Directorate support officer jobs in Bristol, city of bristol

Please note: Clinks would welcome the opportunity to discuss potential secondments from locally or regionally based voluntary organisations. 

About Us

Clinks supports, promotes and represents the voluntary sector working with people in the criminal justice system and their families. Our vision is of a vibrant, independent and resilient voluntary sector that enables people to transform their lives. 

Job purpose 

To identify, communicate and engage with the range of voluntary sector organisations working with individuals and their families within the CJS across a geographical area ensuring Clinks provides effective support to help voluntary organisations better meet their aims. To enable Clinks to share information about the sector with HMPPS and other stakeholders

Job summary 

This role will increase awareness and understanding of the criminal justice voluntary sector operating within across the Midlands area. The post holder will undertake an initial analysis project to identify place-based voluntary sector organisations and the range of, and types of services and support provided to people in contact with the criminal justice system and their families. They will identify place-based needs and lead on the collation and sharing of information across the Clinks team and with stakeholders, to highlight the challenges and opportunities. The post holder will need to build new, and nurture existing relationships, with key partners and a range of agencies across sectors.

The post will work within the Area Engagement & Partnerships Directorate and with other Clinks’ staff to identify new members and engagement opportunities, deliver events and training, and provide opportunities to support the capacity and capability needs of the voluntary sector, with a focus on place-based small and specialist organisations working in the CJS.

The post will deliver activity to meet funder requirements, aims and objectives.

Reports to: Area Engagement and Partnerships Manager

Responsible for: N/A 

1. Duties and key responsibilities 

Area Engagement and Impact 

• Identify and increase awareness of voluntary sector organisations based in the Midlands, the range of and types of services and support provided to people in contact with the criminal justice system and their families, where they deliver and how they are funded. 
• Understand the work of local and regional voluntary sector infrastructure organisations in a geographical area to identify and increase partnership working and collaborative approaches to strengthen the support offered by Clinks, 
• Gather intelligence from the sector to identify and understand the needs of place-based organisations and share feedback with HMPPS and other key stakeholders to develop operational processes and influence future commissioning opportunities. 
• Work alongside the National Influencing & Networks team to use this intelligence to influence key decision making at a local and national level.
• Provide support to voluntary sector organisations, keeping the sector informed and up to date and capturing the support provided and its impact. 
• Respond to requests from voluntary sector organisations in need of support and signpost or consider what assistance Clinks (and others) can provide. 
• Work alongside the Area Insights and Impact Officer to capture the needs of the sector to influence and inform future activity. 
• Provide regular area specific communications to organisations utilising Clinks communication channels to share good practice, resources and publications.
• Produce regular blogs, case studies and social media activity to showcase the work of place-based voluntary sector organisations.   
• Develop and build upon existing place-based networks to support collaboration and co-ordination between the voluntary, statutory, and private sectors in the criminal justice system. 
• Provide information to help statutory partners and key stakeholders to understand the voluntary sector, its structures and how to work with it. 

External Relationships 

• Identify and explore opportunities to develop relationships with area-specific agencies working within criminal justice including Probation, Prisons and local statutory agencies to increase knowledge of locally based voluntary sector services and establish, and embed Clinks’ support 
• Provide representation at various meetings, both internally and externally with partners and stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively to ensure effective information flow across directorates and to and from the sector and stakeholders 
• Develop relationships with regional and local infrastructure organisations to widen Clinks reach and identify joint working opportunities. 

2. General responsibilities   

• Represent and be an ambassador for Clinks 
• Work to support the mission, ethos, and values of Clinks 
• Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop, or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position 
• Support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace 
• Work collaboratively with others in all aspects of our work 

This job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time to time as the needs of the organisation require.

Person specification 

Experience, Skills and Abilities  

• Significant experience of working or volunteering in the voluntary sector in the Midlands area
• Relationship building and management with a range of stakeholders and networks. 
• Good attention to detail and ability to maintain effective records, utilising a range of different methods. 
• Ability to think strategically about the voluntary criminal justice sector, and to analyse and respond to change. 
• Ability to prioritise, multi-task and work under pressure, juggling a busy and varied workload. 
• Excellent IT and digital skills, including use of Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams and Zoom. 
• Adaptability and flexibility in being able to deal with new situations quickly and efficiently.   
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and spoken, and ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders, at all levels of seniority.   
• Convening meetings, arranging and chairing events both in-person and online. 
• Ability to support and coordinate a complex network of organisations including representing diverse views, and promoting their work and issues. 
• A collaborative approach to working with colleagues but also able to work alone. 
• Highly organised with good project and time management skills. 

Knowledge  

• Role of the voluntary sector in addressing social exclusion. 
• The criminal justice context and related policy. 
• Understanding the role of national and local infrastructure organisations 
• An understanding of the Midlands geographical area 

Personal attributes and other requirements

• Able to travel extensively across the Midlands area with occasional travel across England and Wales. 
• Able to work evenings and weekends and stay away from home overnight where necessary. 
• Work well as part of a small team and independently, with a flexible approach to work. 
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities. An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.  
• Commitment to the values and ethos of supporting people in the criminal justice system 

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone should be able to live a fulfilling life, regardless of how severely mental illness affects them. Our services are growing — and so is our ambition. That’s why we’re looking for a passionate and skilled Business Development Manager to help us shape the future of our charity and the support we provide.

About the role

As our Business Development Manager, you’ll play a key role in sustaining and expanding the services that make a real difference to people severely affected by mental illness. You’ll bring teams together, write with clarity and purpose, and lead the end‑to‑end bid development process — ensuring we continue to deliver high‑quality, impactful support where it’s needed most.

You’ll champion collaboration, draw on the expertise of colleagues across the charity, and craft compelling, evidence‑based proposals that reflect who we are and what we stand for. From early development to final submission, you’ll help us win and retain contracts that directly improve lives.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading the end‑to‑end development of bids, retenders, and proposals in line with internal quality standards.
• Working collaboratively with teams across Rethink Mental Illness, building strong relationships and creating connected ways of working.
• Supporting and managing Bid Development Officers.
• Contributing to regional business development plans and helping shape sustainable, innovative service models.
• Writing high‑quality, insightful submissions that articulate our strengths, capabilities, and lived‑experience approach.
• Developing early-stage budget models and working with Finance and HR to finalise financials ahead of submission.
• Generating insight through data, evidence, and internal expertise to create winning proposals.
• Researching competitors and identifying what makes Rethink Mental Illness stand out.
• Supporting successful bids through structured handovers and mobilisation.
• Contributing to continuous improvement through feedback, learning, and maintaining our Bid Library.

What you’ll bring

Essential

• A strong track record of writing successful competitive bids or proposals.
• Excellent writing, critical thinking, and communication skills.
• The ability to interpret complex tender documents and understand commissioner expectations.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to unite diverse teams.
• Knowledge of commissioning, current legislation, and best practice in mental health and social care.
• Experience constructing budgets and modelling service assumptions.
• Strong organisational and project‑management abilities, with flexibility to meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and excellent general IT skills.
• A values‑driven approach consistent with Rethink Mental Illness’ ethos.

Desirable

• Experience working within mental health, health, or social care sectors.
• Lived or professional experience related to mental health and wellbeing.

Why Rethink Mental Illness?

When you join us, you’re not just taking on a role — you’re becoming part of a movement.
A movement committed to improving the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through high‑quality services, innovation, and compassionate support.

You’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive team where your growth and wellbeing matter, and where your work has a clear, direct impact.

Join RUHX – Be part of something extra extraordinary.

At RUHX, we’re more than the Official NHS charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath. We go further to give every patient the extra extraordinary care they deserve, while supporting our staff to do what they do best and furthering innovation within our hospitals. We’re out there in our community, collaborating with the people and organisations who drive real change. And we’re making sure that every penny we raise goes towards improving health, happiness and wellbeing for everyone in our community.

RUHX are seeking a motivated and collaborative Charity Impact Manager to lead our internal grants programme and ensure that charitable funds deliver measurable impact for patients, families and staff.

You will play a key role in implementing our new grant‑making system to strengthen monitoring, compliance, approvals and financial forecasting across all restricted and unrestricted funds. Working closely with clinical, operational and fundraising teams, you will help shape a strong pipeline of strategically aligned projects and support the delivery of donor‑funded initiatives, including restricted grants and major donor commitments.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong analytical skills, excellent relationship‑building capability, and a passion for improving patient and staff experience through effective, transparent and high‑impact charitable investment.

Main duties of the job

No two days in our team are the same. In this role you will spilt your time working onsite in the office in Bath, so that you can meet clinical colleagues across the hospital, with opportunities to work flexibly from home.  You will have a varied role which involves managing a wide range of duties and tasks including.

• Lead the RUHX internal grants process, ensuring all charitable expenditure is compliant and aligned to strategic priorities and donor intent.
• Support the implementation and management of a new grant‑making system that tracks assessments, approvals, expenditure, commitments and fund forecasting.
• Build strong relationships with RUH teams to encourage and support high‑quality, high‑impact grant applications.
• Work with the Development Team to deliver and monitor donor‑funded and restricted‑grant projects, ensuring accurate reporting for stewardship.
• Lead impact measurement and evaluation across all funded projects, producing clear and engaging reports for governance and donors.
• Monitor fund utilisation, project progress and risks, providing regular updates to senior leadership and the Charities Committee.