Early years development manager jobs

Battersea is in an exciting phase of innovation and transformation as we embark on the second year of our five-year strategy. With increased investment in income generation, which started in 2025, we continue to expand our team to drive the growth necessary to achieve our organisational goals. Our fundraising team bridges the journey of the animals in our care with the wider public, demonstrating how their contributions enable us to support every dog and cat. We now have several new roles within this team to further our mission.

Legacy and In-Memory income is vital for Battersea and gifts left to us in Wills account for over 40% of our total income. We’ve seen significant growth in this area thanks to the sector-leading work of our ambitious team and the success of our wider fundraising programme. It’s therefore an exciting time to join the Legacy and In-Memory fundraising team.

The Legacy and In-Memory Stewardship Officer will help to support and deliver our Legacy and In Memory stewardship programme, working closely with the Senior Stewardship Officer to ensure the smooth and effective management of day-to-day activity, reporting, and stewardship campaigns.

What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:
We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.

More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:
At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: 18th January 2026
Interview date(s): First round (online): 26th & 27th January 2026. Second round (in person): 3rd February 2026

For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack.

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Unifrog’s mission
 

We’re on a mission to level the playing field when it comes to young people finding and applying for their next step after school. We're achieving this by bringing all the available information into one single, impartial, user-friendly platform that helps students to make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications. We also empower teachers and counsellors to manage the progression process effectively.
 

Our outlook is global - we work with schools and universities all over the world, from the US to New Zealand, and from Italy to Hong Kong. We want to make it so that young people can compare every opportunity taught in English, wherever it is in the world, and have all the support they need to make successful applications.
 

We have a clear social purpose, and we’re hugely ambitious. We already work with over half of UK secondary schools, and more than a thousand international schools. We are growing rapidly in terms of the number of our customers, in terms of how much they use our platform, and in terms of the breadth of products we offer.
 

Our team is at the heart of our business and it is integral to our success. We work hard to foster a culture of openness, happiness and innovation, and we commit to helping every individual learn and grow so that they can reach their full potential. We want to hire talented people, whatever their background. If you are excited by our mission and are ready to work hard, please don’t hesitate to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
 

We believe in the power of diversity. If you are from an ethnic minority background, we would like to strongly encourage you to apply. In advance of applying if you have any questions about working at Unifrog, please contact our Recruitment Lead, Mhairi (contact details on our Jobs page). 

The Unifrog platform

Over the last 12 years, the Unifrog platform has grown enormously from its starting point as a simple tool to help students pick their UK university courses and apprenticeships. It now helps young people from 4 years old up to explore their interests, record the great things they’ve done, compare every post-16 and post-18 course in the UK and every undergraduate programme taught in English in the world, find and organise work experience, and draft their application materials. The platform also helps teachers and career advisers to guide students every step of the way, makes it easy for parents to explore the platform via their own accounts, and helps employer and university recruitment teams to interact directly with students. 

We have a long list of exciting projects for the platform, always aiming to achieve our mission. We are looking for someone to join Unifrog’s team to help us continually improve the platform’s existing tools, and to also develop new ones. 

What you’ll do

You’ll work on improving the platform itself, from how things work behind the scenes, to the user experience and how the tools work and look.

This role does not involve coding - instead you’ll develop and design clear ideas and plans with Unifrog’s two co-founders, and with other colleagues involved in platform development, and then you’ll work with our lead programmer to make them happen.

You will become an expert in:

• The needs of all our different user types, including students, teachers, school groups, universities, employers, and parents

• How to navigate the platform as a user of each type

• How the Unifrog platform works behind the scenes

You’ll be part of the team that:

• Collates feedback on the platform, deciding which changes to move ahead with, and how
   

• Comes up with and designs ideas for platform improvements

• Develops and designs completely new tools

• Investigates potential bugs and comes up with suggested solutions

• Communicates platform changes to the Unifrog team

• Answers queries about the platform from colleagues

 

Working together

You’ll regularly be working with:

• Unifrog’s two co-founders and other colleagues involved in maintaining and developing the platform – in particular our data and content teams – to come up with improvements to the platform and to develop new projects

• Our lead programmer to implement ideas

• User-facing colleagues to understand what our users are asking for, as well as communicate to them what things have changed on the platform

• (More occasionally, but especially at the beginning) our users, when you need to have a greater understanding of a particular topic

You will be line-managed by Unifrog’s two co-founders.

 

Skills and characteristics

We are looking for an independent worker with design skills, who is a great problem solver and is motivated to find an elegant solution, whatever the issue.

Design

You’ll be producing the designs that go to our lead programmer, and which he’ll use as the basis for his work. You should have experience with UX design, and we can accommodate whichever application you prefer to work with, eg Figma or Sketch.

We’ve developed and plan to keep developing a large range of tools on the platform, like:

• Quizzes

• Tools to make large banks of information easy to search and understand

• Tools to simplify complex workflows

• Integrations with other platforms

• Document creation that involves input from multiple people

• Data visualisation

The problems we come up against can involve:

• Different users handling the same processes in different ways from each other

• Different groups of users having competing wants

• A data provider changing the way they structure their data

• Users not completing an important action on the platform

• A change on one tool having a knock-on effect on several other tools

• Users expressing their needs and ideas in uncertain or ambiguous ways
   

Your challenge is to design concrete solutions that work for everyone, which are as simple as possible to implement, and which are immediately understandable by a user who’s never seen them before.

Independence and initiative
 

You will work closely with Unifrog’s two co-founders. While colleagues from the wider team will be involved in coming up with ideas and telling you what they need, you will be the only team member, apart from the co-founders, in the product development team.

Because Unifrog’s co-founders work remotely and are also involved in other areas of the business, this will require you to be a good independent worker:
 

• Able to plan a project and stick to timelines, even when you need to get input from other team members

• Confident to come up with your own ideas, sort out good ideas from less useful ones, and make decisions based on information you’ve researched or been given by other team members

• Open when getting feedback

• Able to adapt to a team used to working in an informal way with few processes, allowing for flexibility and rapid advancements

• Driven to get projects finished and signed off

• Communication

You will need to understand and translate the issues that a user is facing to our lead programmer, and tell him your ideas for solutions and explain your designs in a way that will allow him to get working without needing lots of clarification.

You will need to communicate what development work is happening to the rest of the Unifrog team, and you’ll need to help your colleagues find the best way to tell users about it in turn.

Finally, you will need to be able to adapt your communication style depending on the person you are communicating with, including our lead programmer, other Unifrog team members, or partners and users.

Benefits 

Head to our jobs page for a full list of the excellent benefits we offer our team.

• Join one of Escape the City’s top 1% employers and help transform careers and destinations in schools.

• Become part of a committed, dynamic, and growing company. We want to build our team for the long term: if you do well, we will do our best to make sure you want to stay at the company for a long time.

• Professional development is important at Unifrog. You will define your own 6-month objectives and will be supported by your line manager and the rest of the team to achieve them. You will have an annual training allowance to spend on what you need to grow and progress.

• Influence the company’s direction: we love to promote great ideas, wherever they come from.

Key details

• £45,000 per annum (Grade B)

• Full time.

• Work remotely or in our London or Edinburgh offices.

• 28 days paid holiday per year (plus bank holidays).

• Working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 4:30pm on Friday.

• Start date: as soon as possible, though we will be flexible for the right candidate.

• If you require reasonable adjustments, or want to discuss any details about the role before applying, please contact our Recruitment Lead, Mhairi (details on our website).

• We can only consider candidates who have the right to work in the UK.

Application process  

Deadline: 10:00am (GMT) on Monday 22nd December 2025.

• We may need to close applications early if we receive a lot of interest. As long as you’ve already started applying, we’ll give you 48 hours’ notice of the deadline changing - so if you’re thinking of applying, please start an application so we can keep you updated. 

Stage 1: Application form (~1 hour) 

• Visit our website to upload your CV and complete the questions and tasks below. 

Please note:

We do not review CVs at this stage of the application process so please be as specific as possible about your experience.

Do not use AI to generate your answers – we compare answers to AI generated answers, and through reviewing lots of applications we quickly spot what's been generated by AI.

• With reference to examples of your recent experience, what would make you an excellent candidate for this role? (250 words)

• Complete the four tasks in this document (max 250 words per task) 

Stage 2: Task

• 2 weeks to do a set of tasks that we’ll give you if you pass the first stage.

• Tasks will be sent out after the application deadline. 

Stage 3: Video call interview (1 hour) 
 

• Q&A from a panel of three, including questions about your experiences and how these relate to the role, and scenario questions based on common situations you might face (plus time for your questions)

• Video interviews will take place w/c 12th January 2026.

Permanent

Location: The Children's Society Shop, Tithebarn St, KESWICK, Cumbria.

37 hours per week over Monday to Sunday

£25,760 per annum

We offer many enhanced benefits including:

-28 days holiday a year, plus Bank Holidays

-Stakeholder pension scheme with matching contributions up to 8%

-Free parking space at the shop

-Free confidential counselling service: available to all staff and volunteers

-Opportunity for all managers to join our Bespoke Management Development Programme - Compass

Full details about our benefits can be found on our website.

Do you have retail experience and a flair for leadership? Are you a natural leader with a drive for results and a passion for making a difference?

We're looking for a confident and motivated Shop Manager to lead our team in our Keswick shop. The shop is less than a year old, making this a fantastic opportunity for the right person to engage with the local community, shape the shop's future, and drive up income to support young people.

You'll be responsible for managing an Assistant Shop Manager and a brilliant team of volunteers, working together to turn donated goods into meaningful support for young people. You'll lead and inspire existing volunteers, and attract, recruit and develop new ones to build a team that maximises the shop's potential.

If you have retail experience and enjoy connecting with people from all walks of life, this could be the perfect role for you. If you're also passionate about making a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

The Children's Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We run local services that support children when they are at their most vulnerable and in desperate need of help. We're there for children, every step of the way.

We run over 100 local services that help thousands of young people who desperately need our support, and we campaign to get laws and policies changed to make children's lives happier and safer.

Every day we're changing the lives of children in this country for the better - and with your help, tomorrow we can be there for even more.

The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.

We look forward to receiving your application.

The closing date for applications is Friday 2nd January 2026. Please note that if enough applications are received we reserve the right to close the vacancy early.

Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

IN1

At our charity, we believe in the transformative power of holidays - especially for families facing some of life's toughest challenges.

Behind every joyful moment we create is a team of dedicated professionals ensuring our operations are financially and strategically aligned. As we grow, we're looking for an Operations Manager who shares our values and wants to make a meaningul impact through scaling up delivery, unlocking new partnerships, and showing the impact holidays have on well-being and resilience. 

As Operations Manager, you'll oversee the end to end experience for families, ensure compliance and quality, and use data and insights to drive continuous improvement. You'll also play a vital role in demonstrating the difference our work makes to families, funders and to us.

If you're pasionate about operational excellence, thrive in a fast paced environment, and want to make a tangible difference for families across the UK, we'd love to hear from you. This is a hands-on management role with real scope to shape how we deliver and grow.

Salary: £46,104 – £51,176
Location: Remote with regular travel to Downton and London
Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Legacy & In Memory Manager to join our Commercial Directorate at Help for Heroes. This pivotal role will shape and maximise one of our most important income streams, ensuring we can continue delivering life-changing support for the Armed Forces community.

Legacy and In Memory income contributes over half of all fundraised income, making this a strategically significant role with the opportunity to drive meaningful and lasting impact. If you are an experienced, collaborative and strategic leader with expertise in legacy fundraising, legacy administration and/or in memory giving, this could be your perfect next step.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Mass Fundraising, you will lead the development, delivery and continuous improvement of our Gifts in Wills and In Memory programmes. You’ll shape strategies that drive sustainable income growth, ensure operational excellence, and deliver exceptional stewardship for supporters, families and executors.

You will oversee all aspects of legacy marketing, legacy administration and in-memory giving, ensuring compliance, accuracy and sensitivity in this specialist area. You will also provide clear reporting and forecasting to track performance and identify future income opportunities. Working collaboratively across the charity, you’ll embed best practice, enhance supporter journeys and maximise long-term income opportunities.

As a senior leader, you will guide and develop a skilled team of five, championing a culture of collaboration, learning and data-led decision-making.

About You

You’ll be a strategic, compassionate and resourceful leader with a strong background in legacy fundraising, legacy administration and/or in memory giving. You’ll bring both technical expertise and emotional intelligence — able to oversee sensitive stewardship activity, manage complex matters confidently and influence stakeholders at all levels.

We’re looking for someone with:

• Significant experience in legacy fundraising, legacy administration and/or in memory giving
• Strong understanding of legacy marketing, supporter journeys and charity-side legacy processes
• Demonstrable team management or leadership experience
• Experience overseeing sensitive, high-quality stewardship to supporters and families
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Strong analytical and data-led decision-making capability
• Confidence in managing budgets, forecasting income and reporting on performance
• A values-driven, empathetic approach and commitment to delivering excellence

Due to the specialist nature of this role, we can only consider applicants with relevant experience in legacy fundraising, legacy administration or in memory giving, as well as demonstrable leadership or team management experience.

About the Team

Our Mass Fundraising team sits within the Commercial Directorate and is responsible for building strong, trusted relationships with supporters across the UK. Legacy & In Memory giving is a cornerstone of this work, enabling us to deliver our LiveWell Strategy and ensure every member of the Armed Forces Community can live well after service.

You’ll join a passionate, expert and purpose-driven team who champion innovation, empathy and excellence in everything they do.

In return we can offer you:

• Belonging to a team who make a difference to our community and value equality, diversity and inclusion.
• 29 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, regardless of service — plus your birthday off to celebrate!
• Opportunity to buy and sell up to 5 days annual leave per year.
• Added to our free health scheme from day one, including discounts on dental, opticians, massages, and more - with the option to upgrade.
• 3 volunteer days per year to support the Help for Heroes community.
• A generous salary sacrifice pension scheme with an 8% employer contribution and a minimum 3% employee contribution, plus life insurance up to 4× salary as an active member.
• Discounts on our branded clothing, including a free Help for Heroes hoody when you complete your induction.

Closing date: 9th January 2026

Please note: We may close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of strong applications.

The Senior Fundraising & Grants Manager will lead the development and delivery of Bite Back's fundraising strategy with a primary focus on trusts, foundations and institutional grants. You’ll oversee the organisation’s grants pipeline, coordinate funding applications and reports, and ensure excellent standards of funder stewardship and compliance. You’ll also play a role in developing early-stage public fundraising activities to diversify income and support the long-term sustainability of Bite Back’s youth-led mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Fundraising and Grants Manager is accountable for:

Fundraising Strategy & Planning

• Design, deliver and monitor a values-aligned fundraising strategy, with a primary focus on trusts and foundations.

• Set annual income targets, track progress against goals, and report performance to senior leadership and trustees.

• Identify new income opportunities to support Bite Back’s strategic growth and impact.

• Develop and maintain a 12–24 month grant pipeline to forecast income and manage funding cycles.

• Ensure all fundraising activity complies with the Code of Fundraising Practice, GDPR, and Bite Back’s ethical standards.

Grants from Trusts and Foundations

• Lead the processes for securing income from trusts, foundations and institutional funders, from prospect research through to submission, reporting and renewal.

• Research, identify and prioritise funding opportunities aligned with Bite Back’s youth-led mission and programmes. Collaborate with internal teams to conduct due diligence to ensure funding sources are aligned with our values.

• Prepare and submit high-quality, evidence-led, and compelling grant proposals in collaboration with the CEO, Director of Finance & Operations, Monitoring & Evaluation Manager, and programme leads.

• Coordinate grant management and tracking: maintain accurate records of deadlines, deliverables, and reporting requirements.

• Work with the finance team to develop accurate project budgets and ensure financial reporting meets funder expectations and our operational needs.

• Produce and submit clear, engaging progress reports to funders that highlight impact, learning, and youth voices.

• Monitor grant income and expenditure, ensuring compliance and timely claims against restricted funding.

• Work with the Operations and Contracts Manager and the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager to develop and improve systems for grant tracking and data integrity within the CRM (Salesforce).

Donor Stewardship and Relationship Management

• Work closely with the CEO to build and maintain strong relationships with existing and potential funders, ensuring high-quality engagement and stewardship.

• Coordinate communications, updates, and thank-you processes for donors to encourage repeat and multi-year funding.

• Lead workstreams, working closely with the Brand Manager and leadership team for support, in order to deliver meetings, presentations, and reports to funders.

• Represent Bite Back at relevant events, funder briefings, and networking opportunities.

• Promote a culture of fundraising awareness and collaboration across the organisation.

Fundraising Development

• Work with the Communications and Operations teams to explore and pilot small-scale public fundraising initiatives (e.g. individual giving, online campaigns, web donation tool).

• Work with the CEO and Communications team to develop a new strategy to build a strong and committed donor network of high net worth individuals aligned with Bite Back’s values

• Develop systems, messaging, and supporter journeys that reflect Bite Back’s youth-led identity.

• Explore opportunities for revenue from the public sector.

• Test new public fundraising channels and evaluate their return on investment to inform future strategy.

Other

• Champion Bite Back’s values - Fresh, Resilient, Respectful, Energetic, and Real - in all fundraising work.

• Collaborate with the youth activism, communications, and policy teams to translate programme outcomes into fundable opportunities and compelling narratives.

• Stay informed about trends in the fundraising and grant-making sectors and share learning across the team.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 

We will be looking for applications that demonstrate experience in at least some of these, and evidence of capacity to build skills in other areas. Please don’t be put off applying for one of our jobs because you can’t demonstrate every skill. If you're passionate and excited about working for us, and possess the main skills and experience we are looking for, go ahead and apply. You could be just what we are looking for!

The ideal candidate would have the following:

Essential

• Proven experience in securing income from trusts and foundations, ideally within the non-profit or campaigning sector.

• Track record of developing and managing a grant pipeline and meeting income targets.

• Excellent written communication skills with experience producing high-quality funding applications and impact reports.

• Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to meet multiple deadlines.

• Understanding of budgeting and financial management for grant-funded projects.

• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Experience using CRM systems for tracking income and reporting (ideally Salesforce).

• Knowledge of fundraising regulations, GDPR, and ethical standards.

• Commitment to Bite Back’s youth-led, systems-change mission.

Desirable

• Experience of developing public fundraising initiatives (individual giving, digital, community).

• Familiarity with youth-led or campaigning charities.

• Experience managing cross-team collaboration on proposals and reports.

• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation in fundraising contexts.

• Confidence presenting to funders or representing the organisation externally.

Salary: £29,000 – £34,000 per annum (depending on experience)
Location: Reigate, Surrey (Wayside Community)
Contract: Full-time
Occupational Requirement: Female, practising Christian
Closing Date: 23rd December 2025
Start Date: Early February 2026 (notice periods considered)

Do you have the compassion, resilience and leadership potential to support women on their journey out of homelessness?

Keychange is a Christian charity with over 100 years of experience supporting people facing vulnerability. Today, we provide specialist housing for women and young people experiencing homelessness, alongside residential care for older people across the South and Southwest of England.

We are seeking a dedicated Deputy Manager to join our specialist women’s homelessness service, Wayside Community in Reigate. This community is a 19 bed, 24-7 supported housing for women experiencing homelessness. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong frontline experience who is ready to step into management within a highly supportive and mission-driven team.

About the Role
The Deputy Manager plays a key role in the leadership of Wayside Community, supporting the Women’s Homelessness Lead in the day-to-day running and development of the service.

Key responsibilities include:

• Assisting the Women’s Homelessness Lead in Surrey in ensuring the smooth daily running of the Service at all times and deputising in her absence for all matters relating to the management of the Service.
• Ensure that Wayside Community complies with all statutory regulations relating to supported housing, health and safety, fire precautions etc.
• Working with the Women’s Homelessness Lead to develop performance targets and quality control measures for the benefit of the team, and monitoring team members’ work to ensure that these are met.
• In conjunction with the Women’s Homelessness Lead ensure that effective assessments and action plans are updated for all residents through a key worker system and on case files.
• In conjunction with the Women’s Homelessness Lead ensure that all safeguarding concerns, incidents and complaints are managed robustly.

Who We’re Looking For
You will bring:

• A high-performing individual who is an excellent networker that builds effective internal and external working relationships.
• Experience in delivery of support to clients.
• Agrees with Keychange mission, vision, values.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, interpersonal, and time-management skills.
• Competent computer skills using Microsoft applications and organisational systems.

Desirable experience includes:

• Prior experience working with non-profit organisations, particularly those involved in social care and/or homeless work.
• Experience of services for women and/or young people experiencing homelessness.
• Experience of motivating and empowering colleagues, staff and/or volunteers to take responsibility for delivering a high-quality service.
• Knowledge of the range of services available to homeless people who may have complex needs or other support needs.

Occupational Requirements
This role is subject to legal Occupational Requirements under the Equality Act 2010. The postholder must both a woman and a practicing Christian. These requirements are essential due to the nature of the role, including spiritual support, trauma-informed care for women, and active church partnership development.

What We Offer

• Salary of £29,000 – £34,000
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working (with 4 days regularly site or community based)
• Employee Assistance Program and Life Insurance
• Contributory Pension Scheme with matched employer contributions
• Ongoing personalised learning and professional development
• A compassionate, faith-centered, values-driven culture

For more comprehensive details about the role and how to get in contact with us for an informal discussion about the opportunity, please view the job pack for this advert. 

 
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter clearly addressing the essential and desirable criteria and an up-to-date CV focused on relevant experience.
 

Recruitment Timeline

• Application deadline: 23rd December 2025
• First stage interviews (remote): First week January 2025
• Final interviews (in person): Mid-January 2026
• Start date: Early February 2026

Home-Merton is seeking an inspiring and strategic Director to lead our trusted local charity through its next stage of growth and innovation. 

This is a rare opportunity to make a tangible difference for children and families — by strengthening our community presence, driving income generation, and ensuring every child gets the best possible start in life. 

 About Home-Start Merton – Making a difference to young families

We believe strong families make strong communities. 
Our trained volunteers provide emotional and practical support to parents of young children, helping them navigate the challenges of early childhood and family life. 

Operating across London borough of Merton, we are a small but vibrant, values-driven charity and part of the wider Home-Start network — one of the UK’s leading family support movements. 

Our Charity Director Role

As Director, you’ll be both strategic leader and hands-on advocate, driving our fundraising and partnership agenda while overseeing operational excellence. 

You’ll lead our talented team of employees, work closely with trustees, and represent our charity with energy and passion — ensuring we remain a visible and trusted voice for families across Merton. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead and inspire staff and volunteers to deliver high-impact family support services. 
• Oversee service delivery, safeguarding, and operational compliance. 

• Develop and implement a bold, diversified fundraising and income generation strategy. 

• Build and nurture relationships with funders, corporates, philanthropists, and community partners. 

• Act as a confident ambassador, raising the organisation’s profile locally and regionally. 

• Work closely with the Board of Trustees on governance, strategy, and long-term sustainability. 

About You 

You are: 

• Experienced in charity governance, financial management, and service delivery. 
• A proven fundraiser and relationship builder who can secure sustainable income across multiple sources. 

• A confident and inclusive leader who inspires and empowers teams. 

• Skilled in partnership development and community engagement. 

• Deeply committed to safeguarding, equality, and family wellbeing. 

Why Join Us? 

• Lead one of London’s most respected family charities. 

• Shape our strategy for growth and sustainability. 

• Join a passionate, values-led team and supportive board. 

• Enjoy flexible, hybrid working. 

How to Apply 

If you meet most but not all of our criteria and are passionate about giving children the best start in life we'd still like to hear from you.

Apply via CharityJob or reach out to our Chair for an informal conversation. 

Closing Date: Friday 12 December 2025

Home-Start Merton is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. 

Harris Hill is delighted to be partnering with a well-established children’s charity in London in their search for a Deputy Play Manager.

Full-time | £34,000 per annum

The charity has been supporting children, young people and families for over 25 years through a range of play, family support and youth programmes. Their Ofsted-registered after-school and holiday play schemes provide children aged 4–11 with safe, engaging and nurturing environments to explore, grow and thrive.

As Deputy Play Manager, you’ll play a key leadership role within the play service, helping to design, deliver and evaluate a high-quality programme of activities. You’ll support the Play Manager in day-to-day operations (including managing enquiries/collection of fees), team management and ensuring compliance with all safeguarding, health and safety, and Ofsted standards.

This is a hands-on role combining leadership, planning, and active delivery — you’ll work directly with children and families to create safe, inclusive, and stimulating play environments.

About You

Essential skills and experience:

• Level 3 qualification (or above) in Playwork, Early Years, or a related field.
• Minimum of three years’ experience working directly with children aged 4–11.
• Strong understanding of EYFS and Ofsted requirements.
• Experience planning and delivering engaging, age-appropriate play activities.
• Confident leading active, outdoor or adventure-based play.
• Sound understanding of safeguarding and child protection.
• Excellent communication and team leadership skills.
• Strong organisational and IT skills.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting children with additional needs or from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience supervising others or managing volunteers.
• Knowledge of current issues affecting children and families.
• Relevant training such as paediatric first aid or food hygiene.

Play is at the heart of what they do — the organisation believes that every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a happy, fulfilling childhood through both free and guided play experiences.

If you’re passionate about play, child development and helping young people thrive, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information, please submit your CV to

 Please note, CVs are being reviewed on a rolling basis, and only successful applicants will be contacted with more information.

 As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Age UK is recruiting! We have a fantastic opportunity for a Store Manager to join our friendly and supportive Hayward Heath team.

Utilising your previous retail experience and excellent managerial skills, you will manage the day to day running of our store - maximising store sales and profits while ensuring our customers receive an excellent service. In doing so, you will be helping to raise funds for Age UK and the incredible services and support they provide to older people.

As Store Manager, you will manage our brilliant team of staff and volunteers, providing effective leadership, training, and development.

If you are a motivated manager with a passion for retail and would like to use your skills to support a charity that helps thousands of older people across the UK, this may be the role for you!

Due to the nature of this role, you will be required to handle/lift bags of stock (up to 10kgs.)

To ensure the smooth running of our stores, we will be conducting interviews throughout the advertising process. Early applications are advised.

You will have:

• Experience in a performance driven retail/customer centric environment
• Experience of managing people
• Ability to lift and carry bags of stock up to 10kg's
• Ability to build, retain and develop a team
• Strong drive to achieve results through others
• Ability to delegate, coach and listen
• Ability to manage time under conflicting priorities
• Ability to motivate self and others
• An open and adaptable approach to change and be able to support others through it
• Experience of communicating with a diverse workforce and customer base
• Ability to establish and maintain successful retail processes and merchandising
• IT literacy and numeracy skills

What we offer in return:

• Competitive salary, 25 days annual leave (pro rata for our part-time colleagues) + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
• Wellbeing days - 2 paid days per year (pro rata for our part-time colleagues)
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, Bupa health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit scheme, Cycle to Work scheme
• Home & Tech - apply to buy any Home & Tech items from 'Currys' & 'IKEA', up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free.
• Blue Light Card scheme
• You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

To comply with UK legislation, we cannot accept applications from candidates under the age of 18 as the successful candidate will be required to work on their own in the shop without the aid of other staff.

Supporting statements and anonymisation

Please submit a Word version of your CV as it will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role. Our system is unable to anonymise supporting statements and heavily formatted CVs. Please could you remove any personal information including your name before you upload to support our inclusive recruitment process. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us if invited for interview.

Equal opportunities & Disability Confident Scheme

Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Scheme. Please note that on occasion, due to high numbers of applications, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Is this the job for you? We know that men, of all backgrounds, and men and women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are currently under-represented in our workforce, and we want to change this! So, we are particularly keen to hear from applicants from these groups.

Reasonable adjustments

Disabled job seekers can access reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. All requests for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with the disabled job seeker to best meet their needs, by contacting the Recruitment Team. Disability disclosures will be kept confidential and only shared on a need-to-know basis to support the implementation of adjustments. Disclosures will not be used to inform hiring decisions.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

We're looking for a organised, proactive and resilient Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager to join our Complex Specialist Services located at our Head Office in Islington .

£44,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* Fully paid induction programme and further training
* ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
* Online wellbeing resources
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
* Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

The Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager will play a pivotal role in supporting the Managing Director with new business development, coordinating and managing referrals, assessments, tenancies and transitions for our customers with learning disabilities and autism.

The working pattern for this role is:Monday - Friday 9am-5pm

What you'll do:
Referral & Assessment Coordination
* Monitor and respond to referrals from external sources and direct contacts.
* Maintain a current tracking system for referral clarity and produce regular reports.
* Analyse referral data to identify local commissioning needs and growth opportunities.
* Work with managers on person-centered assessments covering care needs, environmental suitability, risk management, and transition planning.
* Complete and submit needs assessments with costings and support package requirements.
* Coordinate the assessment process and internal referral meetings.
* Develop a responsive referral and assessment pathway aligned with best practice.
* Act as the first point of contact for stakeholders ensuring timely and responsive communication.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:
* Strong understanding of the learning disability and autism sector, including CQC regulations.
* Proven ability to build professional relationships with stakeholders.
* Strong understanding of sector
* Ability to manage staff effectively

What you'll bring:
Essential:
* Experience in assessments, referrals, and placement coordination within supported living or health and social care settings.
* Knowledge of brokerage, purchasing systems, and commissioning portals.
* Ability to write reports for the senior management team
* Understanding of residential and supported living service models.
* Familiarity with funding processes and financial negotiations.
* Experience of working with costing models for placement pricing
* Experience of managing staff and services in social care or health

Desirable:
* Knowledge of how local authorities, councils and ICBs commission and agree services.
* Experience with Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and trauma-informed practice.
* Understanding of complex needs, forensic histories, and dual diagnoses.

About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Please see our website for full Job description

We're looking for an organised, confident and resilient Service Manager to join our Mental Health Service in Hammersmith and Fulham.

£39,000.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

This is a 9 month maternity cover fixed term contract.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* Fully paid induction programme and further training
* ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
* Online wellbeing resources
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
* Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

Service Managers are responsible for the effective management of all contracts within their designated patch, including line managing the relevant front line staff. Leadership and competence development in direct reports is a key responsibility of the role. Post-holders may also carry client group specialism responsibilities, linking in with other Managers and Head of Services to ensure focussed integration of specialisms across the whole organisation.

Hammersmith and Fulham MH is a medium to high support Mental Health Service split across three sites (within walking distance).

As the Service Manager, you would be responsible for x1 TL and 7 Support Workers.

Irvin Road - Single Cover 24/4
Kwaanza House - Single Cover/Visting
Lena Gardens - Single Cover/Visting

Contract type: Support only

For a full job description, please visit our website.

What you'll bring:
Essential:
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Experience of managing contracts and resources and delivering to budget and performance targets
- Experience of delivering to housing management performance targets
- Experience of effectively managing and developing staff to ensure delivery of services performance targets within contract
- Experience of successfully managing external partnerships to ensure successful delivery of services
- Holds relevant CMI/NVQ Level 4 or other Business/Management Qualification

Desirable:
- Other relevant professional memberships and/or specialist qualifications

About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Playskill is a Hertfordshire based charity supporting pre-school children with physical disabilities & delays and their families. Across two sites in Watford and Hemel Hempstead, our work helps to build family resilience in the pivotal early years of a child’s life. Our specialist early intervention work delivering multi-disciplinary therapeutic play sessions, parent training/modelling, family social respite events and family support provides holistic family centred work aiming to build foundational skills for life

The Family Support Lead will coordinate our Family Support service across all locations providing holistic support to families of children with a physical disability/delay living in Hertfordshire, always keeping close adherence to best Safeguarding practice and procedures.

The role involves working with the Head of Family Service and Operations and Head of Development to develop the Support Worker team to deliver high quality family support. This may mean supporting families in group settings, family centres or in the home and holding caseloads with a holistic view in how to best meet need. Working closely with local stakeholders (including but not limited to schools, family hubs, social care, health and other voluntary sector organisations), the wider Playskill team and families, this role will deliver family-centred practice, ensuring positive outcomes for families.

We are looking for someone who has an understanding of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and the challenges to navigate education, welfare and health systems. They will need to understand the needs of families and be able to work collaboratively.

The role will be responsible for the integration of our Support Worker team and family support services, ensuring best practice and identifying training needs as they arise.

You must be well organised and able to demonstrate the ability to develop strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. As a self-starter, you will be able to use your own initiative, can problem solve and prioritise, with good planning and organisational skills. You will be expected to manage your weekly diary ensuring you are offering timely, quality support across our sites and within the community. You will be expected to have a positive, resilient attitude, be able to work under pressure, meet deadlines and be flexible and adaptable.

All employees will be expected to make a commitment to Playskill’s core values of Respect, Compassion, Collaboration, Whole Family and Support.

What we can offer you

• Wellbeing support

• Supportive colleagues

• Pension

Diversity statement: 

Playskill is an equal opportunities employer and has a high number of team with caring responsibilities and is keen to encourage applicants from a diverse number of backgrounds.

Safeguarding statement:

Playskill is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Playskill has a full safeguarding policy and expects all staff to undergo safeguarding training.   

Closing Date:  5pm, Wednesday 17th December 2025

Interview date: Tuesday 6th January 2026

Interview location: Hemel Hempstead

Reg Charity no 1198233 (formerly 1122745). Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.in

Lead a Community Nursery - Make a Real Difference

Nursery Manager (Term-Time)
Recruiting on behalf of our client
Location: Winchester
Salary: £18.76 per hour (Term-time only £30,747; FTE £36,582)
Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm, term-time
Closing Date: [Insert date]

Shape the Future for Local Families

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a well-loved nursery at the heart of a thriving community centre. Surrounded by green spaces and working closely with local families, you'll create a safe, inspiring environment where children can flourish. If you're passionate about early years education and want to make a tangible impact, this role is for you.

Why You'll Love This Role

• Community Impact: Be part of a small, dedicated team making a real difference.
• Beautiful Setting: Work in a nursery surrounded by green fields and parkland.
• Leadership Opportunity: Shape the future of our nursery and lead a passionate team.
• Supportive Culture: Collaborate with families, professionals, and agencies to give every child the best start.

What You'll Do

• Lead and manage the nursery team day-to-day.
• Ensure safeguarding policies are implemented and understood by all staff.
• Deliver a high-quality curriculum within the EYFS framework.
• Build strong relationships with families and external agencies.
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead and Ofsted nominated person.
• Promote the nursery and community centre through marketing and engagement.

What We're Looking For

• Relevant childcare qualification (minimum Level 3) and at least 2 years' leadership experience in an Early Years setting.
• Strong knowledge of EYFS and Ofsted requirements.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and inspire a team.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting child welfare.

Benefits

• Competitive salary (£18.76 per hour, term-time only).
• Work in a supportive, community-focused environment.
• Training and development opportunities, including safeguarding and paediatric first aid.

Interested?
Apply now and help create a nurturing environment where every child can thrive.

Charity People is a forward-thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.