This new role at Young Sounds UK will provide a wide range of support across the organisation, managing the logistics for our events, assisting our Development team with vital fundraising tasks, and handling a wide range of organisational administration.
You'll need to be proactive, highly organised, and looking for a busy role within a passionate team. With at least 3 years experience you'll be keen to use your strong communication skills and attention to detail to provide high standards of administrative support.
For full information on this role, including key responsibilities and person specification, please view the job pack.
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 15 July 2025 at 12 noon.
About Young Sounds UK
Young Sounds UK exists because musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t: family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. We’re here to change this in two key ways:
- We support young musicians from low-income families with funding and other help
- We support music education through training, advocacy and research.
Established in 1998 we work across genres and across the UK. Our four programme areas are:
- Discover: training teachers in how to spot young people’s musical potential
- Connect: targeting and sustaining young people’s emerging talent through strategic support
- Thrive: funding young talent UK wide through annual grants and tailor-made help for individual musicians
- Innovate: leading new thinking and action on talent development
Registered Charity 
6 - 10
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to help diversify the environmental sector by scaling a Black-led nature organisation to be able to demonstrate leadership on a national scale and promote and serve the interests and needs of ethnically marginalized communities in accessing nature.
Our Ambition
We’re on an exciting journey of growth. Our vision is to become a nationally recognised, well-resourced Black institution for learning about and caring for nature.
We aim to:
- Be the go-to resource for people of colour learning about the natural world and accessing outdoor spaces with confidence.
- Be the go-to resource for mainstream environmental organisations seeking to understand Black and Brown perspectives on nature.
- Strengthen networks and community among POC-led nature organisations across the UK.
Our operating income for 2025-2026 is £230,000. Our ambition is to generate an income of over £1 million by 2027-2028, growing to a 15+ staff team.
How the COO will support our vision
The role of Chief Operating Officer is central to helping us achieve our ambitions, ensuring that Wild in the City has the resources, infrastructure and working environment to achieve its annual plans, long term aims and deliver high-quality programmes.
We are not expecting the COO to implement the key areas of operations alone, we will work together to prioritise and generate the resources to build a team to cover the functionality required for steady growth. We are also motivated to ensure that the role’s salary is reviewed to meet market expectations as the role grows, dependent on funding.
This role needs an exceptional candidate who enjoys making a role their own, who is motivated by turning strategy into impactful action and who finds fulfilment in supporting others to achieve.
The COO will ensure that;
- We secure ongoing, long term financial resources, creating stability and underpinning growth, and scaling into operations in multiple regions, nationally
- We grow our staffing to provide a steady infrastructure and achieve our strategic objectives, including creating operations, fundraising, communications and research teams, and increasing our field team.
- We retain our relational, open, authentic, personable, dynamic, collaborative, innovative culture as we grow.
Who We're Looking For
We are looking for a dynamic and dependable Chief Operating Officer (COO) to help realise our vision.
We’re seeking an emotionally intelligent, commercially competent, and values-driven leader who can bring clarity, stability, and energy in a fast-paced and mission-led environment. You will thrive in turning strategy into action and impact, and in driving Wild in the City forward in scaling our delivery and leadership on a national scale.
You will bring:
- Proven experience in operational and strategic leadership
- Strong financial and commercial acumen, including income generation, budgeting, and long-term planning
- A successful track record of managing people, partnerships, and multi-disciplinary teams
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across staff, volunteers, partners, and board members
- Emotional resilience, sound judgement, and a calm, authentic presence
- A genuine connection to our mission and values
We welcome people from all backgrounds to fulfill the role of COO. We are mindful of the lack of diversity within senior leadership in the environmental field and encourage those from Global Majority backgrounds to apply.
Why Join Us?
This is an exciting time to join Wild in the City, we hope that you will make an application. As COO, you’ll play a central role in shaping the next chapter of our development - growing our influence, supporting Black leadership in nature, and helping transform access to the natural world for communities of colour.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
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!
Qualifications/ skills: CIPD qualified or equivalent professional HR qualification (Level 5 or above)
Time: Minimum 12 up to 16 hours per week. Can be worked flexibly but there are some essential meetings on a Monday.
Where: Remote - UK based. Two team days per year in London / South East or online.
Salary: £35,000-£38,000 full-time equivalent, depending on experience. This salary is in line with our organisational pay structure.
Deadline to apply: 11th July 2025
Estimated start date: September 2025
Role overview
This HR Lead role will support a unique, employee-owned, self-managed organisation. You'll play a key part in ensuring the smooth running of HR practices, advising on employee relations, and contributing to a positive, self-directed work environment.
As a self-managed organisation HR is distributed between a number of different roles. You will be working alongside our Organisational Development Lead, Training & Development Lead, Compliance Lead, HR Support, Onboarding/Offboarding Lead, Team Companion and the leadership team.
As this is a new developing role, the responsibilities listed in the Job Description are areas where Chiltern has identified HR expertise is needed at this current point in time. This gives the role holder the opportunity to further develop and shape this area of our business.
Key duties include advising on employee relations, supporting self-managed teams, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and employee ownership, and you'll also work closely with individuals to ensure HR policies are adhered to, individuals feel empowered and engaged and that the organisation's culture aligns with its values in the delivery of HR practices.
Accountabilities
Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
1. HR Strategy & Organisational Development
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Collaborate with the leadership team to drive the organisation’s People Management Strategy
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Devise and deliver HR projects to improve business efficiency and effectiveness
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Lead succession planning initiatives across the organisation
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Horizon scan for emerging HR practices and employment law developments
2. HR Policy, Compliance & Risk Management
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Develop and maintain HR policies, procedures, and the Employee Handbook to ensure legal compliance
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Ensure compliance with UK employment law across all HR functions
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Lead on:
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Third Party Risk Policy
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Equality Impact Assessment Policy
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Stakeholder Engagement Policy (ensuring service user perspectives are integrated)
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Monitor adherence to internal policies, including whistleblowing, grievances, and dignity at work
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Audit EDI data bi-annually and create strategies to promote diversity and inclusion
3. Employee Relations & Case Management
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Providing advice and leading on the process for :
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Grievances
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Disciplinaries
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Bullying, harassment, and capability issues
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Redeployment and redundancy
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Lead meetings prior to disciplinary sanctions in collaboration with our HR administrator
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Mediate disputes and facilitate conflict resolution within the context of HR discussions
4. Compensation and Benefits
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Developing and maintaining salary structures
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Conducting salary benchmarking and market analysis
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Overseeing annual salary reviews
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Ensuring compliance with pay equity laws
5. Recruitment, Onboarding & Talent Management
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Oversee advertising and attraction strategies
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Support onboarding processes to aid efficiency
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Review terms and conditions, contracts, and engage with external advisors as needed
6. Attendance & Performance Management
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Manage absence cases including statutory and contractual entitlements
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Support the leadership team with performance and attendance-related challenges
7. Systems & Process Improvement
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Maintain and enhance HR systems, ensuring lean processes and the integration of e-systems
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Regularly review and improve the Staff Portal alongside our Training & Development Lead
8. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
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Stay updated on EDI legislation and best practice
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Support the organisation in being legally compliant, culturally relevant, and innovative in its EDI approach
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Lead data audits and present an equal opportunities review every two years
9. Professional Development & Networking
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Engage with local HR support networks, including CIPD and ACAS
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Maintain continuous professional development (CPD)
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Be an active member of Social Enterprise UK HSC HR group and attend relevant meetings
Person specification
We are looking for an efficient, well-organised, friendly person to join the team with the following qualities:
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CIPD qualified or equivalent professional HR qualification (Level 5 or above)
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Experience in a generalist HR role, including employee relations, policy development, and HR project delivery.
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Experience working on or leading Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across all levels
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Confident facilitator and leader of sensitive meetings and discussions, with a culture of care
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As this is a hands on role, a high level of organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously is needed
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Commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive work environment
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Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, with the ability to adjust to changing priorities and respond effectively to new or unforeseen challenges.
Job benefits
A key benefit in working for Chiltern is being a part of a forward thinking employee owned team, where our culture celebrates and values the voice of each individual.
Staff members benefit from a flexible working environment, creating a personal schedule based around the requirements of the role.
Ultimately, at the heart of what we do is our value of ‘care’, which is felt strongly across the team.
Additional benefits include:
- Flexible working
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32 Days (FTE) per annum annual leave allowance (including bank holidays)
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High street discount shopping portal
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EAP package - access to confidential support and wellbeing services
About Chiltern Music Therapy
Chiltern is an award-winning social enterprise that provides music therapy, community music services and training to over 1700 people of all ages and many different needs across England each year. Formed in 2011 from a desire to change how music therapy was offered in the UK, we hold accessibility and financial inclusivity at our heart, working across health, education, social care and community settings.
Proud to be a self-managed and employee-owned organisation, we strive to create a world where music therapy is the transformative thread in the lives of the children and adults we support. At Chiltern we recognise the different strengths within our team. We provide an environment where people can take charge of the work they do and make informed decisions using professional judgement and life experience, alongside peer support. We’re welcoming, inclusive, and have worked hard to create a positive environment that we are proud of. You can find out more about us on our website.
How to apply
To apply, please apply with your CV and a one-page covering letter which should include your reasons for wanting to join Chiltern Music Therapy and suitability for the role.
We welcome enquiries and applications from people of all identities and backgrounds and value diversity in our workforce.
We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible as we may close applications early depending on application numbers.
For more information about Chiltern Music Therapy please visit our website.
