Early years jobs

About Us

The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, early years professionals and the wider business community, working together for investment and reform of early education and childcare in England.

We believe that we all benefit from a well-functioning early education system and we all have a role to play in ensuring it works for children, parents and the economy.

We are backed by some of the most high-profile campaign and research organisations in the UK. Our members include early years provider membership bodies, parent campaign groups, early childhood experts, trade unions, the business lobby, anti-poverty campaigners and NGOs. Together, we use our collective voice and research to build public and political support for early education and childcare. And it’s worked. Thanks to the dedication of our members, early years is one of the top priorities for the government’s Plan for Change.

But our work isn’t done – we have an ambitious agenda to ‘rescue and reform’ the system, ensuring that:

• Every child can access high-quality education and care that their parents can afford and that will support them to thrive
• Every provider is funded fairly for the places they offer
• Every early years professional is rewarded and recognised for the skilled work they do

This is an exciting time to join the Coalition. We have experienced significant growth in recent years and with early years firmly on the policy agenda, we expect this to continue.

We are now looking to appoint a Deputy Director to help steer that work and further drive the development of the Coalition. You will work closely with the Executive Director (ED) to lead our influencing work at the highest level, strengthening our policy platform, and ensuring we translate evidence into meaningful impact. At the same time, you will play a pivotal role in supporting a talented and experienced team and shape the continued growth of the Coalition as a charitable organisation.

About The Role

• Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week over 5 days. We may consider 4 days per week.
• Duration: Two-year contract, renewed subject to funding.
• Location: Home-working but based in or near London.

· Salary: £62,000 - £64,170 per annum FTE

We are a remote team, with most colleagues based outside London. This role requires regular access to Westminster, so you will need to be based in or within easy reach of London.

We work flexibly and understand the realities of balancing work with caring commitments. We trust you to manage your time but expect that most of your hours are worked within core office hours to fulfil the requirements of the role. To support fluent remote working, we require all staff to work on Thursdays.

This is a dual role, delivering our policy, engagement and public affairs strategy while also supporting the Executive Director to grow the Coalition as an organisation and movement. You will play a central role in shaping the Coalition’s strategy, culture and growth. This is a senior, outward-facing role, suited to someone who can think strategically, build influence at the highest levels, and remain hands-on within a small and ambitious team.

About You

You are a senior public affairs professional with a strong track record of strategic influencing and engagement to shape policy. You bring robust judgement and credibility and are motivated by the opportunity to deliver meaningful change in a high-profile policy area and may have experience on public-service reform.

You are equally comfortable setting direction and delivering through others as you are rolling up your sleeves to respond to fast-moving political developments. You are a confident relationship-builder who can operate effectively at senior levels, while working collaboratively across a diverse coalition.

You should have previous experience of managing functions and teams and working in senior leadership teams. Ideally you will be live to the challenges of working in a small, but high-impact national organisation and have experience of scaling teams and functions.

What You Can Expect To Be Doing

• Executive leadership
  This will include supporting the ED with key senior stakeholder relationships including funders, ministers and policymakers. You will be required to deputise for the ED during periods of leave or when directed to do so. This is a pivotal role which straddles the executive and senior leadership functions. Consequently, you will be expected to make decisions that balance multiple interests and help scale and grow the Coalition as a sustainable organisation.
• Lead the Coalition’s policy and influencing function
  Work with the Senior Leadership Team and Coalition members to turn evidence into clear, credible policy positions and priorities, ensuring members are aligned, informed and able to contribute.
• Develop and deliver a cross-party influencing strategy
  Building on the Coalition’s profile, you will further nurture and maintain relationships with MPs, peers, special advisers, civil servants and key stakeholders, ensuring strong reach across Westminster, local government and the wider policy community.
• Maximise key moments for impact
  Identify and respond to opportunities in the parliamentary and policy cycle to maximise influence, including producing briefings, consultation responses and submissions.
• Oversee policy-related events to support engagement
  Lead activity such as events, roundtables and party conference attendance to strengthen the Coalition’s visibility and impact.
• Align policy, public affairs, research and communications
  Work closely with the Head of Communications and Campaigns, and the Associate Director of Research to ensure a joined-up approach across research, influencing, media and campaigning.
• Represent the Coalition externally
  Act as a senior spokesperson at high-level meetings, events, and in the media where appropriate.
• Strengthen how we measure impact
  Work with the Executive Director to further develop our impact framework, improving how we track, evaluate and communicate influence.
• Lead and develop the team
  Provide support to team members, fostering a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of leading a team or working at executive/senior leadership levels where you have managed budgets and had to make decisions related to organisational effectiveness. This should also include demonstrable experience of building and nurturing teams that can deliver an organisational strategy.
• Proven experience leading influencing functions in an advocacy or policy environment and delivering change
• Experience turning research and insight into clear, credible and persuasive policy positions.
• Knowledge of system change approaches, ideally within public service reform or similar
• Knowledge of how Government, Parliament, Whitehall, political parties and the wider policy community operate, and how to navigate them effectively.
• Able to operate confidently in complex, fast-moving and politically sensitive environments, working across party lines with diplomacy.
• Demonstrable experience building and maintaining trusted relationships with politicians, advisers, officials and sector leaders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing high-quality briefings and representing organisations externally.
• Experience of supporting fundraising activities either through relationship-building or bid-writing.

Desirable

• Understanding of early education and childcare policy in England and the challenges currently facing the system.
• Experience working in or with coalitions, membership organisations or alliances.
• Proven ability to work flexibly as part of a small, remote team.

The application process

Please apply with a CV and cover letter (no more than two pages) by the listed closing date. No agencies please. We recognise that the use of AI technologies can be useful in reducing the work that goes into job-hunting, however, we kindly request that you use your cover letter to evidence that you have understood the requirements of the role and provide examples of how you can meet the criteria.

The EECC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We use anonymous recruiting during the application process and we use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the disabled or Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidate in order to diversify our staff team.

We regret that our small team does not have capacity to provide individual feedback on every application.

Recruitment timeline

• Closing date: 23:30, Thursday 11th June. 
• Notified for interview by: Tuesday 16th June
• Interviews: We expect this to be a two-stage interview process with first interviews held on either 24th or 25th June and second stage interviews arranged an agreed time.

In the event that we don't receive suitable applications, we may extend this deadline and timeline.

Do you have experience working with families and children aged 0-13, a good understanding of the needs of vulnerable families and a relevant vocational or academic qualification?

Welcare is recruiting an experienced Family Support Worker to deliver a broad-based preventative and responsive support service for families with children up to the age of 13 in partnership with schools, churches, the local authority and other agencies, in the London boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich.Local knowledge of Bromley and Greenwich areas would be an advantage.

You will be delivering practical and emotional support to enhance the lived experiences of children and families through one-to-one support and group work programmes.  The post requires working with families in person and online remote working.  The office base is in Community House, Bromley.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for further details.

About Us

The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, early years professionals and the wider business community, working together for investment and reform of early education and childcare in England.

We believe that we all benefit from a well-functioning early education system and we all have a role to play in ensuring it works for children, parents and the economy.

We are backed by some of the most high-profile campaign and research organisations in the UK. Our members span providers, parent groups, trade unions, the business community and NGOs. Together, we use our collective voice and research to build public and political support for change.

This is an exciting time to join the Coalition. We have experienced significant growth in recent years and, with early years firmly on the political agenda, we expect this to continue.

About the role

• Hours: 30 hours per week (this can be worked over 4 or 5 days). We will consider other working patterns with a minimum of 3.5 days per week worked over 4.
• Duration: Two-year contract, renewed subject to funding
• Location: Home-working, can be based anywhere in the country
• Salary: c. £53,820 per annum FTE (£43,056 pro-rata for 4 days)

We are a remote team, with most colleagues based outside London. This role will support the whole organisation and requires occasional in-person meetings such as in-person team planning days which you will be expected to travel to.

We work flexibly and understand the realities of balancing work with caring commitments. We trust you to manage your time, but expect most hours to be worked within core office hours. To support effective remote working, all staff work on Thursdays.

This is a senior, cross-cutting leadership role sitting at the heart of the organisation. You will lead on operations, finance, HR and organisational systems, while working closely with the Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the Board to ensure the Coalition is sustainable, well-run, and set up for growth and impact.

About You

You are an experienced operations leader with a strong track record of building and running effective organisational systems, ideally within a charity, social impact or policy environment.

You are equally comfortable developing strategy and rolling up your sleeves to deliver. You bring strong financial and organisational management skills, and are motivated by enabling high-impact teams to thrive.

You have experience working at senior leadership level and are confident operating across a small, fast-paced organisation where priorities can shift quickly. You are a systems thinker who can spot gaps, create structure, and improve how things work.

What You Can Expect to Be Doing

Function leadership

• Work as part of the Senior Leadership Team
• Contribute to organisational strategy, planning and growth
• Support organisational decision-making, balancing operational, financial and strategic priorities

Develop operations and organisational systems

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the organisation, ensuring efficient and effective operations
• Develop and implement systems, processes and policies to support a scaling organisation
• Take ownership of organisational infrastructure (e.g. CRM, internal systems, workflows)
• Improve internal coordination, planning and ways of working across functions

Financial management and sustainability

• Oversee day-to-day financial operations, including reporting, invoicing and payments
• Support organisational financial planning, forecasting and scenario modelling
• Work with external accountants/bookkeepers and ensure strong financial controls
• Support the Executive Director and Board on financial governance and decision-making

People management

• Ensure the organisation has robust HR systems in place, ensuring they reflect changes in legislation, support staff wellbeing and development and foster an inclusive and positive culture
• Lead recruitment, onboarding and staff contracts
• Support performance management, team development and organisational culture

Programme and contract management

• Oversee operational delivery of programmes and projects
• Manage funder agreements and contracts, ensuring compliance and reporting
• Support programme leads with planning, delivery tracking and coordination
• Strengthen systems for delivery and accountability

Governance and organisational support

• Support effective governance, including Board coordination and reporting
• Ensure strong administration of meetings, papers and decision-making processes
• Strengthen alignment between governance, strategy and operations

Cross-organisational leadership

• Act as a central coordination point across policy, campaigns, research and communications
• Support other heads of function to deliver effectively through strong operational systems
• Identify and address organisational capacity gaps, particularly in admin, finance and infrastructure

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of working at senior leadership level
• Strong experience in operations and financial management
• Experience establishing or improving systems and organisational infrastructure
• Experience of HR processes and people management
• Experience supporting governance and working with senior stakeholders
• Ability to operate effectively in a small, fast-paced and growing organisation
• Strong organisational, problem-solving and communication skills

Desirable

• Experience in a charity, coalition, membership or policy organisation
• Experience supporting organisational growth or scaling
• Experience managing CRMs or digital systems
• While not essential, we would welcome applications from candidate who have either a HR or a financial qualification i.e. CIPD qualified or AAT qualification or similar level of experience and knowledg

The application process

Please apply with a CV and cover letter (no more than two pages) by the listed closing date. No agencies please. We recognise that the use of AI technologies can be useful in reducing the work that goes into job-hunting, however, we kindly request that you use your cover letter to evidence that you have understood the requirements of the role and provide examples of how you can meet the criteria.

The EECC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We use anonymous recruiting during the application process and we use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the disabled or Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidate in order to diversify our staff team.

We regret that our small team does not have capacity to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually.

Timeline

• Closing date: 23:30, Thursday 11th June
• Notified for interview by: Tuesday 16th June
• Interviews: We expect this to be a two-stage interview process with first interviews held on either 24th or 25th June and second stage interviews arranged an agreed time.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for graduates who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a permanent role as an Education Worker on IntoUniversity’s Graduate Scheme, helping to change the lives of young people.

We believe that our Graduate Scheme is one of the most exciting in the charity sector, an excellent career opportunity with exceptional training and hands-on experience, opportunities for promotion, and the chance to work with young people and colleagues who will challenge and inspire you.

Contract

Full-time, permanent 

Start date

July 2026

Working hours

Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00

Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30

(Some out-of-hours work will be required from time to time - for example, early starts to deliver workshops in schools.)

Education Workers are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres.

Salary

£28,250 per annum

Location

We have positions available in Hull 

Annual leave

33 days (inc bank & public holidays) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days) 

Application deadline

9am Wednesday 27th May 2026

Selection Day (online)

Tuesday 16th June 2026

We may hold a further selection day on Friday 19th June 2026 if we receive a high volume of applications. 

Interview Day (online)

Wednesday 24th June 2026 

Please ensure that you are available on these dates

As a Beat Programme Officer, you will deliver high quality coaching support and guided self-help to individuals experiencing eating disorders and/or their loved ones, fostering early intervention and promoting sustained long-term recovery.

You will effectively manage a caseload of beneficiaries, providing tailored support that fosters early intervention and promotes sustained recovery.

Programme Officers work collaboratively and in alignment with Beat’s values, ensuring the achievement of Beat’s goals and strategy, and facilitating the effective delivery of contracted programme places.

You will be part of a cohesive and high performing team based on the principles of trust, mutual respect and empowerment.

Coin Street Nursery is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to join our friendly and dedicated team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who takes pride in creating fresh, nutritious meals from scratch and is committed to promoting healthy eating for young children.

While experience in a nursery or similar setting is desirable, it is not essential. We welcome candidates with strong catering experience in preparing meals at scale who share our values around nutrition and quality.

We operate a busy nursery, preparing meals for up to 80 children and staff daily. The successful candidate will be highly organised, able to manage their own workload, and committed to maintaining high standards across all areas of the kitchen.

We are proud of our 5-star food hygiene rating and our excellent standards of cleanliness. Maintaining health and safety, food hygiene, and compliance will be central to your role. Working within a set budget, you will also be responsible for effective menu planning, stock control, and food purchasing, ensuring meals remain fresh, healthy, and varied.

You will play a key role in meeting the diverse dietary needs of our children. A strong understanding of allergies, intolerances, and special diets is essential to ensure every child receives safe, high-quality meals.
You will be supported by a part-time kitchen assistant; however, you will retain overall responsibility for the kitchen, including end-of-day cleaning and organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare nutritious, balanced meals for children and staff
• Manage kitchen operations, including ordering, stock control, and budgeting
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety
• Cater for a range of dietary requirements, including allergies and cultural preferences
• Lead and organise daily kitchen activities effectively

We are looking for a Head Chef who can demonstrate:

• A current Food Hygiene Certificate
• Significant experience preparing a wide range of meals in a non-domestic setting for large groups, ideally including young children
• Experience in menu planning, ordering, and stock management 
• Strong knowledge of dietary requirements, food hygiene, and health & safety 
• Good literacy, numeracy, and budget management skills 
• The ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with colleagues and children 
• A proactive approach to contributing to service development, including diverse and culturally inclusive menus

Creating an inspirational neighbourhood
We provide the opportunities and spaces for people to lead their own change.

Our activities are wide and far reaching. From giving families and children the best start in life through our childcare and family support, to creating and maintaining high quality live, work and play spaces on land which we own.

We promote enterprise, creativity and lifelong learning whether that’s through providing employment, volunteering opportunities, nurturing enterprise or delivering programmes and activities.  We provide housing that supports our community; we champion co-operative housing and influence local and national housing policy.

From sports and dance to healthy eating and gardening, we offer a range of facilities and activities accessible to everyone to support health and wellbeing in our community.

In return, we can offer you:

• 35 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) pro rata for part time staff
• 8% contributory pension scheme (5% employer contribution, 3% employee contribution)
• Health and wellbeing support, including online mental health therapy sessions
• Free gym membership at Colombo, annual flu jabs
• Commitment to training and development

Contract
Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Salary
£33,000 per annum

To Apply
To apply, please download and complete the application form. Once completed, submit your application via email. Please visit our website if you require more info.

Due to Safer Recruitment guidance, please note that additional documents, such as CVs, will not be considered.

Successful candidates will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check. 

Closing Date
Please send your application by midnight on 21 June 2026

About Spear Cheltenham

In Cheltenham Spear is partnered with Trinity Cheltenham!

Their vision is to make committed followers of Jesus who can change communities and nations for Him, and their values seek to express living in response to God, modelling authentic community, and embracing God’s adventure. Spear Cheltenham has been running successfully for over 3 years, and their heart and vision is to see an increase in the number of trainees per cohort and expand their geographic reach.

Key Information:

• You will be employed by Trinity Cheltenham reporting to the Centre Manager, with operational oversight and training from Spear
• Part-Time, initially one-year Fixed-Term, Tuesday – Thursday, with occasional evening work for events such as our Spear Celebrations
• Salary: from £26,883 FTE (pro rata 0.6 - £16,130)
• 21 days annual leave, with one additional day per year of service up to a max of 31 days, plus bank holidays
• Closing date: Tuesday 9th June (we interview on a rolling basis and may close the role early if we find the right candidate)

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with us pack.

If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process please let us know.

Person Specification:

• An active Christian that is committed to grow and learn spiritually as a Christian leader and represent the values and ethos of the Spear charity, Trinity Cheltenham and St Paul’s churches.
• A confidence in group facilitation, and a desire to learn and understand coaching techniques.
• Passion for social justice and for working as part of the church to transform communities, especially supporting young people in employment or education.
• An ambitious and self-motivated individual with the ability to exercise initiative, prioritise workload and work well under pressure.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High emotional intelligence, and a sense of humour and fun!

Our EYFS compliant Early Years Provision is an essential part of our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) service, providing Early Years education & development for children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). The parent(s) of our Early Years children attend onsite English Language classes for the duration of the Early Years session with the majority of our families having been resettled to the UK as those with refugee status.

Our ESOL provision currently runs at two locations, in Shefford and Bedford. This role is based predominantly in Shefford and is a term-time only role (39 weeks per year paid in equal instalments over a 12 month period) with regular team training and development opportunities at our central office in Bedford.

About the role

The Early Years Session Lead holds responsibility for leading sessions in our trauma-informed Early Years setting. They supervise a small team of L2 practitioners during the sessions, with the possibility of career progression to a Room Lead role with line management responsibilities following successful completion of probation period. As an OFSTED registered Early Years setting we work to support children to learn, grow and develop in line with the EYFS framework & Development Matters guidance.

The Early Years Session Lead is part of the EY Leadership Team, which meet together online on a weekly basis (currently Weds 15:00-16:00, with flexibility to amend meeting time to accommodate flexible working requests where possible)

In addition the EY Session Lead works in our EY setting in Bedford on a Friday alongside the Early Years Room Lead (Bedford) and the Senior Early Years Practitioner. We are open to discussing flexible working requests for the right candidate should working in Bedford on a Friday not be possible.

You can download a full job description from our website

Next Step

If this sounds like you, please complete our application form and Equal Opportunities form.

Location: Shefford, and Bedford Town Centre

Closing Date: 21st May 2026 at 6pm

Interview Date: 1st June 2026 in Shefford

We are now looking for an exceptional Senior Operations Manager  to lead the organisation into its next phase - someone who can balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational delivery, while continuing to build on the Centre’s strong reputation.

The Sunshine Centre is a well-established and highly valued community hub, supporting children and families across Banbury through early years provision, family services and strong local partnerships.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a purpose-driven organisation where your impact will be visible, meaningful and genuinely valued within the community.

The role

As Senior Operations Manager you will take overall responsibility for the leadership and performance of the Centre, working closely with the Board of Trustees to shape its future direction.

You will:

• Provide clear strategic leadership and deliver the Centre’s long-term vision

• Oversee day-to-day operations across early years provision, childcare and family services

• Lead and develop a team of 30-35 staff, including the Senior Leadership Team

• Ensure high standards of safeguarding, compliance and regulation (including Ofsted)

• Take ownership of financial sustainability, including budgeting, fundraising and income generation

• Drive continuous improvement, responding to community needs and feedback

• Act as a visible ambassador, building strong relationships with families, partners and stakeholders

This is a hands-on leadership role, requiring both strategic thinking and close involvement in day-to-day delivery.

About you

You’ll be a confident, values-led leader with the ability to inspire others and deliver real impact.

You will bring:

• Proven leadership experience within early years, childcare, charity or community settings

• Experience working in regulated environments (e.g. Ofsted), with strong safeguarding knowledge

• A track record of securing funding through fundraising, bid writing or income generation

• Strong financial and commercial awareness

• The ability to turn strategy into practical delivery

• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams

• A genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and families 

Why join the Sunshine Centre?

• Lead a respected, community-rooted organisation with a strong local impact

• Shape the future strategy and long-term sustainability of the Centre

• Work with a committed team and supportive Board of Trustees

• Make a meaningful difference to children, families and the wider community

About Coram
Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

Coram Family Lives is part of the Coram group.

About the role

This is a highly rewarding role for an Early Years Home Visitor to work with the ParentChild + Coordinator and to deliver ParentChild+ across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea areas to deliver the home learning service to families to improve educational outcomes for the children and to improve their parenting skills. The postholder will work closely with Early Years Practitioners in the local authority.

Coram Family Lives is the only organisation licensed to deliver the ParentChild+ in England and has done so since 2017. The programme delivers a model based on a combination of weekly home visits and small group sessions.  Each family receives free toys, books and small group sessions over a period 37 weeks. The ParentChild+ team will deliver the home learning service to 200 children over a 4 year period. The programme also addresses a range of outcomes for parents whose children are at risk of starting school below the expected level, by modelling to parents how to create a rich home learning environment.

The successful candidate must have experience of working with pre-school children and supporting their parents. You should be able to build good relationships, have excellent organisational skills, be proficient in keeping records and entering data and have good written and verbal communication. Commitment to equality of opportunity is essential. Level 3 or equivalent qualification in childcare is desirable.

You will work flexibly and must be willing and able to easily travel around area of work with occasional travel to other areas in London.

To apply for this role, please click on the apply now  to complete the application.

Closing date: Sunday 24th May 2026. Interview date: week commencing the of 8th June 2026.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from global majority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Barnardo's is one of the UK's leading children's charities, and our North England Fostering Service has recently been rated ‘Good' by Ofsted.

We are committed to providing safe, nurturing, and supportive homes for children and young people. Wwe are now looking for a passionate and skilled Supervising Social Worker to join our committed team.

Our North England service covers Yorkshire, Humber, and the North East of England.

About the Role

This exciting opportunity has arisen following an internal promotion.

As a Supervising Social Worker, you will play a vital role in supporting foster carers to deliver high-quality care.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing a protected caseload with access to innovative social work training
• Supervising, supporting, and developing foster carers
• Undertaking assessments of prospective foster carers
• Contributing to the matching process and foster home stability
• Working collaboratively with children, families, carers and professionals
• Maintaining accurate and timely records in line with regulatory standards
• Delivering training to foster carers
• Following Induction period participating in the out-of-hours rota (with additional payment)

What We're Looking For

We're seeking an individual who is:

• A qualified Social Worker (DipSW, CQSW or equivalent)
• Registered with Social Work England
• Experienced in fostering or children's social care
• Skilled in building strong, supportive relationships
• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Why Join Barnardo's?

• A supportive and inclusive working environment
• Access to high-quality training and development, including DDP and trauma-informed approaches
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Opportunities to develop your career within a well-respected national charity

Additional Information

• A recognised Social Work qualification and SWE registration are essential
• Experience in Family Placement, Child Protection, or Looked After Children services is required
• A full UK driving licence, access to a car, and business-use insurance are essential due to the nature of the role

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

*** Application extension: we are welcoming applications until 24th May ***

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with experience working in a policy role focused on food or related issues (climate, nutrition, health or education). You will have knowledge of the political landscape in the UK and experience working with or in government departments, academia and NGOs on a range of policy issues.

It is an exciting time in food policy, and in this role you’ll have opportunities to work across our national policy portfolio, whether its exploring the link between climate change and food prices, developing our proposition for a Good Food Bill, improving the Healthy Start scheme, or strengthening public sector procurement.

The postholder will manage a variety of high impact activities and outputs that are used to drive forward change across our national policy areas and will work will colleagues across the organisation working in national policy, local policy, communications, events and food business transformation to do this.

Due to the evolving policy landscape, there will be a chance to tailor the role to the interests and experience of the successful candidate.

Across these workstreams, you’ll get a chance to:

• contribute to the refinement of policy asks and comms messaging,
• undertake desk research to inform policy,
• coordinate activities with different stakeholders and partners working across different policy areas
• support Ambassadors on advocacy related to dietary inequalities
• support communications and campaign work related to this work

Job Description:

Management and Strategy

• Support the policy portfolio of campaigns and projects across our national policy areas, including on food prices and food inflation, our Good Food Bill campaign, Healthy Start and early years.
• Work closely with the Policy and Advocacy Manager to develop and implement project plans and deliverables across these areas
• Maintain a careful record of our policy impact according to our agreed metrics within our Monitoring Evaluation and Learning framework.
• Policy and research
• Synthesize evidence for and play a significant part in the development of position statements/briefings/reports, working closely with the wider policy team and our designer.
• Support the Public Affairs lead to develop policy products for use in parliamentary engagement.
• Working closely with our Research Lead, identify evidence gaps and policy research questions which are relevant to our policy work to support new positions and generate new ideas for research or evidence collection which help achieve our policy goals.
• Work where needed with external contractors in the delivery of specific pieces of work, setting clear expectations and holding them accountable for delivery.
• Stakeholder engagement
• Develop and maintain a strong civil society network of stakeholders, working to broaden the support base for specific policies.
• Participate in coalitions of organisations who are campaigning together on specific areas of policy change.
• Develop and maintain relationships with junior civil servants in key departments across all policy areas.
• Work with the Citizens Engagement Manager to identify opportunities to bring Adult and Young Food Ambassadors into policy activities and research.
• Represent the Food Foundation and present our work in external events and meetings with relevant audiences and the media.
• Budgets and fundraising
• Administer grants which support our projects and ensure that funders are kept well informed, receive timely reports and that budgets are kept on track.
• Maintain good relationships with funders according to their requirements and provide input to proposals and funding bids.

Communications and campaigns

• Develop a comprehensive approach to dissemination of our policy outputs so they reach our intended audiences.
• Act as a local/regional media spokesperson, brief journalists, and respond to media queries.
• Contribute policy and evidence expertise to support campaign delivery.
• Contribute policy expertise to press releases, newsletters, web copy, podcasts and blogs.
• Support the maintenance of website pages related to project areas.
• Draft social media posts and newsletters.

Personal Profile

Technical skills:

• Knowledge and understanding of the food system, food and nutrition and/or health policy and policy levers for change.
• Strong knowledge of the mechanics of the UK policy-making landscape, including the workings of Westminster and Whitehall.
• Proven experience in synthesising evidence and using evidence to make a case for change.
• Proven experience in writing reports and briefings for different audiences, with the ability to explain complex and highly nuanced subject matter in plain English.
• Previous experience working in a policy role, refining policy asks and communicating these with different stakeholders
• Excellent analytic skills and close attention to detail.

Personal skills:

• Proven experience in budget management, project management and reporting to funders.
• Proven experience in managing multiple projects concurrently to tight deadlines and prioritising workload.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience working collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Strong presentation skills and confidence in speaking to external audiences.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to problem-solve and manage risk.
• Ability to work independently and manage own time effectively.
• Ability to build strong relationships with all members of the team.
• Open to giving and receiving challenging viewpoints.
• Resilience and tenacity whilst recognising the need for self-awareness and the impact of actions on others and the organisation.
• Willingness to travel for project meetings and dissemination events.
• A confident networker who enjoys building connections and relationships with new people.

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity only. The Food Foundation is a small charity and as such all staff are expected to vary their duties as necessary to meet the needs of the organisation.

Please see the full job pack on our website 

Hours 25 Hours Per week across 5 days – to include daily play sessions 4-6pm each day. 

Manchester Young Lives is offering an exciting opportunity to join our team as an Early Intervention Worker, providing high-quality pastoral and therapeutic support for children and young people aged 6–14 years.

Following successful delivery for the last three years, we are delighted to be recruiting to a vacancy within our Early intervention team. The Early Intervention role focuses on providing support specifically for children and young people suffering increased levels of anxiety, loss of confidence and self-esteem, missing school or other types of isolation and trauma.

This role involves working directly with children and young people through face-to-face support, while also integrating into Play and Youth Sessions at our Adventure Playgrounds. You will work closely with families, schools, and other education and support agencies to help create the best possible opportunities and outcomes for the children and young people we support.

Based at our Adventure Playgrounds in Moss Side and Ardwick, the successful candidate will bring enthusiasm and passion for working with children and young people, the ability to use creative and innovative approaches to engage, support, and reassure them alongside a strong commitment to making a positive difference within local communities.

Working hours include after-school sessions and evening work, Monday to Friday, with some weekend work required to respond to local needs. Staff may also be required to work across a number of locations as part of the wider team.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping 56,000 young people each year at its 44 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for a high-calibre candidate who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a permanent role as Centre Leader at our IntoUniversity centre in Kennington. You will have responsibility for running your IntoUniversity centre, including managing your team, planning and delivering the programme, liaising with external stakeholders and meeting  IntoUniversity’s targets for delivery.

A substantial element of this role is delivering our education programme to children and young people aged 7-18, so you will need to have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for working with young people, including leading a class of 30 from the front, working with small teams of children and providing one-to-one support.

The role at a glance

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Application deadline - 9am Monday 8th June 2026

Interview day (in-person) - Monday 15th June 2026

Start date: As soon as possible, to be agreed with the successful candidate

Working hours
Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00
Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30

(Some additional weekend & unsocial hours will be required)

Centre Leaders are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres

Location

IntoUniversity Kennington

The role requires intermittent travel in your region (usually within the day). Periodic travel out of the area is also required e.g. to London, this may include occasional overnight stays. 

Salary

£39,100 per annum (inclusive of £2,700 London contribution)

Annual leave

33 days (inc bank & public holidays) (pro rata for part-time staff) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days)

Staff benefits

• Employer pension contributions of 6% (and up to 8% after two years)

• Year round ‘early finish’ Fridays at 4.30pm

• Summer working hours (finish at 1pm on Fridays for six weeks in the summer), pro-rated for staff joining after January in the same year 

• Employee Assistance Programme including access to wellbeing and legal support 

• Life Assurance scheme with Aviva including SmartHealth service with access to 24/7 online GP appointments

• Interest-free new starter loans of up to £1,000

• Cycle to Work Scheme and Travelcard Loan Scheme

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay and sick pay allowances

• Staff in FOCUS – rewards, competitions and prizes across the year