog’ ‘Advanced Handling’ and Family Handling.
- To scent train and seizure proof advanced dogs in preparation to be partnered with an adult or child client and ensure that applicant own dogs have received this at the earliest opportunity.
- To maintain the ongoing public access training with any advanced dog in scent training that has been allocated to them.
- To provide local support to the growing puppy socialisation scheme, based in and around Perth.
- To provide support to the Charity’s public relations and fundraising functions as required, specifically in your area.
- To act as the ‘contact’ person for the assistance dog programme in relation to training policy procedures with clients and their families, other professional service providers and members of the public. This will include on-going research and development of the project.
- To liaise with and provide support for Volunteers who may operate as part of the aftercare programme provided by the charity.
- To ensure all partnerships are in line with the ADUK regulations with regards to behaviour, obedience and welfare and branding.
- Due to the nature of the role, flexible working hours may be required in some instances to facilitate the effective delivery of the work e.g. working during the school holidays with school age clients.
Other
- Share best practice with colleagues across the charity.
- Any other duties or tasks that are required to ensure the successful running of the Medical Alert Assistance Dog Department and the Charity overall.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
- Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
- Experience of running puppy classes and carrying out public access training and recall sessions
- High level of self – motivation and planning
- Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions
- Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary.
- Happy to be on call at all times for partnerships as and when required.
- Happy to stay away from home and stay in local hotel when the client’s location is too far from your home to travel back.
- Happy and able to have Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training to reside in their home.
- Good team worker, but equally able to work alone.
- Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
- Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
- Flexible
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Previous Assistance Dog Instructing or Dog Training with puppy socialisers experience
- Knowledge of AD(UK) and ADI regulations
- Law in relation to dogs.
- Knowledge of medical conditions relevant to puppies between 8 weeks and 2 years of age.
- Dog and human psychology.
- Proven evidence and experience of dog handling and training skills
- Previous experience of teaching and instructing
- Sound dog training and dog behaviour knowledge
- IT literacy and report writing skills
- Experience of using Microsoft based programs such as Outlook, Word,
- Excel, Internet Explorer and Power Point, teams, zoom and Microsoft
- Share point for data etc
- Full UK driving licence
- Pass a DBS (CRB) check due to regular contact with children
Preferable
- Knowledge of debilitating medical conditions and understanding of how they can impact people, both physically and psychologically, particularly when they are unstable and fluctuating.
- Previous knowledge of odour/scent training.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
- Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
- High level of self – motivation and planning
- Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions
- Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary.
- Happy to be on call at all times for partnerships as and when required – to include outside standard working hours.
- Able and willing to stay away from home and stay in local hotel when the client’s location is too far from the Centre to travel back.
- If able, possibility of having Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training to reside in their home through the 6 – 8 week training phase.
- Good team worker, but equally able to work alone.
- Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
- Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
- You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as able to motivate yourself.
- You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations.
DIVERITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION
We are a welcoming, diverse and inclusive charity. Medical Detection Dogs thrives when everyone feels comfortable bringing their best self to work. We celebrate difference, whilst striving to create an environment where colleagues feel respected and valued for their unique potential. We are committed to our values on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Values & Behaviours
Working at Medical Detection Dogs will be a richly rewarding experience.
Our Values & Behaviours encapsulate who we are, what we stand for and what it will feel like to be part of our team:
- We are respectful.
- We stay positive.
- We strive for excellence.
- We communicate and listen.
- We are ambassadors.
- We are one team.
And of course, we advocate for Medical Detection Dogs whenever we get the chance, and we pride ourselves on our role as ambassadors for the charity.
Finally, the successful candidate will also be expected to:
- Hold a full UK Driving Licence
- Provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK.
- Undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- Work some evenings and weekends
- Be willing to travel to the Centre based near Milton Keynes
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Major Donor and Trusts Manager
Home based, remote working
£36,000 pa plus excellent benefits (FTE £45,000 pa)
28 hours per week
Fixed-term contract for 12 months
The Major Donor and Trusts Manager will play a pivotal role in driving RNID’s High Value fundraising strategy. You’ll manage a diverse portfolio of major donors and trusts, strengthen stewardship processes, and develop innovative engagement strategies. Working in close partnership with the Senior Philanthropy Manager and High Value colleagues, you’ll help unlock transformational gifts that make a lasting impact.
You will:
· Cultivate and manage relationships with major donors and trusts.
· Design and deliver innovative stewardship plans.
· Create engaging funding proposals and impact reports.
· Work with advocates and internal teams to identify new prospects.
· Plan and deliver donor cultivation events.
You’ll bring a proven track record of securing significant gifts (five and six-figure), excellent relationship-building skills, and the ability to craft compelling proposals. Highly organised and self-motivated, you’ll be confident using CRM systems and managing multiple priorities. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills are essential, along with a collaborative approach and a passion for RNID’s mission to create an inclusive world for people who are deaf or have hearing loss or tinnitus.
No essential qualifications are needed, but a good standard of written English and attention to detail is a requirement.
We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Together, we will end the discrimination faced by our communities, help people hear better now and fund world-class research to restore hearing and silence tinnitus. We work with our communities and partners across industry, government, charity, education and more to change life for the better.
We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate our diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from BAME backgrounds or who are deaf or hard of hearing. With almost 20% of our employees having a disability we proudly hold Disability Confident Leader status and guarantee an interview for disabled applicants meeting the minimum essential criteria.
Closing date: 2 January 2026.
Interviews: w/c 12 January 2026.
Supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus
UnLtd is a vibrant, ambitious organisation at the heart of the UK’s social enterprise sector. As a key stakeholder and leading funder and supporter of social entrepreneurs, we continuously learn and adapt to better meet their needs and maximise their impact.
We are seeking a talented Communications Manager to amplify UnLtd’s voice and influence within the sector while shining a spotlight on the incredible work of social entrepreneurs. This role is about balance: telling inspiring stories that bring their journeys to life, while also demonstrating measurable outcomes, addressing challenges, and showcasing how our unique funding and support model drives impact.
As a core member of a small, collaborative team, you will create and deliver high-quality communications across multiple channels. Your work will include managing media relations, overseeing day-to-day digital communications and social media, updating and optimising website content, producing marketing and campaign materials, managing communications projects, and supporting events.
We are looking for someone with experience in a broad communications role, including press office expertise, who thrives in a dynamic environment and brings a proactive, learning mindset. The potential for impact is significant: your work will strengthen UnLtd’s positioning as the UK’s leading organisation backing social entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey, while engaging funders, partners, and communities to build a fairer, brighter future together.
We find social entrepreneurs with bold solutions to today's challenges.
Salary: £58,504.00 per annum plus a company car
Location: Home based with regular travel across England and Scotland including visits to shops and Old Street
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time 37.5 per week
Closing date: Wednesday the 14th of January at 11:30pm
Interviews will be taking place on the 23rd and 27th of January online
Are you a resilient, adaptable leader with proven experience in multi-site retail operations? Shelter is looking for a Head of Retail Operations to join our Retail Senior Leadership team in this exciting new role.
You’ll provide hands on operational leadership while driving long-term planning, systems improvement and service transformation – shaping the future of Shelter Retail to fuel our fight for home.
About the role
This brand new leadership opportunity offers the chance to shape the future of Shelter’s retail operations across England and Scotland.
You will bring strategic vision and operational authority across Shop Support & Buying, E-Commerce Reselling, Store Development, Retail Acquisitions and Retail Operations. As a senior representative you will champion the vital role our shops play as income generators, brand touchpoints and community assets that fuel the fight for home.
With proven experience of leading diverse teams, managing budgets and driving operational excellence you will inspire colleagues, strengthen communication across our shop network and ensure our estate operates consistently, compliantly and sustainably. Above all, you will drive accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement to help Shelter maximise its impact across England and Scotland.
About you
You’ll bring extensive senior leadership experience in multi-site operations, with a provide record of driving performance and commercial success. Skilled at leading diverse teams across operations, buying, projects and support functions, you will balance strategic vision with hands-on delivery.
Be confident navigating complex organisations and influencing senior stakeholders, you’ll also offer robust project management and property operations expertise, from shop openings to system rollouts. Financially astute you are comfortable with budgets, KPI’s and commercial modelling and thrive when leading through change and complexity.
Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
About the team
The senior leadership team is in period of transition, laying the foundations for the next three years as Shelter retail grows its presence across high streets in England and Scotland, ensuring to embed operational excellence in everything we do. With over 200 staff members and 2000 volunteers across 80 shops, spanning community, furniture and boutique outlets – our central team of 20 supports shop colleagues to maximise income and profitability to fuel Shelter’s fight for home.
How to apply
Please click ‘Apply for Job’ on the advert. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement with responses to the points in the About You section of the job description of no more than 350 words each. Please provide specific examples following the STAR format.
- We create change and align behind our strategy
- We enable decision making
- We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset
Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered
About Shelter
Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.
We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.
We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.
Safeguarding statement
Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Salary: £46,698 (London) / £42,373 (National) per annum
Hours: 35 hrs per week
Contract: Fixed term contract (until March 2027)
Benefits
· 27 days annual leave + statutory holidays + 3 closures days over the Christmas period;
· Flexible working for all staff including working from home / hybrid working, and flexi-time/TOIL scheme;
· Attractive family friendly policies;
· Private healthcare cover;
· Season ticket loans;
· Employee awards, and training and development opportunities.
For more information about our benefits please visit our website.
Office locations: London, Bristol or homeworker
The role will involve spending a substantial amount of time in the East of England (including early starts/late finishes and overnight stays where required) and regular travel nationwide for NHF events and meetings.
Please note, if office based, the successful candidate will be expected to carry out two days in-person working per week on average which will include attendance at your office location.
Flexible working arrangements can be discussed and agreed with the line manager subject to role and business needs.
An exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) to join our team of External Affairs Managers on a fixed-term basis to cover maternity leave. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around 6 million people. You can find further information about the NHF on our website.
Could you be our new External Affairs Manager, working closely with our housing association members across the East of England?
This is a unique and varied role which would appeal to someone with a background in areas such as stakeholder management, policy, public affairs, communications, programme management – or a combination of these areas! For example, you may be looking to step into a role to further develop your leadership and stakeholder engagement skills, whilst still building on your policy or programme management experience and knowledge.
You will operate at the heart of social housing by working with key decision makers across the housing association sector – including managing relationships with chief executives, chairs of boards and executive directors. Strong communication and influencing skills are essential to the role, as well as the confidence to work at the most senior levels.
It is crucial that you can work collegiately to lead key programmes of work across the NHF with colleagues in other teams, for example from our policy, press, events, and public affairs teams. Equally, you will be comfortable working autonomously and shaping your own work programme.
The core of the role involves being responsible for engagement with a whole geographic region of our membership; and working closely on or leading one of the NHF’s key themes of work, which include areas such as supported housing; devolution; developing new homes; decarbonising existing homes; ensuring the building safety agenda is delivered; or representing our rural or smaller housing associations.
The role is wide ranging and in addition to stakeholder management and programme leadership, will include running roundtables between our members and government, chairing sessions at NHF conferences, and presenting political and policy updates to senior teams within housing associations.
You will be part of a team of eight External Affairs Managers sitting within the member services directorate, which is there to ensure that we provide excellent value for money for our housing association members.
Key elements of the role:
· You will build and maintain brilliant relationships with housing associations leaders, using your well-developed communication and advocacy skills to maximum effect.
· You will develop knowledge, insight and understanding of housing associations to shape our policy and influencing work and to create structured programmes of member engagement on critical policy and political issues.
· You will be the contact point for housing associations in your region, ensuring they receive first class customer service on the issues which matter to them. Working closely with NHF members you will facilitate the organisation of regional chief executive or leaders forums and sounding boards.
· In addition to your regional work, you will lead on the strategic planning and delivery of a key NHF policy priority. This will require collaborative working with colleagues from across the organisation and working with members across every region and specialism. You will play a leadership role, creating structured engagement strategies to ensure members are able to influence policy as well as engaging key NHF stakeholders and sharing best practice.
· Your role will be to implement structured member engagement to ensure our policy priorities, positions and influencing work are member-led. This will include working directly with members to inform our policy positions and lead our influencing work.
· You will influence debates at the highest level and you will spot in advance and act strategically to mitigate the risk to our membership. As such, this role requires a high degree of political and organisational acumen and the ability to horizon scan.
· You will work with colleagues in our Commercial and Events teams to maximise commercial opportunities and help shape content at our conferences, as well chairing conference sessions.
· To be the face and voice of the NHF with members, stakeholders and the media.
· To ensure that as an organisation we deliver as a whole team, seamlessly, to members to achieve greatest impact in line with the business strategy.
· To maintain high quality standards and follow NHF policy and process.
The successful candidate:
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
· A sound knowledge and understanding of housing associations and issues affecting the wider sector.
· A sound understanding of the political and policy landscape that housing associations operate in.
· Demonstrable knowledge and experience of establishing and maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders, demonstrating excellent customer service and value for money.
· Effective communication skills, in person and in writing, including the ability to credibly and confidently present at meetings and events.
· Ability to listen to and influence senior stakeholders, demonstrating diplomacy, effective communication and negotiation skills.
· Clear leadership skills, able to lead complex and strategic programmes of work effectively, including experience of matrix managing and motivating a team.
· Excellent analytical skills and strategic nous with the ability to summarise complex information effectively to aid decision making.
· A commitment to excellent customer service.
· A positive, energetic and agile approach to work.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
The NHF has published its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which was co-created with staff. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and are working to increase the diversity profile of our workforce. We are currently under-represented by ethnic minorities, people with a disability or disabilities and LGBTQ+, and would particularly welcome applications from people in these groups.
Disability confident employer
We are a disability confident employer and if you are a disabled person who meets the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview.
Please note: there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations such as high-volume of applications, we may be required to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.
In these circumstances the NHF will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants. This is in line with the Disability Confident guidelines.
We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please contact the People team with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.
Our role profile and job advert can also be requested in large print or in accessible format via this email address.
Completing our Application Form
To apply for this role, please complete our online application form. The application form includes your employment and education history plus you will be asked to answer questions in relation to your knowledge, skills and experience, why you are applying for the role and questions in relation to our values. The application form is anonymous and will not require you to upload a CV or cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interview based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience.
Right to work in the UK/UK VISA sponsorship
You must have the right to work in the UK and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.
Closing date for applications: 4 January 2026
Interview date: 14 and 15 January 2026
We are the voice of England’s housing associations.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.


