Food and health research officer jobs

Manchester Central Foodbank is a busy Trussell Trust-affiliated food bank, with centres in Central, North, and East Manchester. We were established in Ardwick in 2013 by students at the Manchester Universities’ Catholic Chaplaincy, making us the first student-led food bank in the country. Since then we have grown significantly, expanding our weekly sessions into Harpurhey and Openshaw.

Our core aims are to deliver the best quality support that we can to the largest number of our neighbours in need, while working with partners and influencing and organising at a neighbourhood and citywide level to reduce and end the need for food banks in Manchester.

We currently support 16,000 people per year with nutritionally balanced 3-day food parcels. This is double the number of people we supported in the first year following the Covid-19 pandemic, and four times the number supported in 2019. We also provide financial inclusion support with advice workers in public sessions, access to energy vouchers, SIM cards, and other voucher or material support. We coordinate across a network of 200 active front-line referral agencies with the aim of ensuring everyone who accesses our service has appropriate, specialised, and ongoing support alongside the material provision that we provide.

We are active leaders in anti-poverty organising and community development, as convenors of the citywide Building an Anti-Poverty Community collective and aim to be key shapers and influencers of new strategies and policies, working closely to support and influence local government, NHS, education and research agendas in Manchester and more widely building upon our track record of successful anti-poverty partnership work, social value impact and Parliamentary influencing. Our core values are: care, partnership, dignity, partnership, anti-stigma and rights-based.

Key responsibilities
As Chief Executive Officer you will be the key senior staff leader for the charity. You will lead the team to ensure they have the resources, frameworks, and support to effect smooth day-to-day running of our frontline support service. You will provide a strong business management focus, through supporting the financial process, overall metrics and reporting, day to day HR and input for the external Payroll Team, Health and Safety, appropriate working conditions, and strategic planning and communications. 

As the senior lead you will also facilitate and support the Board of Trustees to develop and lead strategic development objectives and plans for transformation, and ensure the delivery and implementation of the charity’s overall strategy and specific focused strategies. You will develop and manage strategic relationships with stakeholders including Council, NHS, and other statutory partners and funders, corporate and social value funders and partners, and high-value and donors. You will also plan and lead fundraising strategies. 

You will be a key external interface for our community and partners.  You will do this by:

Staff/Board Leadership and Governance:

• Line managing a current team of operations staff, including those supporting the recruitment, training, and management of a large team of volunteers. 

• Building team spirit and employee engagement and offer.

• Leading and delivering regular staff performance and development reviews.

• Developing and delivering robust metrics and reporting to the board and staff team, through consistent monthly and quarterly reporting packs to the board of trustees.

• Ensuring all staff and volunteers are familiar and engaged with the charity’s long-term goals and objectives, and know how their work helps to implement these on the ground. Leading the development of induction packages and ongoing offers for staff and volunteers. You will be responsible for writing, implementation, and update of institutional policies as needed to staff and volunteers.

• Leading targeted volunteer recruitment strategies to maximise core delivery capacity through volunteer roles and prioritise staffing capacity to core charity operations.

• Ensure policies are kept current.

• Ensure recording and management of absence/leave.

• Ensure Health and Safety aspects of all organisational operations are compliant, in collaboration with the Board sponsor.

• Manage day to day financial input, through the Xero app, and ensure accurate and up-to-date financial reporting for the Board/Treasurer. This includes administering monthly payroll requests.

• Oversee training and personal development plans for staff and volunteers, as appropriate.

• Working with the Chair of Trustees to implement the charity’s strategic plan and structural development objectives.

• Develop and implement ongoing plans and actions to ensure operationally-appropriate and safe office, warehouse, and working spaces.

• Lead on development, modelling, and maintenance of service delivery standards, quality control, and ensuring frontline teams have the appropriate resources, support, and frameworks to deliver high quality and consistent support offers.

Foodbank Management:

• Support the Operations and Project Lead to deliver the smooth running of food bank sessions across multiple centres, ensuring an excellent standard of service across all centres, and seeking to continually develop our service in line with our goals to support the largest number of people with the best support we can while working to reduce and end the need for food banks in Manchester.

• Develop and build a new Delivery Strategy with the Chair of Trustees and Operations and Project Lead.

• Support the Operations and Project Lead and Warehouse and Logistics Coordinator to safely store and maintain optimal stock levels, maximise food donation levels and reduce food spend, develop and maintain relationships with community donors, and record incoming and outgoing stock, with the aim of ensuring that all centres are well stocked to provide as many varied, balanced, and nutritious and culturally-appropriate food parcels as necessary.

• Ensure compliance with the procedures set out in Manchester Central Foodbank’s policies, the Trussell Trust’s Operating Manual, and relevant statutory requirements at all times.

• Ensure our food bank centres provide a safe and dignified environment for clients, free from discrimination, judgement, and stigma.

Strategy and External Relationships:

• Working with the Chair of Trustees on development, monitoring, and implementation of the core charity strategy and sub-strategies. Ensuring the involvement and participation of the food bank’s staff, volunteers, external partners, and service users in all strategic planning and decision making, where appropriate.

• Support the Operations and Project Lead to work build strong relationships with referral partners and wider community and statutory networks of collaborators and support to ensure that our service users are able to access the maximum amount of support before, during, and after accessing our service to minimise the length and severity of financial crisis, maximise their incomes, and provide pathways to ongoing and longer-term support.

• Play an active role in strategic and convening spaces around our city and neighbourhoods to present the foodbank’s approach, bring more partners into our network, and influence policy and funding frameworks.

• Develop and manage a Corporate Relationships and Social Value strategy, including communications, networking, and relationship management.

• Lead on directing the charity’s external communications, including social media, in person, newsletters, company visits, and other content.

• Manage internal communications, including developing and delivering two-way team briefings with the board and staff/volunteers, biannual town halls or away days with board members and staff/volunteers, newsletters, and an open and collaborative, person-focused, and developmental culture within the organisation.

About you

Essential Experience and Knowledge:

• 5 years’ experience of leading a similar profiled charity or organisation and successful Board interaction.

• Experience of leading successful transformation and change for a charity and a strong developmental mindset and focus.

• Have led a team of 5 or more staff members to successful performance, demonstrating experience of coaching and individual development skills.

• Experience in developing and leading successful and engaged volunteering programmes and support.

• Full valid driving licence. 

• Proven experience of leading the development and delivery of strategy and sub-strategies to successful conclusion and fashioning evidenced business cases for current and new development projects.

• Leading multiple complex projects or services, balancing the needs and interests of a range of stakeholders.

• Experience of implementing rigorous reporting and evaluation practices on operations.

• Experience of managing day-to-day financial administration and reporting.

• Evidence of delivering clear metric dashboards and reports.

• Experience of high-quality implementation of Health and Safety and Safeguarding policies and a leadership practice that centres care for staff, volunteers, and service users. Safeguarding lead qualification is desirable but will provide training if not.

• Demonstrable knowledge and experience in HR processes and management.

• Experience in building and delivering strategic plans.

• Proven experience of effective problem solving and responding to crisis situations.

• A good working knowledge of the social welfare and political landscape in Manchester – or demonstrable experience in similar expertise and networking and an openness to learn and develop sector-specific knowledge.

• A nuanced and sensitive understanding of the complex reasons people attend food banks.

Desirable Experience and Knowledge:

• Partnering with and building relationships with Council, NHS, and other statutory partners and funders, corporate and social value partners and funders, high net worth donors, and fundraising through grant applications and individual/community donors.

• Experience of working collaboratively with stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, faiths, and views. 

• Experience of handling safeguarding incidents, follow-ups, and debriefs with staff, volunteers, and service users.

• Demonstrated success in delivering communications strategies for internal and external stakeholders, including social media and press content and campaigns.

Personal Skills and Attributes:

• An individual who embodies the values of Manchester Central Foodbank in their core professional practice and personal approach to their work.

• An empathetic and care-centred approach and the ability to centre the experience and outcomes of people from marginalised or socially-excluded backgrounds in core decision-making and prioritisation.

• A leader who takes ownership, accountability, and responsibility to drive an organisation and team forward with a developmental mindset.

• A highly self-motivated and proactive person who centres collaboration and consensus with the staff team, volunteers and Board of Trustees in their approach.

• Able to develop strategy and plans and translate strategy to actionable delivery and developmental projects.

• A high level of literacy and communication.

• A high level of numeracy and ability to analyse data.

• Strong leadership attributes to build engagement and performance with the team.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate, persuade, and coach staff and volunteers.

• Excellent personal organisation skills and the ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities and deadlines.

The Hygiene Bank is looking to appoint a Partnership Officer to engage new brands with the work of our charity. This is an opportunity to join an ambitious organisation that is working to end hygiene poverty in the UK. 

The role is remote but with monthly team meetings in London and this role will require travel to partner meetings and events. 

Every day, millions of people across the UK are forced to make impossible choices between heating their homes, buying food, paying rent, or staying clean. 

At The Hygiene Bank, we believe that feeling clean should never be a luxury. Through our nationwide network of volunteers, community partners, and corporate and brand supporters, we provide access to essential hygiene products while campaigning for lasting change. 

As we embark on the next 3 years, we're looking for a Partnership Officer to help grow the brands and businesses standing alongside us in the fight against hygiene poverty. 

Read more about our work on our website along with our Impact Report and research Hygiene Poverty 2024 

This is more than a fundraising role. It's an opportunity to build meaningful partnerships that directly improve lives, influence businesses to become forces for good, and help drive a movement working to end hygiene poverty for good. 

About the role 

We're looking for a proactive, organised and relationship-focused Partnership Officer to join our growing Brand & Corporate Partnerships team. 

Working closely with and supported by the Head of Brand & Corporate Partnerships, you will play a vital role in identifying and securing new brand partnerships, nurturing existing relationships, and helping to deliver ambitious income and impact targets. 

Our partners range from emerging challenger brands to nationally recognised businesses like Boots UK. They support our work through financial contributions, product donations, employee fundraising, volunteering, awareness campaigns and skills-based support. 

You'll be at the heart of these relationships, helping partners understand the difference they can make and ensuring they have an outstanding experience of supporting The Hygiene Bank. 

This role would suit someone with experience in partnerships, business development, fundraising, account management or sales who is excited by the prospect of combining commercial relationship-building with meaningful social impact. 

Job Description  

The Partnership Officer will be a key member of The Hygiene Bank’s income generation team and wider central team, with a responsibility to help meet the needs of our existing partnerships and support in fulfilling the charity’s income generation plans and strategy. 

Key Responsibilities 

You will support the management of our brand partners, working with the Head of Brand and Corporate Partnerships. Your role will be to source new brand relationships, set up meetings for the team and support existing brand partnerships. 

• Work closely with the Head of Brand and Corporate Partnerships to identify and outreach to target brand partners, working to engage their support for the charity

• Account management of new and existing partners 

• Meticulous record keeping, ensuring the pipeline and the opportunity database are current and up to date.

• Contribute to the organisation and team's annual plans, strategies, and budgets. 

• Develop, monitor, and maintain systems and processes including Salesforce and account management plans. 

• Assist with the creation of marketing materials, such as newsletters, brochures, and partner impact reports.

• Understand and support the vision, mission, and values of The Hygiene Bank. 

• Reflect our inclusive culture in your day-to-day work and support a values-led, positive, health & safety and safeguarding culture in your interactions with colleagues and the volunteers.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise 

• Excellent relationship management and stewardship resulting in demonstrable account growth. 

• Effective account management or sales experience with brand and corporate partners across a variety of sectors.

• Experience using creativity and innovation to diversify income from partners, resulting in growth. 

• Outstanding communication skills and polished presentation and people skills to champion, and act as an ambassador for The Hygiene Bank in the business world, including preparing and leading presentations. 

• Detail-driven, strategic, motivated, with a forward-leaning approach to business. 

• Ability to work independently, multi-task, and prioritise a busy workload. 

• Outstanding written communication skills and experience in developing compelling proposals and collateral. 

• Experience working with internal stakeholder teams to help ensure partnership deliverables are met. 

• Passion for personal and professional development, as well as a proven can-do attitude to get involved in various aspects of fundraising delivery, as needed. 

Attributes and behaviours: 

• Passionate and demonstrably committed to improving the lives of people experiencing Hygiene Poverty and strong alignment with the charity’s values 

• A commitment to quality and attention to detail. 

• Ability to work on your own initiative. 

• A highly competent and collaborative team worker. 

• Discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality. 

• Willingness to learn new skills. 

• Ability to work in a growth mindset, changing and flexible organisation. 

This job description and person specification represents an outline of the major components of the job and is not intended to be exhaustive.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.