Head of policy poverty jobs

At Buttle UK, we believe poverty and crisis should never define a child’s future.

For more than 70 years, Buttle UK has supported children and young people across the UK facing poverty, trauma and complex challenges. Now with an ambitious new 2025–2030 strategy, they are entering an exciting new chapter, growing their impact, amplifying their voice and investing in the partnerships that will help change children’s lives for the long term.

This is a rare opportunity to join the organisation at a pivotal moment as their new Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships.

Working closely with the Director of Fundraising & Communications, you’ll lead high-value fundraising across major donors, trusts and foundations and corporate partnership, shaping the future of income generation at Buttle UK while leading and inspiring a talented team.

If you’re someone who combines strategic thinking with exceptional relationship-building and you’re motivated by creating meaningful change for children and young people, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll lead the development and delivery of ambitious fundraising strategies designed to drive sustainable income growth and deepen supporter engagement.

You’ll personally manage a portfolio of high-value supporters and partners, cultivating transformational relationships with high-net-worth individuals, trusts, foundations and corporate organisations.

Alongside this, you’ll:

• Lead and develop a team of four fundraisers
• Build innovative stewardship and cultivation journeys
• Identify and secure new strategic partnerships
• Develop fundraising systems, pipelines and KPIs
• Work closely with senior leadership to shape organisational strategy
• Champion collaborative, values-led fundraising
• Help embed co-production and safeguarding within fundraising activity

This is a role for someone who enjoys balancing strategy with hands-on relationship management and who thrives in a collaborative, purpose-driven environment.

What we’re looking for

We know great candidates don’t always tick every box, and we’d still encourage you to apply if this role excites you.

That said, we’re particularly keen to hear from people who bring:

• Significant experience managing high-value fundraising relationships
• A proven track record of securing six and seven-figure gifts
• Experience across major donors, trusts/foundations and/or corporate partnerships
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing high-performing teams
• Excellent communication and influencing abilities
• Strategic thinking alongside strong operational delivery
• A collaborative and compassionate approach
• A genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people experiencing poverty

Why join Buttle UK?

This is an organisation that genuinely lives its values: child-focused, empathetic, responsive, collaborative and accountable.

You’ll be joining a team deeply committed to creating equitable opportunities for children and young people while also creating a supportive, inclusive and flexible working environment for staff.

Benefits include:

• Hybrid working
• 25 days annual leave plus Christmas closure and bank holidays
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and sick pay
• Employer pension contribution
• Employee assistance programme
• Life assurance
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Strong commitment to learning and development

Accessibility & Inclusion

Accessibility matters deeply to both Buttle UK and Valued Recruitment.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive and supportive recruitment process and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.

If you need any adjustments or support at any stage of the application process, please let us know, no request is too big or too small.

Interested?

Buttle UK is partnering exclusively with Valued Recruitment for this search.

To apply, please send your CV along with a covering letter (maximum two pages) outlining:

• why this role interests you
• what you would bring to Buttle UK

Key dates

• Closing date: 9am, Monday 22 June
• First interviews: Monday 29 June and Tuesday 30 June
• Second stage interviews (London): Monday 6 July

About Toynbee Hall
Based in the East End of London since 1884, Toynbee Hall is a charity working alongside people facing poverty, injustice, and inequality to build a fairer East London. We provide vital advice and support, working in partnership to tackle unfairness and ensure everyone has an equal chance to thrive.

Scope of role
The Head of Debt & Money Advice will oversee the delivery, performance, and development of all debt and money advice services delivered by Toynbee Hall, including debt advice, welfare benefits advice, and financial wellbeing services. This includes services delivered across community settings, prisons, hospitals, and mental health pathways.

The postholder will act as Toynbee Hall’s senior technical lead across financial advice, responsible for:

• Ensuring consistent technical standards across debt and welfare benefits advice
• Providing expert guidance on complex, high-risk, or escalated cases, including creditor challenges and complaints
• Supporting Advice Managers and Technical Supervisors in decision-making and case resolution

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across Toynbee Hall’s integrated financial advice services, ensuring alignment between debt advice, welfare benefits advice, and financial wellbeing provision
• Lead and support Advice Managers, fostering collaboration, accountability, and professional development across multiple delivery areas
• Ensure all services meet FCA regulatory requirements and funder standards, maintaining high levels of technical quality and consistency across programmes
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex casework, creditor challenges, complaints, and high-risk decisions
• Lead on relationships with key funders, regulators, and system partners, including MaPS, Ministry of Justice, HMPPS, Insolvency Service, Macmillan, NHS Trusts, and delivery partners such as We Are Group
• Work collaboratively with the Head of Partnerships to ensure consistency of delivery, standards, and performance across partner organisations
• Work with the Head of Impact & Data to analyse service performance data and implement continuous improvement actions based on insight and learning
• Work with the Research & Policy team to contribute to policy development, service design, and innovation across financial advice services
• Represent Toynbee Hall in regional and national forums, working groups, and partnerships
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, data protection, and equality legislation

Person Specification
The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Essential Criteria
Professional Experience and Expertise

• Significant experience (minimum 5 years) delivering and overseeing complex debt advice casework
• Strong working knowledge of welfare benefits advice and its integration with debt advice and financial wellbeing support
• Substantial experience in a senior leadership role within an advice service, managing multi-site or multi-programme delivery
• Strong understanding of FCA regulatory requirements, MaPS quality frameworks, and relevant legislation
• Experience of working within specialist delivery environments, such as criminal justice, health, or mental health settings

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

• Proven experience of leading relationships with, and reporting to, funders, regulators, and external stakeholders
• Experience working with organisations such as MaPS, Ministry of Justice, HMPPS, Insolvency Service, NHS partners, or equivalent

Strategic and Operational Skills

• Strong experience in service planning, performance management, and resource allocation within complex services
• Strong understanding of customer access models, including triage and referral pathways
• Technical Knowledge and Accreditation
• Level 4 accreditation in debt advice (e.g. CertMAP) or equivalent
• Up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of debt advice legislation, regulation, and best practice
• Strong working knowledge of welfare benefits advice at a specialist level, including experience of complex casework and the application of relevant legislation and guidance (e.g. CPAG Welfare Benefits Handbook)
• Understanding of the interaction between debt, welfare benefits, and income maximisation in supporting clients with complex financial needs

Communication and Leadership

• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage at all levels
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and presenting to senior stakeholders

Personal Attributes

• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion

Commitment

• Strong alignment with Toynbee Hall’s mission, strategy, and values
• Commitment to safeguarding, professional development, and continuous learning

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working within or alongside the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) framework
• Experience of working within criminal justice, health, or mental health service environments
• Experience contributing to policy development or influencing systemic change

Our Benefits

Annual Leave

• 25 days of annual leave, plus 3 additional days for our Christmas shutdown (on top of bank holidays)
• After 2 years: +3 extra days of leave
• After 3 years: +1 additional day
• After 5 years: A total of 30 days annual leave, plus the 3-day Christmas shutdown

Pension

• Standard Life Pension Scheme – Employer contribution: 4%, Employee contribution: 5%

Additional Perks & Support

• Enhanced Sick Pay for peace of mind during illness
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to support growing families
• Employee Eyecare Vouchers to support your vision health
• Employee Assistance Programme for free, confidential advice and support
• Mental Health First Aid to ensure workplace well-being
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme to help secure your home
• Interest-Free Season Ticket Loan for cost-effective commuting
• Cycle to Work Scheme to promote a healthier, greener way to travel
• Charity Mentoring Network to support professional development and networking
• Westfield Health Cash Plan to cover your healthcare needs specified in the Policy
• Perk Box
• Life Insurance

Please refer to the attached job description for more details.

TPP Recruitment is supporting a small, community-based charity to recruit an Interim Advice Manager on a fixed-term basis. This Interim Advice Manager role is a brilliant opportunity to lead a vital service supporting people facing real hardship, while also shaping systems, quality, and service development during a period of change.

Details
 

• Salary: £36,565 FTE (£29,252 pro rata)
• Location: Brent, Northwest London
• Working Pattern: 32 hours across 4 days (Monday–Thursday)
• Working arrangements: Hybrid (2 days per week on site)
• Contract: Fixed term to 20th April 2027

 
 
About the Organisation

This is a frontline charity tackling poverty and food insecurity and supporting people to move from crisis towards longer-term stability. The organisation’s advice offer is a key part of that support, delivering timely, high-quality guidance to people navigating complex challenges.
 
 
About the Role

As Interim Advice Manager, you’ll manage an advice service across multiple sites, leading staff and volunteers who deliver advice on benefits, housing, debt and immigration. You’ll combine hands-on delivery (including a small caseload) with oversight of quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. You’ll work closely with senior colleagues, including the Head of Advice, to help implement new initiatives and strengthen the service’s impact
 
 
Key Responsibilities
 

• Lead day-to-day delivery of the advice service, including setting objectives, managing performance, and providing supervision and feedback to staff and volunteers
• Hold a small caseload to stay connected to frontline delivery and community needs
• Maintain high-quality, compliant advice provision, ensuring delivery aligns with funder expectations and internal standards
• Use case management systems to report on cases and outcomes, supporting funding needs and future applications
• Drive service development, reviewing procedures, improving systems, and supporting expansion aligned to organisational strategy
• Undertake quality assurance activity (including case checking and advice audits) and keep colleagues informed of relevant policy/legislation changes
• Support effective volunteer management, including induction, support, supervision and retention activity
• Contribute to budgets, monitoring, evaluation, stakeholder feedback, and action planning to strengthen service effectiveness
• Work within the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) framework, ensuring policies and procedures remain current and audit-ready

 
 
Skills / Experience Required
 

• At least 3 years’ experience in welfare advice or casework within the charity sector
• Strong people management experience (including supporting and developing staff/volunteers)
• Strong project/service improvement experience, with confidence managing competing priorities
• Knowledge across welfare benefits, housing, debt and/or immigration, plus safeguarding understanding
• Confidence using case management systems and using data to inform reporting and improvements
• Experience of the Advice Quality Standard, work with refugees and asylum seekers, and/or community language skills (e.g., Arabic, Farsi, Somali) – desirable

 
 
To Apply

• If you’re ready to inspire others and be part of a team dedicated to saving lives, we’d love to see your CV!

 
 
Interview Process

• Stage 1: informal screening call (fit, motivation, and values alignment)
• Stage 2: formal in-person interview

 
 
Deadline for Applications

• Monday 1st June 2026, 9am

 

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.