Head of delivery jobs

Location: The role is national, managing teams in Northern Ireland, Wales and across England. You will need to be able to work at one of our BookTrust offices in London, Leeds, Belfast or Cardiff for an average of 8 days per month whilst some of these collaboration days may be worked in partner locations, at events or stakeholder meetings in any part of the country. The position will require regular travel to BookTrust office bases and to visit and engage as needed.

BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. We know that children who read are happier, healthier, more empathetic, and more creative. They also do better at school.

Working with every local authority and across every region in the country, and supported by Arts Council funding, we reach over 3 million families a year via partners in schools, children’s centres, health visitors and libraries. This incredible network helps us to get children reading across the country.

This is a new role within the organisation and the postholder will be responsible for defining aspects of the role, building relationships and processes that will enhance our ways of working as part of wider organisational processes. 

You will be an excellent communicator who manages up effectively and who is comfortable working across a matrixed managed team. You will work closely with the Director of Partnerships in building relationships, systems and processes that support our delivery across regions and countries as well as working closely with key role holders such as but not confined to the Head of Partnerships Development, and Head of Programme for Vulnerable Children.

The Head of Partnerships Delivery will lead and coordinate our early years scaled programme delivery as well as ensuring activities to support delivery and development of our vulnerable children’s work are catered or within team processes and relationship building with strategic and local stakeholders.

This work spans the organisation – and will have a close working relationships with key stakeholders in operations on aspects of the work as well as to research and impact, design and innovation, growth planning, communications, profile-raising and income generation – and requires strong collaborative working to draw on skills and capacity in all these areas. 

To apply, please complete the application along with a copy of your CV.

Want to join us? To find out more about who we are please go to our website. 

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and welcome candidates from all backgrounds and communities. 

Please note that this advert may close early should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity

We aim to provide an inclusive recruitment process and actively welcome applications from diverse talent pools: minority ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities and long-term conditions and candidates from underrepresented communities.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and want to ensure we have an accessible application process for all candidates. If you need any reasonable adjustments or would like us to do anything differently during the application process, please contact our HR team (contact details can be found on our website). 

BookTrust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The recruitment and selection process reflect our commitment to safeguarding therefore, the suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment, and pre-employment checks.

This is an exciting role with a significant level of autonomy for an ambitious and experienced youth work professional. The Head of Youth Work & Delivery Partnerships will lead and manage a large team of Youth Workers while taking operational responsibility for WEST’s seven-day-a-week universal youth work offer. As the leading provider of universal access youth work in Hammersmith and Fulham, and part of the OnSide network, WEST has a strong reputation and growing impact. The postholder will hold overall responsibility for delivering a vibrant, open-access Youth Zone for the young people of West London, welcoming up to 200 young people per session.

You will lead the development and delivery of the core youth work provision, including junior, senior and holiday clubs, ensuring high standards of practice and a culture of continuous improvement. You will also ensure the Youth Zone remains a fun, supportive, safe and inclusive environment that attracts and retains young people, helping to raise aspirations and support positive outcomes.

You will be a member of WEST’s Senior Leadership Team, and will work in tandem with the Chief Executive, the Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees to help WEST achieve its goal of delivering life-changing youth work to young people in West London.

As a member of SLT, you will embody the highest standards of professionalism and act as a role model for the culture we wish to create at WEST, and make a focused, measurable contribution to WEST’s overall strategic plan.

ABOUT WEST YOUTH ZONE

WEST Youth Zone, named Where Everyone Sticks Together by local young people, opened in April 2024 - a purpose-built space fizzing with energy and crammed with incredible facilities. Staffed by talented, skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people, helping them see what they could achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.

At WEST, we believe all young people in West London should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose and be able to explore where it can take them. We are open 7 days a week, while schools are closed - that’s evenings and weekends, plus all through the school holidays. We offer a safe and active space for young people to flourish in their leisure time, where their interests can be nurtured, and they can grow as individuals.

Hammermith & Fulham is a borough of wide disparities, with an acute need for youth services. This vast difference between those living in different neighbourhoods can lead to radically different life outcomes. Our Youth Zone is a vital provision that will make a huge impact on the lives of young people, and on the whole area, levelling the playing field for our young people.

We give 8 to 19-year-olds, (and up to 25 for young people with additional needs) affordable access to a broad range of sport, arts and mental health support, and employability services, designed to empower them to lead healthier, positive and more active lives – raising their aspirations for themselves and their community. This is a charity that the whole community can be proud of, and you can be part of that journey.

Job Description

The Head of Delivery & Partnerships is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the 
successful implementation, quality of outcomes, and retention of DFN Project SEARCH programmes 
across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Iberia, in line with our franchise agreement from Project 
SEARCH . This role leads the Delivery & Partnerships team, ensuring strategic alignment, excellence 
of delivery, and sustained impactful partnerships.
You will play a pivotal role in driving programme quality, ensuring retention, maintaining model 
fidelity, and ensuring high-quality outcomes for interns. Additionally, you will oversee the growth of 
our number of programmes, in line with our strategic regional and national plans. You will also 
contribute to the strategic direction of the organisation, working closely with cross-functional teams 
to maximise DFN Project SEARCH’s impact.
Regular travel throughout the UK will be required, with occasional travel to other areas of our delivery. 
In addition, occasional international travel may be required, for example to the annual conference in 
the United States.

Essential Experience and Skills
• A passion for changing the lives of young people with learning disabilities and / or who are 
autistic 
• Educated to degree level or relevant Professional Qualification 
• Highly motivated and organised self-starters with the ability to work under your own initiative 
• Strong understanding of supported employment, education, and local authority partnerships.
• Experience in project management, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and negotiation skills.
• Experience using data systems and performance management tools.
• Experience delivering training and speaking at events or conferences.
• Understanding of SEND provision and funding arrangements in the UK (e.g., EHCPs, DWP, local 
authorities).
• Experience working with senior stakeholders via formal reporting mechanisms.
• Leadership experience managing people/teams.
• Financial literacy and experience managing budgets.

Desirable Experience and Qualifications
• Experience working with DFN Project SEARCH programmes or similar supported internship 
models.
• Experience in selling services or products and effective account management.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and health & safety in programme delivery.
• Knowledge and experience of using the Microsoft suite, in particular Outlook and Excel 
• Experience of using a CRM for administrative and reporting purposes

DFN Project SEARCH are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young 
people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject 
to an enhanced DBS disclosure. 

We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ 
candidates, disabled candidates, and from men, because we would like to increase the 
representation of these groups at this level at DFN Project SEARCH.

-Interviews will take place on:
  1st round July 23rd and July 24th
  2nd and final round: July 31st
  Closing date: Sunday July 12th

-Start date - Asap

Across the UK, millions of children and young people are facing complex social and emotional challenges. AllChild works within local communities and wider support systems to identify and support children and young people most at risk of poor social, emotional and academic outcomes. Through our two-year Impact Programme, we help build a joined-up network of support around each child and family, working in partnership with schools, local services and community organisations.

We’re looking for an inspiring Head of Community Delivery to join our London-based team. This is a senior leadership role within our Delivery Team, where you’ll play a key part in shaping and delivering AllChild’s place-based programmes, ensuring they create meaningful and lasting impact across your region.

For further information, please view the Job Pack.

To apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 9 July 2026.

We recognise that candidates may use AI tools to support research and check grammar. However, we ask that all supporting statements and application responses reflect your own thoughts and experiences. Over-reliance on AI may limit our ability to assess your individual skills, critical thinking, and personal approach, which are important parts of our selection process.