Education and community officer jobs in blackburn, england

Job TitleCommunications Manager

LocationHome based (Home working with regular meetings in London)

Salary£35,000 - £45,000

HoursFull Time, permanent 

Reports to                   Chief Policy Officer 

NOTE:

• Please include notice period and salary expectations in application letter.
• First round interviews will be held on Friday 7 November, final round interviews will be held on Friday 14 November

About Parentkind

As one of the largest federated charities in the UK, with arguably greater reach into the lives of families and educational settings than any other non-Government organisation, Parentkind is on a bold and urgent mission: to support, champion, and empower parents to be partners in their children’s education and wellbeing. 

Although best known for our support of almost 24,000 Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Parent Councils, and Schools, helping them build strong school communities whilst they raise approaching £140 million each year to enhance children’s education, our work stretches far beyond the school gates. Parentkind is building a powerful movement that recognises parental engagement not as a nicety, but a necessity.

Supporting parents beyond the school gate

In recent years, families have faced a series of compounding challenges: the cost-of-living crisis, rising child poverty, and deepening educational inequality. These pressures have left many parents struggling to meet basic needs—let alone feel confident engaging in their child’s learning journey.  Parentkind has responded to this moment with compassion, agility and purpose, through a series of transformative campaigns, resources, and partnerships. 

Our No Cold Child initiative with FatFace stepped in to address a stark statistic: over 150,000 children in the UK do not own a winter coat due to poverty. Through our trusted relationships with schools we distributed 10,000 warm, high-quality coats worth £600,000 to the children who needed them most. Winning the Business Charity Awards ‘Fashion & Retail’ Award, and shortlisted for two further awards, the campaign has been praised not just for providing warmth, but for restoring dignity, inclusion, and school readiness to thousands of children.

The All Dressed Up campaign—developed with World Book Day and Rubies Masquerade—confronted the often-overlooked issue of financial exclusion on key celebration days. More than 100,000 free dressing up costumes worth £1.34 million were delivered to children from low-income families. By enabling participation in events like World Book Day, we helped spark imagination, joy, and belonging for children who might otherwise feel left out—boosting self-esteem and supporting a positive connection to learning.Furthermore, helping attract children into school on a day which often sees struggling parents keep their children at home.

Alongside these national campaigns, Parentkind supports families year-round through a growing suite of programmes designed to inform, prepare and empower parents. Our Be School Ready programme offers crucial guidance and confidence to parents preparing their children for the leap into primary education. With a mix of practical advice, developmental tips, and reassurance, through the distribution of 150,000 copies of Be School Ready and an online campaign, it supports families at one of the most formative moments in their child’s life.

We also deliver a wide-ranging series of live expert webinars and parent-friendly resources, covering topics such as managing anxiety, supporting special educational needs, navigating school transitions, and building home-school partnerships. These resources, developed in consultation with experts and rooted in lived parent experience, equip families to feel informed and empowered, no matter what challenges arise.

Our direct support of schools

Our collaboration with Asda on Cashpot for Schools is another example of unlocking support at scale. This innovative community-led funding model allowed shoppers to nominate and fund their local schools simply through everyday spending. This campaign has generated £5.78 million for schools during the past twelve months, supporting everything from basic classroom supplies to vital extracurricular programmes and pupil wellbeing initiatives. Also shortlisted for a Business Charity Award, it is already a model for community-driven philanthropy.

In April, we launched our Parent-Friendly Schools Accreditation Programme, designed to formally recognise schools that go above and beyond in fostering positive, inclusive relationships with parents. The accreditation celebrates schools that actively listen to parent voices, make engagement easy and accessible, and embed family partnership in their culture. It is a practical and inspiring tool to drive long-term change in the sector and offers a roadmap for schools wanting to strengthen their community.

Our focus on Policy & Research

Our work is grounded in evidence. Since 2023, we have conducted the UK’s largest annual parent survey: the National Parent Survey. With approaching 6,000 participants providing 130,000 bits of data to provide invaluable insights into the struggles, concerns, hopes and fears of parents. The findings are fed directly into government consultations and have already informed national debates on school funding, attendance, mental health support, SEND provision, and curriculum reform.

In each of the past two years the number of policymakers, educators, parents and researchers accessing the National Parent Survey exceeded seven thousand, and the survey featured in more than two hundred media outlets each year. In addition to the National Parent Survey, Parentkind undertakes representative polling of parents throughout the year on a variety of important topics, which increasingly find exposure in the media and policy discussion.

Parentkind provides the secretariat for the Westminster APPG for Parents and the Stormont APG for Parental Participation in Education. Two very successful parliamentary groups bringing together policymakers and a variety of stakeholders to consider the challenges faced by parents and act as a voice for them through a variety of policymakers.

Our Media Engagement

Since becoming recognised as the UK’s largest parent charity, with likely more groups and frontline volunteers than the Scouts or Girlguiding, Parentkind has gained increasing prominence in the media.Beyond the reach of the National Parent Survey and our regular polling, Parentkind receives frequent requests for quotes of reflection and input by media in relation to their journalism and from Government and non-Government entities in support of policy announcements.

Beyond this, the Parentkind community of volunteers and PTAs share local or regional media announcements of their own.Whether or not it celebrating the completion of large projects they have invested countless hours and thousands of pounds into realising, or the community event they have worked into the night to deliver for their school communities.

It will be your role to take this much further, gaining increasing exposure for the work of Parentkind, its community, and parents more broadly. 

If you believe, like we do, that when parents matter, children succeed, we’d love to hear from you.

What we are looking for…

• Someone with a “nose for news” and an understanding what makes a newsworthy opinion poll that will hit the headline and go big on social media. 
• We are a small, fast paced team, there are no line management responsibilities attached to the role. We’re looking for someone with a “roll up your sleeves up and get on with it” mentality.
• Being able to demonstrate you can sell our parent voice research and amazing existing data to media across broadcast, social media and print media 
• Being able to lead and deliver a plan to raise our profile on social media, broadcast and in print media
• A good understanding of the challenges faced by children and families, education debates and education policy, we are the voice of parents.
• We are a cross party charity and we work with all parties, we want someone who understands that approach and brings it to their work.
• Someone who can to respond to social media debates at pace and make sure are part of the debate.
• Experience of writing compelling written documents when 100 words would make a stronger case than 1,000. You can bring evidence to life and make an argument to convince.
• Someone with experience of appearing on broadcast media and willing to be a ‘talking head’ for Parentkind as required. This is not essential, but it would be great to have someone willing to do this.

Your mission is to massively increase our online, in print and social media presence with a specific focus on policy, research and impact, to make us the highest profile parent charity in the UK. We have a huge amount of data on what parents think and we need you to get it seen. This is a great job for someone who wants to grab hold of a “comms” function and make it their own.

Parentkind is a UK wide charity, you will be expected to support our work in other parts of the UK where necessary.  

JOB TITLE: Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications

LOCATION: Flexible, with regular travel to London

RESPONSIBLE TO: Chief Executive

DIRECT REPORTS: Senior Trusts & Grants Manager, Marketing Manager, Fundraising Manager

HOURS OF WORK: Full time, 35 hours per week

DURATION: SALARY / GRADE: £65,000 to £75,000 (dependent on experience) plus benefits

TEAM SIZE: 6 FTE (with growth plans of up to 12 fte by 2030)

JOB PROFILE

ABOUT ADOPTION UK

Adoption UK is the leading national voice for adoptive families. We exist to ensure that every child and young person who cannot grow up with their birth parents gets the right support at the right time – from childhood into adulthood.

Every year, thousands of children in the UK are adopted – most having experienced trauma, loss, or neglect. Adoption transforms their futures, but it is rarely the end of the story. Adoptive families face unique challenges: children struggling to trust, thrive in school, or feel safe; parents battling to secure the right support; young people navigating identity and belonging. Without the right help, too many families reach breaking point. Adoption UK is there to change this. We are a lifeline for families – offering community, advice, advocacy, and practical support. We champion their voices with government and professionals, driving changes in policy and practice so that no adoptive family feels they are facing the journey alone.

With over 6,000 members, strong credibility with policymakers, and a powerful lived experience community, we are uniquely placed to influence change. Our mission is urgent and nationally significant: to ensure that every adoptive family can thrive, and every adopted child has the chance to fulfil their potential.

DIRECTORATE PURPOSE

The Fundraising, Marketing and Communications directorate is responsible for:

• Income generation across trusts and foundations, corporates, major donors, community fundraising, public donations, and legacies, alongside relationships with commissioners and public sector funders.

• Partnership development, engaging businesses, philanthropists, trusts, and volunteers.

• Marketing of services and membership to families, adoptees, commissioners, and professionals in health, education, and social care.

• Awareness raising and thought leadership, ensuring adoption and permanence issues have a strong voice nationally.

Currently a team of six, the directorate has strong ambitions to grow in size and scope, with scope to re-imagine its structure to meet future needs.

THE ROLE

This is a career-defining opportunity to shape the future of fundraising, marketing and communications at a charity of national importance.

As Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications you will:

• Build unrestricted income in a competitive funding environment

• Lead the transformation of Adoption UK’s income model, scaling from £500k to £2m+ contribution (by 2030) to organisational income growth from a £4.2m baseline.

• Develop and deliver a bold, integrated fundraising, marketing, and communications strategy.

• Build Adoption UK’s brand and profile with families, adoptees, commissioners, policymakers, funders, and the wider public.

• Inspire, coach, and grow a talented team, embedding a culture of confidence, creativity, and innovation.

• Personally cultivate and steward high-value donor, corporate, and foundation relationships, working with the CEO, Board of Trustees, and ambassadors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the design and delivery of a multi-year fundraising, marketing, and communications strategy aligned to organisational priorities.

• Act as a cultural change leader, shifting from risk-averse to confident, outward-facing engagement.

• Contribute fully to the Senior Leadership Team, influencing strategy, governance, and financial planning.

Income Growth & Diversification

• Oversee all voluntary income streams – trusts, major donors, corporates, community/public fundraising, legacies – while also strengthening public sector and commissioning relationships.

• Oversee marketing and growth of membership as a core element of income and impact.

• Deliver long-term growth targets.

• Use and promote data-driven decision-making, supporter journeys, and digital fundraising/marketing effectively.

• Design and deliver a signature annual Showcase event, alongside new products such as a Giving Circle and Corporate Club, ensuring clear ROI and upgrade potential.

• Personally lead cultivation of transformational donor and partner relationships, supported by trustees, ambassadors, and patrons.

• Identify and test new funding streams and partnerships to diversify income and reduce risk.

Marketing & Communications

• Oversee a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy covering fundraising, membership, services, training, campaigns, and advocacy.

• Ensure a compelling and consistent case for support and brand identity across all channels.

• Raise Adoption UK’s national profile with media, commissioners, professionals, and the public.

• Lead digital transformation: CRM upgrade, supporter journeys, analytics, social media, and digital marketing.

• Manage media relations and reputation, including crisis communications alongside the CEO.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Lead, inspire, and grow a team of talented and motivated individuals.

• Model authentic, adaptive, and inclusive leadership – balancing ambition with staff wellbeing.

• Act as a coach and mentor, supporting professional growth and building the next generation of leaders.

• Champion Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and embed values-led behaviours across the team and all external engagement.

• Foster cross-organisational collaboration so fundraising and marketing are understood and supported across Adoption UK.

Financial & Governance

• Lead financial planning, budgeting, and ROI analysis for the directorate.

• Report regularly to CEO and Board of Trustees on progress, opportunities, and risks.

• Lead fundraising due-diligence and reputational risk processes, with regular reporting to Trustee-led committees (e.g. Finance & Risk).

• Ensure compliance with the Fundraising Code, GDPR, charity law, and safeguarding standards.

• Embed robust CRM, data, and analytics to support continuous improvement.

External Engagement

• Act as a visible ambassador for Adoption UK with donors, corporates, trusts and foundations, policymakers, and media.

• In collaboration with the CEO and Chair, direct ambassadors and patrons to open doors, advocate, and steward transformational relationships.

• Represent Adoption UK externally at events, forums, and national platforms.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Significant experience leading multi-stream fundraising, with success in at least two of: trusts, corporates, major donors, public fundraising.

• Experience developing marketing and communications strategies beyond fundraising – including brand, service promotion, membership, campaigns, and digital engagement.

• Track record of delivering growth, innovation, or transformation in income and/or organisational profile.

• Strong people leadership skills: ability to coach, inspire, and develop staff, including senior managers.

• Exceptional relationship-builder – credible with philanthropists, corporates, trustees, commissioners, and media.

• Strategic thinker with financial acumen (budgets, ROI, investment planning).

• Authentic communicator with excellent storytelling ability.

• Commitment to Adoption UK’s mission and values, with an inclusive and collaborative leadership style.

• Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of role at all times.

• Contributes to an open and honest culture

• Supports, encourages, and motivates colleagues.

• Encourages challenge, creativity and innovation.

• Leads by example.

• Values transparency and consistency.

• Understands the role of individual and collective accountability.

• Actively contributes to Adoption UK’s mission.

• Has a clear understanding of other colleagues’ roles and responsibilities

• Shares skills and knowledge.

• Promotes Cross Functional team working.

• Offers outstanding service to members.

• Takes pride in Adoption UK and promotes its values in all interactions with external stakeholders.

• Identifies and uses the most appropriate form of communication.

• Communicates clearly, seeking clarity when unclear and valuing the opinion of others.

• Treats colleagues and other stakeholders with respect, honesty, fairness and courtesy

• Is responsive to colleagues, third party professionals and service users.

• Takes pride in own development.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Enthusiastic and committed to achieving high standards and meeting agreed objectives.

• Takes an active interest in recognising professional and personal development needs and priorities within Adoption UK.

Desirable

• Experience in child welfare, family support, education, or adoption.

• Evidence of leading digital transformation in fundraising, marketing, or CRM.

• Existing networks in philanthropy, corporate CSR/ESG, or foundations relevant to Adoption UK’s mission.

This role profile is a guide to the nature of the work required and may involve other such duties as deemed necessary by the Organisation. It is not wholly comprehensive or restrictive. The role profile will be reviewed with the post-holder at significant points for the Organisation.

Postholder is expected to abide by all organisational policies, codes of conduct and practice, and to work within a framework of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.

The Opportunity

This is more than a fundraising role — it is an opportunity to lead transformational change for a cause of national importance. You will:

• Shape and lead a directorate spanning fundraising, marketing, and communications.

• Deliver transformational income growth and secure Adoption UK’s sustainability.

• Build Adoption UK’s brand and reputation as the national champion for adoptive families.

• Market services, membership, and campaigns so more families and professionals engage with our work.

• Lead cultural change, inspiring a confident, outward-facing, and innovative fundraising and marketing function.

Few roles offer such scope to combine fundraising growth, brand leadership, and culture change in a mission of such national importance. This is your chance to make a lasting impact – on Adoption UK, on your career, and on thousands of children and families across the UK.

Timetable:

The closing date for this role is 20th October 2025. However, Adoption UK reserves the right to end the application period sooner so we would recommend you complete the application form as soon as possible.

Shortlisting will be carried out on 22 to 24 October 2025 and you should be notified of an outcome within fifteen working days of the closing date.

The panel will shortlist based on those applicants who best meet the criteria for the role.

The date(s) scheduled for first interviews will be 3rd November 2025. These dates may be subject to change and applications will be advised in advance should this happen.

We are building a compassionate and high performing organisation at Kentown Support. We are 
looking for an ambitious, energetic and collaborative colleague who has both a passion for their work 
and the difference it can make to children and their families. This is a pivotal leadership role and 
opportunity to join an incredible charity at the beginning of its journey offering a real opportunity to 
shape our future success

Job overview

The role will focus  on growing the value of funding from large trusts and foundations globally, as well as from corporate foundations and institutional funders via consortium partnerships with larger conservation actors.

The role will oversee grant and contract management with existing organisational and institutional partnerships, as well as grow this portfolio through developing a robust pipeline of new opportunities, finding creative ways to secure visibility and first meetings, developing relationships, compelling funding applications and ensuring strong contract management oversight.

The role will lead a team of two, work collaboratively with fundraising colleagues based in the US and UK to secure visibility with and develop strong long-term partnerships with new Trusts and Foundations; and work closely with colleagues in Kenya to ensure strong project delivery and grant management. Responsibilities include:

• Lead the implementation of the Trusts & Foundations (T&Fs) programme with a particular focus on growing the portfolio of large T&Fs in the USA, UK and European markets;
• Work with fundraising colleagues across priority markets and with communications colleagues, using innovative and proactive approaches to business development and relationship building to unlock visibility opportunities and develop relationships with new prospects; in order to develop and maintain a strong pipeline of high-value funding opportunities.  
• Continue to oversee the current ‘programme funding’ portfolio which includes existing institutional funding partnerships and corporate foundation relationships in Kenya, ensuring that ongoing and new opportunities where they exist are capitalised on.
• Collaborate closely with and provide technical expertise to Ol Pejeta’s Project Implementation function in Kenya to develop and embed ‘programme funding’ systems, policies, processes, to ensure that the organisation works to the highest standards in grant management;
• Oversee collaboration and co-working with Ol Pejeta’s Programme teams and other colleagues to ensure high quality  project design content is translated into  technical proposals and budgets for donors;
• Work closely with Kenya’s implementation function to support strong project delivery and contract management. 
• As a Head of, actively contribute to team and department objectives through decision making and action on planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.

Key Activities

• Support the Chief Fundraising Officer with overall strategy development, implementation and adaptation;
• Work closely with the Chief Fundraising Officer to ensure operational and budget planning, management and reporting of resources;
• Oversee the T&F team’s operational planning processes, annual reporting and core performance monitoring;
• Strategic coordination of multiple stakeholders in proposal development processes (programme experts, internal stakeholders, partners and donors);
• Build strong relationships across all departments of the organisation and with existing and new partners;
• Support the recruitment process/selection/appointment of fundraising staff across the department.

Strategic leadership delivery and management of Trusts and Foundations priority in the global fundraising strategy.

• Develop and implement tactics for T&Fs that support Ol Pejeta to meet its overall strategic objectives;  
• Ensure that the relevant parts of the Fundraising strategy, planning and practice is adaptive to both internal and external changes and that the team adopts innovative approaches to its work;
• Effectively integrate T&F team objectives and outcomes into wider Ol Pejeta income targets and programme priorities.

Business development and management

• Proactively cultivate relationships with key prospects, donors and partners (with particular focus on US, UK and European markets);
• Network both internally and externally to ensure relevant stakeholder participation and intelligence gathering in various fora;
• Lead and coordinate proposal development, including budgeting, with programme teams and finance;
• Collaborate with Ol Pejeta’s communications and marketing department to ensure communication activities appeal to donor interests, promote our partnerships and help to position Ol Pejeta as a partner of choice;
• Research and share trends and intelligence on T&Fs, and develop relationships that strategically position the organisation to mobilise resources from new and existing donors.

Support effective grant & risk management and compliance

• Support the development and implementation of improved business policies to facilitate improved management of and accountability for T&F funding and other larger institutional partnerships;
• Provide quality assurance and technical backstopping on reporting and general compliance, in line with organisational and donor requirements;
• Guide the negotiation of strategic grants/contracts to ensure the organisation signs up to appropriate contractual requirements;
• Advise on the interpretation and application of donor rules, regulations, processes and procedures;
• Provide guidance and capacity building on grant cycle management to colleagues across the organisation.

People Management, Financial Management and Departmental contributions

• Provide inductions to staff across the organisation on T&Fs and institutional funding opportunity;
• Build, motivate and effectively collaborate with teams remotely;
• Conduct probationary reviews and annual performance management reviews for direct line management staff;
• Support the Chief Fundraising Officer to have oversight of the team budget lines;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues in the global fundraising team based in different geographical locations
• Contribute to overall departmental processes and initiatives;
• Act within the parameters set by the organisation on financial policies and procedures.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Management

• Ensure effective cross-functional collaboration to strengthen fundraising and grant management skills across the organisation;
• Oversee the development and maintenance of information systems and tools for sharing donor policies and guidelines, funding opportunities and best practice across the organisation;
• Keep pace with international developments and engage with other INGOs to keep abreast of opportunities and global trends in T&F fundraising.

Education, Language & Qualifications

• Bachelors or equivalent in a relevant field preferably Fundraising / International Development;
• Excellent verbal and written communication with fluency in English;
• Language skills in Swahili and German advantageous.

Essential Knowledge, skills and Experience

• Relevant experience working in an international NGO or philanthropy environment with diverse workforce;
• Experience in Trusts & Foundation fundraising across international markets;
• Demonstrated experience cultivating and managing relationships with trusts and foundation donors (or others) to secure six figure grants;
• Substantial experience cultivating and managing donor and stakeholder relationships;
• Exceptional interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills with demonstrable proactivity in business development;
• Strong technical proposal writing and budget skills;
• Strong ability to manage staff and influence team members remotely;
• Ability to manage and facilitate complex projects and processes;
• Experience working on the African continent with a deep knowledge of conservation and community development;
• Willingness to travel internationally as required;
• Willingness to be on call for donor enquiries out of hours.

Desirable Knowledge, skills and Experience

• Tendering and project management experience;
• Knowledge of conservation finance including the biodiversity credit market;
• Personal network of contacts and relationships in T&Fs;
• Experience in developing complex institutional funding bids;
• Understanding of developments in alternative finance for conservation;

We are recruiting a Suicide Prevention Officer to facilitate the development, sale and delivery of high quality and impactful training and education programmes, upskilling individuals and organisations in suicide prevention.

What you will do:

• Facilitate in-person and online training sessions, ensuring interactive and impactful learning experiences.
• Develop and promote PAPYRUS’s training offer, tailoring to stakeholder needs and securing sales.
• Build relationships and partnerships to expand our reach and influence.
• Support the creation of e-learning and digital training resources.
• Prepare stakeholders for, and debrief them after, suicide interventions.
• Stay informed of best practice and national strategy, contribute to campaigns, and represent PAPYRUS in the media and at events.
• Champion safeguarding, health and safety, and equality across all activity.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A degree or professional qualification in a relevant field such as Education, Counselling, Training, Psychology, Community Development or Youth Work.
• A recognised training qualification or willingness to work towards one.
• Experience in delivering and developing training programmes and community-based projects.
• Ability to manage sensitive conversations and facilitate learning in emotionally complex areas.
• Strong relationship-building, presentation and time management skills.
• Professional curiosity, resilience, and a commitment to safeguarding.
• Confidence in working independently and remotely, with ability to travel as required.

Please visit the careers site for the full job description and person specification for the role.

Salary: £31,537 per annum (Scale SCP 18), progressing by increments to £34,434 per annum (Scale SCP 23)

Hours: 36 hours per week  

Location: Home-based, with regular travel across the Yorkshire and Humber area must live within the required area due to regular travel across the region.

Contract: Fixed Term Contract for 18 months

Benefits: You will receive 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time workers), hybrid and flexible working arrangements, an attractive pension scheme, Simply Health membership, enhanced sick pay and enhanced parental pay. Please visit our website for more details.

Closing date: 26th October 2025

We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications so, please submit your application as soon as possible.

PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PAPYRUS is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk that interact with the organisation. The organisation recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these vulnerable groups by a commitment to procedures to protect them. The charity expects all staff and volunteers to fully support and promote these commitments.

Director of Finance and Operations
The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK
Salary: £60,000-£70,000 per annum
Remote (UK-based) with expensed travel to London
Full-time, permanent

Akshaya Patra is one of the world’s largest school meals charities – nourishing 2.35 million children in India every day and now expanding our impact across the UK.

Our UK after-school programme, Empower Hour, provides hot, nutritious meals and targeted tuition to children growing up in poverty – extending the school day by 60 minutes to give them the fuel, support and enrichment they need to thrive.

What began in one school in 2024 is already serving ten, and – alongside driving continued expansion in India – we are now ready to scale our delivery to reach thousands more children across the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.

To help lead this exciting phase of growth, we are seeking a Director of Finance and Operations – a senior leader who combines strong financial stewardship with operational leadership and is motivated by purpose as much as performance.

You will sit on the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the CEO, and oversee two core portfolios:

• Programmes – overseeing Watford kitchen operations, Empower Hour delivery and holiday hunger initiatives.
• Finance and Resources – leading financial planning and reporting, systems, compliance, HR development and organisational infrastructure.

This role will suit someone who enjoys both strategic thinking and practical implementation – someone who finds energy in building strong foundations and helping a values-led organisation grow well.

You may have built your career in charity, education, food provision, public services, the private sector or elsewhere – but you will bring:

• Senior-level experience across finance, operations or programme delivery.
• Strong financial acumen and understanding of charity governance and compliance.
• A collaborative leadership style – supporting, challenging and uplifting those you lead.
• Deep alignment with our mission to fight child hunger and educational inequality.

What we offer:

• Flexible and remote working.
• 34 days’ leave (25 days annual leave + Diwali + English bank holidays).
• Employer pension contribution.
• Investment in professional and vocational development.
• A meaningful leadership role in a growing global movement – empowering children in both the UK and India.

How to apply:

• Download the full job description and application details here or on our website.
• Please send your CV and a cover letter to the email address in the applicant pack outlining both your suitability for the role and what attracts you to Akshaya Patra and our mission.
• Closing date: Monday 3 November 2025.

If you believe no child should be held back by hunger – and you have the leadership skills and desire to help grow an organisation that makes that possible – we would love to hear from you.

Delegated Services is a thriving Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to being the first-choice partner for the education and community sectors, providing high-quality support services with incredible value.

We are at a pivotal moment in our growth, and we are now seeking an exceptional and visionary Chief Executive Officer to build upon our strong foundations and guide us into a future of even greater impact and support to the Education and Community sectors in the West Country, but with a National reach.

This is a unique opportunity for a passionate and strategic leader to join our dedicated team. We understand the importance of a smooth and effective transition, and as such, the handover process from our current CEO will be carefully phased over 6 months. This period will allow for comprehensive knowledge transfer, relationship building, and a seamless integration into the organisation, ensuring the continued success and stability of Delegated Services.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has a proven track record of strategic leadership and operational management, ideally within the not-for-profit or social enterprise sector

• Possesses a deep understanding of governance, financial management, and stakeholder engagement within a CIC framework, building and maintaining effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, for example, demonstrating working experience with School/MAT CEOs, Leaders, Headteachers, etc. knowing how schools work, with preferably some knowledge of the charity sector

• Is an inspirational communicator, capable of motivating teams, building strong partnerships, and advocating for our mission

• Is an experienced and skilled professional in our core areas of service, primarily, HS&W

• Can market and sell the services to potential new customers and negotiate with existing agreement customers, renewal of their arrangements, where applicable, for April and September 2026 and beyond, repeating the process on a rolling basis, and

• Is committed to our values and passionate about making a tangible difference in education and the community.

If you are ready to take on a significant leadership role within a values-driven organisation and contribute to a legacy of positive change, we encourage you to apply.

Application must be submitted by the end of day deadline: 31st October 2025.

Job Title: Gardener Project Officer for Young Marketeers Plymouth

Position Type: Freelance

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Based at: Home-working and at schools in Plymouth

Working Hours: 14 days @ £165 per day from February – July (£2,310) plus 8 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 1 day planning @ £220 (£1,100)

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

· To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers in Plymouth in four primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools. Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in 16 cities across England and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for three years.  The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives.  Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall.  Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. And in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the mayor!

Key Tasks include:

· Assist with recruitment of four schools to take part in Young Marketeers

· Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project

· Build and support relationships with contacts in partner organisations

· Schedule, organise and deliver

o One assembly in each school

o Two food growing sessions in each school

o One market trader training session in each school

o Market Day in the city centre in July for all schools

· Maintain accurate records relating to the programme

• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator fully updated on progress

· Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

Essential  

· Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children

· Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing

· Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

· Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email

· Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals 

· Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed

· Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable  

· Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

· Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

GrantScape is a national grant-making charity that funds community, environmental, and educational projects across the UK. Our grants make a meaningful impact—transforming lives, strengthening communities, and improving local environments in the areas we serve.

The Senior Grant Officer will play a key role in assessing and administering grant applications, and in coordinating meetings with local voluntary Advisory Panels who help prioritise funding decisions.

The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator, capable of navigating complex situations and identifying practical solutions. You’ll bring strong project management skills to oversee a diverse portfolio of funded projects, and be confident working independently while thriving as part of a collaborative team.

We’re seeking someone with at least one year of experience in project management or grant-making (ideally two), and a solid understanding of the Third Sector. A full UK driving licence and access to a car for business use is essential. Mileage is reimbursed at 45p per mile, and a hire car will be provided for journeys over 120 miles.

The post will be a home-based role located in the Northwest of England, with easy access to the M6 corridor. Preferred locations include Lancaster, Preston or Warrington. The successful candidate must remain based in this region throughout their employment to ensure accessibility to meetings for location-specific funds.

Occasional overnight stays will be required, along with travel to our Head Office in Milton Keynes for team meetings up to three times per year.

A full job description and person specification are available below.

To apply, please email your CV along with a covering letter (maximum one side of A4) explaining how your experience aligns with the role requirements.

Key Dates:

• Application Deadline: 12pm, Friday 31 October
• First Interviews (Virtual): 11 November
• Second Interviews (In Person in the Northwest – venue TBC): 26 November

Business Support Officer

Location: Home Based

Department: Business support

Salary: £16,800

Hours: 21 hours / 3 days per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Do you want to join an organisation committed to addressing low literacy and numeracy levels amongst people in the criminal justice system?

We’ve made substantial progress in recent years, with improvements and expansions to our delivery model and significant growth in our staff team. To support this growth, we are recruiting for a part time Business Support Officer to help provide administrative support to our growing team of staff and volunteers.

Working closely with colleagues across the charity, your responsibilities will include supporting our Resources Manager to ensure that our operational teams have access to all the learning resources they need, providing administrative support to our operational and volunteer management teams, and helping to keep our internal systems up to date.

It is essential that you have strong organisational skills, excellent attention to detail, good communication abilities, and a proactive attitude towards assisting with diverse administrative tasks. You must be IT literate, with a good working knowledge of the commonly used Microsoft business tools, and be able to work independently. Underpinning this will be the ability to build relationships, and personal qualities that include persistence, determination and a problem-solving approach. We want to hear from applicants who are as committed to the cause as we are.

This is a home-based role but may require very occasional travel around the UK including overnight stays. This role is 3 days per week (21 hours) with working days/hours to be mutually agreed in line with business needs.

Employee benefits include a company contribution to pension scheme of up to 5%, 18 days holiday (30 days FTE) plus bank holidays, life insurance, paid volunteering days, discounts via Reward Gateway and an Employee Assistance Programme. The biggest benefit though is our culture – our people really want to work for the organisation.

We welcome job applications from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and do not routinely ask for details of any criminal convictions.

The closing date for this role is Friday 17th October at 5pm.

Interviews which will be held online, are planned for the week commencing Monday 3rd November 2025

Benefits: Standard Shannon Trust: Employee benefits include a company contribution to pension scheme of up to 5%, 30 days holiday plus bank holidays, life insurance, paid volunteering days, discounts via Reward Gateway and an Employee Assistance Programme.

REF-224 155

Job Title: Gardener Project Officer for Young Marketeers Barnsley

Position Type: Freelance

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Based at: Home-working and at schools in Barnsley

Working Hours: 28 days @ £165 per day from February – July (£4,620) plus 16 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 1 day planning @ £220 (£1,980).

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

· To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers in Barnsley in eight primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools. Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in 16 cities across England and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for three years.  The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives.  Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall.  Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. And in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the mayor!

Key Tasks include:

· Assist with recruitment of eight schools to take part in Young Marketeers

· Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project

· Build and support relationships with contacts in partner organisations

· Schedule, organise and deliver

o One assembly in each school

o Two food growing sessions in each school

o One market trader training session in each school

o Market Day in the city centre in July for all schools

· Maintain accurate records relating to the programme

• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator fully updated on progress

· Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

 Essential  

· Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children

· Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing

· Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

· Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email

· Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals

· Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed

· Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable  

· Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

· Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

Job Title - Freelance Workshop Facilitator – Early Years

Contract - Associate

Hours - Flexible, approximately two sessions per month

Salary - £120 per session (1 hour delivery plus planning, set up and pack down)

Location - Libraries and Community Venues around London

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.

About Coram Family and Childcare

Coram Family and Childcare works to make the UK a better place for families, focusing on childcare and early years to make a difference to families’ lives now and in the long term.

We are a leading voice on early education and childcare, carrying out research that aids understanding and drives change in early years and childcare policy. Every year, we publish our annual Childcare Survey and our Holiday Childcare Survey – the definitive reports on childcare costs and availability across Great Britain.

Our network of local Parent Champions schemes reaches thousands of parents each year, with dedicated local volunteers ensuring parents are aware of their rights and entitlements, improving children’s outcomes. 

We deliver responsive, family-focussed projects, often in partnership with other expert organisations, reaching some of the most disadvantaged families and levelling the playing field for disadvantaged children. This includes Books Together, a programme working in local communities in London to support parents of young children to read together, through a series of informative and interactive sessions.

We deliver the National Association of Family Information Services (NAFIS) – the only national membership organisation supporting essential Family Information Service staff in local authorities to deliver high-quality information and advice to families.

We are the Learning Partner for Childcare Works, supporting the rollout of the expansion of funded childcare, on behalf of the Department for Education.

About the role

This role will focus on our Books Together project. We are looking for someone to deliver interactive book sharing workshops for parents and their children aged 2 to 5.

This role would suit someone with experience in working with young children and families in educational or community settings, strong communication and group facilitation skills and knowledge of early childhood development and the importance of early literacy. We are looking for someone warm, approachable, and sensitive to the diverse needs of families.

You will need to feel confident encouraging parent-child interaction through guided activities and discussions and creating a positive, supportive environment that empowers parents to engage in reading at home. You will also need to manage workshop logistics, including setup, materials, and attendance tracking as well as occasional team meetings to review the success of the sessions.

We are a small team who pride ourselves on being friendly, dedicated and supportive.

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

Closing date: 2nd November 2025 at 20.00pm

Interview date: Week beginning 10th November 2025

Coram Family and Childcare 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. 1077444.

About Us

People’s Economy aims to build the agency and power of people facing injustice and working for social change so that they have the expertise, capabilities and resources to develop their own analysis of how the economic system is a root cause of the injustice they face, develop strategies to change it and then take action with others. Our vision is for a world with economies that meet the needs and priorities of people currently experiencing economic injustice.

About the Role

The Co-Executive Director – Development & Impact will provide joint leadership for People’s Economy, inspiring and driving our team, community and partners to achieve our mission. Their focus is on building and strengthening the organisation by ensuring we have the systems, resources, knowledge and processes in place to scale our programmes and deliver our strategy effectively.

This is a generalist leadership role focused on building organisational capacity rather than holding deep specialist expertise in all areas. The postholder will instead assess what we need to strengthen the systems that support our programmes and make it happen.

We are looking for people who are passionate about addressing economic injustice, bring experience growing mission-led organisations in a values-led way, are committed to shared leadership and are excited about leading our journey to reimagine how we make decisions and distribute power more widely.

Online Open House

Come and meet us! Candidates are invited to attend an information webinar and to meet some of the team (including the other Co-Director) on Wednesday 8th October at 12pm or Thursday 23rd October at 5pm. Both webinars will cover the same content, so there is no need to attend both.

For the full role description, Open House registration information and details on how to apply please visit our website by clicking the 'Redirect to recruiter' button above.

Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside is seeking a dynamic Deputy Director to spearhead the development of transformative projects across the North West. This is your chance to shape the future of personal development, employment support, and training initiatives — while unlocking new funding streams and forging powerful partnerships.

As a strategic force behind our Employment & Skills team, you’ll lead high-impact bid development, secure sustainable income, and mobilize projects that change lives. You’ll work alongside passionate teams, engage with diverse communities, and represent Groundwork at the highest levels of influence.

Why this role stands out:

• Lead regional growth in one of the UK’s most respected social enterprises
• Drive innovation in employment and training programmes
• Collaborate with VCFSEs, education providers, and local authorities
• Enjoy flexible working, generous leave, and a supportive culture

This isn’t just a job — it’s a platform for purpose-driven leadership. If you’re ready to make a lasting difference, we’d like to hear from you.

What we will offer you

• 25 days holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, plus public holidays (pro rata for part time staff)
• Flexible working arrangements, depending on the needs of the role
• Enhanced employer pension contribution (6%) increasing further with length of service
• Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Death in Service Benefit