Education and learning officer jobs

Help launch a new initiative housing the homeless through the local church

Hope into Action is a national Christian charity enabling local churches to provide homes and support for people experiencing homelessness.

We are launching a new Hope into Action franchise in Milton Keynes, and are looking for a Location Lead to help establish and grow the project from the ground up.

Working with churches, volunteers, and the Hope into Action national team, you will help create homes where people can rebuild their lives within a supportive Christian community.

About the role

As Location Lead, you will provide local leadership and coordination for the Milton Keynes project.

At launch the project will involve one house supporting up to three tenants, working in partnership with our first partner church, New Life Church Milton Keynes.

You will help:

• Build partnerships with churches across Milton Keynes
• Support and encourage church volunteers
• Ensure safeguarding and governance standards are maintained
• Develop relationships with local agencies, supporters, and investors
• Lay the foundations for future houses and growth

You will work closely with Hope into Action UK advisors, who provide established policies, safeguarding frameworks, systems, and ongoing support.

This means you are not building a housing project from scratch - you are helping implement and grow an established national model locally.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Is motivated by their Christian faith and compassion for those experiencing homelessness
• Enjoys building relationships and connecting people around a shared vision
• Is organised, proactive, and comfortable coordinating people and systems
• Can work collaboratively with churches, volunteers, and community partners
• Has initiative and enjoys helping something new take shape

Experience in leadership, community work, housing, or charity management would be helpful, but we are equally interested in people with the right values, attitude, and relational skills.

A pioneering opportunity

This is an opportunity to help establish a project that could grow to support many more people across Milton Keynes in the years ahead.

As the project grows and additional houses are opened, hours and responsibilities are expected to increase accordingly.

For the right candidate this role could be combined with the Church & Tenant Empowerment Worker role (total hours to be agreed) which can be found on our website here..

To apply, please send your completed application form by 5pm, Friday 22nd May 2026

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We currently have employees working across four nations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to deliver our ambitious new strategy, On a Mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Job Summary

This role forms a key part of a new Strategy & Insight Team at Bowel Cancer UK, which seeks to build core capabilities to enable us to be as effective as we can be for people affected by bowel cancer. The Audience Insight Specialist will be an internal leader, building our capability to understand our core audiences and the people we need to reach to achieve our strategic goals. You will support a cultural shift in how the charity takes an audience-led approach to planning, decision-making, and communications, as our CRM, data infrastructure, and Strategy & Insight functions continue to develop. Making best use of internal and external sources, you will distil data into meaningful insight, tailored to different audiences. You will support a consistent approach to audiences across the organisation, while flexing to meet the needs of different teams, ensuring that any understanding of audience is rooted in evidence.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

You will provide appropriate emotional and practical 1-to-1 support to (those who identify as) women and non-binary people involved in sex work and those who are sexually exploited, who often experience stigma and face barriers to accessing services. This role will specifically focus on those who are experiencing DV, support will include addressing housing needs. You will be enabling people to access support and navigate services, You will be working in partnership with other agencies and making appropriate referrals for people to access other services to support their wider needs. You will contribute to wider team responsibilities including outreach, drop in and duty.

You will provide appropriate emotional and practical 1-to-1 support to (those who identify as) women and non-binary people involved in sex work and those who are sexually exploited, who often experience stigma and face barriers to accessing services. You will be enabling people to access support and navigate services,  You will be working in partnership with other agencies and making appropriate referrals for people to access other services to support their wider needs. You will contribute to wider team responsibilities including outreach, drop in and duty. 

To provide appropriate emotional and practical support to women in the sex industry and/or those who are being sexually exploited with a specific focus on those who are homeless and experiencing domestic violence and abuse. The women we support require intensive practical and emotional support as well as support navigating health and other social care or criminal justice systems. The women will have poor mental or physical health, experience with homelessness and of the criminal justice system, are often victims of sexual and/or domestic abuse and many are homeless. This post specifically will include a focus on domestic violence, sexual exploitation, sexual violence and housing. Working within a harm reduction ethos prioritising women’s safety and wellbeing, the intensive personalized supported will help women to access other services making appropriate referrals for women who wish to make changes, including exiting/transitioning out of sex work. You will be responsible for ensuring that women with varying needs are supported effectively throughout their pathway of support with Basis and partners, advocating for and with the women you are working with including where necessary challenging stigma and judgement women face.

Great opportunity to lead and support our charity's team through the next phase of development to drive One Medicine forward. 

Job Purpose

To lead the operational delivery of Humanimal Trust’s charitable aims and strategic objectives, as set by the Board of Trustees, ensuring that plans are translated into clear priorities, well-managed programmes and effective day-to-day operations. The postholder will line manage the operational team, oversee the finances and the fundraising activities, and maintain strong governance and compliance within Charity Commission requirements, at all times representing the Trust’s One Medicine purpose with professionalism and integrity.

Dimensions

· Line management responsibility for the operational team

· Budget responsibility: manage agreed operational budgets and monitor expenditure against plan

· Oversee delivery of the annual business plan and operational work programme

· Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, supporters, partners and suppliers

· Oversee the fundraising activities

Main Responsibilities and Role

· Provide visible operational leadership for Humanimal Trust, championing One Medicine and role-modelling the Trust’s values

· Translate Board-approved strategy into clear operational priorities, delivery plans and measurable outcomes

· Line-manage the operational team: allocate work, set objectives, provide coaching, and manage performance and wellbeing

· Maintain and improve operational policies, procedures and controls in line with charity regulation, GDPR/data protection and recognised good practice

· Ensure effective delivery of core operational functions (administration, supporter care, governance support, data management and supplier coordination)

· Protect the Trust’s reputation by maintaining high standards of quality, confidentiality, safeguarding and risk management

· Monitor progress against the operational plan, tracking risks, issues and dependencies and reporting regularly to the Chair/Trustees

· Lead on team resourcing and capability: recruitment planning (where applicable), induction, training and continuous improvement

· Work closely with the Chair and Trustees to support good governance, prepare papers, and ensure actions and decisions are implemented

· Attend and present at Board meetings

Finance

· Manage day-to-day financial processes for the Trust, ensuring appropriate approvals, controls and timely processing

· Oversee expense claims and supplier payments in line with policy; ensure accurate records are maintained for audit and reporting

· Track and report on income/expenditure and operational costs, highlighting variances and supporting budget planning with Trustees and finance support (where in place)

· Maintain a clear audit trail for key financial decisions, contracts and delegated approvals

Planning and Organising

· Develop and implement operational plans that translate Trustee priorities into clear workstreams, milestones and accountabilities

· Plan, organise and prioritise team workload and resources to deliver objectives, balancing immediate operational needs with longer-term planning

· Maintain and review the organisational risk register, escalating issues and ensuring proportionate mitigations are in place

· Maintain and review the Trust’s policies and guidance documents

· Monitor and report delivery, performance and compliance (e.g., quarterly/annually as agreed), supporting effective governance and continuous improvement

Decision Making

· Make operational decisions to deliver the Trust’s agreed plans within delegated authority, escalating strategic or high-risk matters to the Chair/Trustees

· Lead and line-manage the operational team, including recruitment planning (where applicable), workload allocation and resource deployment

· Liaise with external partners, supporters, volunteers, suppliers and professional advisers to support delivery and maintain effective relationships

· Liaise with the Chair of Trustees and the Trustees on a regular basis.

· Evaluate and improve processes, systems and ways of working to enhance quality, efficiency, supporter experience and internal control

· Identify learning and development needs for the team and support continuous improvement and professional development

· Manage operational capacity and prioritisation, ensuring resources are aligned to the Trust’s delivery commitments

· Approve expenditure, contracts and commitments within delegated authority and in line with policy

Internal and External Relationships

Internal

· Chair of Trustees and Board of Trustees (including sub-committees), providing timely updates, papers and delivery reporting

· Operational team and volunteers, providing leadership, coordination and support

External

Supporters, donors, partner organisations, volunteers, suppliers and professional advisers (e.g., finance, HR, legal), acting as an operational point of contact as required

Knowledge, Experience, Skills and Style Required

Essential

· Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience), with strong digital/IT capability (MS Office and CRM/databases) and a clear understanding of GDPR/data protection.

· Proven experience in an operational leadership/management role, delivering organisational plans, improving processes and achieving measurable outcomes.

· Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with Trustees, colleagues, volunteers and external stakeholders.

· Strong people management skills, supporting staff through change, setting clear expectations and creating an inclusive, high-performing team culture.

· Demonstrable experience working in or with a charity/not-for-profit, with a good understanding of governance, compliance and supporter-facing operations (experience in human health, animal health or science an advantage).

· Strong judgement and analytical skills, able to manage competing priorities, budgets and risks and to deliver reliably in a small-organisation environment.

Desirable

· Understanding of the UK charity regulatory environment and good governance practice.

· Experience working with Boards/Trustees, including preparing papers, reporting on delivery and supporting effective decision-making.

· Knowledge and experience of fundraising operations and supporter care.

· Demonstrable understanding of, and commitment to, One Medicine.

Job Context and Special Features

This role is a key senior management position within Humanimal Trust, with responsibility for ensuring that strategy is translated into effective delivery, that the operational team is supported to perform at its best, and that the Trust operates with strong governance, compliance and financial control.

This is a one-year fixed term appointment for a 28-hour (3.5 day) working week, starting at the earliest opportunity.  The role is home-based in the UK, with occasional travel to other locations in the country.