Fundraising officer donor recruitment jobs

Help launch a new initiative housing the homeless through the local church

Hope into Action is a national Christian charity enabling local churches to provide homes and support for people experiencing homelessness.

We are launching a new Hope into Action franchise in Milton Keynes, and are looking for a Location Lead to help establish and grow the project from the ground up.

Working with churches, volunteers, and the Hope into Action national team, you will help create homes where people can rebuild their lives within a supportive Christian community.

About the role

As Location Lead, you will provide local leadership and coordination for the Milton Keynes project.

At launch the project will involve one house supporting up to three tenants, working in partnership with our first partner church, New Life Church Milton Keynes.

You will help:

• Build partnerships with churches across Milton Keynes
• Support and encourage church volunteers
• Ensure safeguarding and governance standards are maintained
• Develop relationships with local agencies, supporters, and investors
• Lay the foundations for future houses and growth

You will work closely with Hope into Action UK advisors, who provide established policies, safeguarding frameworks, systems, and ongoing support.

This means you are not building a housing project from scratch - you are helping implement and grow an established national model locally.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Is motivated by their Christian faith and compassion for those experiencing homelessness
• Enjoys building relationships and connecting people around a shared vision
• Is organised, proactive, and comfortable coordinating people and systems
• Can work collaboratively with churches, volunteers, and community partners
• Has initiative and enjoys helping something new take shape

Experience in leadership, community work, housing, or charity management would be helpful, but we are equally interested in people with the right values, attitude, and relational skills.

A pioneering opportunity

This is an opportunity to help establish a project that could grow to support many more people across Milton Keynes in the years ahead.

As the project grows and additional houses are opened, hours and responsibilities are expected to increase accordingly.

For the right candidate this role could be combined with the Church & Tenant Empowerment Worker role (total hours to be agreed) which can be found on our website here..

To apply, please send your completed application form by 5pm, Friday 22nd May 2026

We are seeking a creative and conscientious communications leader with exceptional attention to detail and demonstrable expertise in developing and delivering high-impact strategic communications outputs in the international development or third sector. We are a relatively small team and are therefore looking for someone who is both highly strategic and able to see the ‘big picture’, while also being happy getting stuck in at an operational level to ensure timely, on-budget delivery of outputs. Experience of working with or within networks or membership organisations would be a particular asset in this role. It is also important that you are comfortable working across all areas – from digital, to design, to publishing, to events – as well as being an exceptional project manager, confident liaising with a range of partners and stakeholders at different levels, and an experienced line manager.

The Global Distributors Collective (GDC) is in an excellent position, with a strong track record of delivery and impact, a solid funding pipeline, and a clear 2026-30 strategy. High-impact communication crosscuts the entire GDC programme and is essential to ensuring that beneficial products can be made affordable and available to all. As Communications Manager (maternity cover), you will therefore need to both hit the ground running to deliver our ambitious schedule of upcoming communications activities – from in-person and online events, to high-profile research, publications, and digital outputs – as well as to work proactively with the Head of GDC, Bopinc team, GDC strategic advisors, and fellow communications colleagues to shape and embed communication activities across a range of new projects that are kicking off in 2026-27.

About Practical Action and the GDC

Practical Action is an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world. For the past eight years, Practical Action has been hosting and building the Global Distributors Collective (GDC): a collective of 300 last mile distribution companies that cumulatively reach millions of the poorest consumers in the world with beneficial products like solar lanterns, water filters and improved cookstoves. GDC activities are delivered in collaboration with strategic and implementing partner Bopinc.

The GDC provides a collective voice for distributors to ensure their priorities are heard; drives research and innovation across the sector; facilitates the exchange of information, insight, and expertise; and provides critical services that leverage economies of scale.

Moving into our 2026-30 strategy phase, we are proactively shifting from creating and setting up advisory services and tools that support last mile distributors to embedding and scaling these initiatives. Specifically, we will focus on four key strategic pillars:

· Unlocking finance: Prepare more last mile distributors (LMDs) for investment and help to unlock country-level financing mechanisms and create LMD-focussed debt facilities. 

· Strengthening business performance: Deliver training, shared services, and data tools that reduce business costs and improve efficiency, in scalable formats.

· Scaling innovation: Identify, test, and replicate high-value business innovations and remove eco-system barriers.

· Shaping systems and local leadership: Build local chapters and influence global and national agendas so LMDs are visible, valued and represented. 

About you

We are looking for a go-getting, ambitious and proactive communications specialist who is ready to lead the GDC communications team to deliver a range of high-impact, top-quality, communications activities over the next 12 months. To succeed in this role, you must be a communications all-rounder, an experienced line manager, and an excellent written and verbal communicator with exceptional attention to detail, robust project management and interpersonal skills. You will be a strategic thinker with the ability to multitask, work independently and adapt in a fast-paced environment, while also being willing to “muck in” in our relatively small team. Depending on where you are based, demonstrable experience of managing remote staff will be important; as will the ability to thoughtfully support and coach team members to achieve their full potential.

Why join us?

This is the opportunity to lead a globally recognised initiative driving innovation and impact in last mile distribution. At Practical Action, you will be part of a values-driven organisation committed to reducing poverty and inequality through sustainable, practical solutions. You will work alongside passionate colleagues and partners, contributing to meaningful change for communities around the world. We offer a collaborative and inclusive working environment that supports learning, innovation, and personal growth.

We treat all applications for employment on their merits and do not take into consideration any factors that are not relevant to the job such as disability, race, age, religion, gender, gender reassignment or sexual orientation. Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks including criminal checks and terrorist financing.

Additional information

We are seeking candidates based in ether Kenya or the UK. The successful applicant must have the pre-existing right to both live and work in the country in which they will be based. Please note this is being recruited as a 12-month fixed term contract. Hybrid working pattern; if UK-based, the role could be predominantly home based

To apply please submit a copy of your CV and supporting that includes the answers to the following questions:

1. Why do you consider yourself a strong candidate for the role of GDC Communications Manager at Practical Action?

2. What most excites you about working on the Global Distributors Collective programme?

3. What do you think would be your biggest strength and steepest learning curve in this role?