Engagement and student membership jobs in Glasgow

What does it take to lead the national voice for special schools at a time of real change?

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – National Association of Special Schools (NASS)

National – home-based, with regular travel across England and Wales, particularly London

£90,000–£110,000 per annum

Full-time, permanent.

About NASS 

The National Association of Special Schools (NASS) is the membership association for special schools in England and Wales. We bring together independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, special academies, maintained special schools and multi-academy trusts with specialist provision.

We exist to inform, support and represent our members, helping specialist schools improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and secure the place of specialist provision within the wider education system. NASS is known for being accessible, responsive and personal, combining national influence with practical support that members value as timely, human and trustworthy.

This is a pivotal moment for the organisation. In February this year, the Department for Education published a major white paper on SEND reform which will require NASS to both influence national policy on behalf of our members and children and young people, as well as support them to navigate the changes. Our new CEO will need to review our strategy while building on our strong platform and momentum to further deepen our influence and strengthen our internal capacity.

As our next Chief Executive, you will:

• Strategy & Impact: Lead NASS through a period of policy and structural change, ensuring the organisation remains clear on purpose, responsive to members and influential in the SEND landscape.
• Governance & Finance: Work closely with the Board of Trustees to provide strong governance, prudent financial stewardship, robust risk management and clear strategic oversight.
• Operational Leadership: Provide confident leadership to a small, remote team, strengthening collaboration, accountability, resilience and a positive, high-trust culture.
• Income Generation: Oversee budgeting, planning and reporting while developing thoughtful opportunities to diversify income through membership, partnerships, events and related activity.
• Community & Partnerships: Build and sustain trusted relationships with government, parliament, regulators, sector bodies and member schools, ensuring NASS remains relevant and well connected.
• Member Services: Protect and enhance the practical offer to members, from briefings and special interest groups to conferences, webinars, training and peer-to-peer learning.
• Brand & Profile: Act as a credible public ambassador for NASS, helping to modernise communications and broaden the organisation’s voice beyond a founder-shaped model.
• Future Growth: Shape a distributed leadership profile and support a more varied, accessible and engaging approach to membership, advocacy and communications.
• A seasoned senior leader with experience in a charity, membership body, education or public sector setting, and a clear track record of leading through change.
• A strong strategic thinker, able to absorb complex information quickly and translate it into clear, practical direction.
• A confident communicator with the gravitas to represent NASS with members, staff, trustees, MPs, peers, media and national partners.
• A politically astute relationship-builder, comfortable navigating a complex and fast-moving external environment.
• Experienced in governance, with a sound understanding of working with boards or trustees and supporting effective decision-making.
• Numerate and commercially minded, with experience of budgets, financial planning, income generation or partnership development.
• Credible, approachable and resilient, with the emotional intelligence to lead well in a high-profile, remote and sometimes uncertain context.
• Direct SEND experience would be a significant advantage, alongside understanding of specialist education or similarly complex stakeholder environments.

Why NASS?

• This is a chance to lead a respected, member-led organisation with a strong national reputation and a clear public purpose.
• You will help shape the future of specialist education at a time when SEND reform is high on the agenda.
• NASS has a loyal, experienced and collegiate remote staff team, supported by an active Board of Trustees.
• The organisation offers a genuinely influential platform, with strong connections across the sector and with government.

Application

For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 8th June 2026

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

About Spear

We launched the award-winning Spear Programme over 20 years ago, and there are now 18 Spear Centres across the country, equipping unemployed 16–24-year-olds facing barriers to employment with the skills and mindset they need to secure work and thrive in the workplace.

Spear operates a joint venture model with churches across the UK to run our Spear Centres. Some Centres operate in collaboration with independent charitable trusts, while others are run directly with the local church (both referred to below as ‘Spear Church Partners’ or ‘Church Partners’).

About the role

We’re looking for a new Church Partnerships Manager to join us for this northern based role, with travel across the region.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in driving national growth by developing and nurturing partnerships with churches across the North of England. You will be at the forefront of developing new relationships with potential early-stage partners, inspiring churches to engage with our mission, and supporting them through the pipeline, and helping to establish a diverse and thriving network of church partnerships.

We are looking for a confident relationship-builder who can engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, particularly church leaders, and who is comfortable working in a dynamic and evolving environment.

Key information:

• Salary: £37,000
• Location: Remote with once a month travel to London for team meetings and regular travel in the North of England
• Full-time, 12-14month Fixed Term Contract, with the possibility of extension
• Closing date: We interview on a rolling basis and will close the role early if we find the right candidate

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with Us Pack.

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

Person Specification

• A practising Christian, passionate about personally representing the values and beliefs of Spear, and our mission to equip and support young people facing barriers to employment
• Strong leadership ability with the confidence to make effective decisions
• Outstanding people skills and emotional intelligence, capable of quickly winning trust and confidence, as well as network, influence and negotiate with church leaders and a range of audiences, internally and externally
• An understanding of the needs and workings of churches and their leaders, and the ability to innovate, build our growth strategy and generate new partnerships
• An excellent communicator (both written and verbal)
• Excellent initiative and a self-starter, with the ability to operate flexibly in a changing and dynamic environment and in response to the support needs of each partner
• Strong organisational skills including the ability to establish appropriate processes and structures and to manage multiple priorities to meet targets and deadlines
• Strong quantitative skills including ability to work with and interpret impact data, fundraising pipelines and basic financial information
• Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint competent and experience of/ability to use databases

Kennedy Memorial Trust is seeking a junior Administrator who can playing a key role in supporting one of the UK’s most prestigious international scholarship programmes. This role is offered on a full-or part time basis, based predominantly from home with travel to London on an occasional monthly basis.

Reporting to: Director of the Kennedy Memorial Trust (KMT)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part-time or Full-time, 30 - 37.5 hours per week (flexibility in hours and working pattern available)

Salary: £26,000 - £28,000 FTE

Location: Work from home with monthly travel to London and occasional event attendance.

Applicants must have the right to live and work permanently in the UK. The Trust cannot offer visa sponsorship.

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About the Kennedy Memorial Trust

The Kennedy Memorial Trust is a registered charity (No. 234715) that funds exceptional UK graduates to pursue postgraduate study at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Established as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy following his assassination, the Trust has supported around 600 Kennedy Scholars since 1966.

In addition to administering one of the UK’s most prestigious international scholarship programmes, the Trust maintains the Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede, Surrey. The Trust is governed by a Board of up to eleven Trustees appointed by the UK Prime Minister, the Presidents of Harvard and MIT, or the President of the United States.

Kennedy Scholars go on to make significant contributions across public service, law, science, technology, education, business, charities, the arts and media.

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The Role

This Administrator role is an exciting opportunity for a self-starter to play a central role in supporting the running of one of the UK’s most prestigious international scholarship programmes. The Administrator will help provide an excellent experience for applicants, Scholars, alumni, Trustees and partner institutions.

The Administrator role with support on the full scholarship cycle which includes providing high quality administrative support to the Director, Scholars and other stakeholders. The Administrator will support on keeping accurate financial and data records, governance, communications, event planning and alumni engagement activities as required.

The role requires someone who has demonstrable experience of providing Administration support, has excellent written skills, can use their discretion, has good attention to detail as well as possessing strong interpersonal skills.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Scholarship Administration and Selection

Administer the scholarship application process and selection cycle, including its promotion, application timelines and manage applicant enquiries. Respond promptly and professionally to applicant enquiries via email, phone and online channels.

Prepare longlists and shortlists in consultation with the Director. Provide administrative support to the selection panels, including scheduling scholar interviews and preparing interview packs, briefing papers and secure document folders for panel members.

Work with the Director to communicate selection outcomes professionally and sensitively to applicants.

Support safeguarding, compliance and due diligence processes relating to applicants and Scholars. Maintain accurate records of applicant demographics, progress, decisions and feedback.

2. Scholar Support and Engagement

Arrange onboarding for new Scholars, including orientation materials, pre departure meetings, events and information sessions. Maintain FAQs and administrative briefings.

Maintain up-to-date Scholar profiles, biographies and photos for the Trust’s website, social media and publications.

Facilitate community‑building among current Scholars through sharing news, arranging check‑ins, online meet‑ups and occasional social or academic gatherings.

Contribute to the Trust’s pastoral and administrative support of Scholars throughout their studies in the US. Monitor Scholar engagement, academic progress and wellbeing, escalating concerns where appropriate.

3. Financial Administration and Reporting

Prepare documentation for tuition payments, stipends and approved expenses; maintain timely and accurate payment schedules.

Provide administrative support to the Director regarding statutory reporting including the Annual Report and Charity Commission returns

4. Communications, Outreach and Marketing

Draft, edit and publish web content, including scholarship information, news updates, Scholar profiles and stories and application guidance. Maintain FAQ pages and ensure accurate, clear and up to date information for applicants.

Support digital communications, including social media posts, email campaigns and website announcements to highlight Scholar achievements and alumni successes. Maintain a database or scholar profiles which are published on the website.

Represent the Trust at events such as graduate fairs, widening participation meetings and university visits.

Maintain a database of UK Universities and partner organisations who support the Trust to reach the widest possible audience for promoting the scholarship. Build relationships with UK universities, careers teams and relevant networks to promote the scholarship.

5. Governance and Committee Support

You will work with the Director to provide the scheduling, servicing and administration of Trustee meetings, scholarship panels and standing committees, including the preparation of meeting agendas, briefing materials, papers and securely held meeting papers.

Draft accurate minutes of meetings and keep track of deadlines of actions.

Maintain governance records, committee membership lists and document archives. Support working groups and sub committees, including document preparation and follow up tasks.

Support the Director with the ongoing review and development of policies and procedures to ensure they are fit for purpose.

6. Executive admin and other functions

You will work with the Director on executive and administrative support, including diary management, correspondence, travel and expenses

Undertake other reasonable duties in support of the Trust’s work

Maintain accurate records in all internal systems, ensuring high data quality standards.

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SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOURS

Essential

· Proven administrative and organisational experience in any sector

· Demonstrable high level written skills

· High level of office software ability

· During interpersonal skills

· High level of accuracy, numeracy and attention to detail

· Able to demonstrate experience of managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines

· An interest in the work of the Kennedy Memorial Trust

Desirable

• Minimum of a B grade in A level English or a Degree

• Experience in scholarship administration, or student support

· ` Experience editing or creating web content

• Knowledge of higher education and current affairs

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Personal Attributes

• Highly organised and self motivated

• Warm, professional manner with a willingness to learn

• Sound judgement and discretion when handling confidential information

• Empathic and able to be self-confident when working with scholars and the team

• Proactive, flexible and comfortable working in a small team

• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

• Willingness to invest in ongoing professional development

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HOW TO APPLY

Please submit:

• A CV

• A covering letter with a supporting statement (maximum 2 pages) outlining how you meet the role criteria and what you feel you could bring to the Kennedy Memorial Trust

Application deadline: midnight 25th May 2026

A Basic DBS check will be required for the successful candidate.