Food and health research officer jobs

Want your fundraising to change lives, not just balance sheets?

The Friendly Food Club is looking for an ambitious, values-driven Fundraising & Partnerships Manager to grow income, build powerful partnerships, and help create healthier futures for families across Dorset and BCP.

The Friendly Food Club supports people from vulnerable groups and communities by building their cooking skills, confidence and resilience, to help break the cycle of food insecurity and low wellbeing.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the future of an established and growing charity and deliver real-world impact every day.

This role is perfect for someone who:

• Is aligned with our values of care, good health, inclusion and community
• Brings empathy, energy and a people-first approach
• Has a friendly, creative, resilient and solutions-focused mindset
• It happy to get stuck in and involved at all levels of development and delivery
• Lives in Dorset or BCP areas who likes a mix of working from home and getting out and about.

The role will:

• Develop and deliver Friendly Food Club’s fundraising strategy to align with the charity’s priorities.
• Identify, build and steward strong, values-aligned long-term funding and partnership relationships.
• Write compelling and effective funding applications, proposals and impact reports
• Monitor income performance and report to the CEO and Board
• Represent Friendly Food Club externally as an ambassador for its mission and values

Apply now and help cook up healthier futures for thousands across Dorset.

If you want your work to truly matter — and to be part of a supportive, mission-led team — we’d love to hear from you.

Deadline 28 February 2026 | In person interviews mid-March 2026 | Start date: Flexible for the right person

The Membership Account Manager leads the development, delivery and growth of FareShare South West’s membership programme across the West of England region. The role ensures that Community Food Members (CFMs) receive an outstanding experience, that surplus food is used effectively to strengthen communities, and that membership growth aligns with organisational strategy. Through excellent relationship management, data-driven insight and collaborative working, the postholder drives recruitment, retention and development of CFMs, ensuring FareShare South West maximises its impact across the region.

Membership Management

• Provide account management to all CFMs, resolving issues quickly, and provide enhanced support for key groups (e.g., large CFMs, programme-funded CFMs, high-impact beneficiaries).
• Oversee member onboarding, service changes, cancellations and annual renewals.
• Manage all member engagement through the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, ensuring accurate and up-to-date data.
• Work closely with the Finance Manager to oversee annual renewals and support the recovery of late or missed payments.
• Coordinate member communications with the Communications Team to ensure a high-quality CFM experience.
• Use data and insight to track engagement, inform improvements and support retention.
• Manage the delivery schedule, including updates to food profiles, contact details and addresses.
• Support or cover the CFM Support Officer by writing orders for allocated members.

Membership Recruitment

• Research new markets and potential members by geography, sector, food use or organisational type, maintaining a database of prospects.
• Working with other FareShare network partners, and our delivery partner in Exeter, Exeter Food Action, identify and develop new members.
• Support the Head of Food & Community with recruitment campaigns, outreach, events and sector-specific engagement.
• Ensure a seamless onboarding process for all new members
• Document and report recruitment activity and progress of prospective members towards membership.

Membership and Community Development

• Support the development and introduction of new surplus food types (e.g., frozen, relabelled, catering packs) into the membership offer.
• Work with the Head of Food & Community to establish a refreshed, high-value membership service aligned to food supply, logistics capacity and community need.
• Contribute to the development and scaling of membership programmes across regions (e.g., Crisis Resilience Fund).
• Support delivery of the membership strategy, meeting budget expectations and ambitious growth targets.
• Act as a passionate advocate of FareShare South West, representing the organisation confidently to internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist in the compiling of reports for FSSW communications and Programme funding.

Team Management and Support

• Lead and develop team members, including recruitment, supervision, appraisals, wellbeing and professional development.
• Support the Head of Food & Community to develop a high performing culture across the membership team, working closely with teams in food, operations and volunteering.
• Support an inclusive, supportive and purpose-driven culture that motivates staff to contribute to the charity’s mission.
• In line with FSSW’s growth and in working with the Operations Team, develop systems and procedures to ensure the efficiency and smooth running of deliveries, collections and systems.

Health, Safety and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with FareShare UK standards, Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations.
• Ensure teams understand and comply with organisational policies, food safety requirements, health and safety legislation and safeguarding responsibilities.

Person Specification
Essential

• Experience in account management, customer service or membership management.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with confidence engaging diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage data accurately using CRM systems and apply insight to improve services.
• Highly organised, proactive and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable

• Experience in the charity, community, food redistribution or voluntary sector.
• Experience supervising or managing staff.
• Experience in outreach, recruitment or business development.
• Understanding of food safety, logistics or supply chain operations.
• Experience supporting organisational change or service development.
• Ability to represent an organisation professionally to external partners and networks.

Are you someone who...

• ...wakes up motivated to use your fundraising expertise to solve some of the world's most pressing issues: climate change, food security, and public health?

• ...is energised by the challenge of building a high-value donor pipeline from the ground up?

• ...is a strategic connector, adept at building genuine relationships with donors?

If this sounds like you, we’d love you to apply for our Philanthropy Manager role at ProVeg UK. 
 

Role Summary

Our fast-growing team at ProVeg UK has ambitious targets for the coming years, and we need innovative, entrepreneurial thinkers to help us reach them for 2026 and beyond. 

The primary focus of this role is to establish and lead our UK mid-major level (HNWI) donor function alongside our Co-Executive Director. We have a successful track record with Trusts and Foundations (T&F) and are now looking to cultivate a diverse portfolio of funders who are accelerating the transition to a sustainable food system, tackling climate change, and ensuring the food we eat is good for all. You will be the architect of this new HNWI income stream - researching, qualifying, and securing transformational gifts from scratch.

While philanthropy experience is essential for this role, you will also collaborate with our Development Manager to oversee our established T&F portfolio. We are predominantly seeking strong philanthropy specialists and are happy to provide training on grant applications where needed.

This is a pivotal role for someone looking to lead on a high-impact fundraising strategy and help secure the vital resources needed for our continued success. 

You will be a champion for our mission, able to think creatively about how to attract interest across sectors and translate the impact of our work to speak to a range of audiences. 
 

Job details

• Working hours: Part-time (28 hours per week over 4 days, i.e. 0.8 FTE)

• Contract duration: 2 year fixed contract, with possibility to extend

• Location: Remote within the UK

• Salary: £40,000 – £42,000 per year for 1.0 FTE (pro-rata’d to working hours) 

• Reports to: Co-Executive Director UK

• Start date: ASAP

• Application deadline: March 2nd
   

Responsibilities

• Establish the HNWI Pipeline by leading the proactive research and identification of new UK-based major donors. You will manage the full prospect lifecycle, from cold outreach and initial "discovery" meetings to the final ask and bespoke stewardship.

• Conceptualise, launch, and manage a new donor circle (e.g., an 'Impact Club') to create a structured engagement programme for mid to high-level supporters alongside the Co-Executive Director.

• Co-develop a creative 3-year fundraising strategy and set actionable annual and quarterly objectives.

• Plan, facilitate, and manage events, including the coordination and delivery of roundtable discussions or multi-participant meetings, ensuring effective engagement, smooth logistics, and clear outcomes.

• Create compelling, tailored cases for support and impact reports that translate ProVeg’s data into visionary narratives that resonate with wealthy philanthropists.

• Brief and support the Co-Executive Directors and Trustees for high-level meetings, ensuring they are positioned effectively to close significant gifts.

• Maintain accurate and timely records of all donor interactions, communications, and commitments within our HubSpot system, which we use to manage and track our relationship pipelines and fundraising progress.

• Collaborate with the Development Manager to maintain our existing T&F relationships, ensuring high-quality grant applications, reporting, and compliance are met. 

• Travel in and around London and other major cities in the UK to network with potential donors and represent the organisation
   

Qualifications

Essential:

• You bring 3+ years of philanthropy/fundraising experience, ideally within an NGO or a related field.

• You possess demonstrable experience in identifying and opening doors to new HNWI prospects rather than just managing an inherited portfolio.

• You are a skilled verbal communicator with the ability to lead virtual and in-person meetings with gravitas, communicating ProVeg UKs work with donors and partners in inspiring, creative, and persuasive ways.

• You possess excellent written communication skills to write inspiring, persuasive content.

• You bring an entrepreneurial mindset, and can think creatively to find new solutions to challenges. 

• You are a competent project manager, able to meet deadlines and manage a varied and fast-paced workload. 

• You display the ability to network effectively and represent ProVeg with a wide range of stakeholders, nurturing and cultivating relationships into long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships. 

• You have a genuine passion for ProVeg’s mission and the ability to travel within the UK for donor engagement.

• You are able and willing to travel within the UK and represent the organisation at donor meetings and other related events

Preferred:

• You possess knowledge of the plant-based food sector or environmental philanthropy.

• You have acquired solid experience using HubSpot (or a similar CRM) for pipeline management.

• You demonstrate experience in (or a strong aptitude for) writing successful funding proposals for T&Fs.
   

Benefits of working with ProVeg

• A strong organisational focus on personal development, with a designated training budget.

• Provision of a work laptop.

• Flexible, trust-based working arrangements and home-office arrangements.

• Career development support.

• Mental health & wellbeing support via access to the OpenUp platform and a free Headspace subscription

• We are a workplace that encourages everyone to bring their whole selves to work. We are an inclusive workplace for our diverse employees around the world.

• Generous annual leave entitlement - 25 days increasing by one day a year to a maximum of 30 days (plus bank holidays)

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.

• Employee Assistance Programme including counselling

• Access to 24/7 virtual GP Service

• Access to the Wisdom app with exclusive perks and discounts

• Compassionate animal companion leave

• And, last but not least, become part of a great team and work with us towards a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet!

​About ProVeg International

ProVeg International works to accelerate the transition to a sustainable global food system by making plant-rich foods and alternative proteins more accessible and appealing.

ProVeg engages with all relevant stakeholders to create a world where the food we eat is good for all people, animals, and our planet.

ProVeg has received the United Nations’ Momentum for Change Award and works closely with key UN food and environment agencies.

ProVeg creates global impact, with offices in 14 countries across five continents and more than 250 employees.

Diversity Statement

ProVeg is committed to equal opportunity in employment for all, regardless of migration history and nationality, religion, skin colour, gender, age, genetic information, disability, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, HIV status, gender identity, or gender expression. People from the Global Majority, women, people with disabilities, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, older adults, neurodivergent people, refugees, and people living with HIV are explicitly encouraged to apply.

In 2020, ProVeg signed the Diversity Charter, a self-commitment and association dedicated to promoting a prejudice-free work environment.

In 2022, ProVeg achieved a score of 88.1% on the PRIDE Index, the LGBTIQ+ Diversity Performance Index, which is over 20 percentage points higher than the overall average of 67.9%.

Citizens UK

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.

Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011.

Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most.

Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty. As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.

Purpose

At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.

Main Responsibilities

We are looking for highly motivated and organised individual to coordinate our accreditation scheme. The role will work with our network of employers, and support new organisations through the accreditation process.

The Programme Officer will lead our work in Yorkshire and Humber support our Managers to grow and deepen engagement with Living Wage Employers through our associated schemes. You will help to ensure our resources and publicity materials are well written and up-to-date, and to coordinate events to grow our employer network.

Working as the Programme Officer for Citizens UK, reporting to a Programme Manager, your main responsibilities will include:

Contribute towards the achievement of CUK and LWF’s strategic objectives

Understand how the role contributes to LWF’s purpose and the core mission of CUK.

Reliably implement CUK’s and LWF’s policies, procedures, and values in own work.

Work with CUK community organisers and leaders to promote civic engagement with and ownership of the Living Wage campaign.

Feed into the LWF strategy and objectives development.

Living Wage Accreditation:

Support key contacts at potential LW Employers through the accreditation process, from dealing with initial enquiries to guiding them through the employer journey, to checking and processing their accreditation.

Develop rewarding relationships with key employers, industry, and campaign partners within our networks to build interest in the Living Wage and deliver a high-quality experience to our accredited employers.

With support from the wider team, develop plans and strategies to grow the number of accreditations in specific regions or industries.

Collate and disseminate Living Wage criteria and policy issues through both internal and external facing guidance, whilst reviewing and monitoring its suitability.

Support the development and implementation of projects to promote and grow Living Wage accreditations and develop the quality of service offered.

Build and manage projects and achieve work targets effectively

Successfully progress projects and tasks incl. tracking performance and expenditure.

Deliver agreed areas of the LWF’s work plan and leading on agenda items to report into team meetings.

Support the growth and development of new and existing Living Wage schemes incl. Recognised Service Providers, LW Funders, LW Places, Living Hours, Global Living Wage and Living Work Consultancy.

Deliver personal work targets on time and to standard:

Respond to telephone and web-based enquiries by providing advice and support to employers and supporters.

Provide administrative support for all aspects of the accreditation journey, incl. processing accreditations, recognitions, and renewals.

Maintain LWF data on systems, incl. Salesforce employer database.

Support the maintenance of our systems to ensure efficient processes and develop reporting mechanisms for effective monitoring and evaluation of our impact and progress against plans.

Coordinate and administrate Steering, Advisory or Leadership Groups as required, incl. coordinating agendas, sending out timely papers, taking minutes and following up on actions.

Learning & expertise

Keep abreast of new developments in the accreditation space.

Apply new learning to work and respond effectively to feedback.

Work collaboratively with the LWF and franchise teams to share learnings and experience and ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders.

Develop and manage external relationships

Effectively develop and support a range of external relationships.

Respond effectively to queries or requests from stakeholders.

Engage with a diverse range of external stakeholders to support and develop projects as required.

Communications

Communicate effectively within the LWF; ensuring that messages are reliably passed to those who need to know.

Represent the LWF coherently in writing and verbally.

Events and Communications.

Plan and organise events to celebrate and grow our network of LW Employers, incl. playing an active role in the delivery of LW Week and assisting colleagues with event logistics

Represent and speak on behalf of the LWF at internal and external meetings and events.

Develop or feed into employer resources incl. marketing materials, blogs, reports, templates, and guides.

Develop and manage internal relationships

Work effectively with colleagues across Citizens UK.

Work collaboratively within the LWF team and actively participate in the team to ensure we meet the expectations of our network and stakeholders.

Generate income and resources

Contribute to plans and proposals to grow sources of income/resource.

Take personal responsibility for the careful stewardship of LWF’s resources.

Personal Specification

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential

EXPERIENCE:

Comprehensive experience in an administrative role (E)

Experience of building positive relationships (E)

Experience of managing and updating Salesforce or similar databases (D)

Experience of delivering a range of high quality communications materials, including websites, reports, newsletters (D)

KEY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Excellent time management skills with the ability to juggle a wide range of competing demands (E)

Understanding of database and systems management (E)

Ability to take in and interpret information and present in a succinct manner (E)

Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written, combined with the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders (E)

Ability to act on own initiative to introduce and develop new systems as appropriate (E)

Strong attention to detail  (E)

Strong IT skills to include MS Office and database software (E)

Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK (D)

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

A proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E)

A strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign and principles of Citizens UK (E)

About the application process

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.

Interviews will be in person in Leeds, week commencing 30th March.

We are looking for an ambitious Programme Funding Manager to play a pivotal role in securing and managing funding from institutional donors, trusts, foundations, government agencies, and multilateral donors to support the delivery of vital global programmes supporting communities across the world.

The team would love this person to be in the London office once a week but this can be discussed, there may be occasional overseas travel. The team can consider 5 or 4 days a week.

The Charity
You would be joining a supportive and and welcoming team at a long standing, international social welfare charity that offer a range of employee benefits that include:
- Professional development, competitive pay and pension with a four percent employer pension contribution, rising to eight percent after one year. BUPA health cash plan, employee Assistance Programme and up to six free counselling sessions, enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity leave and shared parental leave. Travel insurance, vaccinations and security training (for work-related travel).

The Role

Further develop the Global Programme Funding Strategy to source funding in programme areas of interest including health, disaster risk management, resilience, sustainable livelihoods as well as research grants.

Identify and develop engagement plans for a wide range of UK and international institutional donors, research organisations, universities, trusts and foundations.

Lead on the development of high-quality funding proposals, contributing towards organisation wide grant and contract income targets.

Work with the UK and global in country teams to deliver the strategy and line manage and support the Senior Programme Funding Officer.

Oversee contract management and oversee compliance with donor regulations.

The Candidate

Are you an experienced relationship fundraiser with experience of the following:

Income Generation significant experience and a successful track record securing grants from key institutional funders, ideally from the relevant thematic areas of: animal welfare, livelihoods, resilience building, access to water, food and gender.

Current knowledge and experience of institutional funders priorities, requirements and ways of working.

Knowledge and experience of the Programme management cycle.

Experience of producing budgets and reports for funders; experience of negotiating budgets, value for money etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Please note this role is closing on 1st March. Our aim is to respond to all successful applications within 5 days. If you haven't been contacted within 5 days your application has been unsuccessful, but we positively encourage you to apply for any other positions that you may see in the future.

We apologise that we cannot contact everybody in person but thank you in advance for your interest.

Third Solutions encourages applications from individuals of all ages & backgrounds. Appointment will be made on merit alone but candidates must be able to demonstrate their ability to work in the UK. Third Solutions acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment & an employment business for temporary recruitment as defined by the Conduct of Employment Agencies & Employment Business Regulations 2003.

Are you a finance professional looking to use your skills for meaningful, community‑focused work?

About Us

FORCE Cancer Charity is an Exeter-based organisation supporting people affected by cancer across our region. Each year, we work with hundreds of local individuals and families, offering guidance, tailored support, and a trusted place to turn during an incredibly challenging time.
Our team is warm, supportive, and dedicated to ensuring that everyone facing cancer in our community receives the help, compassion and understanding they deserve.

We’re entering an exciting phase of development, and we’re looking for a Finance Department Manager to help strengthen and evolve the systems that underpin our work.

The Role

Reporting to the Chief Finance Officer, you’ll be responsible for the charity’s day-to-day financial and operational management. You’ll lead and develop a dedicated team, oversee robust financial processes, and play a key role in improving systems — including contributing to the implementation of a new fundraising database that will support sustainable income generation.

This is a part-time, primarily office-based role offering a varied and hands-on remit, combining financial leadership with operational oversight and the opportunity to shape how the organisation works as we grow. For the right person, there is scope to take on additional responsibilities and progress within the organisation over time.

We’re looking for someone with strong financial expertise, excellent organisational and IT skills, and the ability to communicate clearly with colleagues across the charity. Previous charity sector experience is welcomed but not essential. Most importantly, you’ll share our commitment to making a difference for people facing cancer.

If you’re motivated by meaningful work and want to use your skills to support a cause that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

This role offers the benefits of a permanent NHS contract, and the recruitment process is therefore completed through the NHS Career Gateway. For full details of key responsibilities and person specification, please see the attached job description and follow the recruitment platform link.

This is an exciting role in a unique organisation.  Our vision is to provide an outstanding experience for all UCL students and to be one of the best students’ unions in the UK and the world.  We aim to build a vibrant and empowered student community with real influence in UCL and beyond, that enables students to enjoy their time at university; pursue their interests and passions; see the world in new ways; and develop the skills and experience to change the world for the better.

We are a registered charity employing over 150 career staff and 300 student staff, delivering a wide range of services and representative functions for UCL students. We have the widest portfolio of services of any student organisation in the country, managing UCL’s extracurricular programmes for sport, music, drama, dance, media, volunteering, academic societies and intercultural engagement; providing a wide range of fantastic social spaces; leading on student democracy and representation across UCL; and offering excellent student support services.

It's an exciting time to join our growing organisation as we lead the delivery of UCL’s groundbreaking new Student Life Strategy. This is enabling us to build more programmes to improve students’ mental and physical wellbeing, promote genuine equity for all, build students’ skills and confidence, develop their international connections and intercultural skills, and make a real contribution to our local community.

We support hybrid working. Excellent benefits including defined benefit pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement. We are proud of high levels of staff engagement and pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We will consider applications to work on a flexible and job share basis wherever possible. 

The role is full-time and permanent. This role is based at our Bloomsbury campus with flexibility to work from home on a 40/60 basis (40% working from the office).

The Media Campaigns Manager will lead the creation and execution of high-impact, insight-driven media campaigns and sponsorship opportunities that support income generation while strengthening student engagement. The postholder will oversee the Union’s media sales function, managing and expanding the business development strategy, operational processes, and portfolio of marketable assets.

Do you have experience in income generation through media sales, sponsorships, partnerships, or commercial marketing activity? Do you also have experience coordinating the operational delivery of campaigns or events? If the answer is yes, then we want to hear from you. Our ideal candidate will have a good working knowledge of media sales, sponsorship, brand activations, and advertising marketplace dynamics, along with a comprehensive knowledge of sales techniques and practice

Citizens UK

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.

Purpose

The Head of People & Culture ensures that Citizens UK has the people, organisational capacity and enabling culture required to deliver its mission of building people power and strengthening civil society. The role plays a central part in securing a workforce that is capable, motivated and aligned with Citizens UK’s values, enabling the organisation to build strong alliances, support local leadership and achieve lasting social change.

Working as part of the senior leadership team, and under the direction of the Executive Director, Finance & Operations, the role strengthens organisational effectiveness by embedding fair, inclusive and well-governed people practices. Through sound employment frameworks, statutory compliance and a culture that supports engagement, performance and wellbeing, the Head of People & Culture safeguards Citizens UK’s resilience, reputation and ability to deliver impact at scale.

Main Responsibilities

Working as the Head of People & Culture for Citizens UK, reporting to the Executive Director, Finance & Operations, your main responsibilities will include:

People & Culture Strategy

Ensure Citizens UK has the people, capability and organisational shape required to deliver its mission and sustain impact over time.

· Analyse organisational strategy, change priorities and external context to identify their implications for people, capability, structure and ways of working.

· Carry out workforce planning to assess current and future capacity and capability, identifying gaps, risks and realistic options to address them.

· Develop, maintain and refresh the People & Culture strategy so it responds directly to organisational needs and provides clear priorities for action.

· Provide expert people and culture advice to the Executive Leadership Team and Board, informing strategic discussions, trade-offs and decisions.

Talent Management

Develop and implement talent management processes that ensure Citizens UK attracts, retains and sustains the people needed to deliver its work.

· Lead recruitment, selection and onboarding to bring in people who can perform effectively in their roles and are aligned with Citizens UK’s values.

· Develop and maintain retention approaches focused on the key drivers of retention, including meaningful work, effective management, development opportunities, wellbeing, inclusion and fair treatment.

· Identify critical roles and critical talent and put in place practical succession and risk-mitigation plans, including knowledge transfer, handover planning and interim cover where needed.

· Monitor employee experience across the employment lifecycle, using insight from feedback and people data to improve people practices and ways of working.

Performance, Leadership & Capability

Strengthen organisational effectiveness by enabling teams to perform well, grow in capability and contribute consistently to shared goals.

· Maintain and operate performance management processes, including objective setting, regular feedback and reviews, ensuring that staff are clear on expectations and accountable for results.

· Support managers to address performance issues constructively by clarifying expectations, strengthening feedback, building capability and resolving barriers to effective performance.

· Coordinate and deliver learning and development activity that supports managers and staff to build skills, leadership capability and confidence in their roles.

Organisational Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing

Foster a working environment where people feel engaged, supported and able to do their best work together.

· Promote Citizens UK’s values in everyday people practices, supporting managers to translate values into consistent behaviours, decision-making and ways of working.

· Design and operate staff engagement and feedback mechanisms, ensuring staff voice is heard, themes are analysed, and practical actions are taken in response.

· Develop and maintain wellbeing approaches that support psychological safety, healthy workload management, early resolution of concerns and sustainable working practices.

· Support constructive relationships with the Trade Union and enable effective consultation and dialogue on people-related matters. 

EDI & Safeguarding

Ensure Citizens UK is equitable, inclusive and safe for all by embedding fairness, care and accountability into how the organisation operates.

· Develop and implement Equity, Diversity and Inclusion priorities, using clear measures to monitor progress, identify gaps and support accountability across the organisation.

· Embed EDI considerations into recruitment, progression, policy development and everyday people decisions, working closely with relevant colleagues to ensure consistency in practice.

· Act as the People & Culture lead for safeguarding, ensuring responsibilities are clear, processes are understood, and concerns are handled appropriately, sensitively and in line with agreed procedures.

· Support managers and leaders to recognise and address inclusion or safeguarding issues early, escalating concerns where required and ensuring appropriate follow-up.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Ensure Citizens UK has a clear, effective and trusted people governance framework that supports lawful decision-making, fair treatment and organisational confidence.

· Develop, review and maintain People & Culture policies and procedures, ensuring they are legally compliant, values-aligned and understood by managers and staff.

· Provide day-to-day advice and guidance on people-related risk and compliance, identifying emerging issues early and supporting proportionate, lawful responses.

· Manage disciplinary, grievance and other formal employment processes, ensuring fairness, consistency, appropriate documentation and timely resolution.

Systems & HR Operations

Ensure the efficient, reliable and compliant administration of people processes and systems.

· Operate and maintain HR systems, payroll processes and core people administration, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality and compliance with organisational and legal requirements.

· Review and improve people processes to reduce duplication, minimise manual work and improve efficiency, making best use of available technology and automation.

· Maintain accurate and up-to-date people records and data, ensuring information is accessible, secure and fit for reporting, audit and operational needs.

Functional Leadership & Resource Management

Build and manage CUK’s People & Culture function, ensuring that staff and resources contribute effectively to achievement of CUK’s mission.

· Plan, prioritise and sequence People & Culture work to ensure available capacity is focused on the organisation’s most important people risks and priorities.

· Manage the People & Culture budget, including payroll, monitoring spend and applying value-for-money principles in line with organisational policies.

· Manage People & Culture staff and outsourced service providers utilising an engaging leadership style to support effective delivery of expectations.

Personal Specification

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential

Qualifications

· (E) CIPD qualification (Level 7) or equivalent senior-level professional experience in People / HR leadership

· (D) Degree or equivalent qualification in human resources, organisational development, management or a related field

Experience

· (E) Significant experience in a senior People / HR role, ideally within a charity, not-for-profit or values-driven organisation

· (E) Experience of leading and delivering people and culture priorities in complex, mission-led organisations

· (E) Experience of advising Executive and Board-level stakeholders on people, culture, governance and risk matters

· (E) Experience of operating as a senior, hands-on HR generalist, covering strategy, policy, employee relations and operational delivery

· (E) Experience of workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and organisational change

· (D) Experience of working with trade unions or staff representative bodies

Key skills and knowledge

· (E) Strong generalist HR expertise across employment law, compliance, safeguarding, performance management and people governance

· (E) Proven ability to design and implement practical people processes that support performance, inclusion and wellbeing

· (E) Strong coaching capability, with the ability to support managers to address performance, capability and behavioural issues constructively

· (E) Ability to manage complex employee relations matters with judgement, fairness and confidence

· (E) Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present clear advice and recommendations to senior leaders and boards

· (D) Knowledge of HR systems, people data and process improvement to support efficient delivery

Personal qualities & values

· (E) Strong commitment to social justice, inclusion and the values and mission of Citizens UK

· (E) Values-led and relational leadership style, combining empathy, integrity and pragmatism

· (E) Resilient and adaptable, able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment

· (E) Comfortable working within an accountable team culture, open to feedback, reflective practice and continuous improvement

· (D) Willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends, and to travel when required to support organisational priorities

First round interviews to be held on W/C 16 March 2026

Second round interviews to be held on W/C 23 March 2026