Education policy assistant jobs in manchester, greater manchester
ID: 1557
Job Title: Deputy Director of Services & Innovation, Central Region of England
Service: Services & Innovation
Salary: £65,782 - £72,959 Additionally, £480 home-based allowance FTE per annum
Location: Homebased with regular travel across the central region of England and occasional London Head Office.
Hours: full-time 37 hours per week.
We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.
Contract: Permanent
Family Action & the Role’s Impact:
At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.
We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the
importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.
Are you an innovative, strong, team player, who is solution focused and passionate about making a difference in everything you do? Do you have a proven track record of growth and retaining services, delivering excellent, inclusive services and cultivating quality and diversity? Are you looking for a diverse, ambitious and fast paced organisation – if so, you have found it.
About the role:
The roles primary function is to lead the operational teams and lead on strategic development and growth across the region. The post holder will model the organisations values; people focus, can do, excellence and mutual respect.
The Deputy Director leads the strategic development and transformation of Family Action services across the Central region, and implements the organisation’s strategic plan and its 5 key objectives. The role focuses on stakeholder engagement, partnership, service development, and system leadership across sectors. It requires inclusive leadership and the effective line management of Operational Managers and one Assistant Director.
The role has responsibility for service delivery, risk management, performance, quality and practice, safeguarding, income generation and budgets across the region. The post holder drives accountable leadership, innovation, co-creation, and continuous improvement across all the Central region. The Deputy Director will be an excellent communicator, highly resilient, and a decision maker, while always championing Family Action’s values in delivering inclusive, outcome-focused support for children, families, young people and adults.
Main Responsibilities:
· Be accountable for service delivery across the region, contractual performance, safeguarding, quality assurance, risk management, ensuring services meet regulatory standards, delivering positive outcomes and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in everything we do.
· Lead senior stakeholder engagement and foster strong cross-sector partnerships across the geographic area.
· Line manage Operational Managers, and an Assistant Director, oversee budgets to ensure efficient, cost-effective service delivery. Champion the sharing of learning, development of staff and volunteers and best practice across services to support continuous improvement and innovation.
· Strategic and accountable leadership, leading the region by motivating and galvanizing the team to achieve innovation, growth and quality services maximising outcomes for the people we support
· Working alongside the Business Development & Corporate and Marketing team, drive the region’s income generation through generating and responding to new opportunities, and by leading innovative service design and modelling.
· Be part of a dynamic and supportive team of other regional and national Deputy Directors, sharing and influencing cross-organisational decision making, resource allocation, strategy and organizational development and leadership.
Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):
· Passionate about social justice and improving the life chances and supporting children, young people and adults who experience disadvantage.
· We are looking for someone who has senior level leadership and management experience and expertise in at least one of the settings in social care, health, young people and community sector. Who is highly robust, able to priorities multiple workflows and issues, with a good understanding of and leadership around service risks and decision making.
· We are also looking for someone who can think strategically across systems, contribute to innovation, creativity and diversity, and is an excellent inclusive leader that can inspire their teams as well as their peers and senior leaders in Family Action.
· Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced and children’s barred list.
· Benefits:
- an annual paid leave entitlement of 30 working days plus bank holidays
- up to 6% matched-pension contributions
- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment
- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
- cycle to work scheme
- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities
We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.
To Apply:
Click 'Apply Now' to complete our online application form by the closing date of Sunday 28th September at 23:59
Interviews and an assessment exercise will be virtual over Microsoft Teams – Week commencing 13th October.
For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential for flexible working, please email: Helen Cantrell (full email address on advert document)
All appointments with Family Action are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.
We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.
We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. For this vacancy, we are also applying positive action to improve the representation of people of colour in management roles at Family Action. As such, the guaranteed interview scheme is extended to applicants of colour who meet the minimum criteria.
To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.
Registered Charity
501 - 1000
Family Action is an award-winning national charity working from the heart of local communities across England and Wales.
Thank you!
Early Learning and Childcare Advisor
We are looking for an Early Learning and Childcare Advisor to join the team based in Scotland, in this remote working role.
Position: Early Learning and Childcare Advisor
Location: Remote/Scotland
Hours: Part-time, 18.5 hours per week
Salary: £28,000 - £32,000 pro rata
Contract: Temporary contract until 31st March 2026
Benefits: Include 26 days’ holiday, rising to 30 after service increments plus 8 bank holiday, Personal Pension Scheme, Healthcare Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, Staff Awards Scheme, Company Sick Pay Scheme, flexible working patterns
Closing Date: 10th October 2025. Interviews will be taking place on a rolling basis so this role may close earlier than advertised.
The Role
The Early Learning and Childcare Advisor supports the organisations contribution to policy development and guidance on the delivery of early learning and childcare. Ensuring an effective voice of the sector in Scotland is critical to success, as will strengthening support for and developing our membership base. The Early Learning and Childcare Advisor supports delivery of the Scottish Government contract ensuring achievement of targets.
The role also involves the development of training, publications and other products and services for Scotland members.
The Early Learning and Childcare Advisor will be supported by the National Operations Manager (Scotland) and the NDNA central team.
Main duties include:
- Support the National Operations Manager (Scotland) to ensure Scottish Government contract is delivered to meet all agreed criteria
- Support policy development and guidance on the delivery of early learning and childcare in Scotland, ensuring nurseries have access to appropriate information, support, guidance, and training to contribute to improved quality of delivery of early learning and childcare
- Track and report on sales and trends to inform the development of products and services
- Support the National Operations Manager (Scotland) in the completion of sector consultations
- Gather intelligence and research from nurseries and public and third sector partners/stakeholders to inform on national policy and representation work and Scottish Government national policy as related to private nurseries
- Ensure effective dissemination of information to members, colleagues, other agencies
- Develop and maintain effective partnerships and relationships with partners and other agencies at regional and national level to enhance and promote activities and ensure maximum benefit for long-term sustainability and our members
- Promote the benefits of membership and access to its products, services and support
About You
We are looking for someone with a degree level qualification or equivalent experience in childcare and also:
- First hand experience of working in an Early Learning and Childcare role
- Experience of managing a demand-led workload
- Business and strategic planning
- Strong customer service or related experience.
To apply please submit your CV along with a covering letter detailing how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role.
About the Organisation
The organisation is a national charity and membership association specifically for nurseries. They work in partnership with nurseries, local authorities, national government and a range of partners to develop an environment in which early learning and care can flourish.
The organisation is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and is actively opposed to discrimination in society.
You may also have experience in areas such as EYF, Childcare, Nursery, Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Early Years Advisor, Childcare Advisor, Early Years and Childcare Advisor, Early Years and Childcare Support. #INDNFP
PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.
Thank you!
About us and our ecological work
We are a small but growing UK-registered charity which undertakes projects that protect and restore wild landscapes, helping to provide a future for all life on earth. We use the skills and expertise of our multi-disciplinary team (spanning science, law, economics, technology and culture) to develop projects that protect and restore wild, natural landscapes.
Our ecological work spans two exciting fronts: restoring missing species through projects like The Missing Lynx, Pine Marten and White-Tailed Eagle reintroductions in Northern England; and securing the protection of ecological restoration sites as a Responsible Body for conservation covenants through which we aim to set the gold standard, supporting ambitious, mission-aligned projects such as Nattergal’s High Fen site.
About the role
We are seeking to hire a dynamic and passionate Senior Ecologist to join The Lifescape Project, to play an integral role in the restoration of charismatic species to the UK and in landscape scale habitat restoration.
As a Senior Ecologist, your work will cover two distinct areas which are broadly: BNG-associated site assessments; and practical planning and feasibility aspects of species reintroductions.
Salary: £40,000 - £42,000 per annum, depending on experience + benefits.
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week.
Contract: Fixed-term contract for 12 months initially.
Location: Remote working with site survey work and some UK and international travel.
Please refer to the job description for further information about the role.
To apply, please email a CV and covering letter (each no longer than 2 pages of text) outlining how you meet the person specification and why you should be considered for this role.
Closing date: 9.00am on Monday 20 October 2025.
The role will commence as soon as possible.
To apply, please email a CV and covering letter (each no longer than 2 pages of text) outlining how you meet the person specification and why you should be considered for this role.
Thank you!
The Methodist Church is committed to ensuring its churches are safe spaces for all. We work hard to ensure compliance with legal requirements, develop good practice, provide effective training and give professional advice on individual cases. We have an exciting opportunity to join our new safeguarding regional team operating in the southwest region and take this forward supporting Methodist churches and work.
About you
The post holder will join a team of safeguarding officers who will carry specific responsibility for individual cases, undertake risk assessments, lead training and advise churches. The post will be aligned to the Bristol Methodist District and provide support to colleagues across the regional area requiring regular travel.
The successful candidate will hold a relevant professional qualification and relevant experience and expertise in child and/or adult protection.
Our Culture, Values and Benefits:
Thank you for considering joining our inclusive and welcoming team that strives for excellence and values employee wellbeing.
We value and support all those who join our team through a positive work-life balance augmented by generous annual leave (plus an extra 3 days over Christmas/New Year), TOIL, flexi-leave and an on-site Wellbeing Adviser service. We offer a generous occupational pension scheme with pensions matched up to 8%.
The Methodist Church is an inclusive and supportive employer. We are actively committed to encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. We welcome applications from people of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups. We are a Disability Confident Committed employer, and welcome applications from disabled people.
Closing date: Tuesday 30 September 2025
Interview (in person) will take place on: Monday 6 October 2025 (venue TBC in Bristol)
For more information about us visit our website.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.
Thank you!
We’re looking for a Head of Product to run our product department at Oak. You'll be leading our digital teams to provide world-class public services for teachers and pupils across the country. We're used by over 1/3 of teachers. We've just launched the world's first openly-licensed, fully resourced curriculum. And we're recognised experts on implementing AI in educational products, with multiple published academic papers on our work with Aila - an AI-powered lesson planning assistant. There's huge potential to scale this impact as we move into our next strategic period. Help us take our products to the next level!
Oak is the publicly-funded provider of free, high-quality digital curriculum and teaching resources for schools. We are a pioneering organsation, fully remote and mission-driven, working to support teachers and improve pupils’ access to quality education. Oak offers high levels of flexibility, autonomy and purpose.
Our culture has been independently recognised through:
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Flexa verified (93% overall score, including 95% for working hours and 97% for role modelling)
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Escape the City's Top 1% Employers – based on anonymous colleague reviews of culture, development, and impact
�� About the Role
Oak's success is built on a wide range of partnerships across the education and wider public sector.
�� What You’ll Be Doing
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Develop and manage a high-performing Product department, leveraging internal and/or external relationships
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Manage the Product department budget (minimum of 6-figures)
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Responsible for all decisions relating to the performance and function of the Product department
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Maintain specialist expertise in digital product and strategy development, and be the authority across Oak and more widely across the sector
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Oversee and continuously improve the operation of cross-functional squads, including individuals from other departments, to deliver our product strategy
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Ensure that all our products are user-centric, accessible, pedagogically sound and backed by research, deliver high impact for teachers and pupils, and are rigorously evaluated
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Work closely with education colleagues to create an openly-licensed, fully-resourced national curriculum to underpin our products
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Act as a member of Oak’s leadership team: contribute to the strategy, planning and model the culture of the organisation;
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Work in cross-functional and product-oriented squads with colleagues across the organisation, as required;
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Deputise for the Director of Product Strategy & Impact and take on other general responsibilities as required.
�� What We’re Looking For
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5+ years of experience in product development, including at least 2 years setting product strategy across multiple teams in an organisation
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Experience of recruiting, managing and leading a high-performing department
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Experience of managing a 6-figure budget.
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Demonstrable experience designing and rolling out continuously improving agile ways of working in an organisation
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Proven success in understanding and articulating challenging technical concepts, including the use of generative AI in products, to senior stakeholders
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Good understanding of education policy and the UK education system (desirable).
�� Our Benefits
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25 days annual leave, plus one extra day for each year of service (up to 28)
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Additional Oak closure days over Christmas/New Year
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11% employer pension contribution (with no minimum employee contribution)
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A 36-hour working week, with half-days on Fridays or every other Friday off
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Fully remote working — we’ll support your home set-up and offer coworking options if preferred
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Twice-yearly in-person offsites to collaborate, connect, and have fun
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A culture that genuinely supports flexibility, autonomy, and trust
�� Inclusion and Belonging
We believe diverse teams build better products. We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those who are underrepresented in the tech and education sectors.
We use the Applied recruitment platform to help reduce bias in our hiring process.
�� Key Info
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Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK with the legal right to work here
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Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time
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Closing date: 23:59 on 10th October 2025
If this sounds like the kind of role and team where you would thrive, we'd love to hear from you.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.