Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Step into a transformative journey with Working Options
We're on a mission to empower young people aged 14-19 across England and Wales, and you can help make a real difference.
Following our successful Wales pilot supporting 15,000 young people since launching in 2024, we're scaling regionally. In 2025 we're focusing on Bedfordshire, and that is where we need you, while also responding to needs across England and Wales, aiming to reach 90,000+ young people in-person and 2.5 million+ online across both nations.
As a Project Coordinator you'll connect volunteers with schools and foster impactful relationships within our dynamic, entrepreneurial environment. We believe in inclusivity, trying new things, setting high expectations, and creating real opportunities for young people.
Working from home with occasional team meet-ups, events, and school visits, you'll join a dedicated team that values high expectations and individual contributions to help young people achieve positive outcomes.
If you're passionate, self-motivated, and eager to contribute to a great mission, this is your chance to join a team that's helping young people to transform their career and life chances.
Don't just take our word for it, here's what one of our young people had to say: "My personal experience has been exceptional. There is a collaborative atmosphere, and it is truly empowering to be part of a charity that values student input and involves us in decisions that directly affect our lives." – Working Options Alumnae.
Find out more about the role, and hear from our Chief Executive about our charity's ambitions, via the applicant pack linked below.
Person specification
We are looking for someone who:
• Has a genuine interest in our work and in the greater Bedfordshire area and/or South of England in easy reach of Bedfordshire.
• Is fully committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Is self-motivated.
• Has excellent attention to detail.
• Can juggle multiple priorities, sticking to deadlines and flagging when priorities need reviewing.
• Has a flair for developing great relationships, particularly with schools and colleges.
• Is proactive and tenacious, able to seek out new opportunities and remain resilient.
• Is creative and likes coming up with new ideas.
• Is ambitious for themselves and for the charity.
• Has high computer literacy.
While we don't specify this in our person specification, we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who have experienced some of the challenges that young people across England and Wales face today.
If you like the sound of this environment, we would love to hear from you.
Good luck with your application!
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Charity Support Officer
Location: Remote, with regular meetings in London, applicants must be based in or around London
Salary: £27,700 - £29,000 per year
Contract: Full-time with opportunities to work flexibly over 4 days
Reporting to: CEO
About AWN
All Ways Network (AWN) is a UK-registered charity dedicated to empowering non-profits that support diverse Muslim communities across the UK, particularly those with an annual income under £1 million towards becoming fundable.
We provide grassroots organisations with vital services from bid-writing and application reviews to webinars, training, and tailored charity support. This helps them access funding, strengthen governance, build capacity, and adopt best practices in a challenging funding landscape.
Committed to equitable grant-making and a stronger civil society, AWN champions the vision of: “Thriving non-profits empowering Muslim communities to enrich UK society.”
Role Overview: Knowledge in grant-funding, capacity building, organisational support
We are seeking a proactive and collaborative Charity Support Officer to help deliver AWN’s mission. You will be the first point of contact for grassroots charities, supporting them to strengthen their organisations and improve their chances of securing grant funding by offering practical guidance, signposting, and building trusted relationships that help them grow in confidence and resilience. The role includes helping organisations strengthen governance and compliance, sharing information on grant-funding opportunities, and supporting them to identify challenges and develop practical solutions.
The non-profits you will support work across a wide range of areas for example: women, health and wellbeing, youth, homelessness and poverty, family services, sports, faith groups, crime and gangs, prisoners and ex-offenders, refugees and asylum seekers, drug addiction, older people and rehabilitation, and many more.
Bringing a strong awareness of the barriers facing small charities particularly Muslim-led groups, will be key to helping them build long-term sustainability and impact.
Key Responsibilities:
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Act as the first point of contact for charities and community groups, managing a varied caseload and balancing priorities.
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Carry out needs assessments to understand organisations strengths, challenges, and funding needs, and develop clear action plans.
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Provide tailored support, including health checks on governance, compliance, finances, and funding readiness, offering recommendations and signposting to specialist services (e.g., Cranfield Trust, CVS, Charity Excellence etc).
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Advise on funding opportunities, strategy, and application readiness, with referrals to bid-writing support where needed.
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Deliver workshops, webinars, events, and one-to-one sessions to build skills, knowledge, and confidence of UK grassroots organisations.
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Work collaboratively with organisations and AWN colleagues (including via the triage and referral system) to identify challenges and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
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Build and maintain strong relationships with charities, funders, and sector partners across the voluntary, public, and charity sectors.
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Represent AWN at external events, conferences, and meetings, helping to organise and deliver events linked to your work.
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Keep accurate records on the CRM, gather feedback, write case studies, and contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and service development.
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Support AWN’s communications by contributing updates for the website and social media.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for someone who is approachable, empathetic, and motivated to make a difference. You’ll have a natural ability to listen, build trust, and meet people where they are, while offering constructive and practical support. Patience, curiosity, and cultural awareness will help you understand the diverse realities of grassroots charities and the communities they serve.
Alongside these personal qualities, you’ll bring a good understanding of the charity sector and the challenges facing small non-profits across the UK, for UK Muslim-led organisations. You’ll have exceptional knowledge of governance, compliance, and funding pathways, and the confidence to guide organisations towards growth, resilience, and long-term impact.
Essential Criteria
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3+ years’ experience within the UK charity sector (domestic, not solely international).
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Strong understanding of charity governance, compliance, and the UK funding and grant-making landscape.
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Insight into the needs and challenges of small and grassroots non-profits, with awareness of the systemic barriers affecting Muslim-led organisations.
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Experience supporting or advising charities, community groups, or local networks to build capacity and resilience.
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Ability to work collaboratively with organisations, offering constructive and practical guidance.
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Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with confidence in public speaking and engaging a wide range of stakeholders.
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Strong organisational and administrative skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
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Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative, and adapt in a fast-paced environment.
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Comfortable working autonomously and as part of a small team, with minimal supervision.
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Confident using technology to deliver support and manage work effectively, including CRM systems, Microsoft Teams, and other digital tools.
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Experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Community engagement and outreach
- Event or project coordination (online and in-person)
- Delivering presentations, workshops, or training sessions
- Monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities
Recruitment Process
Interviews will take place early October 2025.
The process will include two stages: one online and one in-person (to be held in the City of London).
Exact dates will be confirmed before the application deadline.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
UK-based/ Colchester or Home-based with monthly travel to Colchester office. Overseas travel with trips lasting from 10-14 days.
This post requires the candidates to have independent rights to live and work in the UK
Background
Lepra is dedicated to addressing leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) and their consequences through direct support, advocacy, and the promotion of inclusive communities. We work in Bangladesh and in India, through our sister organisation, LEPRA Society. We work in partnership with people affected by leprosy and LF to improve detection, ensure access to treatment and care, and promote inclusion and wellbeing. Last year we finalised our new Global Strategy for 2024-30, which will guide us in our efforts to accelerate progress towards global targets for leprosy and LF, and towards our vision of a world free from leprosy and LF.
Job Context
Our Global Strategy marks a significant evolution in our organisational direction, introducing innovative approaches and renewed priorities. This includes our first-ever global Theory of Change (ToC), our most comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework to date, a Research and Innovation strategy, and a dedicated Advocacy sub-strategy to guide our influencing efforts.
With the Lepra Advocacy Strategy, we will be working over the next 6 years to strengthen our approaches to our advocacy efforts. The post holder will play a key role in supporting the roll out of the Advocacy strategy working closely with the Director of Programmes and Advocacy, the Head of Research, the Senior Programme Manager, the Programme Officer and the teams where we work.
Job Purpose
This role is an exciting role within the programmes team in response to evolving needs. The incoming post holder will work within the 5 person UK’s Programme and Advocacy team and will drive, advise and support the team in relation to Lepra’s advocacy profile. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, strategic and creative person who has outstanding skills to engage and work with a diverse team. We are looking for someone to work with a clear strategy and then develop, grow and successfully shape the future of Lepra’s advocacy efforts.
Working Relationships
Reports to Lepra UK’s Director of Programmes and Advocacy (DPA)
Works closely with the Programmes and Advocacy Team
Close working links with colleagues in India and in Bangladesh and the UK’s communications team
International travel as needed for programmes oversight and support, and external representation.
Key responsibilities
Advocacy Delivery (50%)
Under the supervision of the DPA implement Lepra’s global Advocacy strategy and coordinate advocacy initiatives.
Serve as the driver of advocacy efforts, facilitating the transitional year of implementation including coordinating the Advocacy Steering Group; advocacy toolkit development; action planning.
Represent Lepra in specific fora and advocacy networks and within the broader leprosy and NTD community in close coordination with the DPA.
Produce quarterly advocacy newsletters
Maintain quarterly reports on flagging areas of concern and actioning steering committee advice.
Assist in the preparation of policy documents and the presentation of papers for publication, conferences, or specific institutions and/or individuals - identifying and targeting the most appropriate audiences.
Support and contribute to the development and implementation of initiatives that foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment across organisational programmes, policies, and advocacy efforts.
Support and contribute to initiatives that promote inclusion and equity, with a strong focus on developing the leadership and advocacy capacity of people with lived experience of leprosy, ensuring their voices are central in decision-making and programme design.
Knowledge management / Learning and Development (20%)
Support the preparation of Lepra advocacy and policy documents.
Disseminate knowledge so that it is integrated into Lepra’s portfolio to amplify the impact for target audiences and improve their outcomes.
Facilitate the new knowledge and learning hub and forge a clear path for its evolution.
Facilitate knowledge sharing through updating the communications team with relevant materials for the new programme folder on the website.
Organise and develop advocacy training.
Develop and take ownership of the new programme’ s team knowledge sharing approaches.
Develop a workplan of knowledge sharing events.
Support annual review meetings.
Communications (10%)
Assist the programmes team with the documentation of Lepra examples and models of best practice, at the same time identifying and developing mechanisms and avenues for the effective dissemination of this knowledge – internally and externally.
Assist the programmes team, DPO, Chief Executive and Country Programme staff in the synthesis of complex technical/scientific information adapting it to language and formats easily used by target audiences.
Contribute to content development of community engagement materials (public information, brochures, leaflets) that help explain the operations and impact of Lepra’s work to LF and/or leprosy affected communities.
Maintain good working links with Lepra’s UK Fundraising and Communications Team, contributing towards UK facing communications materials as and when required.
Prepare updates, papers, and reports for trustee meetings, funding partners, and wherever else applicable.
External representation (10%)
Support the Chief Executive, DPA and programmes team to maintain and expand existing strategic relationships with key international stakeholders to further Lepra’s advocacy strategy and advance Lepra’s agenda.
Ensure Lepra’s external profile is raised and become the go-to organisation for the leprosy community in terms of advocacy and policy briefings.
Support the preparation of documents for presentation, publication or dissemination at international fora.
Develop/support the development of country specific briefing notes/press kits with the communications team.
Represent Lepra at key events, conferences, and meetings to enhance our visibility and opportunity for impact.
Safeguarding (5%)
Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within Lepra’s implemented projects.
Ensuring that safeguarding mechanisms are in place and remain at the heart of all activities.
Support the integration of strong safeguarding and PSEA practices into project design and delivery.
Monitoring, evaluation, and impact (5%)
Ensure that all advocacy and knowledge transfer efforts are captured and embedded in appropriate results frameworks, objectives, outputs, indicators and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Provide inputs to Lepra’s reports, according to Lepra’s needs.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Relevant degree level of education in Public Health, Social Sciences, Global Health, Human Rights, Political Sciences or equivalent experience.
Desirable
Relevant post-graduate qualification
Relevant professional health-related qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
Minimum of 2 yrs experience of advocacy/campaigning/policy work with an overseas development organisation
Experience of working to advance the rights of excluded populations
Extensive knowledge of global health issues and an up-to-date familiarity with issues and practice in the international development sector
Experience in planning and implementing successful strategies/campaigns/advocacy in Asia.
Experience in programme/project planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting, within a non-governmental organisation, including the preparation of reports for institutional donors.
Ability to analyse and act on data.
Experience of working on issues in relation to disability, mental health, gender, human rights and social inclusion.
Experience in project coordination and management.
Desirable
At least two years’ experience as an advocacy manager, preferably gained with an overseas development organisation or in academia, in a similar health focused role.
Familiarity with data visualisation tools and packages.
Proficiency in one or more Indian languages (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, etc.) is an asset.
Skills, Attitudes and Personal Qualities
Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal to build strong relationships, negotiate and persuade a wide range of audiences, with confidence at presenting and representing.
Proven strength in both written and verbal communication
Able to reach, network with and communicate to a wide range of stakeholders and potential stakeholders.
Excellent attention to detail, and organisational and time management skills
Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.
Ability to use databases, Word, excel, PowerPoint and other Office packages
Ability to work independently, be flexible and prioritise workload.
Ability to travel within the UK and overseas.
The right to work in the UK.
We operate a non-bias recruitment process and run our job advertisements through anonymous recruitment methods.
We offer a lot of flexibility in working practices and there is free reserved parking available at our Colchester office. We also offer 26 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro-rated), pension, Employee Assistance Programme and support from an in-house well-being team.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for interview. Please check your email inbox and spam/junk mail folder for any email correspondence for this vacancy.
If you require any reasonable considerations such as access or information in an alternative format, please inform us soon as you are able so that we can make the appropriate adjustments.
Please do not use AI to help you write cover letters, CVs and responses to any screening questions. We want to hear your original voice.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.