Head of policy poverty jobs

Job Title: Volunteer Manager – Southern Central
 
Reporting To: Head of Volunteering 
 
Salary Range: £25,000 - £26,700
 
Contract Type: Permanent 
 
Location: Unit 1 Sunset Business Park, Brunel Road / Nutwood Way, Calmore Industrial Estate Totton Hampshire SO40 3WX

Hours/Days per week: 35 hours per week, 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. 
 
Requirements: We can only employ applicants who currently have the right to work in the UK. As part of our safer recruitment policy, we do ask questions regarding unspent criminal records. 
 
 About Us

The Felix Project and FareShare have recently merged to form the UK's largest food redistribution charity. Its vision is a UK where good food is never wasted, and nobody goes hungry. 
 
The organisation rescues high quality edible surplus food, from across the food industry and gets it to over 8,000 organisations across the UK who are working to strengthen communities and improve lives. 
 
The charity manages seven depots across London, Suffolk, Merseyside and Hampshire and works with 16 network partners who operate a further 26 regional depots across the UK. 
 
Over the next year our ambition is to rescue enough food nationally to provide nearly 200 million meals, turning an environmental problem into social good with measurable impact for people, planet, and the economy.
 
Duties and Responsibilities 
 
•Responsible for the end-to-end volunteer experience at the Southern Central Depot
•Recruit, induct, and support volunteers 
•Handle individual volunteers’ queries and issues
•Carry out administrative tasks including using the Volunteer Management System in Microsoft Dynamics. Report on and utilise the data to make positive changes
•Manage volunteer feedback and implement effective problem-solving techniques and strategies
•Develop and deliver volunteer recruitment campaigns
•Support volunteer events for recruitment and recognition
•Lead the implementation of volunteer-related policies and continuous improvement initiatives locally
•Support other teams across the organisation to develop skillsets to better support volunteers across the organisation
•Act as a local ambassador for the organisation
 
Person Specification 
 
You will be excellent people manager, love working with a wide variety of people and be able to quickly build deep and positive relationships in a volunteer-centric organisation. You will want to spend time with the volunteers and get to know their experience and perspective. You are highly organised, data and IT savvy, efficient with your time, and you are used to prioritising tasks and making a difference wherever you go. You have a passion for being in a charity that is expanding rapidly and thriving in a busy environment. You will have a desire to help reduce food waste and/or fight food poverty.
 

Recruitment timeline 
 
We reserve the right to close advertisements early and we might assess candidates and arranging interview as applications come in, so please apply as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Due to the anticipated large number of applicants, if you do not hear from us within four weeks of your application, we regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. Consequently, will not be able to provide feedback. 

Fundraising Manager — £35,000–£40,000 | Hybrid / Somerset / Bristol | Permanent | 35 hrs (flexible)

Thrive has been at the heart of Somerset's communities for 100 years. Village agents supporting isolated older people. Diverse communities programmes. Fuel poverty campaigns. Real, local, human work — delivered across every corner of the county.

This centenary year, Thrive is building its next chapter. A new chief executive has reset the strategic direction. Community energy is building. And the organisation has made a clear decision: it wants a sustainable fundraising base that isn't dependent on statutory contracts alone.

This role is the cornerstone of that ambition.

This isn't a maintenance hire. It's a builder's role.

The Fundraising Manager will lead across community fundraising, individual giving and trusts and foundations — with community and individual giving as the primary focus. The tools are in place. The mission is compelling. The stories are extraordinary. Thrive already has the reach, the relationships and the centenary momentum. What's missing is the right person to build the pipeline and turn that momentum into lasting income.

The target: 2,000 active supporters by year end, with a clear pathway to converting them into regular givers over time.

What you'll be doing:

• Building a structured community fundraising programme — creating frameworks that enable supporters, staff and volunteers to fundraise on Thrive's behalf
• Growing the individual giving base from a low starting point — developing supporter journeys, regular giving and stewardship
• Managing a grants pipeline and writing compelling applications to trusts and foundations
• Leading digital acquisition campaigns in partnership with the marketing team
• Line managing the Fundraising Administrator and helping them develop grant-writing skills over time
• Helping build a fundraising culture across the organisation where frontline staff feel part of the story

What we're looking for:

• A track record in community fundraising, individual giving or events fundraising
• Some experience of trusts and foundations — this doesn't need to be your primary specialism
• Strong written skills — the ability to translate real human stories into compelling fundraising copy
• A self-starter who works well with autonomy in a small team
• Genuine connection to Thrive's mission and the communities it serves
• Based in Somerset or within easy reach of Taunton — primarily home-based with approximately one day per week in the office

What Thrive offers:

• £35,000–£40,000 FTE
• Genuine flexibility — hybrid working that actually reflects how the organisation operates
• A values-led culture where kindness, compassion and psychological safety aren't just policies
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Real scope for career progression — if the fundraising function delivers, the trajectory in salary, responsibility and seniority is genuine

This role will suit you if:

You want to be a Head of Fundraising one day. You're frustrated by being siloed. You want breadth, autonomy and the chance to build something that matters — in a place where the mission is real and the communities are real.

This role is being recruited exclusively through Raise + Recruit, an independent not-for-profit executive search adviser. All enquiries are handled in complete confidence.

For a confidential conversation, contact John Austin — no obligation, no lengthy application process at this stage.

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.

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Organisation: Happy Days
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Location: Calderdale

Role Purpose

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) provides strategic and operational leadership across all frontline services, accommodation provision, organisational infrastructure, and compliance functions within the charity.

The COO is responsible for ensuring safe, trauma-informed, financially sustainable, and outcomes-focused delivery for individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, health exclusion, addiction, and crisis.

The role leads operations across the charity’s accommodation portfolio, including winter shelter provision, general needs accommodation, supported accommodation, and intensively supported housing. The COO also oversees the operational platform of the charity’s support programmes, including a community café, community supermarket, crisis drop-in provision, and integrated health clinics.

Working collaboratively with the CEO, Board, statutory agencies, housing provider partners, and wider stakeholders, the COO plays a key leadership role in shaping organisational strategy, strengthening operational systems, embedding trauma-informed practice, and developing innovative models of support that improve long-term outcomes for individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage.

The COO provides executive oversight of, operational risk, health and safety, HR, operational systems, and service compliance, ensuring the organisation maintains robust standards of governance, accountability, and person-centred care across all services.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Provide executive operational leadership across services and organisational functions
• Lead the delivery, development, and continuous operational improvement of:
  • Supported and temporary accommodation services (68+ properties)
  • Crisis and drop-in provision
  • Food programme and social supermarket
  • Winter shelter provision
• Translate organisational strategy into effective operational delivery plans
• Drive organisational improvement, innovation, and sustainable service growth
• Lead operational responses to emerging community need, organisational risk, and system pressures
• Support strategic planning, organisational development, and long-term sustainability
• Lead operational capital development initiatives across the organisation

Housing, Property & Supported Accommodation Executive Oversight of:

• Operational management, legal compliance, health and safety, quality assurance across all accommodation services
• Lead strategic partnerships with housing providers
• Manage delegated housing arrangements and supported housing pathways
• Maximise occupancy, sustainment, and positive move-on outcomes
• Oversee property-related risk management, maintenance coordination, and accommodation standards
• Lead the transformation and redevelopment of The Gathering Place, including partnership working with architects, infrastructure planning, and service design
• Oversee operational development planning for the Bramwell Booth building to support future service delivery and organisational growth

Safeguarding Operational Platform

• Lead organisational safeguarding strategy and systems
• Ensure SOP’s are in place to enable staff to respond effectively to complex needs including:
  • addiction
  • mental ill-health and physical health needs
  • dual diagnosis
  • homelessness
  • domestic abuse
  • offending histories
  • health exclusion
• Oversee serious incidents, risk management, and quality assurance processes
• Promote reflective practice, professional accountability, and safe service delivery
• Lead continuous safeguarding improvement and organisational assurance processes
• Support the organisation’s progression towards recognised safeguarding quality and excellence standards

Health Inclusion & Community Services

• Support development of innovative approaches addressing homelessness, substance use, poverty, and social exclusion
• Contribute to wider system responses focused on prevention, health equity, and community resilience

Corporate Governance, Compliance & Organisational Infrastructure

• Provide executive oversight of organisational governance, operational compliance, and corporate infrastructure
• Lead organisational responsibility for:
  • Human Resources
  • Health & Safety
  • Insurance and organisational risk
  • Operational systems and digital infrastructure
• Ensure robust organisational policies, procedures, and assurance frameworks are developed, implemented, and maintained
• Oversee compliance with employment legislation, health & safety standards, and contractual obligations
• Lead organisational risk management processes, incident oversight, and business continuity planning
• Ensure effective management of organisational insurance provision, liability protection, and risk mitigation
• Support governance reporting, operational assurance, and organisational accountability
• Develop quarterly Trustee and governance reporting packs in conjunction with Heads of Department and the CEO

Systems Development & Digital Transformation

• Lead the development and implementation of operational systems, reporting frameworks, and service infrastructure
• Design and embed systems that improve operational efficiency, safeguarding oversight, housing management, and service coordination
• Use data, insight, and performance analysis to improve outcomes and organisational effectiveness
• Support digital transformation, service modernisation, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Develop monitoring, evaluation, and impact reporting systems to support organisational learning and strategic decision-making

Leadership, Workforce & Organisational Culture

• Foster a high-performing, inclusive, and values-led organisational culture
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, retention, supervision, and staff development
• Promote staff wellbeing, reflective practice, and psychologically safe leadership
• Provide leadership oversight and strategic direction for volunteer services and volunteer programme development
• Support the organisation’s progression towards recognised volunteer quality standards, including the VSI Volunteer Excellence Award

Partnerships, Stakeholder Engagement & Representation

• Represent the organisation within strategic partnerships and multi-agency forums
• Work collaboratively with commissioners, funders, housing providers, and community partners

Financial Oversight & Sustainability

• Budget development and financial planning in conjunction with the CEO and Finance Team
• Support organisational sustainability through efficient service delivery
• Monitor operational performance, quality standards, and service outcomes
• Ensure effective governance, accountability, and operational compliance across all services

Person Specification

Essential

• Significant senior leadership experience within homelessness, housing, health, social care, community, or voluntary sector services
• Extensive operational leadership experience across complex, multi-service environments
• Experience leading services supporting individuals with multiple disadvantage and complex needs
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, trauma-informed practice, and organisational risk management
• Experience managing accommodation-based and community support services
• Experience overseeing HR, compliance, governance, and organisational systems
• Experience leading quality assurance, risk, and compliance frameworks
• Strong partnership and stakeholder engagement skills across statutory and voluntary sectors
• Experience managing operational budgets, compliance frameworks, and performance systems

Desirable

• Experience working within homelessness, substance use, or health inclusion services
• Experience working within housing such as a registered housing provider
• Understanding of public health approaches and health inequalities
• Knowledge of housing legislation, supported housing models, and safeguarding frameworks
• Experience with digital transformation, systems implementation, and organisational modernisation

Key Attributes

• Values-driven and strongly committed to social justice and health equity
• Strategic thinker with strong operational leadership capability
• Calm, resilient, and decisive in complex and high-pressure environments
• Compassionate and emotionally intelligent leader
• Strong communicator with the ability to influence across systems and sectors
• Innovative, solutions-focused, and collaborative
• Committed to continuous improvement, accountability, and inclusive leadership