Director of strategy and programmes jobs in cinderford, gloucestershire

Are you a visionary, hands-on leader with a bold passion for transforming childhood cancer outcomes? We're looking for a driven and dynamic CEO to lead our small but mighty charity through its next phase of growth and impact.

As CEO, you will shape and execute an ambitious strategy to accelerate change in the childhood cancer space—through fundraising and grant-giving, policy influence, partnerships, and compelling digital storytelling and campaigning. This is a rare opportunity to lead from the front, catalyse meaningful change, and work directly with researchers, funders, and leading hospitals and universities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the charity with integrity, compassion, and vision—building a high-impact organisation centred on outcomes and change.

• Manage the Azaylia PhD Scholarship grant-giving fund with transparency and in alignment with the charity’s funding criteria.

• Design and execute a robust income strategy across corporates, trusts, foundations, major donors, crowdfunding, events, and sponsorships.

• Leverage your network to secure and steward significant gifts and partnerships, particularly in the childhood cancer space.

• Develop digital and in-person campaigns that inspire action, influence policy, and build coalitions for change.

• Actively engage in every aspect of the charity’s operations—from strategy to hands-on delivery, in a lean and resource-limited environment.

• Guide our growing social media presence with a focus on mission-driven engagement, supported by data and storytelling.

• Build strong relationships with high-profile ambassadors, media, and influencers to amplify our voice and cause.

• Ensure financial sustainability through effective planning, budgeting, and income diversification.

• Create a purpose-driven, supportive, and high-performing team culture rooted in transparency, equity, and empathy.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Proven success in multi-channel fundraising, with a track record of securing and growing major gifts.

• Existing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and stakeholders in the childhood cancer space.

• Deep understanding of systems change, with experience in driving policy and institutional transformation.

• Professional experience in the childhood cancer, paediatric healthcare, or rare disease sector.

• Expertise in financial management, charity governance, and regulatory compliance.

• Excellent leadership and team-building skills with the ability to nurture and retain top talent.

• Confident operating autonomously in a remote setting, with strong organisational and self-management abilities.

• Passionate about eradicating childhood cancer and creating systemic change for affected families and communities.

What We Offer

• A unique leadership role with high visibility and potential for sector-wide impact.

• Flexibility in a remote working environment, with occasional domestic travel.

• A passionate, values-driven team committed to collaboration, bold thinking, and impactful outcomes.

About The Azaylia Foundation

The Azaylia Foundation was founded by Ashley Cain and Safiyya Vorajee after the passing of their eight-month old daughter, Azaylia. Childhood cancer is the number one killer of children in the UK, yet it receives less than 3% of cancer research funding. Backed by a large community of supporters, The Azaylia Foundation is committed to reversing this systemic underfunding through advocacy, PhD research grants, and family support for treatments not freely available via the NHS. Our flagship programme, The Azaylia PhD Scholarship Program, aims to fund 20 new childhood cancer PhDs and their research over a period of 5 years.

IT and Data Manager  

Remote  

£56,000 - £61,000 per annum, depending on experience 

Full Time, Permanent   

Hours: 37.5 hours/ week  

Closing Date – 19th May 2025 

1st Interview – 29th May 2025 (Remote) 

Stakeholder Interview – 2nd- 4th June 2025 (Remote) 

2nd interview – 5th June 2025 (location to be confirmed) 

The purpose of the role is to lead an outstanding IT service across the Trust and cultivate a high performing team that supports all staff, people we support and other stakeholders.

Reporting to the Resource Director, the role will be key in supporting the digital transformation agenda, providing IT and data expertise that will enable higher quality of life for adults with learning disabilities and maximise efficiencies within the services that we provide. 

Main Responsibilities   

• Developing the IT strategy in alignment with the Trust wide strategic goals and evolving digital transformation priorities;

• Oversee the Trust’s approach to Cyber security, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and best practice. Being the subject matter expert for the organisation.

• Oversee the Trust’s data and privacy framework, ensuring compliance with GDPR and other data protection laws and training and educating staff as required on data protection measures; 

• Lead, mentor and develop the IT team of four, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement;

• Prepare and manage the IT department budget, optimising resource allocation to achieve maximum value and efficiency and ensuring the team is equipped with the necessary skills and resources; 

• Oversee the development, implementation and maintenance of the Trust’s IT systems; 

• Providing IT expertise and advice for the software owners across the Charity including supporting the development of management reporting using Power BI;

• Support the development of an environment of digital innovation and best practice, ensuring the use of technologies for the benefit of the diversity of the people we support; 

• Support any technology implementation plans ensuring all technology solutions are project managed effectively. To supports team members to ensure they identify risks, contingency plans and engage with stakeholders for effective collaboration; 

• To lead on procurement and contract negotiations with vendors of IT systems and software providers, ensuring ITTs and contract awards are in line with the Trust policies and value for money is achieved;

• Producing regular reports on KPIs for the IT team and reporting reasons for variances against target

What you’ll bring to the role:   

• Recognised Degree in Business IT or Computer Science related discipline or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience 

• Proven track record in a senior management digital transformation position.

• 6+ years’ digitalisation experience. 

• 5+ years Project Management experience.

• Excellent working knowledge of Power BI 

• Proven track record on delivering complex projects. 

• Experience of having designed, implemented, and evaluated organisational transformation digital solutions and has delivered change that added value to the organisation. 

• Highly effective change agent who engages with senior stakeholders to deliver the digital program to the organisation. 

• Benchmarking skills and identifies best practice and knowledge of the digital landscape of organisations. 

• High degree of budget management experience associated with digital technology design and its adaptation. 

• Has strong relationships with approved vendors and with software suppliers of digital services to ensure effective delivery of digital technologies/systems. 

Location & Travel 

Remote based - Home 

Home-based with regular travel to visit Communities in Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, and Worcestershire. Occasional overnight stays will be required. Ideally you will be located within travel corridors of Midlands to London or Manchester to York.

Excited? Read our pack, look at our strategy and know that you would be joining an amazing Trust, a brilliant team and that you would have the ability to make a real difference.

Your application should include your CV and a supporting statement of no less than one page detailing why you would like to work for the Trust and how your skills and experience meet the job description and person specification (see attached Job pack). 

Join Birthrights as Our New CEO!

Location: Remote (UK-based). Must be prepared to travel to London and other UK locations for frequent meetings with staff, funders and stakeholders.

Salary: £70,000 to £75,000 per annum, dependent on experience

Why Join Us?

• Impact: Make a real difference in the lives of women, birthing people and families.
• Flexibility: We offer flexible working arrangements, including remote work and compressed hours.
• Culture: Join a kind, progressive, and inclusive team dedicated to respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Growth: Be part of an organisation with ambitious plans for growth and innovation.

About Birthrights: Birthrights is the UK's leading authority on the rights of women and birthing people during pregnancy and birth in the UK. Our work is critical to not only transforming the experiences and outcomes for individuals but also in shifting wider policy, practice and systems. We champion respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth, ensuring that all women are treated with dignity and humanity. Our work is grounded in the belief that every woman has the right to make informed choices about her care and to be supported in those choices.

The Role: Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of women and birthing people? Do you thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment? Birthrights is looking for a dynamic and compassionate CEO to lead our dedicated team. This is a unique opportunity to drive change, advocate for birth rights, and work alongside a group of passionate individuals committed to our cause.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership: Provide compassionate and bold leadership to a remote-working team, fostering a collaborative and supportive culture.
• Strategic Vision: With the Board and staff, refine and lead the successful implementation of the organisation's strategic and operational plans.
• Influencing: Lead creative and bold external campaigns, policy development, and influencing efforts to advance birth rights.
• Financial Management: Oversee financial operations, ensuring sustainability and growth.
• Fundraising and Business Development: Oversee the fundraising efforts and business development initiatives to support Birthrights' mission.
• Board Collaboration: Work closely with the board to shape and implement strategic goals.

Person Specification:

• Essential:
• Background in the charity sector.
• Genuine passion for Birthrights' cause.
• Strong people management skills.
• High emotional intelligence (EQ).
• Competence in financial management.
• Skills in business development and fundraising.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work closely with the board.
• Strategic and radical leadership skills
• Ability to oversee delivery of policy and programmes to drive impact aligned with organisational strategy and principles
• Ability to build relationships and foster strong collaborative partnerships
• Ability to lead courageously
• Desirable:
• Lived experience of birth or professional experience in maternity care or significant involvement in campaigning or representing people's rights.
• Experience in policy development and influencing.
• Experience in leading bold external campaigns.
• Experience managing remote working or hybrid teams of part-time staff
• Experience of community power building and working as part of movements for change

Our Team: At Birthrights, we believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork. Our team is close-knit, passionate, and dedicated to making a positive impact. We work remotely but stay connected through regular meetings and touchpoints, ensuring that everyone feels supported and valued. We are committed to fostering a culture of kindness, inclusivity, and mutual respect.

Equity, Diversity and inclusion: Birthrights is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our organisation and our external work. We know that diversity in all its forms brings more perspectives, experiences and knowledge, and it makes us a better, stronger organisation.

As an organisation, our employees have recently trained with the Queer Birth Club on LGBTQ+ competency and have undertaken extensive training with JMB Consulting on anti-racism.

We are using positive action in our recruitment as part of our commitment to EDI. This means we are actively seeking candidates from under-represented groups (people of colour, women, LGBTQ+, disabled people, socioeconomic background). If two candidates are equally qualified for the role, we will appoint the candidate with this background under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments so we can accommodate your needs.

How to Apply: If you are passionate about advocating for birth rights and have the skills and experience to lead our organisation, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your CV to and we will forward you the candidate pack.

Webinar: Join our informational webinar on Thursday 22 May, 12.30 - 1.30 to learn more about the role. The registration link is in the candidate pack.

Application Deadline: Please submit your application by 5.00pm on Monday 9^th June, 2025.

About Kinship

We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. 

Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.

About the role

This role will support Kinship to operate as an effective charity by ensuring effective day-to-day operations and seamless delivery of the People function at the charity.

You will bring your People leadership experience, attention to detail and excellent communication skills to the role. You will be structured in your approach to ensure that day-to-day issues are handled while also working to improve processes and systems. You will be credible with senior management and able to articulate and balance the trade-offs of a People leadership role.

You will be able to balance multiple competing priorities and prioritise effectively, A positive mindset is key to being part of the team, as is thinking creatively to problem solve and being empathetic to colleagues. You will be highly motivated by our mission, recognising that excellent internal People processes are essential to allowing others to effectively complete their roles and achieve our mission.

You will be a powerful ambassador for our mission, credible with other HR and CSR professionals working to implement kinship friendly employer policies and processes.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Work with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the Executive management team to design, develop and embed a high-quality HR function to support the employee life cycle.

• Responsible for ensuring all policies, procedures, and processes relating to people and culture, work effectively, efficiently and in line with legal requirements.

• Responsible for all People matters, ensuring they are handled fairly and consistently in line with policies and procedures.

• Support and advise line managers on People, EDI and change management activities, including promotions, disciplinary, capability and grievance procedures.

• Organise line manager training to ensure line managers understand their responsibilities and apply policies consistently.

• Responsible for the candidates’ recruitment experience. Ensure candidates receive a consistent and professional recruitment experience.

• Responsible for job descriptions, person specifications, recruitment packs and job adverts.

• Ensure offboarding processes are robust and implemented consistently to safeguard the charity’s assets and to comply with Data Protection rules.

• Lead on the delivery and growth of the ‘Kinship Friendly Employers’ scheme, driving growth in the scheme and the number of bronze, silver and gold partners

• Ensure Kinship role models ‘Kinship Friendly’ employment practices and seek opportunities to share these as examples with other HR professionals.

• Support fundraising efforts with corporate supporters who are ‘Kinship Friendly Employers’

Essential criteria includes:

• HR qualification or significant demonstrable experience.

• Coaching qualification or significant demonstrable experience.

• Demonstrable experience of supporting the development of a high-quality People function within a growing organisation.

• Demonstrable experience working in a changing and flexible organisation.

• Demonstrable problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities.

• Demonstrable knowledge of best practices, employment laws, and regulations.

• Effective communication skills.

• Strong interpersonal skills – a genuine team player able to relate to a wide range of people.

• Ability to work on own initiative and manage own workload.

• Demonstrable experience of EDI principles.

Desirable experience includes:

• Personal experience of kinship care.

• Experience of working in a dynamic and fast-changing workplace.

• Exceptional business-partnering skills

What we’ll offer you 

Kinship offers 30 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time) as well as a generous pension scheme. We have an excellent wellbeing offer including the Employee Assistance Programme and clinical supervision. We will invest in your professional development with training and career development opportunities.

Kinship is committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion.  We believe our work is greatly enhanced by the varied backgrounds, experiences and views represented within our teams.  We aim to create inclusive teams, celebrate differences and encourage everyone to join us and be their true self at work. We therefore encourage applications from anyone who fits our values, whatever their religion or belief, sex, gender identity, race, age, sexuality or disability and are actively seeking candidates that can bring real innovation and commitment to us. 

This is a fantastic time to join a supportive and well-established team within an organisation with rapid growth ambitions. This role will be what you make it and we’re looking for someone to seize this opportunity!

How to apply

Please apply via Charity Job with your CV and a cover letter of no more than 2 pages. Please include your notice period and earliest availability to start in your cover letter.     

• Application deadline:  Thursday 22 May, 9am
• First interview:                 29 May - 2 June
• Second interview:            TBC

Kinship reserves the right to close applications early on receipt of sufficient applications. Apply early!