Head of community services jobs in greater manchester
Location: Home or Office based (offices located in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Bristol, Cardiff) Flexibility required to visit UK offices and teams as needed.
Department: The Big Issue Group
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: 35
Salary: £60,000 per annum
Play a strategic and leading role in the development and delivery of support programmes across Big Issue Changing Live CIC.
Big Issue Changing Lives CIC is looking for a Director for Programmes and Partnerships to lead the development and delivery of national programmes of support across Big Issue Recruit and Street Sales, test new ways of working and develop key partnerships to improve outcomes for people experiencing poverty across the UK.
You will also identify fundraising priorities, build national strategic partnerships, deliver a volunteer programme to improve engagement across local communities and lead on safeguarding across the CIC.
As an individual you will have experience of delivering services to achieve agreed targets, and of generating income to develop and grow these services, have excellent networking skills, possess a good understanding of third-party organizations relating to homelessness, universal credit, mental health, substance abuse and employment, and knowledge of poverty and homelessness issues and the difficulties vulnerably housed people face.
You will enjoy autonomy and working on your initiative, but will also enjoy working as part of a team and be able to create a collaborative and focussed working environment, both within your own department and as a member of the senior management team of the Big Issue Group. Therefore you will be someone who leads by example, demonstrates strong leadership and can be a role model showing the organization’s values through your own behaviour.
For a full list of key responsibilities and tasks, cores skills and experiences required as well as a background to the Big Issue Group and a full list of Staff Benefits - please see the Job Pack below.
Salary and Benefits offered
- Salary - £60,000 per annum.
- Incremental holiday entitlement starting at 25 days per year plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part time staff) plus paid leave to care for a sick child or grandchild and a sick or elderly relation
- Company Sick Pay
- Enhanced contribution to our workplace pension
- Enhanced maternity pay
- Training and development opportunities including an open learning library and management training schemes
- Health benefits include life cover, a health cash plan scheme which provides access to counselling and a range of therapies
- Access to Blue Light Card benefits scheme.
- Please note that we reserve the right to review and amend our staff benefits and they do not form part of any contract of employment
Workplace details
The role can be home or office based (offices located in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Bristol, Cardiff) but will involve nationwide travel visiting teams and offices across the UK.
Closing date - 05th October 2025 (23:59pm) - Interviews will be held in person at our London Head office in the week beginning 13th October and will involve a presentation and question and answer discussion session.
Big Issue Group is striving towards Equal Opportunities. We particularly welcome applications from those who are underrepresented in our sector, such as women in senior roles, and people with disabilities and from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
Since 1991, the Big Issue has fought poverty by creating opportunities and supporting people to take control of their lives. Over time our organisation has grown and now the Big Issue Group consists of the Big Issue Media Ltd, Big Issue Invest Ltd, our social investment arm, and Big Issue Impact Ltd.
Benefits: As well as a salary commensurate with our sector, we are proud of our family-friendly staff benefits. We offer 3 days paid leave in a rolling year to care for a sick child or grandchild, 3 days paid leave in a rolling year to care for a sick or elderly relative, an incremental holiday scheme, life cover, a healthcare cash plan, access to an open learning library and other learning & development opportunities, an enhanced contribution into our workplace pension and a generous maternity package. We particularly welcome applicants from those who are underrepresented, such as women in senior roles such as this, disabled people and people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
REF-224 049
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Camwch i mewn i daith drawsnewidiol gyda Cyfleodd Dysgu mewn addysg
Step into a transformative journey with Working Options. We're on a mission to empower young people aged 14–19 across the UK — and you can help make a real difference.
Over the past 18 months, our team has been building a movement of support for young people across Wales, having a significant impact on their life chances and working towards the aim of inspiring every young person in the country.
So far, we’ve already reached 19,000 students in-person and are connected with a third of all Welsh state secondary schools and colleges. In 2025, we’re aiming to reach 13,000 more young people — and we’re looking for a passionate colleague to help us make that happen.
About the role
As North Wales Project Coordinator, you’ll play a crucial role in:
- Connecting volunteers with schools and colleges, ensuring young people benefit from inspiring talks and workshops.
- Developing and maintaining strong relationships with schools, employers, and volunteers.
- Listening and adapting to the needs of young people, ensuring our programme creates real value for them and the stakeholders we work with.
You’ll be part of a flexible, entrepreneurial, and collaborative team that works remotely across Wales but comes together for events, volunteer training, school meetings, and team meet-ups. We set high expectations for ourselves and each other, value individual contributions, and celebrate shared success.
We’re seeking someone who is:
- Passionate about helping young people succeed.
- Fully committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Self-motivated and proactive, with a “can-do” attitude.
- Highly organised, able to juggle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
- Skilled at building strong relationships, particularly with schools and colleges.
- Resilient, tenacious, and excited by new opportunities.
- Creative and open to trying new ideas.
- Ambitious for themselves and the charity.
- Confident with technology and has strong computer literacy.
Desirable:
- Experience within educational settings or working with young people in Wales.
- The ability to communicate in the medium of Welsh.
Essential:
- Based in North Wales, or locations within England that are near to the border (e.g. Liverpool, Chester, Manchester)
- While not required, we particularly welcome applications from people who have experienced some of the challenges young people across Wales face today.
At Working Options, we believe in:
- Empowering volunteers to deliver high-quality talks and workshops.
- Providing a first-class service for schools that trust us with their students.
- Supporting each other to innovate, grow, and make real impact.
You’ll be joining a team that’s already changing lives — but we’re just getting started. With your help, we can reach even more young people and open up new opportunities for their future.
If this sounds like the right environment for you, we’d love to hear from you.
Good luck with your application!
Sue Maskrey
Chief Executive, Working Options in Education
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Disgrifiad swydd
Camwch i mewn i daith drawsnewidiol gyda Working Options mewn addysg
Camwch i mewn i daith drawsnewidiol gyda Working Options. Rydyn ni ar genhadaeth i rymuso pobl ifanc 14–19 oed ledled y DU — a gallwch chi helpu i wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol.
Dros y 18 mis diwethaf, mae ein tîm wedi bod yn datblygu mudiad o gymorth i bobl ifanc ledled Cymru, gan gael effaith sylweddol ar eu cyfleoedd bywyd a gweithio tuag at y nod o ysbrydoli pob person ifanc yn y wlad.
Hyd yn hyn, rydyn ni eisoes wedi cyrraedd 19,000 myfyriwr wyneb yn wyneb ac wedi cysylltu â thraean o holl ysgolion uwchradd a cholegau'r wladwriaeth yng Nghymru. Yn 2025, ein nod yw cyrraedd 13,000 yn fwy o bobl ifanc — ac rydyn ni'n chwilio am gydweithiwr angerddol i'n helpu i wireddu hynny.
Ynglŷn â'r rôl
Fel Cydlynydd Prosiect Gogledd Cymru, byddwch yn chwarae rôl hanfodol mewn:
- Cysylltu gwirfoddolwyr ag ysgolion a cholegau, gan sicrhau bod pobl ifanc yn elwa o sgyrsiau a gweithdai sy'n ysbrydoli.
- Datblygu a chynnal perthnasau cryf ag ysgolion, cyflogwyr, a gwirfoddolwyr.
- Gwrando ar ac addasu i anghenion pobl ifanc, gan sicrhau bod ein rhaglen yn creu gwerth gwirioneddol iddyn nhw a'r rhanddeiliaid rydyn ni'n gweithio â nhw.
Byddwch chi'n rhan o dîm hyblyg, entrepreneuraidd, a chydweithredol sy'n gweithio o bell ar draws Cymru ond sy'n dod at ein gilydd ar gyfer digwyddiadau, hyfforddi gwirfoddolwyr, cyfarfodydd ysgolion, a chyfarfodydd tîm. Rydyn ni'n gosod disgwyliadau uchel i ni ein hunain ac i'n gilydd, yn gwerthfawrogi cyfraniadau unigolion, ac yn dathlu llwyddiant a rennir.
Rydyn ni'n chwilio am rywun sydd yn:
- Angerddol dros helpu pobl ifanc i lwyddo.
- Hollol ymrwymedig i gydraddoldeb, amrywiaeth, a chynhwysiant.
- Hunangymhellol a rhagweithiol, gydag ymagwedd "gallaf wneud".
- Hynod drefnus, yn gallu cydbwyso sawl blaenoriaeth a glynu wrth derfynau amser.
- Medrus wrth feithrin perthnasau cryf, yn enwedig gydag ysgolion a cholegau.
- Gwydn, taer, ac yn gyffrous am gyfleoedd newydd.
- Creadigol ac yn agored i roi cynnig ar syniadau newydd.
- Uchelgeisiol, yn bersonol ac ar ran yr elusen.
- Hyderus o ran technoleg ac yn meddu ar lythrennedd cyfrifiadurol cryf.
Dymunol:
- Profiad mewn lleoliadau addysgol neu weithio gyda phobl ifanc yng Nghymru.
- Y gallu i gyfathrebu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
Hanfodol:
- Wedi'i leoli yng Ngogledd Cymru, neu leoliadau yn Lloegr sy'n agos at y ffin (e.e. Lerpwl, Caer, Manceinion)
- Er nad yw'n ofynnol, rydyn ni'n croesawu'n benodol ceisiadau gan bobl sydd wedi profi rhai o'r heriau mae pobl ifanc ledled Cymru yn eu hwynebu heddiw.
Yn Working Options, rydyn ni'n credu mewn:
- Grymuso gwirfoddolwyr i gyflwyno sgyrsiau a gweithdai o safon.
- Darparu gwasanaeth o'r radd flaenaf i ysgolion sy'n caniatáu i ni weithio gyda'u myfyrwyr.
- Cefnogi ein gilydd i arloesi, tyfu, a chael effaith go iawn.
Byddwch chi'n ymuno â thîm sydd eisoes yn newid bywydau — a dim ond dechrau arni ydyn ni. Gyda'ch help chi, gallwch gyrraedd hyd yn oed yn rhagor o bobl ifanc ac agor cyfleoedd newydd ar gyfer eu dyfodol.
Os yw hyn yn swnio fel yr amgylchedd cywir i chi, byddem wrth ein boddau yn clywed gennych chi.
Pob lwc gyda'ch cais!
Sue Maskrey
Prif Weithredwr, Working Options in Education
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Family Support Manager - Greater Manchester
£29,000 + Company Car and benefits (including 25 days annual leave and pension)
This post will cover the Greater Manchester region
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.
About the role:
We are looking to appoint a Family Support Manager to lead our Greater Manchester Family Support team, including volunteers and a small caseload.
Reporting to the Head of Care out of our Greater Manchester team base and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for delivering a high quality family support service: and will act as the local Registered Manager for the Care Quality Commission, providing management and leadership to the team in relation to all safeguarding issues.
Having worked in a stressful and emotional environment within the community, you have a commitment to working in partnership with children, young people and their families, developing, monitoring and delivering service outcomes and building and maintaining successful professional partnerships to ensure the service is accessible to relevant families.
What we’re looking for:
- An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who understand the impact of family dynamics of having a child/young person with a life threatening or terminal illness and those who have worked in bereavement support.
- A poised and convincing communicator - you will maintain effective relationships with stakeholders including families, referrers, partners and other statutory, private and voluntary agencies.
- Practiced in child protection, information sharing and the rules around data protection - you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines
- Comfortable with a changing environment - you will thrive working at a fast pace and controlling tasks form conception to completion and understand that quickly connecting with people is essential.
- A persuasive, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly - with a warm and friendly working style.
- Strong networking skills and confident use of MS Office - educated to A-Level with a recognised childcare and management qualification (NVQ4 or equivalent).
What we offer:
We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, including:
- Flexible working hours to balance home and working life
- Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand
- Company car for front line care posts
- 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)
- Time off in Lieu
- Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts
- BikThe option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping
- Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth
As part of our learning and development Anne Harris skills development programme, we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be their best and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.
Our Family Support Teams are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, introduction to play.
The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs.
About us:
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.
How to apply:
Please visit our website via the link and apply online.
Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.
Interviews will take place at our Manchester Care Team office with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.
There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.
Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
This is a critical and exciting leadership role for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust which will take the Trust forward to the next phase of organisational growth, building on the superb achievements to date of our retiring CEO.
You’ll need passion and energy to work on some of the most profound challenges of our time. Nature needs its champions, and you’ll need to harness all of your skills, all of your personality, and your network to grow our influence, our impact, and our outcomes. You’ll excel at galvanising others to take action enabling us to achieve our aims and ensure bumblebees are thriving and valued by everyone.
This is an incredible opportunity to join a very special organisation with passionate and high-performing teams who are truly dedicated to our vital purpose.
Please refer to the CEO pack for further information.
The Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer. This means that whilst seeking employment or during such employment with the Trust, we will seek to ensure equality of treatment for all persons regardless of sex, race, age, marital or civil partnership status, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity status.
At the Trust, we have a clear goal: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and do their best work. We pride ourselves on reaching for our vision, through the hard work and dedication of our passionate and creative employees.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The National Youth Agency is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to join our Executive Leadership Team.
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £85,000 per annum
Remote: This role is homebased (within the UK) with occasional to meetings, events and conferences.
What we do
As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.
We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work
About the Role
Responsibilities will include:
- The COO leads the day-to-day functioning of the organisation to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective delivery of services. This is vital for maintaining operational stability and achieving strategic outcomes.
- They design and execute strategies that align with the organisation’s mission and long-term goals ensuring resources are used effectively and priorities are clear.
- They promote a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through supporting employee engagement, productivity, and organisational success.
- The COO collaborates closely with the CEO/CFO and other senior leaders to drive strategic initiatives and business growth, ensuring unified leadership and coherent decision-making.
- They partner with the CFO to manage budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation. Financial oversight ensures sustainability and supports informed investment in strategic priorities.
- Strengthen governance and risk management frameworks, aligned to regulatory expectations and best practice while proactively managing reputational and operational risks.
- The COO cultivates strong relationships with partners, clients, and stakeholders to enhance service delivery and reputation. These relationships are key to influence, collaboration, and impact.
- They lead efforts to improve processes and adopt best practices across the charity to enhance efficiency and keeps the organisation competitive and responsive.
- They ensure that daily activities support the charities long-term objectives.
- The COO mentors other directors and departmental heads and fosters leadership capabilities across teams.
- They establish and track KPIs to identify inefficiencies and guide improvements through data-driven decision-making to enhance accountability and results.
- They evaluate and refine workflows to boost productivity developing efficient processes to reduce waste and improve service quality.
- They act as a bridge between departments and the CEO to ensure cohesive execution of strategic plans preventing silos and promoting organisational synergy.
- The COO serves as a senior figure in national and cross-sector forums, conferences, and strategic partnerships to strengthens the organisation’s voice and influence.
- They demonstrate commitment to Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in both internal culture and external programmes to foster a fair and inclusive organisation.
- They work with the CEO, CFO and Director of Growth to identify and pursue new revenue streams and strategic partnerships. This expands the organisation’s reach and sustainability.
- They engage in public speaking, media interactions, and external representation demonstrating clear communication, credibility, and stakeholder engagement.
- They develop and embed evaluation frameworks to assess progress against strategic goals. The measuring of our impact ensures accountability and informs future planning.
- They promote the organisation’s brand at events and through networking.
The COO takes on other responsibilities as needed to support the organisation’s mission.
About You
Essential competencies of the Chief Operating Officer:
- Extensive experience in senior leadership with a proven track record in operations, financial and risk management, and delivering high-performing teams, ideally in the charity sector.
- Strong understanding of business functions such as HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to think strategically and execute effectively.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Commercially astute, process-driven, and highly pragmatic in approach.
- Experience in driving performance and fostering a collaborative culture.
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field; MBA preferred
Why Work for NYA?
- NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
- NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
- A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
- NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
- We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.
How to Apply:
To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Monday 29th September 2025:
A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
A covering letter highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.
Please note: The covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 80% AI generated content will be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.
The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.
At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.
We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.
Youth Work changes lives
Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it.As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.
We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.
REF-223747