Head of research and programme policy jobs
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!
Job Title: Research and Impact Lead
Contract type: Full time, 12 months maternity cover with the potential to extend
Salary: £46-£53,000 per year (depending on experience)
Location: Hybrid with a minimum of 8 office days per month in either our London or Leeds office. The post will require some UK travel for project work and events, particularly around the North of England
BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. Each year we reach over 1.4 million children and families across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with every local authority, delivering evidence-informed programmes that make a measurable difference to children’s reading behaviours. Our work is rooted in the belief that every child, especially those from low income or vulnerable family backgrounds, deserves the chance to enjoy reading and all the lifelong benefits it brings.
Job Summary
The Research and Impact Lead role brings scope for collaboration and creativity working closely with BookTrust colleagues, our partners and families, as part of a team of research and impact specialists. In this role we are looking for an experienced and motivated mixed methods researcher and evaluator, with excellent partnership, collaboration and communication skills. The role is likely to suit someone with experience of taking overall accountability for delivery of research and evaluation projects. We are seeking candidates with previous experience of place-based learning and evaluation or strong skills that would be transferable to this context, alongside a strong interest in developing expertise in place-based learning and evaluation.
We will provide excellent opportunities for the postholder to further develop their research, leadership and partnership skills in support of a fast changing, purpose driven national charity. We offer a flexible and supportive working environment and provide on-the-job learning and formal training.
Application
Please apply using the BookTrust Vacancies website, where you can attach a copy of your CV along with a covering letter showing how you meet the person specification and your motivations for applying for the role. Your covering letter should not be longer than two sides. Please also answer this question in your cover letter:
BookTrust is setting up a new place-based pilot to develop a sustainable, place-led model for support which seeks to deepen impact and reach families in greatest need within a particular community. What are some of the principles of good place-based learning and evaluation that BookTrust should incorporate into this work?
Please also attach one or two examples of research, evaluation or learning outputs (reports, presentations etc) you have produced and also specify if you are applying to be based from our Leeds of London office.
Closing date: 14th November
Interviews: Interviews will be in two stages - 1st stage interviews will be on w/c 24th November, via Teams
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 to discuss your requirements further.
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.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This is a unique opportunity to help build an ambitious new function, with a portfolio of projects that will make a lasting difference for cats, dogs, and their owners. The work will be diverse, strategic, and deeply rewarding, and you’ll be collaborating with smart, compassionate colleagues across the organisation to create real social impact.
The newly created Advice & Support Team plays a critical role in delivering Battersea’s strategic focus on early intervention in the pet ownership journey. By offering well-timed expert and empathetic support and advice before owners reach crisis point, the team aims to prevent avoidable animal welfare issues and reduce the number of pets relinquished for preventable reasons.
This role will be pivotal in bringing Battersea’s ambitious Advice & Support strategy to life. It will involve leading and developing innovative, partner-oriented projects that provide practical solutions - from helping prospective owners make informed acquisition decisions to supporting struggling cat and dog owners when they need it most.
Success will require working cross-functionally within Battersea while also building and managing strong, ongoing relationships with external partners at a senior level both inside and outside the animal welfare sector. Current initiatives, such as our partnership with FareShare and pet food manufacturers to deliver pet food to owners in need, illustrate the type of collaborative, preventative work this role will initiate, manage or expand.
What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:
- 36 days of annual leave (inclusive of 8 days Bank Holiday leave allowance) per year for full time employees (pro-rated for part-time employees).
- Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
- Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
- Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
- Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.
Diversity and inclusion:
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.
We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.
More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.
Acceptable use of AI:
At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.
To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.
If you are successful to the interview stage of the recruitment process, we ask that you follow the below guidelines on the use of AI at interview stages:
Acceptable use:
- Researching sector trends, company information, or general interview tips.
- Practicing interview questions with AI tools to improve communication skills.
- Using AI to support with structuring your responses.
Please do not:
- Submit AI-generated responses as your own during the interview.
- Use AI to impersonate or misrepresent your experience or skills.
- Use AI tools during real-time interviews.
Closing date: 28th November 2025
All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.
Interview date(s): To be confirmed
For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack from our Careers website.
Battersea is here for every dog and cat, and has been since 1860. We believe that every dog and cat deserves the best.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Martingale Postgraduate Foundation (Martingale) exists to fund and support the next generation of talented researchers. We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence, and our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate research.
Martingale’s flagship programme is the Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship, which supports students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue and excel in postgraduate degrees, by providing:
- A fully-funded Living Wage Scholarship to pursue a one-year Masters degree or a four-year PhD.
- All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend for living costs.
- Tailored support to apply for Martingale courses at our partner universities.
- Access to Martingale programmes, including leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
- Membership of a pioneering community of talented researchers.
In the three years since Martingale launched, we are now supporting over 100 Scholars to undertake postgraduate degrees across our ten partner universities and have committed over £7.7m in Scholarships. We are continuing to expand our offer, bringing on new partners each year.
We are seeking an experienced, strategic and collaborative Head of Communications and External Engagement to join our Senior Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in shaping Martingale’s external profile, strategic partnerships, and policy influence.
As Head of Communications and External Engagement, you will join our growing senior management team, overseeing several critical aspects of Martingale’s work: communications and recruitment; partnerships and fundraising; and policy and advocacy. Working closely with the CEO, you will oversee all aspect of Martingale’s external communications and engagement to ensure Martingale’s success.
You will set the strategic direction of Martingale’s external positioning, working closely with the CEO on a day-to-day basis to ensure that our communications, partnerships and policy activity is aligned and meeting Martingale’s mission. You will ensure that Martingale’s messaging is consistent, with a bold brand presence and strong collaboration with various external stakeholders including funders, universities, media, and government.
We are looking for a strong communicator with extensive leadership experience including line management, partnership management and external relations. You will bring excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail, a proactive mindset, and a strong alignment with Martingale’s mission. We welcome applicants from a range of career paths who are excited to be part of a growing, fast-paced charity delivering meaningful impact.
Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures who provide operational and strategic support. The Head of Communications and External Engagement will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and deliver a clear, bold strategy for communications, policy, and partnerships aligned with Martingale’s vision and growth.
- Lead the development of Martingale’s voice, ensuring consistency across all external channels and stakeholder interactions.
- Act as a senior leader within the organisation, contributing to overall strategic planning.
Communications & Brand
- Oversee all external communications, campaigns and media engagement, strengthening Martingale’s profile and influence.
- Manage content strategy, digital channels, storytelling and brand evolution.
- Ensure high-quality and accessible communications across print, digital, and in-person events.
Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement
- Maintain and grow relationships with Martingale’s university, philanthropic, and other partners.
- Collaborate with the CEO on fundraising engagement strategies and impact storytelling.
- Oversee ambassador engagement and support Martingale’s national and regional events.
Policy & Advocacy
- Lead Martingale’s policy and advocacy work to shape the future of postgraduate access and equity.
- Along with the CEO, represent Martingale in external forums, responding to consultations and influencing key stakeholders in research and education policy.
- Collaborate with researchers and partners to generate evidence and drive systems change.
Team Leadership & Management
- Line manage team leads across communications and partnerships, with oversight of a team of four.
- Support the professional development of the team, ensuring alignment with Martingale’s values and goals.
- Foster a collaborative, agile, and inclusive culture within and across teams.
- The post holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit, and purpose of the role as requested by the line manager.
Key Requirements:
Essential Criteria
- Right to work in the UK
Experience and skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate with diverse audiences including senior stakeholders.
- Significant senior-level experience in communications, policy, or external relations within a mission-driven organisation.
- Proven experience line managing a multi-person team, including managing people who manage others.
- Strong track record of developing and delivering high-impact external engagement strategies.
- Excellent communication skills — strategic thinking combined with hands-on content expertise.
- Experience managing and cultivating high-value partnerships or donor relationships.
- Understanding of UK education, social mobility, or research funding landscapes.
- Proven experience in account management, managing multiple external stakeholder relationships and partnerships successfully.
- Advanced IT proficiency: Spreadsheet, Word Processing, CRM or Databases, Email, Web-based applications.
Desirable
- Experience working with or within higher education or research organisations.
- Familiarity with charity fundraising or philanthropic communications.
- Experience delivering communications in a startup or scale-up environment.
- Experience in working with governance boards and/or trustees.
- Experience delivering / overseeing ambitious recruitment campaigns.
Personal Characteristics
- Excellent interpersonal skills: able to build rapport and trusting relationships, able to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
- A commitment to Martingale’s mission to support postgraduate students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Comfortable working in a rapidly growing and changing organisation with a degree of ambiguity – confident to create processes and ways forward where they might not yet exist.
- Creative and innovative: willing to think outside the box to maximise reach.
- Resourceful, able to act on initiative, hardworking, detail-oriented, and systematic.
Benefits:
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 29 days after two years of service and to 30 days after three years of service. This entitlement is pro rata for part-time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
- Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
- A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work-life balance and personal commitments.
- As a Purposeful Ventures employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme, where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.
- Access to Charlie Perks, offering discounts and rewards at over 30,000 brands and retailers.
Our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to become a new generation of STEM leaders.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
High Trees Community Development Trust is seeking an experienced and passionate Head of Children, Young People & Families (CYPF) to join our senior management team and lead one of our core service areas.
This is an exciting opportunity to oversee a wide-ranging CYPF service that directly supports over 400 children and young people each year, and many more through partnerships. You will lead the newly redeveloped Tulse Hill Adventure Playground, ensuring it thrives as a hub for children, young people and families, alongside a portfolio of impactful programmes including school-based mentoring, young leaders’ programmes, family stay-and-play, and peer-led social action.
Supported by our Adventure Playground Manager and a team of youth and play workers, this is an incredibly exciting time for the service – the newly built structures, alongside a small animal area and a growing area, are ready to build an ambitious service around that meets the needs and interests of local children and families.
High Trees is also the lead partner in Building Young Brixton (BYB) – a consortium of 10 youth organisations working with 2,000 young people across Lambeth – which you will coordinate, alongside contributing to the Lambeth Peer Action Collective.
Our Head of CYPF plays a key leadership role that combines strategic oversight with hands-on involvement. You will bring significant experience in youth or community work, with the skills to manage multifaceted services, lead teams, and build strong partnerships with local organisations, schools and statutory bodies. By working closely with our team and partners, you will help ensure that children and young people in Lambeth have the opportunities and support they need to thrive.
Our incredible interim Head of Service will be happy to arrange an informal chat with interested candidates to discuss the day to day responsibilities of the role.
About High Trees
Based in Tulse Hill, High Trees has been rooted in the local community for over 27 years. We delivery community action, employment, education, youth services and community research, working in partnership with local people and local organisations, to build stronger communities and create meaningful change. We are recognised for our collaborative, long-term approach and our ability to adapt and respond to the issues that matter most to local people.
About the role
As Head of Children, Young People and Families, you will:
- Lead and inspire our Children, Young People and Families team to deliver high-impact, community-led work.
- Oversee a portfolio of projects and contracts, ensuring they are delivered to time, budget, and quality.
- Build and strengthen partnerships across the sector to support children, young people and families in Lambeth.
- Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead for CYPF services and partnerships.
- Contribute as a member of High Trees’ senior management team, helping shape organisational strategy and drive our ambitions across all service areas.
About you
We are looking for someone who brings:
- Significant experience in working with Children, Young People and Families.
- A proven track record of leading teams and managing complex projects.
- Excellent communication and partnership-building skills across diverse stakeholders.
- A strategic but practical approach with the ability to balance day-to-day delivery with long-term vision.
- A passion for place-based working, collaboration, and advocating for the needs of children and young people.
Why join us?
This is a rare opportunity to take a senior leadership role in a values-led organisation at a time of growth and ambition. You will play a pivotal role in shaping CYPF services and ensuring that children and young people in Lambeth have the opportunities and support they need to thrive.
Connecting with people and communities to strengthen skills and build stronger voices.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
High Trees Community Development Trust is seeking a collaborative and organised Lambeth Community Research Network (LCRN) Coordinator to play a pivotal role in the growth and coordination of a borough-wide partnership driving change in how research is designed and delivered.
This is an exciting opportunity to support a dynamic, cross-sector network that connects community organisations, researchers, and public institutions to ensure that research in Lambeth is fairer, more inclusive, and community-led.
You’ll help coordinate the network’s programme of events and projects, strengthen member engagement, and lead on communications that celebrate and share learning. Working within High Trees’ Research and Impact team, you’ll ensure the LCRN continues to thrive as a collaborative and well-connected space that champions community voice and knowledge.
If you’re a strong communicator with excellent organisational skills and a passion for community-led research, partnership working, and social impact – we’d love to hear from you.
About High Trees
High Trees Community Development Trust has been rooted in Tulse Hill, Lambeth, for over 27 years. We deliver services in education and training, employment, youth and family work, community action, and research and capacity building, working alongside local people and organisations to create meaningful change.
We are recognised for our collaborative and place-based approach, our long-term partnerships, and our commitment to equity, participation, and community leadership.
At High Trees, you’ll join a supportive, values-driven organisation that places community at the heart of decision-making. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to innovative and meaningful work that strengthens the influence of communities in shaping research, policy, and practice across Lambeth and beyond.
About the Lambeth Community Research Network (LCRN)
The Lambeth Community Research Network (LCRN), hosted and led by High Trees, brings together community organisations, research institutions, funders and public bodies to create a more equitable research ecosystem.
The network aims to rebalance power in research, ensuring that communities – particularly those often underrepresented – have genuine ownership and influence over how research is designed, delivered and used.
Through collaboration, learning, and shared accountability, LCRN members are shaping a model for community-led research that leads to stronger insights, better decisions and more equitable outcomes for Lambeth residents.
Connecting with people and communities to strengthen skills and build stronger voices.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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!
JOB DESCRIPTION
Title: National Programmes Manager
Hours: 35 hours per week
Accountable to: Director of Membership
Salary: £37-42k depending on experience
Location: SW1P 3RB United Kingdom
Work Type: Hybrid (2 office days)
Overview
Mothers’ Union (MU) was established in 1876. It is a worldwide women-led movement with over four million members in 83 countries. Some 40,000 of our members live in Britain and Ireland and put their Christian faith into action in communities’ by delivering projects and programmes that bring hope and build resilience.
Mothers’ Union is unique. We do not work alongside communities; our members and volunteers work inside communities. From small initiatives to national programmes our aims are to stop poverty, violence, and injustice by supporting the vulnerable and to strengthen family life by nurturing relationships that are loving, faithful and respectful.
Each member subscribes to the same values; the moral and ethical codes that are central to the ways in which we operate:
- We are firmly rooted in a voluntary ethos centred on mutual respect and collaboration.
- Our governance, leadership, and programmes are driven by and undertaken by members within their own communities worldwide; and
- We work with and welcome to the movement, people of all faiths and none.
Our Britian and Ireland members may be part of a branch or a parish membership, which sits within a Diocese, which reports to a Province. These Provinces and Dioceses follow the Anglican Church structure.
We are a diverse and inclusive movement who form groups, become friends and supporters outside of the church structure, together with a host of active volunteers all championing the work we do.
Job Purpose
The role of the central charity is to facilitate member support and the successful operation of the charity, lead strategic projects that work to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the global movement and to support the delivery of impactful work in communities that meet our aims.
Like many membership organisations, we need to focus on turning membership decline into membership growth. This role evolved from and is an integral part of the “Reimagining MU” project, where we looked at opportunities to secure the future of the movement.
The post holder will work directly with members and across the charity leading campaigns and programmes that help and support the communities in which we serve, drive membership growth, increase valued engagement and income opportunities, promote Mothers’ Union within the Anglican Church, and build effective relationships with external partners and organisations.
This role will lead the implementation of a suite of existing and new Britain and Ireland programmes which include domestic abuse, social justice, and family issues. Also, to look at new programmes and to manage continual programme reviews. These Mothers’ Union National Programmes are being adopted as best practice frameworks for successful community outreach projects by members in the communities in which we serve. It is envisioned that in resourcing and standardising existing work, these robust programmes will serve as vehicles for volunteer and member recruitment in dioceses in Britain and Ireland and be able to secure strategic partners and external funders to support our work.
Main responsibilities
Programme Development, Implementation and Review – Britain and Ireland
1. Work with the Director of Membership on the continued development, implementation and review of a member-informed national suite of Mothers’ Union programmes.
2. Research, review and develop new member resources, packs, and policies and manage access.
3. Work with the wider Membership team on the design, implementation, and delivery of new membership growth models.
4. Work with the Communications team on campaigns and programme branding and promotion.
5. Procure and manage relationships with programme strategic partners and funders.
Membership Engagement and Support
1. Manage relevant Communities of Interest (representative membership groups) for the different programmes.
2. Contribute campaign materials, articles, written printed and web content as required.
3. Support the membership by overseeing programme enquiries, and delivering resources, communications, webinars, podcasts, and events as required.
4. Working with the Membership Engagement Manager to ensure membership growth is reflected in the programme frameworks as an intended outcome.
5. Working with the Director of Membership and the wider membership team to deliver annual and regional events and conferences including the Annual Gathering, Provincial meetings, networking, and celebratory events.
General
- To manage existing national programmes; and to successfully framework and resource new MU campaigns and community outreach work into standardised, resourced and branded national programmes that are adopted and utilised by members and attract strategic partners to enhance successful outputs and increased income for the charity.
- To work across the charity on supporting the incorporation and delivery of membership and income growth targets and initiatives in the outputs of relevant areas of work.
- To produce and provide reports and resources as required for the Director of Membership.
- To undertake any other duties as requested by the Head of Membership.
Work Ethos
Integrity lies at the heart of Mothers’ Union and in our voice and actions, we aim to be:
· Respected.
· Effective.
· Accessible.
· Clear.
· And innovative approach.
Staff are expected to reflect these core values in their own personal characteristics. Post holders are expected to be able to demonstrate:
- A level of competence appropriate to the demands of this post.
- The ability to conduct work in keeping with high professional standards and in accordance with Mothers’ Union’s Aims, Objectives, and Values.
- A clarity of communication.
- A collaborative and constructive style of operating, respecting colleagues and volunteers and their contribution.
- An understanding of or commitment to the Christian faith.
Person Specification
Candidates’ demonstration of the skills and qualities below will be assessed through the application form/CV and at interview.
Experience/skills
Essential
Desirable
Programme Development
Demonstrated project management and programme development experience.
A project management qualification.
Experience of working in a membership organisation in the design and delivery of member-informed services and support.
Policy and Advocacy
Experience of campaign, policy, and advocacy work.
Experience in the fields of domestic abuse, faith and discipleship, social justice, and family issues.
Membership Support
Experience working directly with customers/members.
Event management experience.
Computer and IT skills
MS applications. Zoom/Team meeting platforms. Survey software. Social media posting. CRMs.
Publisher and design software.
Qualifications
Education
Educated to degree level.
Personal Attributes
Organisation
The role sits within a Membership function. Ability to work in a team and self-direct as required, effectively prioritise workload and meet deadlines and timescales.
Communication
Good verbal communication skills – ability to engage effectively and confidently with a wide range of stakeholders.
Produce high quality, accessible, valued, and impactful resources, and documents.
Excellent writing skills – ability to tailor to various audiences clearly and concisely; to identify and summarise key messages.
Personal characteristics
Flexible, with the ability to use own initiative.
Ability to work competently and confidently with volunteers, external partners, the clergy, and a wide range of stakeholders.
Team player – ability to work with others and to contribute within a team.
The ability to conduct work in keeping with high professional standards and in accordance with Mothers’ Union core values.
An understanding of or commitment to the Christian Faith
Knowledge and approach
A broad understanding of issues affecting faith and family life today.
The ability to take a creative and lateral approach to thinking about social problems.
A proactive attitude and enthusiasm to learn and grow in the role.
Research skills
Ability to collate, analyse, and synthesise data and use this in the development of support and services.
Ability to gather, manage and use a large quantity of information, research and reports effectively.
Ability to interpret statistics, survey data and quantitative and qualitative data effectively.
How to Apply
If you are interested in this position, please apply by sending your CV and a Cover Letter via e-mail.
The Cover Letter should clearly outline how your skills match the main responsibilities of the role.
Application Deadline
The closing date for applications is midnight on 17th November 2025. Due to the number of applications we receive, we may not be able to individually respond to each applicant. If we do not contact you within 4 weeks from the application deadline, then unfortunately you have not been shortlisted for this position. We aim to get in touch with the shortlisted candidates after the application deadline.
Equal Opportunity
Mothers’ Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to create an inclusive environment for all employees.
Values and Behaviours of Mothers’ Union staff
MU Staff Team Values
· Respectful.
· Supportive.
· Open.
· Adaptable.
· Solutions Oriented.
Below are examples of behaviours which show the values in practice.
Value 1: Respectful
· Being a role model, treating people with respect, both in speech and action.
· Reacting to situations and requests in a professional, calm and timely manner.
· Being sincere in understanding another person’s perspective.
· Being considerate of others’ time and concerns.
Value 2: Supportive
· Working as a team to meet collective goals and embrace shared perspectives.
· Building effective working relationships across the whole organisation.
· Celebrating successes and create a positive team spirit.
· Sharing personal knowledge, skills and experience with others to help them develop.
Value 3: Open
· Being open to constructive feedback.
· Celebrating differences and recognising everyone’s contribution.
· Engaging with stakeholders and seeking their views and feedback to improve.
· Being self-aware, reflecting on the work we do, how we do it and how it affects others.
Value 4: Adaptable
· If within capabilities, adapting to changes even if outside usual duties.
· Treating every experience as an opportunity to learn and develop.
· If possible, being flexible and responsive to the changing priorities of the organisation.
· Agreeing appropriate deadlines for work and meet them.
Value 5: Solutions Oriented
· Employing creativity by thinking outside the box to overcome challenges.
· Sharing views and driving continuous improvement.
· Encouraging colleagues to share alternative perspectives and ideas.
· Seeking solutions to solve problems.
Equal Opportunity
Mothers’ Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to create an inclusive environment for all employees.
Right to Work
Employment right to work checks are mandatory and a legal requirement to work in the UK before you are employed.
DBS Checks
This vacancy is subject to a DBS check if you are successfully selected.
Safeguarding Policy
Mother’s Union has its safeguarding principles embedded in all services we provide in Britain & Ireland. Mothers’ Union is committed to promoting a safer environment and culture for all involved in our projects, programmes, initiatives and activities. So that this can be achieved, it is essential to understand that this policy applies to everyone working on behalf of Mothers’ Union in Britain & Ireland, namely senior managers, board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, members, affiliates and contracted consultants.
Diversity & Inclusion
Mother’s Union is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with various backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work to achieve greater results for the community we support. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are looking for an experienced and passionate Research & Operations Manager to work as part of our Fundraising Team.
Imagine being part of an organisation whose common purpose is to help those who are severely impacted by mental illness. We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity – and that’s why equity is one of our core values. We draw on the expertise, unique perspectives and lived experience of our people – regardless of who they are or their background – to help us become inclusive and anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider that reflect the diverse communities we support as a mental health charity.
The Fundraising team is a dynamic group of fundraisers who are passionately committed to raising money for our life-changing work in the mental health and mental illness space. We have a diverse portfolio of income streams spanning Events, Community, Individual Giving, Legacies, In-Memoriam, Philanthropy, Trusts & Grants and Partnerships.
Trusts & Grants have a strong track record at Rethink Mental Illness and a growing portfolio of supporters at Mental Health UK. The team is well-positioned to develop innovative funding propositions that support the future ambitions of both charities, working to achieve both in-year cornerstone grants and long-term, transformational funding. As a newly established programme, Philanthropy demonstrates exciting potential for both Rethink and MHUK, with initiatives spanning major donor and mid-value engagement. Corporate Partnerships have launched several exciting partnerships across both charities and that portfolio and team continue to grow.
How you will make a difference
We are looking for a Research and Operations Manager to join our passionate fundraising team. You will play a pivotal role in driving high-value fundraising outcomes across Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK by delivering a strategic, insight-led approach to prospect research and portfolio management.
Managing the Senior Philanthropy and Research Officer you will oversee the identification, qualification and prioritisation of prospects across Philanthropy, Trusts & Grants and Corporate Partnerships. You will lead on due diligence processes, prospect pipeline management, connection mapping and the development of systems and tools that enable data-driven decision-making. Working closely with senior fundraisers and the Interim Head of Trusts and Philanthropy, you will ensure teams have the intelligence and insights needed to build strong, meaningful donor relationships.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer. We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.
We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.
Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation
We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation. You can read more about our progress here.
We’re Rethink Mental Illness and no matter how bad things are, we can help people severely affected by mental illness to improve their lives.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About the role ofHead of Principal Donors
As Head of Principal Donors, you will lead and manage the Foundation’s philanthropy programme, working closely with our senior leadership team and our founder to personally cultivate and steward the Foundation’s principal donors. This includes overseeing our recently formed Accelerate Circle – a select group of visionary philanthropists who help drive the Foundation’s fundraising through their networks.
In this role you will:
- Develop and deliver the Foundation’s philanthropy strategy, playing an active
leadership role in the successful delivery of income growth from UHNWI and
HNWIs - Develop the Accelerate Circle of patrons and deliver a solicitation strategy to
expand membership and grow our community of donors and supporters - Provide exceptional stewardship to existing donors and cultivate new donors
- Work closely with our founder and their office to design, plan and deliver highROI engagement such as income-generating dinners or paid speeches
- With the Director Fundraising and Communications, develop annual plans and
budgets, along with longer term forecasts for income from individuals - Work proactively with our Communications and Programmes teams to identify
and create funded or high-return opportunities to gain visibility in key markets - Support staff to deliver and, where appropriate, lead on fundraising and
cultivation events and donor trips - In consultation with the Director, lead on financial reporting for philanthropy
income, advising on risks and opportunities, producing regular reports of
income against plans and forecasts, and monitoring day to day income tracking
Our ideal candidate is:
- Experienced in cultivating and stewarding high-net-worth individual donors – with a proven track record of securing six or seven figure donations
- Capable of developing and delivering a successful philanthropy strategy
- Comfortable and experienced working with high profile individuals and senior volunteers including managing development boards, giving circles or other forms of peer-to-peer fundraising approaches
- Excellent at managing relationships and able to successfully influence people at all levels with clear and persuasive communication
We work with partners to eliminate barriers to entrepreneurship for women, enabling global economic gender justice.



Starting Salary: £54,269 - £59,422 (including LW)
Contract: Permanent
Location: Romero House, London - Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London head Office
Job Profile
CAFOD has an ambition to be digital first in our marketing and communications, to stay ahead of emerging trends and make the most of what digital technology can offer to strengthen our relationships with our supporters and in our ways of working across the organisation. Digital technology has already transformed our communications and will continue to do so. This senior communications and marketing role will be responsible for steering the ongoing digital transformation of CAFODs work, primarily in the supporter programme and also across the wider organisation.
This role encompasses overall responsibility for the brand, digital marketing, messaging, proactive and reactive media relations, with a core focus on digital transformation across all platforms. This post will play a key role in guiding our digital shop fronts and marketing efforts, evolving supporter journeys, steering our email programme and leading on the digital infrastructure to enable delivery of our supporter programme. It will ensure that digital engagement and conversion is embedded and an integral part of our communications planning.
This role will drive innovation and data-informed insight across the full spectrum of communications and wider organisation functions. It will embed a digital-first approach across teams and guide and accompany the wider organisation on harnessing opportunities of new technologies, making digital engagement integral to communications planning.
This role will drive brand awareness, brand advocacy and action across our programmes to ensure CAFOD is top of mind amongst the Catholic Community of England and Wales, helping to grow support from our constituency. You will bring proven senior-level experience in digital communications and marketing, ideally within the charity sector. With a strong understanding of communications at a senior level with expert knowledge of digital channels, audience engagement, and online conversion, you also have a strategic grasp of how digital integrates into broader communications and supporter strategies. Your leadership style is collaborative and visionary, and you have the gravitas and expertise to set the digital marketing direction for a large organisation, while bringing all teams along with your vision.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the strategic development, direction setting and delivery of an ambitious, insight-led digital-first communications strategy that enhances supporter journeys, increases engagement and drives measurable growth in support of our supporter programme, especially our parishioner-first fundraising strategy.
- Act as CAFODs senior expert on communications, advising the Executive team, across departments and influencing strategic decision-making, including on digital direction and development, at the highest level.
- Lead complex cross-organisational projects that improve our digital supporter experience, from acquisition to long-term engagement and conversion, ensuring timeliness and consistency with supporter programme priorities, especially the parishioner-first fundraising strategy and approach.
- Provide leadership and overall oversight of external communications and messaging, including brand consistency and press/media engagement, ensuring consistency between our fundraising efforts, our campaigning work and profiling our international work to supporters and key stakeholders.
- Lead and oversee the digital teams - email marketing programme, social media engagement, digital developments, campaigns and the website, to ensure user experience is optimised and platforms support our supporter programme and broader organisational strategic objectives and ambitions.
- Lead the media team to explore and encourage new approaches including how we further maximise the digital media landscape.
- Line manage senior specialists across digital marketing, website, and media and PR, ensuring high performance and professional growth.
- Work closely with IT, data and external agencies to ensure agile, secure and effective digital delivery across platforms.
- Represent the organisation externally where appropriate, with a focus on digital thought leadership.
- Develop and manage the communications budget effectively, aligning resources to priority areas and demonstrating clear impact. Agree and ensure accountability for objectives and KPIs as part of the wider supporter strategy, fostering a culture of ongoing learning, adaptation and improvement.
Safeguarding
All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.
Person Specification
- Extensive experience in a senior digital communications and marketing leadership role, with demonstrable success in developing and delivering integrated and audience-led multi-channel communications and marketing strategies.
- Strong experience of overseeing development of supporter journeys and objectives, website development, CRM integration and email engagement and conversion.
- Passionate about digital innovation and technologies, with deep knowledge of platforms, formats, and trends.
- Committed to insight-led and data-driven approaches with skills to use digital tools, platforms and analytics to shape decisions and measure impact.
- Excellent leadership, inter-personal and team management skills, with the ability to develop and motivate multi-disciplinary teams.
- Strong cross-functional project management ability, with experience leading organisational change in digital capability.
- Understanding of broader communications and marketing disciplines, with the ability to ensure alignment and brand consistency and also oversee media and PR work, including reputational risk and crisis communications.
- Understanding of the Catholic church in England and Wales and knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching.
- A track record of strong written and spoken communication skills.
- Highly organised, able to manage a busy workload and consistently meet deadlines.
Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults
CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.
CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales tackling poverty and injustice across the world.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Data & Research Manager plays a key role in Youth Futures Foundation’s Impact and Evidence team, helping us understand and address youth unemployment in England.
The postholder will lead on managing our data infrastructure including our flagship youth labour market dashboard and contribute to the design, commissioning, and delivery of high-quality quantitative research and analysis.
They will combine strong technical skills with the ability to communicate data-driven insights clearly to internal and external audiences, influencing policy and practice to improve employment outcomes for young people.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Managing the design, commissioning and delivery of economic, quantitative social research and data analysis projects using a wide range of methods, including primary and secondary data analysis, and evidence reviews
- Critically reviewing research proposals, manage contracts and budgets, and ensure high quality outputs
- Developing evidence tools, gap maps and frameworks to address youth unemployment, and identify and prioritise evidence gaps to meet stakeholder needs
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with a range of external partners.
For a full role description and person spec, please download our recruitment pack.
Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.
We are the national What Works Centre for youth employment, with a specific focus on marginalised young people.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you highly organised, proactive and driven by the challenge of making processes more efficient and effective?
Do you thrive on keeping complex projects running seamlessly, collaborating across teams and ensuring that systems and workflows enable big impact?
The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls is looking for a Projects and Programmes Officer to support the delivery and administration of a key programme rollout. It's a brand-new role in a small but mighty team, ensuring the organisation operates at maximum effectiveness while creating positive outcomes for women and girls.
Salary: £42k
Contract: Permanent, 35 hours full time (or reduced hours considered)
Location: Hybrid with 3 days per week in Birmingham office
Benefits: 25 days holiday (+bank) and generous pension, plus learning and development budget
About the organisation
JABBS is dedicated to building a fairer, more just society for women and girls. Through strategic grant-making, partnerships, and advocacy, the organisation addresses the root causes that draw women into the criminal justice system - from poverty and abuse to health inequalities. Their approach is grounded in collaboration, fostering lasting relationships with those driving change across policy, practice, and communities.
About the role
You'll support the day-to-day administration of the Women's Risk Needs Assessment rollout, as well as supporting wider programme delivery. By ensuring that administration processes are consistent, accurate and efficient, you'll also be able to spot opportunities to improve and streamline processes.
In this role, you can expect to:
* Maintain dashboards, documentation and project management systems.
* Collect and analyse data, support research and contribute to impact reporting.
* Oversee the WRNA expansion process, managing applications and coordinating with partners.
* Support grants administration, including reporting and compliance requirements.
* Plan and coordinate events, training sessions, meetings and follow-up actions.
* Manage SharePoint and ensure all resources and materials are current and accessible.
* Draft communications and support social media content and partner updates.
About you
You're organised, proactive and detail-oriented, thriving when juggling multiple priorities. You love finding ways to improve systems and processes and bring a collaborative, solutions-focused energy to your work.
We'd love to hear from you if you have:
* Demonstrable project administration experience, supporting complex projects or programmes.
* Excellent organisational and IT skills, with experience using databases and project tools.
* An understanding of project management, governance or grant-making processes.
* Experience with CRMs, case management systems or funding coordination.
* Proven ability to work effectively across teams and stakeholders, identifying opportunities to make processes easier and more efficient for everyone.
We'd also love to see your personal alignment with JABBS' values: Justice-Centred, Integrity-Driven, Curious, Collaborative, Relational and Determined.
In return, you'll have the chance to learn, grow, and build your skills and experience in a supportive environment where your contribution makes a real impact for women and girls.
How to apply
If you are as excited by this opportunity as we are, please get in touch with a copy of your CV in the first instance. If your experience matches what we're looking for, then we'll get back to you with more information on the formal application process.
Send your CV or profile to Jen D'Souza to start the conversation.
Closing: 9am on Tuesday 25th November
Interview: Dates to be confirmed soon
Charity People is a forward-thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g., age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
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!
Jangala is seeking an organised, enthusiastic Programme Associate to support the delivery of our connectivity programmes across the UK and internationally. This role will be part of the core team working to ensure that our projects reach the communities who need them most, supporting partners, improving programme processes, and contributing to Jangala’s organisational learning as we aim to deliver socially impactful internet to 4 million people by 2030.
This is a unique opportunity for a candidate who is comfortable with an outward facing role, seeking new opportunities for Jangala to support the connectivity needs of organisations in the UK and across the world and supporting our community of more than 300 existing partners who are using Jangala’s connectivity solutions to connect underserved communities and people without access to the internet.
You will work directly with nonprofit partners, communities, and internal teams to ensure our technology is deployed effectively, challenges are resolved quickly, and programme outcomes are captured and communicated. You will have an eye for detail and can bring a systematic approach to coordinating core Jangala processes and systems.
About Jangala
Jangala is a technology charity dedicated to providing essential internet access globally, with the goal of connecting 4 million people to the internet by 2030. Founded in 2015 as a volunteer initiative providing Wi-Fi to 5,000 people in the Calais Jungle refugee camp, Jangala offers a unique approach through its novel connectivity solutions, and takes great pride in its strong partnerships with international aid actors, grassroots organisations and public bodies. To date, we have directly connected 100,000 individuals in 36 countries.
We are driven by a vision of equalising technology for everyone, and are fully committed to addressing the realities of digital exclusion and the fragilities of internet connectivity, both in the UK and around the world. As a non-political, non-governmental registered charity, we focus on bridging the digital divide and enhancing connectivity resilience.
Since our full-time founding, we’ve made a significant impact through innovative technology and robust partnerships. Big Box, our rugged connectivity champion, generates Wi-Fi in critical and challenging environments from connecting refugee camps in Eastern Africa to community hubs across the UK. Get Box, developed rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensures that digitally excluded households and individuals are able to stay connected to the internet, whatever their circumstances.
Details of the role
You will play a key role in supporting the management and scaling of Jangala’s programmes in the UK and internationally. Reporting to the Head of Programmes, you will be part of Jangala’s programmes department, which leads the delivery of our donor-funded work, deploying Jangala’s award-winning technology and developing and nurturing partnerships with grassroots organisations, charities, local authorities, and international agencies.
Supporting Jangala’s community of existing partners who are using Big Box and Get Box technology to connect communities will also be an important part of what you do. The role will also involve building new partnerships, research, coordination and working with data-driven systems, ensuring that our connectivity solutions reach the people and communities who need them most.
Key responsibilities will include:
-
Conducting research about and doing outreach to prospective partner organisations
-
Onboarding new partner organisations in line with Jangala’s due diligence processes
-
Organising and running check in calls with partners
-
Monitoring and replying to queries which come through Jangala enquiry and partner support email accounts, including for routine partner management and troubleshooting
-
Inputting administrative data to Jangala’s partner management and monitoring and evaluation platforms
-
Information gathering for funder reports and proposals
-
General monitoring of equipment usage on the field on our telemetry systems
-
Organising events and partner visits
-
Writing content for social media and website
-
Delegated project management tasks
-
Deputising for the Programme Manager when required
The person we're looking for
We are open to applicants from a variety of professional backgrounds, but the ideal candidate will have experience in project coordination and working in multi-stakeholder projects, as well as a passion for digital inclusion and social impact.
We understand that many people, especially women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, or other underrepresented groups, only apply for jobs when they feel they meet all the criteria. If you don’t match every point but are inspired by Jangala’s mission and excited to work on programmes that help some of the world’s most digitally excluded communities, we want to hear from you.
Core Requirements:
-
Excellent inter-personal skills and service-minded approach to supporting partner organisations
-
Comfortable in working on remote partnership engagement in a diverse, international environment
-
Strong organisational and administrative skills, with the ability to contribute to and maintain partner management platforms, project trackers, and reporting tools
-
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, with partners, and with funders
-
Ability to manage competing priorities and work while maintaining attention to detail
-
Commitment to Jangala’s mission and values
Desirable Requirements:
-
Experience in the technology, humanitarian, UK charity, or international development sectors
-
Familiarity with project management tools such as ClickUp or similar
-
Experience with handling data and conducting analysis and research
-
Experience with writing content for websites and social media
-
Willingness to travel occasionally for project-related work
-
Multilingual skills, particularly French, Spanish, or Arabic
Important details
This is a 6 month Fixed term contract with the opportunity to extend.
Jangala’s office is based in London and operates a remote-first working policy. Travel to our London office will be required for collaborative work at least once a week.
We are committed to creating an environment that attracts, motivates, and supports the best people from all backgrounds. This includes:
-
Flexible working (general arrangement is one day in the office per week)
-
29 days of paid leave a year, on top of paid bank holidays (in a normal year that’s 37)
-
Quarterly bonus assessed on a whole team level
-
5% employer pension contribution
-
Gender inclusive office facilities
-
Free gym and climbing membership
-
Potential shadow share options in future commercialisation
-
Enhanced parental leave
-
A real focus on learning and development with each person having an L&D budget
-
Yearly opportunities to volunteer and gain on-the-ground experience of the impact Jangala is having in communities and disaster areas
-
Team days out
-
A hiring process that emphasises experience, talent and motivation, rather than academic qualifications or CV specifics
We welcome applications from people of all gender identities, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, religious beliefs or none. We particularly encourage applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in the technology and charity industries.
The salary range for this role is £31,000-£34,000 per annum, with consideration for part-time arrangements.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are looking for someone to join our award-winning campaigns team and help us to progress change through political engagement at both national and local level. We have an impressive track record of working with government, locally elected politicians, professional organisations, patient stakeholder groups and other charities in the sector on a range of issues which affect people with epilepsy.
Our recent work includes our successful Zach’s Law campaign. This role is an exciting opportunity to help bring about further change that will make a real difference to the lives of people with epilepsy.
The postholder will develop an effective programme of policy and public affairs work across the UK to have maximum impact for people with epilepsy and to raise the public profile of epilepsy.
We seek someone with a degree or relevant experience in political or public affairs, extensive experience of influencing, organising campaigns and major events and negotiating at a senior level. You will be required to have a detailed level of understanding of government politics and the charity sector and an empathy to the cause.
To view the full job description, please download the recruitment pack.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About Demos
Demos is a highly respected cross-party think tank with a unique approach to making policy to solve our long term problems. Building on nearly 30 years of creativity, ideas and impact, Demos’s mission is to upgrade democracy: rebuilding the relationship between citizen and state. Our work explores the elements of a ‘New Deal’, in which power is devolved, citizens participate in policy making, and together as a nation we find answers to the challenges of our century.
About Waves
Demos is leading the largest trial of digital democracy in Britain.
Trust in politics and politicians is in crisis. Only 24% of people trust politicians to make decisions in the best interests of the country. Polarisation is increasing. At the same time, people want to be involved in the public policy decisions that affect them.
Waves is a €1 million project trialling new technology in local democracy, launched to bring people together to tackle contentious local issues and strengthen trust in local government. Thousands of local people will have the opportunity to shape local government policy on an issue affecting their area.
New AI-powered technology is intended to make it easier, cheaper and quicker for participants to have their say, identify areas of consensus, discuss difficult issues and work through trade-offs together.
We are working in partnership with two trailblazing councils who are both embracing the opportunity to put the public at the heart of their policy making. The trial will begin in the London Borough of Camden to co-develop an approach to adult social care. The trial will then move on to South Staffordshire District Council as they develop an inclusive engagement process to prepare for their next local plan. The partners will also support a further 25 councils to observe and learn from the process so that they too can use the tools in the future.
About the role
We are looking for an experienced programme manager who can steer Waves from now until it completes in December 2026.
You would be joining the programme at a pivotal time as we move from the ‘set-up’ and ‘co-design’ phases of the first 6-months, to the start of the first of our two trials running sequentially over the next 11 months, before moving to a final ‘impact phase’ of dissemination of our toolkits, technology and learning in the final 6 months.
Programme management of Waves means ensuring that the whole project stays on track – on time and on budget – throughout its delivery. There are 5 partners, a number of suppliers and many moving parts, so it is critical that we find someone who can work across the whole programme, anticipating who needs to do what and by when, and ensuring that the programme is delivered successfully so we can draw learnings from it to share widely across the local government, democracy, and tech sectors.
It is worth bearing in mind that Waves is a ‘test and learn’ trial of a new deliberative democratic process using existing and new technology. Therefore, the team is committed to learning from the project and being comfortable with the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what the outcomes are going to be.
What you'll need to be sucessful
The types of knowledge, skills and experience we are looking for are below. We welcome a range of applications which include at least some of these attributes.
- Demonstrable experience managing an equivalent programme in terms of complexity, scale and partners with a solid understanding of project management methods.
- Understanding and commitment to the mission of the programme – motivated to tackle issues of low trust in democracy among UK citizens with digital democratic platforms and deliberative processes a crucial part of the solution.
- Team management, interpersonal and communication skills – ability to lead and motivate a team with diverse skills and priorities to deliver a programme of great complexity and uncertainty, including fostering collaboration and trust, managing conflicts, maintaining transparency and empowering different partners to perform effectively.
- Strong strategic thinking and decision-making skills – the ability to align activities with overall programme objectives, making informed decisions based on programme lead and partner inputs and, where possible, data and analysis, and drive the programme towards successful outcomes.
- Ability to identify potential risks, develop mitigation strategies and manage issues that may arise during the programme lifecycle – ideally in an innovation context, one working with diverse partners with different ways of working or when using technology/ conducting trials with the public.
- An interest in, and comfort working with, innovative technologies that utilise AI and collect data, as well as an understanding of the risks and sensitivities surrounding the use of AI, among the public and within the public sector.
- Experience of owning and managing a large-scale budget, conducting calculations when there are changes from the plan, and maintaining clear and robust tracking of expenditure to ensure financial accountability.
- Demonstrable ability to adapt to changing circumstances, solve problems creatively and maintain momentum and energy during challenging situations.
- Highly collaborative, with a commitment to teamwork and inclusivity.
Application and selection process
To apply, please provide the following through our application form:
- an anonymised CV (with any references to your name and personal details removed)
- answers to four screening questions (up to 250 words each)
- a completed copy of our diversity monitoring form (optional)
All applications will be evaluated and graded anonymously to minimise bias in our screening process.
Questions?
If you have any further questions or aren’t sure if the role is right for you, please feel free to reach out to us and we would be happy to answer any queries.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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 role is essential in our drive for evidencing the impact of the work we do. You will lead and manage a large-scale, multi-organisation piece of research aiming to highlight the impact of our programmes. You will play a key role in ensuring the main research project and any supplementary research projects are delivered efficiently and ethically. You will use data and evidence to inform practice and work closely with the Programme Specialist for Pilots and the wider Quality and Impact Team as required. Additionally, you will project manage additional cross-organisational projects as required in support of our growing charity.
This is role is a fixed-term contract for 18 months.
Travel throughout the UK may be required.
You will report to the Head of Quality and Impact.
Key Responsibilities
· You will be accountable for the oversight of the main research and any supplementary research projects from initiation to completion.
· You will collaborate with the Programme Specialist for Pilots and the Associate Director of Business Development to ensure delivery of the research and ensure alignment and fidelity to the research plan.
· You will work with the Head of Quality and Impact and Finance Team to ensure that the project/s meet agreed objectives, timelines and budgets.
· You will support the development of project documentation.
· You will deliver reports and presentations as required both internally and externally from DFN Project SEARCH to share information regarding the research project.
· You will be accountable for collecting, analysing and reporting on data that is relevant to the organisation.
We will be interviewing w/c Nov 24th
We will review applications as they come in and close when we have sufficient numbers
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.




