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: Policy and Influencing Manager
Organisation: Kids
Location: Remote (with travel to London up to once a week for meetings)
Salary: £33,000–£35,000
Contract: Full-time or 4 days/week (Flexible working available)
Make change happen – for every child.
At Kids, we believe every child should have the opportunity to thrive – regardless of disability or circumstance. As our Policy and Influencing Manager, you’ll play a vital role in making this a reality. You’ll help shape policies that amplify the voices and experiences of disabled children and young people, turning insight into influence and ideas into action.
This is a unique opportunity to lead bold, evidence-based policy work that reflects the lived experiences of the families we support. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation and sector, you’ll inform decision-makers, respond to developments in the SEND landscape, and ensure that young people’s voices are at the heart of the change we seek.
We’re looking for a passionate and proactive policy professional who’s ready to help build something powerful – and lasting – at a critical time for SEND reform in the UK.
What you'll do
Policy & Influencing
- Develop accessible and compelling policy briefings, consultation responses, reports, speeches, and presentations for a range of stakeholders, including MPs, government officials, and sector partners.
- Translate complex ideas into clear, persuasive communications that support positive change.
- Collaborate with our Youth Voice Manager to ensure our policy positions reflect the real experiences of the young people and families we support.
- Help deliver and monitor our policy and influencing strategy in collaboration with the Head of Policy, Voice and Influencing.
Research & Evidence
- Carry out high-quality research and analysis from both internal and external sources.
- Centre the experiences and insights of disabled children, young people, and their families in policy solutions
- Monitor policy developments across the SEND landscape and lead on timely, evidence-led responses.
- Track progress against our influencing goals and ensure our actions remain targeted and impactful.
Engagement & Relationship Building
- Build strong relationships with decision-makers across government and the public sector.
- Support the Head of Policy, Voice and Influencing to plan and deliver our strategic external engagement plan in order to focus and drive our wider influencing work
- Represent Kids at meetings and events, including engaging MPs, civil servants, and other key influencers.
- Work closely with internal teams and front-line colleagues to ensure our influencing work is grounded in practice and informed by those delivering services.
Collaboration & Strategic Partnerships
- Work alongside the Head of Policy, Voice and Influencing and Youth Voice Manager to deliver our external engagement strategy including deputising at meetings when required.
- Support collaboration across teams to bring in parent, carer, and young person voices.
- Contribute to external coalitions and alliances – attending meetings, aligning with others’ work, and championing Kids' policy priorities.
What you'll bring
Essential Skills & Experience
- Proven experience in a policy role and demonstrable experience of using policy and evidence to influence outcomes– ideally within the disability sector.
- Strong understanding of the SEND system and related policies and legislation (through lived or professional experience).
- Excellent writing skills – able to craft persuasive policy briefings, consultation responses, and reports with clarity and purpose.
- Confident communicator, able to engage a range of audiences in person and in writing.
- Strong research and analytical skills – able to sift through evidence and develop insight-driven policy recommendations.
- Ability to build and manage relationships with senior stakeholders and external partners.
- Highly organised, adaptable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
- Passionate about inclusion, equity, and social justice – with a strong motivation to elevate the voices of disabled children and young people.
Why work at Kids?
We’re a mission-driven organisation, building a fairer world where all children have the opportunity to flourish. You’ll join a growing team in a pivotal role, helping to shape the future of policy and advocacy at Kids.
We’re committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We’re especially keen to hear from people with lived experience of disability or SEND, either personally or within your family or community.
Ready to create change that counts?
Apply now and help us influence a better, more inclusive future for disabled children and young people.
Note: We may close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please apply promptly
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 Title: Philanthropy Manager
Reports to: Senior Philanthropy Manager
Location: Hybrid work with 40% from Breaking Barriers’ offices in Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow
Salary: £33,000 - £39,000
Hours: 5 days per week (37.5 hours) but open to part-time (30 hours minimum), and flexible working arrangements
Contract: Permanent
Overall purpose
The Philanthropy Manager will manage and steward a portfolio of funders and donors – across trusts and foundations, statutory sources and major donors – to secure annual and multi-year gifts in support of Breaking Barriers’ vision. As well as managing relationships with our existing donors there will be a focus on creating new relationships through proactive prospecting and developing a long-term strategic approach to stewardship and relationship development.
You will be an ambitious, enthusiastic, energetic, and autonomous fundraiser with a demonstrable passion for supporting people from a refugee background. You will have a strong track record of high-value relationship management and fundraising, ideally specialising in Trusts, Statutory, Major Donor fundraising or a related area. We are looking for someone who can successfully secure and steward gifts of 5 figures and above – so evidence of stewarding high-value relationships and high-quality written skills are key. You will collaborate with additional fundraisers across Trusts, Statutory, Corporate and Major Gifts to coordinate approaches and maximise opportunities across all functions.
We welcome applicants with relevant transferable skills from other sectors and other areas of fundraising but a strong knowledge of the fundamentals of grant fundraising is essential. We are looking for a passionate individual who can get people excited about the work we do and who wants to make a difference in the lives of individuals from a refugee background. You will share our energy and determination, and will be attracted by the idea of working in a team with big ambitions, and in which you will have the opportunity to grow and develop. We encourage creative thinking and new ideas so a proactive individual who is able to spot opportunities and take the initiative would thrive in this role.
To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recruitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.
Other considerations
- As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out pre-employment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.
- We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.
How to apply
If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a CV and statement (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:
- Why you are interested in the role
- What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
- Any experience you would like to highlight
- Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
- Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)
Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.
Closing date for applications is 11:30pm on Wednesday 06 August. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to employ more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience of seeking asylum and/or a refugee background.
If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experience of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for an independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reach out to HR Manager Rebecca Hughes for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).
Breaking Barriers exists so that every refugee can access meaningful employment and build a new life.