Head of fundraising jobs in durham, county durham

Safety and Assurance Officer

Location: Homebased, based in the Southern Area

Contract: Full time, permanent

Salary: £32,000 gross per annum

Closing Date: 21 November 2025

Are you a Safety Specialist looking for a new opportunity?

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is the leading maritime charity for youth development and lifelong learning. We are a vibrant and growing charity inspiring young people to achieve their potential through challenge and nautical adventure and also enabling seafarers and maritime professionals to realise their potential through learning and career development. Working with our employees, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a strong vision and five-year Future Ready strategy to meet the growing demand for what we provide, both for young people, seafarers and maritime professionals – and the thousands who aspire to be the sea cadets and marine professionals of the future. It is also about equipping them to achieve their potential and thrive in a rapidly changing world, while growing our charity to benefit even more people – including those from under-represented or marginalised groups.

We are currently looking for a Safety and Assurance Officer to join our team.

About the role

The Safety & Assurance Officer (SAO) is an employee of the MSSC and a member of the MSSC National Safety Assurance Team (NSAT). This is a home-based role, with a primary focus on the Southern area, predominantly the South-East. The SAO will report to the Head of Safety, Health, and Environment.

The SAO will work closely with other SAOs and will be functionally accountable to:

The Head of Inshore Boating for inshore boat assurance
The Staff Royal Marines Officer for weapons and ammunition safety and security assurance

The role requires regular travel within the area of responsibility and, on occasion within the UK. It will involve evening and some weekend work to fulfil the role’s responsibilities.

Requirements

Qualifications: Good general education and NEBOSH (or equivalent), with completion required during probation if not already held.
Safety & Environmental Management: Experience implementing safety and environmental management systems, conducting risk assessments, and working within formal assurance frameworks.
Incident Management: Experience managing, investigating, and reporting incidents.
Training & Support: Ability to deliver training, guidance, and support to non-specialist staff or volunteers on safety, health, environmental, and assurance matters.
Workload & Volunteer Management: Proven ability to manage a busy workload and effectively support and manage volunteers.

Responsibilities

Join the Marine Society & Sea Cadets as a Safety and Assurance Officer, ensuring the highest standards of safety, health, environment (SHE), and operational compliance across our units and facilities.
You’ll lead assurance inspections, maintain compliance with legislation and organisational regulations, and support the safe management of weapons, armouries, and inshore boating activities. Working closely with other members of the National Safety and Assurance Team (NSAT) and Area teams, you’ll oversee safety at events, camps, and competitions, conduct audits, and monitor incident reporting.
This role plays a vital part in upholding the safety and welfare of our cadets and volunteers through proactive assurance, training, and continuous improvement.

For further information, please download theIf you are interested in this role, please apply now!

Benefits

25 days annual leave per annum, increasing with length of service
Hybrid working for many roles
Volunteering Leave
Life assurance (4x salary)
Private medical insurance
Generous pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
Cycle to work scheme
Access to the Marine Society Digital Library
Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.

We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire. 

All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo pre-employment checks including a criminal record check.

We are advertising for this role in three different regions - Scotland, South East, and London. Please specify which region you are applying for.

Working hours for each regional role:

Scotland: 3 days (22.5 hours)

South East: 4-5 days (30-37.5 hours)

London: 3-4 days (22.5-30 hours)

Flexibility can be discussed at the interview. The salary shown is for full time hours and would be pro rata for part time. 
 

CAP celebrates the value of diversity and our aim is for our workforce to be as inclusive as possible as well as representing the communities we serve. With this in mind, we welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. We are committed to continue building an environment that embraces diversity and includes all. 

Partnership Development Managers (PDM) are motivated and driven to broaden and deepen CAP's relationship with the church to fulfil CAPs Purpose, Vision & Mission.

Purpose Statement

To inspire and equip churches across the UK to help people out of debt andpoverty and invite them to become followers of Jesus.

Vision:

Transformed lives - We want to see people across the UK released from poverty, living with faith in Jesus and hope for the future.

Thriving churches - We want to see churches that have become the beating heart of their communities, actively serving them and bringing the hope of Jesus.

An end to UK poverty - We want to see a hope-filled society, free from poverty, with churches united to improve the lives of those facing debt and financial hardship. 

Mission

No one should face debt and poverty alone:  The steadfast presence of a local church, ready to walk alongside you during the toughest financial storms.

Our aim is that when a vulnerable person who needs our type of face to face help is experiencing financial crisis or vulnerability, there will be a church in their community that is ready to walk alongside them. That church will offer steadfast support as they restore their financial resilience and hope for the future whilst  introducing them to the fullness of life that Jesus offers.

Partnership Development - Team Purpose

Our work is fundamental to the growth and success of CAP, encapsulated in our Mission statement: to have a partner church in every community ready to walk alongside the poorest and most vulnerable people. We are responsible for achieving this by establishing Church Partnerships. 

Together with our Church partners, we deliver our life-changing services, firstly our core Debt Help service that is then supported by essential wrap-around resilience programs like Job Clubs, Life Skills, and Money Coaching. This work isn't just about helping people get out of debt and poverty; it's about seeing lives radically changed. We are driven by a passion to see people not only find financial freedom, thriving in life, but also become followers of Jesus and find a true sense of belonging in a local church.

Our team

We're looking for a compassionate, self-starting individual who is tenacious, goal-oriented, and target-driven with a make it happen mentality, because they know the impact growing this movement will have on thousands of people's lives.

This role is part of the Partnership Development Team within the Mission & Movement Directorate. Reporting to the Head of Movement Development, you will be responsible for initiating and engaging with senior church leaders and wider networks to partner with CAP, primarily through our life-changing Debt Centre service.

As a Partnership Development Manager, you'll be a key driver of our mission. We're looking for a self-motivated, results-oriented, problem solving individual who can build and nurture relationships across diverse church networks and denominations.

You will be responsible for generating new partnership opportunities, inspiring church leaders and wider networks to engage with CAP's vision and partner with us. You'll need to be an entrepreneurial self-starter with a proven ability to build a robust pipeline and deliver on growth targets, specifically around Debt Centre growth motivated by our desire to help more people out of debt and poverty and see them become followers of Jesus.

Partnership Development Manager Scope

• The team is split between full time and part time PDMs. 
• Significant amount of travel with large regions to cover. 
• This role has no direct reports.
• In line with our expenses policy, all expenses (e.g. mileage costs) are claimed retrospectively via our CAP Expenses system. 

Role:

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for expanding CAP's partnership network across your region alongside the Regional Director and Head of Movement Development, strategically prioritizing and developing relationships with church leaders and networks to establish new partnerships and services. You'll achieve this by collaborating with other teams, proactively networking with Christian organizations and denominational leaders (where appropriate), and representing CAP at various events, all with the goal of growing our influence and opening new services in every community.
• Proactive management of contacts as they progress through the pipeline, working alongside churches to identify if a CAP service supports their church vision, and if appropriate, manage them through the church journey and experience to open a new CAP service.
• To open new Debt Centre Partnerships as laid out in regional Development plans in target areas of deprivation and communities across the region. 
• To open resilience services (Job Clubs, Life skills & Money Coaching) with new and existing church partnerships.
• Alongside Regional Director to identify key areas from across the region to host and organize a targeted number of CAP Spotlight Events per term. These events are designed to gather church leaders around a table to have conversations around opening a multi Church Debt Centre. 
• To proactively build, manage and progress a self generated caseload of churches within your region, through cold calling, face to face meetings and all other appropriate forms of communication. This will include frequent travel across the region to meet with appropriate churches/ leaders.
• Refer potential new Debt Coaches or Churches that might want to work with an existing or expanding Church Partnership to the relevant Area Partnership Managers who are responsible for existing centre growth and sustainability.
• To work with Regional Leaders and Area Partnership Managers to deepen local knowledge and connections in order to deliver new church partnership opportunities. 
• To collaborate across departments where needed to support and engage with Church Events, Talks, Conferences, Festivals, Church Leaders Meetings and other relevant events within your region, working on exhibition stands (when necessary) to help generate enquiries.
• To work with local church teams to ensure appropriate candidates are identified and have a full understanding of the role and responsibilities involved, ensuring CAP¿s selection team receive the appropriate information in a timely manner. 
• To advocate and make introductions where appropriate for Church talks, CCT and fundraising opportunities.
• Where appropriate, to represent Partnership Development in additional projects which improve the delivery and content of CAP's products and services.

Measurable Outputs:

• Consistently exemplifies a can do, above and beyond go-getter attitude to deliver results, keeping the main thing, the main thing. 
• Achieve targets around the number of new Debt Centre openings in your region per term and year. 
• Achieve targets around the number of new to CAP, Job Clubs, Life Skills and Money Coaching openings in your region per term and year. 
• Achieve targets around the number of self generated warm leads (warm = actively engaging in conversation with a view to partnership).
• Achieve targets around Regional Spotlight events. 
• Active pipeline management (closed, lost, won). 
• Ensure that every new partner church completes and returns partnership agreements, additional policies and all candidate paperwork by the relevant deadlines for every new service prior to training (including Direct Debit Agreements).
• Active involvement to support the wider team around logistics, processes and a small amount of project management.

Culture:

• Clearly live out and embrace the cultural values of CAP.
• Clearly demonstrate a heart and passion for the charity.
• Sincere acceptance, understanding and practice of the Christian ethos and purpose of the Charity.

Other Responsibilities Include:

• Being willing to pray with staff and be fully engaged with our Christ Centred  culture.
• To encourage friends, family and other contacts to support the charity through the Life Changer program, and other fundraising initiatives.
• Attendance at annual CAP staff conferences 

• Ability to self generate opportunities through hard work, tenacity and relationship.
• Ability to build relationships and inspire others to take action, especially church leaders from across a range of denominations, your passion for the mission is infectious and is your key motivator. 
• Ability to manage the whole sales process, confidently leading the conversation and directing the next steps for action at every step. 
• Ability to talk confidently and with compassion about the subject of poverty inspiring Churches to respond to the need.
• High levels of emotional intelligence with an ability to progress relationships and conversations to reach desired outcomes.
• Strong telephone manager with an ability to connect over the phone.
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills.
• Naturally decisive and proactive.
• Natural relationship builder.
• Able to work remotely, unsupervised, under pressure and juggling multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Resilient.
• Confident Public Speaker
• A confident communicator who promotes CAP's culture and values at all times.
• Ability to prioritise time, tasks and attention effectively in a pressured environment.
• High levels of organisation skills and drive to reach targets quickly and efficiently

The above job profile is a guide to the work you may be required to undertake but does not form part of your contract of employment and may change from time to time to reflect changing circumstances. 

Experience

• Absolute passion and experience to advance the Kingdom of God, either through, with or as part of your local church.
• Demonstrable example & experience of what it takes to grow a business / portfolio / partnership / and or client base. 
• Demonstrable examples & experience of what it takes to drive success in a commercial context. 
• Demonstrable experience of what it takes to be a self starter
• Experience of managing multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in driving and delivering results.
• Experience of building networks and relationships with external organisations.
• You know what it takes and what¿s required to work to deadlines and targets. 
• Administrative experience.
• Good I.T. skills
• Comfortable praying for and with Church leaders

 Christian Commitment:

The candidate must be able to give both verbal assent to and practical demonstration of Christians Against Poverty's Statement of Faith and Core Values

Must be able to actively participate in prayer and worship, whether individual, small group or corporately, as an expression of own personal faith and in line with CAP's Statement of Faith.

All adults working in, or on behalf of the CAP have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults. This includes: A responsibility to ensure a safe environment in which CAP Services can be delivered. Identify children and adults where there may be safeguarding concerns and to follow the CAP Safeguarding Policy in addressing any concerns appropriately.

Educational requirements:

• A proven track record is what matters to make this role a success.