Head of support service jobs in birmingham
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £37,000 - £42,000 per annum, depending on experience
Remote: This role is homebased with travel for meetings, events and conferences and staff residentials.
What we do
As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.
We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work
About the Role
This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of youth work in England. As Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the National Youth Agency (NYA), you’ll play a central role in influencing national policy and driving change that impacts young people’s lives.
We’re looking for a dynamic and strategic individual to join our Policy, Insights and External Affairs Directorate. You’ll work closely with the Head of Policy and Public Affairs, line manage the Policy and Public Affairs Officer, and collaborate with colleagues and sector partners to deliver a bold and proactive policy agenda that champions youth work in policy making. Your work will ensure the voice of the NYA and the youth sector is placed at the heart of national policy and funding decisions.
This role is central to driving NYA’s policy impact: you will lead high-profile policy projects, build strong relationships with political and policy stakeholders, produce influential written outputs, curate strategic events, and represent the organisation at key external engagements. You’ll also be at the forefront of monitoring and interpreting developments across Westminster - from government consultations to parliamentary debates - using these insights to shape our influencing and advocacy efforts.
This is an exciting time to join the NYA. Your work will directly contribute to meaningful change for young people, helping to secure the recognition, investment and support that youth work deserves.
Key responsibilities for this role will include:
- Work with the Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, and key internal and external stakeholders to help design, manage and deliver a cutting-edge policy agenda and stakeholder outreach programme
- Line manage the Policy and Public Affairs Officer, delegating work effectively and supporting their professional development
- Identify and build positive relationships with key political and policy stakeholders who are critical to advancing our mission and amplifying the voice of the youth work.
- Manage policy projects, including drafting project plans, timelines and budgets, in collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders
- Monitor the shifting national policy and political landscape, including parliamentary inquiries, consultations, political briefings and government announcements, and advise internal and external stakeholders on opportunities and risks
- Provide the secretariat for the National Youth Sector Advisory Board (NYSAB), convening the youth sector with government departments
- Build strong relationships with peer organisations and stakeholders and identify opportunities for collaborative working to further NYA’s mission
- Organise high-quality events and policy seminars to raise the profile of the organisation
- Manage the creation of a range of high-quality written outputs for various audiences, including policy briefings, blogs and consultation responses
- Work closely with the Head of Policy and Public Affairs and Local Policy and Partnerships Manager to connect and align our national and local policy influencing and work
- Represent the NYA at external meetings and events
- Please refer to our Candidate Pack for more information on the role and the requirements.
Why Work for NYA?
- NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
- NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
- A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
- NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
- We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.
How to Apply:
To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Sunday 14th September 2025:
- A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
- A covering letter (maximum two sides) highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
- We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.
Please note: the covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 30% AI generated content with be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.
The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.
At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.
We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.
REF-223415
Thank you!
We are looking for someone who:
- Understands the power of sport to unite and uplift communities.
- Brings senior leadership experience in the required competencies of fundraising, communications and income strategy.
- Is confident managing relationships with high-value funders and partners.
- Has a deep understanding of inclusive storytelling and impact measurement.
- Can think big, act boldly, and build a strong and sustainable future for our movement.
We continue to be focused on our vision to create an inclusive world for all, driven by the power of sport, through which people with intellectual disabilities live active, healthy and fulfilling lives.
We are looking for people who are passionate about Special Olympics and are completely aligned with our values. We are authentic. We act with honesty, integrity and respect. We are creative and innovative. We love to embrace difference and doing things differently. We are brave, courageous, resilient and determined. We listen and are led by the voice of our athletes. We are always kind. We are Inclusion in Action.
We are continuing to build a high-performing team who care for each other and care about our cause. Our athletes are incredibly inspirational, courageous and insightful people, and they deserve a team who are equally committed and passionate about our mission.
For Job Role specifics and how to apply please see the SOGB Director of Development Recruitment Pack
The closing date for applications is Monday 1st September 2025 at 9am. There will be a two- stage interview process that will cover both culture/motivators and thematic competencies. Stage 1 interviews will take place week beginning 15th September 2025 and stage 2 will take place week beginning 22nd September 2025.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We are Special Olympics GB. We are Inclusion in Action.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We’re looking for a Policy and Public Affairs Manager with a proven ability to manage relationships with key stakeholders at a national level and a deep understanding of the education policy landscape. This is a great opportunity to join an ambitious team redefining public service delivery through tech innovation and strong partnerships.
Oak is the publicly-funded provider of free, high-quality digital curriculum and teaching resources for schools. We are a pioneering organsation, fully remote and mission-driven, working to support teachers and improve pupils’ access to quality education. Oak offers high levels of flexibility, autonomy and purpose.
Our culture has been independently recognised through:
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Flexa verified (93% overall score, including 95% for working hours and 97% for role modelling)
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Escape the City's Top 1% Employers – based on anonymous colleague reviews of culture, development, and impact
�� About the Role
Oak's success is built on a wide range of partnerships across the education and wider public sector. This is a fantastic opportunity for a policy and public affairs professional to manage key relationships and develop Oak's policy role.
�� What You’ll Be Doing
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Manage relationships and inputs with important stakeholders across the education, political and commercial sectors. Act as the lead policy liaison between Oak and the Department for Education
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Work with partners and the Department for Education to develop, agree and fulfil Oak’s policy role and remit within the curriculum, education, AI and edtech landscape.
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Write speeches, presentations, briefings and public papers to communicate Oak’s role and impact, and support Oak’s proactive and reactive media work. You will also represent Oak at public events and in meetings with key figures interested in our work.
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Ensure the continuous improvement of Oak’s external monitoring, stakeholder engagement and policy work.
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Deputise for the Head of External Relations and take on other general responsibilities as required.
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Regular travel to London for in-person meetings and events, including some overnight stays
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As a member of the Oak Team, you will contribute to the wider success and culture of the organisation as well as support and model our five values: create the right environment, be a great colleague, own your role but work for the team, make things happen and keep getting better.
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Work in cross-functional and product-oriented squads with colleagues from across the organisation, as required.
�� What We’re Looking For
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4+ years holding responsibility for the development of policy and stakeholder relations.
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Extensive knowledge of the education landscape and policy agenda plus developments in AI and edtech.
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A skilled communicator, able to analyse, distil and convey complex information succinctly and build positive relationships with external stakeholders.
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Organised and detail-oriented.
�� Our Benefits
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25 days annual leave, plus one extra day for each year of service (up to 28)
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Additional Oak closure days over Christmas/New Year
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11% employer pension contribution (with no minimum employee contribution)
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A 36-hour working week, with half-days on Fridays or every other Friday off
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Fully remote working — we’ll support your home set-up and offer coworking options if preferred
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Twice-yearly in-person offsites to collaborate, connect, and have fun
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A culture that genuinely supports flexibility, autonomy, and trust
�� Inclusion and Belonging
We believe diverse teams build better products. We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those who are underrepresented in the tech and education sectors.
We use the Applied recruitment platform to help reduce bias in our hiring process.
�� Key Info
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Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK with the legal right to work here
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Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time
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Closing date: 23:59 on 31 August 2025
If this sounds like the kind of role and team where you would thrive, we'd love to hear from you.
Next steps
You’ll answer some questions related to your day-to-day job. After the advert closes, your answers will go through our sift process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised, and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers (real humans).
If you are shortlisted, we’ll invite you to the next stage.
We love giving feedback, so at the end of the application process we'll share how well you performed.
We are aiming to start interviews in early September 2025.
We are experiencing really good responses to our job adverts. This may lead us to close the role early, so if you are considering applying then please get your application in early to avoid missing out.
We are an equal opportunities employer.
We are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.