Hr systems manager jobs

At the National Garden Scheme a central office with a team of 13 is the hub for a wide range of activity involving hundreds of volunteers, thousands of garden owners and a large audience of beneficiary charities, suppliers, supporters and partners, as well as members of the public who want to visit gardens and engage with the charity.

The Head of Operations leads and manages County Support, a team of four who deliver the resources, information and support needed by our volunteer county organising teams who support the garden owners. The Head of Operations is key in ensuring that the volunteers feel valued and supported. 

The right candidate will have experience of database management, ideally Microsoft Dynamics, so that they can update, interrogate and maintain our database and online portal through which garden owners register and manage their garden data. We are currently updating our IT system and there will be a need for change management to ensure that staff and volunteers are comfortable using the new system.

The successful applicant will thrive in a busy, hands-on and varied role and the key requirements are efficiency and excellent communication skills.  This is a role for a meticulous, problem-solving people person.

The ethos of the organisation is rooted in generosity and kindness and the office is a warm and welcoming place to work.

Key responsibilities

Manage the county support team

• Lead and manage the county support team
• Manage smooth working relations between the county support team and other staff
• Lead the county support team in their day to day activities and relationships with county organising teams, garden owners, visitors and other stakeholders

To work closely with and manage liaison with county team volunteers

• To work with county organisers to maximise levels of service from head office
• To work with county organisers for smooth recruitment and succession for volunteer roles

To manage and deliver the annual data gathering and fulfilment operations

• To work with county support and county teams in annual gathering of garden data
• To ensure timely delivery of material to publisher
• To organise and deliver with county support the annual delivery of bulk orders to county teams

To manage key operational elements for the organisation

• To oversee the insurance of garden openings, including claims

To support the Chief Executive in the provision of HR to employees and volunteers

• To recruit, induct and train new members of staff as required
• To carry out performance reviews for some members of staff
• To manage welcome days at head office for new volunteers.

Other duties include:

• Attend national garden shows (e.g. Chelsea) and other events as required.
• Protect and enhance the organisation’s public reputation when speaking on its behalf.

Benefits:

• 28 days holiday (inclusive of public holidays), subsequent increases up to 33 days.
• Permanent, full time role, 35 hours a week – 9am to 5pm with one hour lunch break.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential/Desirable

Confident knowledge of Microsoft Office suite

E

Knowledge and experience of databases, preferably Microsoft Dynamics

D

Experience as an office administrator

D

Personal Skills

Efficiency and reliability

E

Excellent interpersonal skills

E

Excellent oral communication skills

E

Accuracy and attention to detail

E

Ability to prioritise and work to strict deadlines

E

Car owner and driver

E

About NEON 

NEON is a not-for-profit organisation committed to accelerating social movements. We build capacity and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to a new economy. We work across a wide range of progressive issues including climate, housing, healthcare, and migration and we support over 1,000 organisers across the UK working towards political, environmental, and social justice. Our theory of change is rooted in understanding both the strategies, stories, and structures required to sustain a movement. Short term, this results in improved movement infrastructure, skills, and connections; long term, it leads to robust relationships and movement alliances capable of systemic change. 

Context

NEON’s People & Operations Hub makes sure all our internal systems run smoothly and that our team is happy, high-performing and cared for. The People & Operations Hub brings together people, culture, operations, fundraising and finance, and plays a key role in making sure NEON is both high impact and a joyful place to work, at the heart of this is ensuring our values of respect, generosity and solidarity and anti-oppression principles are embedded into all internal practices.

As part of this, we’re currently looking for someone to support us for a defined period of time to review and refresh some of our core operational and compliance areas, and support us with discrete ops tasks as they arise. This includes reviewing, updating and embedding key systems and processes so that they are clear, usable and consistently followed across NEON. Alongside this, we want to create a NEON-wide handbook, so that we have a simple accessible place where people can find everything they need to know about how we do things at NEON. We also want to strengthen our guidance around event safety, both online and in-person, so staff feel comfortable and supported when planning and delivering work. It’s crucial for us that this work is developed in collaboration with the People & Operations Hub as well as the wider team. 

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who is comfortable moving across operational and compliance work. Someone who has a solid understanding and experience in delivering high-level health and safety, data protection, IT and systems work, and other operational aspects of running an organisation, and can turn that into something practical, usable and genuinely helpful for our team. Someone who is self-motivated, comfortable working independently, and able to take ownership of pieces of work from start to finish

We’d love someone who has experience working closely in or within people and operations teams in small- medium sized not-for profits or charities, and who knows how to take complex or messy systems and make them simpler, clearer and easier to embed in day-to-day practice. We’re looking for someone aligned with our values of respect, generosity and solidarity and is well-versed in including anti-oppression principles into operational work. Someone who is motivated by working in a values-led organisation where decisions factor in culture, trust and care as well as the technical elements.

This person should be confident reviewing and improving systems and understands and is experienced in working closely with other people to do this, whether that’s with the Director of People and Operations to receive direction or troubleshoot, working alongside our Ops Assistant to put things into practice and draw on their organisational expertise, or engaging the wider team to elicit their ideas and challenges, and incorporate them into improvements. Similarly someone who is able to work with external support we have in place around IT, HR and data protection and translate their recommendations into practical action.

They’ll need to be able to hit the ground running and pick up discrete pieces of work, working thoughtfully and collaboratively with a team that’s juggling lots of different priorities. Aside from improving key pieces of work, the other core part of the role is bringing people with them, which will involve coaching and mentoring skills, a learning and development approach, and helping others feel confident taking on and owning this work.

Above all, we’re looking for someone who understands how to make organisations compliant and well-run in a way that feels proportionate, caring, and realistic for a team of our size. Someone who can embed these pieces of work, without overcomplicating things, and who can foster a sense of shared ownership. We’re also looking for someone who really cares about how operational work is truly embedded and put into practice across organisations, who thinks carefully about what happens after their involvement or support ends and knows how to build internal capability so work doesn’t stay dependent on them.

Key deliverables

By the end of the service period, the following outputs will have been delivered and fully embedded into NEON’s ways of working:

IT and systems

The freelancer will complete a high-level review of NEON’s current IT systems, identify key risks and gaps, and produce a set of recommendations. 

Outputs will include working with the People & Operations Hub to lead implementation and embedding of agreed improvements across tools and ways of working, including an improved GDrive structure, Google Workspace and IT security improvements and an IT and phones policy.

Data protection

The freelancer will complete a high-level review and strengthening of NEON’s GDPR and data protection approach.

Outputs will include updated core policies (GDPR policy, privacy notice, retention policy) and practical guidance to support consistent implementation across the organisation. It also includes delivery of staff training and further strengthening of our “Data Champions”.

Event processes

The freelancer will assess our current event-related practices (online and in-person).

Outputs will include clear, practical recommendations, strengthened guidance for managing event safety and risk in practice and staff training and support.

Health and safety

A review and update of NEON’s health and safety approach will be completed to ensure policies and processes are clear, practical and consistently applied.

Outputs will include an updated H&S policy, incident reporting process, risk assessment templates, and a simple event safety framework with guidance and checklists. It also includes delivering staff training and embedding of H&S practice across the organisation, including clarification of roles and responsibilities.

AI policy and guidance

The freelancer will research and develop NEON’s approach to AI use across the organisation, considering best practice, risks, opportunities, and the impact of AI on staff and NEON’s work. It should also include thoughtful consideration of the harms and ethical concerns associated with AI.

Outputs will include engagement with staff to understand current use and concerns, alongside the creation of clear and practical AI guidance and an organisational AI policy to support safe, thoughtful and consistent use of AI tools across NEON.

NEON Handbook

A NEON-wide handbook will be created, bringing together key processes, guidance and signposting to essential organisational information in one accessible place.

The handbook will be co-developed with staff and People & Operations Hub members to ensure it reflects day-to-day practice and is maintainable internally after completion.

Day-to-day operations support

The freelancer will provide additional operational capacity to support the Hub with emerging priorities, and time-sensitive pieces of work that arise during the contract period.

Outputs may include support with operational problem-solving and decision making, maintaining processes and procedures, providing subject knowledge expertise, maintaining documentation and other discrete operational tasks agreed with the Director of People and Operations.

A key part of this work will be ensuring that all outputs and improvements are properly embedded within the People & Ops Hub and the wider organisation. This includes creating clear documentation, guidance, training and handover processes so that NEON staff can confidently hold and maintain this work after the consultancy ends.

Timescales and fee schedule

The freelancer will be appointed and ready to engage from the end of July/ start of August 2026. We expect this work to be completed across two-three days per week for up to six months, ideally finished by the end of January or February 2027 (depending on start date). There may be a possibility of extension if other relevant and discrete projects arise and in agreement with the Director of People and Operations.

Call out information required

Interested freelancers are asked to provide the following information in response to this call out:

1. Brief career history and details of relevant assignments undertaken (this could be in the form of a CV)

2. A statement not exceeding 800 words on your proposed approach to the deliverables, including:

   1. Your technical and subject matter expertise

   2. Your personal style and approach to working with others

   3. How you will embed our values of respect, generosity and solidarity and anti-oppression principles into the deliverables

3. Your day rate, indicating whether VAT is payable (please note our indicative day rate that is aligned with our internal budget is £375)

4. A clear commitment to undertake the work within the timeframe set out above

5. Two testimonials from suitable clients or professional partners

The deadline for submissions is Sunday 28th June 11.59pm

Please find email address for submission of applications on our website.

We may wish to discuss submissions with you on Monday 6th July or Wednesday 8th July 2026. We will inform you if this is the case.

For any further information or clarification prior to submission, contact us at our website.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

 The Procurement Lead is responsible for developing and delivering a robust procurement and commercial strategy that ensures value for money, compliance with Procurement Act 2023 regulations in line with AHS being primarily public funded and supports AHS study and operational objectives. The role will lead on sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial governance, ensuring ethical, transparent, and efficient use of public funds.

Main responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a procurement and commercial strategy aligned with organisational goals and funding requirements.
• Lead procurement planning across research programmes, operations, and corporate services.
• Act as a subject matter expert on public procurement policy and best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, systems, and capability.

Tendering and Contract Management

• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes including tendering, evaluation, and contract award.
• Ensure compliance with UK public procurement regulations (e.g., Procurement Act and associated guidance).
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts, including research, clinical, and grant-related agreements.
• Manage contract lifecycle including performance monitoring, renewals, and extensions.

Commercial Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain procurement policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Ensure all procurement activities meet audit, transparency, and reporting requirements for public funding.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks across supplier engagements.
• Support internal and external audit processes.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring high performance and innovation.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (research teams, finance, legal) to understand needs and deliver value-driven procurement solutions.
• Work with external stakeholders including funders, partners and strategic advisors to develop optimum outcomes
• Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior leadership and project teams.
• Promote sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.

Financial & Value Management

• Deliver value for money through effective sourcing and negotiation strategies.
• Monitor procurement spend and identify cost-saving or efficiency opportunities.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
• Ensure funding is used appropriately, ethically and in line with public funding requirements.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Professional qualification in procurement or supply chain e.g., CIPS Level 5 or equivalent
2. Degree or comparable experience in business, finance, law, or related field.
3. Proven track record of managing complex procurement exercises and contracts.
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within regulated procurement environments, specifically those classed as a public authority
5. Strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations and best practice.
6. Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Knowledge of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
9. Strong experience in supplier and stakeholder management.
10. Excellent analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities.
11. Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
12. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.

Desirable

1. CIPS Level 6 or equivalent
2. Membership of a professional body (e.g., MCIPS or FCIPS).
3. Experience managing high-value and complex contracts, including collaborative or partnership agreements
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within charity and/or research sectors
5. Detailed understanding of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
6. Detailed knowledge of the UK Procurement Act (or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 historically) and transitions between them.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Understanding of subsidy control, state aid, or funding compliance frameworks.
9. Ability to analyse procurement data and generate insights using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or similar.
10. Experience leading organisational change or transformation programmes in procurement.
11. Ability to build procurement capability across a non-procurement stakeholder base.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12th July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

About us

The UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC), based in the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and led by Professor Nick Fox, is a hub for clinical research into various forms of dementia. Our work focuses on identifying and understanding the disease processes that cause dementia, the factors that influence these disease processes, and how best to support people with dementia and their families. In addition to our research, we also provide a cognitive disorders clinic within the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Rare Dementia Support (RDS) is a UCL-led collaborative service offering specialist social, emotional and practical support services for individuals living with, or affected by, a rare dementia diagnosis. Our vision is for all individuals with, at risk of, or supporting someone with one of these forms of dementia to have access to information, tailored support and guidance, and contact with others affected by similar conditions. RDS is provided by the UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC) at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery - where the post is based - and partners, and funded by The National Brain Appeal.

About the role

You will contribute to the work of the Rare Dementia Support (RDS) direct support team providing advice via support calls and in-person at the new Rare Dementia Support Centre (RDSC) by supporting people living with atypical, inherited, and young onset dementias, their carers, their families, and their friends, and professionals and practitioners working to support them. This role includes the opportunity to shape and direct special projects related to the development of new support groups, professional training, or patient and public involvement/engagement (PPI/E), in line with the activities of RDS and the wider Dementia Research Centre.

The post is available immediately and funded by a donation from The National Brain Appeal until 31 March 2028 in the first instance.

The post is offered part-time at 21.9 hours per week (0.6 Full Time Equivalent). This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 67% of time on site.

If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, or have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Institute of Neurology HR Team (ion.hradmin at ucl.ac.uk).

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Nikki Zimmermann (nikki.zimmermann at ucl.ac.uk).

Application deadline: 23:59, 29 June 2026.

We expect to hold interviews on 20 July 2026.

For a full job description please visit UCL's online recruitment portal (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs) and search using vacancy reference B02-10620. To apply, please upload a current CV, complete the online application form, and use the supporting statement section or upload a cover letter to outline how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role. Please do not upload any additional attachments as these will not be considered by the selection panel.

About you

You will have an Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant health-related discipline and experience delivering pre-, peri-, and post-diagnostic rare dementia support. Extensive and expert knowledge of atypical, inherited, and young onset dementias, and up to date knowledge of the range of support available to people living with rare dementia and their families, and relevant aspects of the health and social care systems in the UK is essential.

A demonstratable understanding of, and ability to, manage the needs of patients with degenerative conditions, including the use of specific support skills and strategies as appropriate is also a requirement. You will also have excellent interpersonal, organisational, and communication skills, with the ability to communicate highly sensitive information to cognitively impaired and/or psychologically vulnerable people and their carers, who may have significant barriers to understanding or acceptance.

This role does not meet the eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore UCL will not be able to sponsor individuals who require right to work in the UK to carry out this role.

What we offer

Starting salary offered at UCL Grade 7 in the range £26,388.60 - £31,551.60 (i.e., 60% of £43,981 - £52,586) per annum, inclusive of London Allowance.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on EDI initiatives; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/equality-diversity-inclusion for more information about what we're doing. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce; these include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles.

Who are we?

We are SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good.

We work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse. We want what you would want for your best friend. We listen to survivors, putting their voices at the heart of our thinking. We look at the whole picture for each individual and family to get the right help at the right time to make families everywhere safe and well. And we challenge perpetrators to change, asking ‘why doesn’t he stop?’ rather than ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ This applies whatever the gender of the victim or perpetrator and whatever the nature of their relationship.

Last year alone, nearly 13,500 professionals received our training. Over 70,000 adults at risk of serious harm or murder and more than 85,000 children received support through dedicated multi-agency support designed by us and delivered with partners. In the last four years, over 2,000 perpetrators have been challenged and supported to change by interventions we created with partners, and that’s just the start.

Together we can end domestic abuse. Forever. For everyone.

About The Drive Partnership 

The Drive Partnership, established by Respect, SafeLives, and Social Finance in 2015, is working to end domestic abuse and protect victim-survivors by disrupting, challenging, and changing the behaviour of those who are causing harm. The Drive Partnership does this through the development of innovative perpetrator responses and advocating for systems and policy change to develop sustainable, national systems that respond more effectively to all perpetrators to increase the safety and freedom of all adult and child victim-survivors. 

Purpose

Following a four-year investment from the Home Office announced in July 2025, the Drive Project – the Drive Partnership’s flagship intervention for high-risk, high-harm and serial perpetrators of domestic abuse – will expand across all areas in England and Wales, with the vast majority of funding flowing directly to local perpetrator services and victim-survivor services by nature of the Drive Project’s model. 

To support the safe implementation of the expansion of the Drive Project intervention, we are seeking a proactive, solution focused individual to work with Drive Partnership and SafeLives, and our delivery sites to ensure our Data Protection policies and practice are up to date, and being consistently adhered to.

This is a new role and will spend two days working to support the Drive Partnership and one day to support SafeLives directly. For more information on SafeLives and the Drive Partnership, please see below.

The role is sensitive by nature and involves dealing with highly confidential and complex information.

Position context

This role sits within the Finance Department and is a critical support function across SafeLives and the Drive Partnership . The Data Protection Officer will be managed by the IT and Compliance Manager and will also work closely with the Head of Operations and Practice Advisors in the Drive Partnership, and , Heads and the Leadership Team to ensure the smooth operating of the business.

Responsibilities

• Data Protection
• Relationship Management
• Administration

Person Specification

Experience

Strong working knowledge of UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, PECR, and ICO guidance and with relevant qualifications. Experience managing data protection compliance within a charity, public sector, or safeguarding‑focused organisation. Understanding of safeguarding principles, particularly relating to domestic abuse, confidentiality, and safe data‑sharing protocols.

Skills

• Ability to interpret legislation and communicate requirements clearly to non‑specialists.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce policies and understand complex procedures.
• Capacity to manage competing priorities and work independently in a part‑time capacity.
• High levels of integrity, discretion, and professional judgement when handling sensitive and data.
• Knowledge of secure data‑handling technologies and cyber‑security principles

Competencies

• Delivering quality
• Teamwork
• Communication & Relationship management
• Influence
• Innovation and creativity
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Communication and relationship management
• Self-management
• Goal orientation

Equality and Inclusion

SafeLives is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of age, disability, race, sex, religion/belief, sexuality, gender identity, marital/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and working patterns. We are keen to have staff that appropriately represents all the communities we serve as an organisation.

Lived Experience

We believe there is no ‘them and us’ in domestic abuse, and recognise that applicants may have direct or indirect experience of their own, whether disclosed or not. We are committed to placing lived experience of domestic abuse at the heart of all we do, and colleagues who chose to share their personal expertise can do so openly and with organisational support.

If there is any discussion during the course of the recruitment process regarding a candidate's personal experience of domestic abuse, it will be treated confidentially and will not be shared outside of the interview panel/Human Resources.

Salary:   £63,300 - £67,976 per annum

Contract Type:  12-Month Fixed Term Contract

Closing date:   Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis to enable us to fill this                                  position as soon as possible. Candidates will be interviewed pending availability and suitability against the criteria.

About CARE

CARE International is a global humanitarian organisation leading the fight to end poverty in the world’s most challenging situations. Women and girls are at the centre of our work, because we cannot overcome poverty and inequality until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We know that when a crisis erupts, women are often the first to pick up the pieces, so we work alongside women, so they have the power to make change where it’s needed most. Founded in 1945, CARE currently works in over 100 countries and last year alone reached 53.4 million people through nearly 1,500 projects.

Why work for CARE International UK?

Join CARE International UK and use your financial leadership to help drive meaningful change. In this pivotal interim role, you’ll steer the transformation of systems and processes that underpin our ability to deliver life-changing programmes globally. You’ll join an organisation grounded in feminist leadership, where your expertise, strategic insight, and commitment to excellence will shape not only financial operations, but also a culture of effectiveness, collaboration and impact. If you are motivated to apply your skills where they can make a difference, this is an opportunity to contribute to a mission that truly transforms lives.

About you

You are not just a finance professional; you are a leader who thrives on bringing clarity, structure, to financial operations. You possess the expertise and strategic insight to steer a complex financial landscape with confidence and integrity. Your experience speaks of excellence in financial control, team leadership, and a commitment to building strong processes that empower others. Ideally, you bring sector experience. 

It is very important that you bring experience of changing financial systems, improving and aligning financial processes, and most importantly, you are driven by the desire to contribute to a mission that changes lives globally. CARE International UK leaders must role model our values and feminist leadership principles.

About the role

As Interim Financial Controller and Transformation Lead, you will play a pivotal role in enhancing financial excellence at CARE International UK as we invest to fundamentally change and improve our financial systems and processes. Your insights will drive key decisions and strengthen our ability to deliver impactful programmes globally. Your leadership will extend beyond numbers; it will create the environment for future efficiency and effectiveness in our financial environment and organisational culture.

Right to Work in the UK

All applicants must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of appointment. Proof of right to work will be required as part of the recruitment process. For more information, please visit the UK Government's guidance on right to work.

Where you do not have current right to work in the UK, then this will be discussed with you as part of the recruitment process. Please note that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship and further information (should you require sponsorship to work in the UK) on eligibility can be found here.

Safeguarding 

CARE International UK has a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse to, sexual harassment of or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners. CARE International UK expects all staff to share this commitment through our Safeguarding Policy (link here) and our Code of Conduct (link here). They are responsible for ensuring they understand and work within the remit of these policies throughout their time at CARE International UK.

Safeguarding our beneficiaries is our top priority in everything we do, including recruitment. All offers of employment at CARE International UK are subject to: 

·Satisfactory references. CARE International UK participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (link here).  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from successful 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. 

·Appropriate criminal record checks (including a Bridger check, link here).

By submitting an application, the applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

Equality and Diversity  

We are committed to Equality and value Diversity. We are a Disability Confident Employer and particularly welcome applications from disabled people. We guarantee interviews to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role (see person specification). If you require the candidate brief or need to submit your application in an alternative format, because of a disability, please do get in touch by sending an email to the HR Team.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We particularly welcome applications from people of underrepresented backgrounds, including those from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

About the Investment team

The Investment team is responsible for selecting portfolio partners, managing our charity investments and supporting our portfolio partners to improve and scale their impact. 

The Investment team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles. 

The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants.   

The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in school engagement, school attainment and employment sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors between them. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 7). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest. 

The Investment team has a good track record of role progression. All four Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team. 

About this role

We believe that all young people deserve to succeed in school and in work, whatever their background. As we enter a challenging time with rising inflation and a likely recession, our work feels more vital than ever before. The role of Investment Director presents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the charities portfolio partners we serve, the team itself and the whole of Impetus.   

We support a portfolio of 23 high potential charity and non-profit partners in the youth sector, helping them deliver benchmark-beating employment and education outcomes for young people, and to grow. 

We believe the strength of our approach resides in three things: 

​

• ​Building deep, trust-based, sustainable relationships with charity leaders by, investing time, kindness, integrity and honesty.
• ​Providing our charities multi-year, unrestricted funding to help them become sector-leading organisations and scale their impact.
• ​Offering tailored advice to charity leaders’ most pressing and strategic questions, including their mission, programme design, performance management, growth planning, and financial resilience.

Working with our portfolio partners is a privilege. The leaders we support are incredibly talented, passionate and keen for external advice, and the issues we work through with them are stimulating and stretching. Our senior management relationships are some of the most fulfilling relationships many of us have had in our careers, while the growth and impact performance of our partners are testament to charities’ commitment to disadvantaged young people and the influence we have on their development. 

Charities and funders often comment on the quality of our people. Our team is analytical and data driven; we are deeply relational, low-ego and collaborative. We actively invest in our colleagues holding regular training and community of practice sessions, and use skills-based assessments to tailor development. 

As an organisation we seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work and actively challenge our assumptions to better deliver change. Over the past two years we have taken action to help reduce racial inequality in the youth sector. In 2021 we launched our Connect Fund to support diverse leaders and their robust solutions to the entrenched employment gap faced by young people from ethnic minority backgrounds compared with their white peers. We have also built a highly regarded Leadership Academy for emerging youth sector leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds, with generous funding from State Street Foundation. 

If you are looking for a role combining strategic thinking, analytical insight and influencing emerging leaders, as well as the opportunity to work with a supportive team to transform young lives, I hope you will apply to work with us. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Sebastien Ergas 
Portfolio Director 

​Key responsibilities
Finding high potential charities and non-profit partners for our portfolio 

• Identifying potential charitable organisations for investment.
• Leading and delivering in-depth due diligence process within the scope of a grant round, to assess and build partnership foundations with potential partners – covering leadership and governance, and their impact, scale, and partnership potential.
• Modelling from first contact of origination, our approach to engaged and trust-based investment management support.
• Developing and presenting high quality investment propositions to our Investment Committee.

Managing partnerships with portfolio partners​

• ​Managing relationships with partner Chairs and CEOs. 
• Agreeing Service Funding Agreements, including appropriate annual investment milestones to allow for a clear assessment of re-investment potential at end of phase. 
• Regularly monitoring and assessing partner progress / risks against milestones and making evidence-based recommendations on progression or exit to Leads, Portfolio Director and the Investment Committee.
• Escalating key risks on performance, leadership and safeguarding.   
• Conducting annual partnership reviews with Sector Leads and partner CEOs.
• Working with Impetus finance colleagues to ensure timely distribution of grant payments, in line with Service Funding Agreements.  

Supporting portfolio partners  ​

• ​Providing high quality advisory support to CEOs and senior colleagues on key strategic topics, using a mix of at least monthly one-to-one meetings and group facilitation to: 

• clarify theory of change
• ​define long term ambition
• ​develop growth strategy 
• ​achieve a step change in the delivery and performance management of outcomes 
• ​strengthen leadership (individual and collective) and governance capabilities
• ​develop path to scale
• ​build financial resilience

• ​Scoping and project managing pro bono capacity-building projects (in addition to providing direct management support). Ensure projects are delivered to a high standard and contribute to charity progression.
• Identifying engagement opportunities for our donors and supporters with portfolio partners that are aligned with the partner’s activities and do not distract or undermine their core work.
• Collaborating with the Impetus Philanthropy team to support the development of additional funding opportunities for portfolio partners, enhancing their ability to deliver impact at scale.
• Effectively leveraging the support of investment managers to advance the objectives developed for each portfolio partner that is managed by an Investment Director.

Support to Impetus

• Developing expertise about “what works” in the sector through cultivation and use of expert input and engagement as well as investigation into key research and evaluative literature.
• Contributing insights and learning from portfolio work to inform Impetus’ strategy, model and delivery, providing evidence based recommendations to senior colleagues
• Contributing to internal priorities and working groups, bringing expertise and insight from portfolio work (e.g. team strategy discussions, digital improvement initiatives, or equity, diversity, and inclusion).
• Contribute towards Impetus’ public affairs and philanthropy objectives through input into case studies, research and policy campaigns, donor reports and fundraising events.
• Sharing the learning from our work across the team, across the organisation and externally working within Impetus strategy and agreed forums.
• Engaging in Impetus pro bono, communications, and advocacy events, and engage portfolio partners appropriately in these events. 
• Line-manage and support one or more Investment Managers, setting clear objectives and providing coaching, feedback and development opportunities to enable them to deliver high quality work and achieve their individual, project and team goals
• Embedding inclusive and equitable practices in portfolio work, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered and barriers to participation are identified and addressed

​Person specification

Essential​

• A commitment to Impetus’ mission. 
• ​Senior level responsibility and a strong track record of building trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, advising them on key strategic decisions, and challenging them in a respectful and collaborative manner. 
• ​A talent for strategic thinking around complex issues. 
• ​Strong financial acumen and analytical skills. 
• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation fundamentals. 
• ​Resilience, tenacity and initiative. 
• ​Ability to adapt personal style to different leadership contexts, working inclusively and effectively with diverse leaders and organisations.
• ​Growth mind-set to seek out and act on feedback and a commitment to continuous learning and development. 
• ​Proven ability to work independently, and to exercise good judgment. 
• ​Strong planning and time management skills. 
• ​Experience contributing expertise to team or organisational priorities, including sharing learning and supporting others’ development. 
• ​Interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better. 
• ​A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable​

• Experience in the non-profit (charity or social enterprise) sector, through work, as a pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity.
• ​Experience in consulting, investment management, senior charity management, or other in-depth grant making and advisory work. 
• ​Knowledge and expertise in UK education or youth employability sectors. 
• ​Board experience in private, public or third sector. 
• ​Understanding of or experience with commissioning impact evaluations. 

About Impetus

At Impetus, our focus is on helping young people achieve positive education and employment outcomes to increase their chance of leading fulfilling and successful lives, irrespective of their background.​

We tackle the three most difficult challenges that affect a young person’s ability to succeed in life in Britain today:  ​

• Lost learning through absence, suspensions, exclusions from school  

• Stagnation in education attainment outcomes, which means many are missing out on key qualifications like GCSE English and maths 

• The large numbers of young people out of education, training and employment  ​

We use our deep expertise and high calibre networks to give the best non-profits working in these sectors the essential ingredients to have a real and lasting impact on the young people they serve.​

Through a powerful combination of long-term funding, direct capacity building support from our experienced team and our pro bono partners, alongside research and policy influencing to drive lasting systems change, we work towards a society where all young people can thrive in school, pass their exams and unlock the doors to sustained employment, for a fulfilling life. ​

We are resolutely focused on outcomes and impact, driven by quality evidence.​

You would be joining a team that is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We care deeply for our colleagues, our portfolio partners and the young people we serve.​

Impetus is a registered charity and our charity number is 1152262.

​

Our Values​

In 2022 the Impetus staff agreed the following set of Values to act as our guiding principles as an organisation and help us to remain focused on achieving our mission to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We are brave and curious

We are bold and brave in our pursuit of better outcomes for young people. We lead with curiosity and stay open to new perspectives. We support one another to take considered risks and learn together.

We bring high trust, high challenge

We build strong, long-term relationships through honesty, kindness, integrity, and respect. We create the space for open, constructive challenge, where colleagues, partners and supporters feel safe to speak up, hold each other to account, and bring their best in pursuit of our mission.

We are evidence led and results driven for young people

We pursue excellence for the young people we work with, are wholly committed to better outcomes, unapologetically results driven, and accountable for our actions.

We thrive through diversity

We seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work. We are open, thoughtful and proactive in better understanding and challenging our assumptions to better deliver the change we seek.

We always seek collaboration

We will not succeed alone. We seek meaningful, productive partnerships with others to achieve our mission and drive systems change for young people.

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

We believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more open, creative and gets better results.​

We want our team at Impetus to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our team to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

We want to reach a diverse pool of candidates. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.​

We recognise the importance of a good work/life balance. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, working part-time job shares and other arrangements.​

Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.​

Impetus is an equal opportunity employer and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We value diversity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.​

​Our employee benefits ​

Impetus appreciates the invaluable contribution made by all employees and wishes to encourage and reward loyalty, motivation and experience. We therefore offer a range of benefits and policies which aim to assist employees during various stages of their lives and careers. For more information on these, please download the job information pack from our website.​

How to apply

Please click on the "Apply for this job" button at the top of the page. ​

You will need to:​

• Complete the online form (including the equal opportunities monitoring form)
• Upload a comprehensive CV and supporting statement.​

The supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4 and should address the criteria in the person specification.​

You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission.​

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.​

The deadline for applications is 2026, Sunday 21st June 2026, 11:59pm.​

Interviews:​

1st Interviews will take place on w/c 29th June 2026.​

2nd Interviews will take place on w/c 6th July 2026.​

You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.​

Personal Data

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.

Lead a team, inspire young people and help shape brighter futures across Merseyside.

Looking for the next step in your youth work / mentoring career?

Maybe you're currently a Senior Youth Worker, Programme Coordinator, Team Leader, Sports Development Officer or Pastoral Lead looking for your next challenge.

You've spent years delivering impactful work with young people and are ready to take on more responsibility while still staying connected to frontline delivery.

Or perhaps you're already leading a team and fancy a new challenge in a dynamic and busy role.

At Dallaglio RugbyWorks, we support young people who are at risk of exclusion from education. Using sport as a hook and positive relationships as the foundation, we help young people build confidence, resilience, aspirations and life skills that can transform their futures.

We're looking for someone who can lead from the front. Someone who can support and develop a team, build strong partnerships with schools and community organisations, and still enjoy working directly with young people.

If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

__________________________

The Role at a Glance

Youth Mentor / Regional Team Lead (we call it Senior Programme Coordinator)

Merseyside & Stockport
£28,000 – £34,000 per year
Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, including up to two evenings per week until 7pm

What you’ll be doing

As Senior Programme Coordinator, you'll help make sure that support reaches as many young people as possible and that it's delivered to a consistently high standard.

You'll lead a small team of sports coaches and youth mentors, helping them plan great sessions, develop their practice and overcome the day-to-day challenges that come with the job. You'll also build and maintain strong relationships with schools, alternative provisions and community partners to keep programmes running smoothly.

This is a hands-on role. Alongside keeping regional delivery on track, you'll still spend time working directly with young people: being a positive presence, modelling good practice and helping create the kind of safe, engaging environments where young people can thrive.

You'll also take the lead on the activities that go beyond our weekly sessions such as organising holiday programmes, Career Taster Days, regional trips and events that give young people experiences they wouldn't otherwise have. These are some of the most rewarding parts of the role and a real chance to see young people shine in a different context.

Building relationships in the community is a big part of this too. You'll get to know the local area, embed yourself in the networks around it and find partners, venues and opportunities that help deepen out work and enhance our engagement with young people.

You don't need to know anything about rugby to do this job well. What matters is your ability to connect with young people and the communities around them.

This is a role where you get to combine youth work, teamwork and programme coordination, making a real difference every day.

You're probably a great fit if...

You believe every young person deserves the chance to succeed, regardless of the challenges they've faced.

You have experience working with young people and understand how important positive relationships can be in helping them build confidence and change their future direction.

You're someone who enjoys supporting others to succeed, whether that's coaching staff, building partnerships or helping young people overcome barriers.

You can balance the bigger picture with the day-to-day detail, keeping programmes organised while maintaining a strong focus on quality and impact.

Most importantly, you're passionate about creating opportunities for young people and helping teams deliver their very best work.

What you'll need

• Experience delivering programmes or interventions for young people facing significant challenges
• A qualification in Sports Coaching, Youth Work, Teaching or a related field
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• The ability to travel regularly across Merseyside and Stockport
• Flexibility to work up to two evenings per week (until 7pm)

Bonus points if you have...

• Experience leading, supporting or developing staff within youth work, sport, education or community settings

This is your chance to help shape the future of our work across Merseyside.

More About Us

 At Dallaglio RugbyWorks, we support young people 12-18 who have been excluded from education or at risk of exclusion. Using sport as the starting point and mentoring as the foundation, we help them build confidence, resilience and the skills they need to create brighter futures.  Rugby helps start the relationship, but the work goes far beyond sport. The charity uses mentoring, life skills, wellbeing support and career-focused activities to help young people build confidence and prepare for life after school.

Our work focuses on four areas: life skills, raising aspirations, physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing and the aim is to make sure exclusion from school does not become exclusion from society. You’ll be part of a team giving young people consistent support, trusted adults and practical chances to move towards education, employment or training.

Come join our squad

Please click the apply button or get in touch by email, phone or LinkedIn if you’d like to ask a question before applying.

Lead a team, inspire young people and help shape brighter futures across Merseyside.

Looking for the next step in your youth work / mentoring career?

Maybe you're currently a Senior Youth Worker, Programme Coordinator, Team Leader, Sports Development Officer or Pastoral Lead looking for your next challenge.

You've spent years delivering impactful work with young people and are ready to take on more responsibility while still staying connected to frontline delivery.

Or perhaps you're already leading a team and fancy a new challenge in a dynamic and busy role.

At Dallaglio RugbyWorks, we support young people who are at risk of exclusion from education. Using sport as a hook and positive relationships as the foundation, we help young people build confidence, resilience, aspirations and life skills that can transform their futures.

We're looking for someone who can lead from the front. Someone who can support and develop a team, build strong partnerships with schools and community organisations, and still enjoy working directly with young people.

If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

__________________________

The Role at a Glance

Youth Mentor / Regional Team Lead (we call it Senior Programme Coordinator)

Luton and Stevenage
£28,000 – £34,000 per year
Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, including up to two evenings per week until 7pm

What you’ll be doing

As Senior Programme Coordinator, you'll help make sure that support reaches as many young people as possible and that it's delivered to a consistently high standard.

You'll lead a small team of sports coaches and youth mentors, helping them plan great sessions, develop their practice and overcome the day-to-day challenges that come with the job. You'll also build and maintain strong relationships with schools, alternative provisions and community partners to keep programmes running smoothly.

This is a hands-on role. Alongside keeping regional delivery on track, you'll still spend time working directly with young people: being a positive presence, modelling good practice and helping create the kind of safe, engaging environments where young people can thrive.

You'll also take the lead on the activities that go beyond our weekly sessions such as organising holiday programmes, Career Taster Days, regional trips and events that give young people experiences they wouldn't otherwise have. These are some of the most rewarding parts of the role and a real chance to see young people shine in a different context.

Building relationships in the community is a big part of this too. You'll get to know the local area, embed yourself in the networks around it and find partners, venues and opportunities that help deepen out work and enhance our engagement with young people.

You don't need to know anything about rugby to do this job well. What matters is your ability to connect with young people and the communities around them.

This is a role where you get to combine youth work, teamwork and programme coordination, making a real difference every day.

You're probably a great fit if...

You believe every young person deserves the chance to succeed, regardless of the challenges they've faced.

You have experience working with young people and understand how important positive relationships can be in helping them build confidence and change their future direction.

You're someone who enjoys supporting others to succeed, whether that's coaching staff, building partnerships or helping young people overcome barriers.

You can balance the bigger picture with the day-to-day detail, keeping programmes organised while maintaining a strong focus on quality and impact.

Most importantly, you're passionate about creating opportunities for young people and helping teams deliver their very best work.

What you'll need

• Experience delivering programmes or interventions for young people facing significant challenges
• A qualification in Sports Coaching, Youth Work, Teaching or a related field
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• The ability to travel regularly across Luton & Stevenage
• Flexibility to work up to two evenings per week (until 7pm)

Bonus points if you have...

• Experience leading, supporting or developing staff within youth work, sport, education or community settings

This is your chance to help shape the future of our work across Luton & Stevenage.

More About Us

 At Dallaglio RugbyWorks, we support young people 12-18 who have been excluded from education or at risk of exclusion. Using sport as the starting point and mentoring as the foundation, we help them build confidence, resilience and the skills they need to create brighter futures.  Rugby helps start the relationship, but the work goes far beyond sport. The charity uses mentoring, life skills, wellbeing support and career-focused activities to help young people build confidence and prepare for life after school.

Our work focuses on four areas: life skills, raising aspirations, physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing and the aim is to make sure exclusion from school does not become exclusion from society. You’ll be part of a team giving young people consistent support, trusted adults and practical chances to move towards education, employment or training.

Come join our squad

Please click the apply button or get in touch by email, phone or LinkedIn if you’d like to ask a question before applying.

We are looking for a motivated and creative individual to join our Charity Team at an exciting time of growth and ambition. If you have a talent for writing compelling cases for support and a passion for turning ideas into funded projects, this is a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference to patients, families and staff across our hospitals.

This role sits at the heart of our income generation activity, securing vital funding from trusts, foundations and corporate partners. You will play a key role in delivering high-profile projects and campaigns, contributing to major fundraising appeals and helping to grow our brand-new Impact Fund, which is set to transform services across the Trust.

There is real scope to shape this role, build meaningful relationships, and see the direct impact of your work in improving healthcare environments and outcomes.

This is a full-time position, with flexible hybrid working available following successful completion of probation.

We are looking for someone who is angry at injustice, who really believes in the ability of ordinary people to make change, who cares deeply about the institutions that are dotted across our neighbourhoods – the churches, mosques, schools, charities, youth groups, etc. - and who is motivated to share the craft of Broad-Based Organising with others. If that is you, we’d love you to join our growing team of organisers across the South-East of England and, more broadly, across the UK! We hope to work with you to build on already existing work in Colchester, Chelmsford, and Southend and support the building of new work across Essex. 

Citizens UK

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems. 

Citizens Essex is a relatively-young Chapter of Citizens UK, covering 3 main geographical areas: Colchester, Chelmsford, and Southend. Our ideal candidate for the position of Senior Organiser has high emotional intelligence, is curious about other people, politically astute, and is fundamentally relational. They will have a track record of making things happen, be able to work with a high degree of independence, are comfortable with uncertainty, and able to think strategically as well as operationally.  They will be interested in understanding and working with different sectors and types of organisations, as well as engaging with people from a wide range of faiths and cultures which are different to their own. They are an excellent communicator. They will learn and teach the craft of broad-based organising and be interested in receiving feedback to support their own development and growth. They will build and maintain relationships with a large number of leaders across the County and coach them to take action together on a common agenda.

Our ideal candidate will have a strong track record in enabling leaders from schools/colleges/universities and faith institutions to deliver on issues of social justice. 

Community Organising 

Through our theory of social change, called community organising, we train thousands of everyday people to lead change in their communities, equipping them with the skills to hold politicians and other powerholders to account. We are made up of 500+ member organisations in powerful alliances throughout the UK. Our members include schools, universities, faith groups, parents’ groups, health practices, charities, trade unions and other civil society organisations.

Purpose

At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.

Main Responsibilities

A Senior Organiser is mastering the craft of community organising and taking increasing responsibility for developing major campaigns, managing budgets and managing staff. They operate with a high degree of independence and are significant contributors to CUK-wide functions such as training.  Senior Organisers model the broad-based community organising methodology in their work including the building of relational power, the recruitment and retention of dues-paying institutions, the development of leaders, the strengthening of member institutions, leader-led public actions, and the winning of systemic change.

You will bring communities together to drive change both locally, regionally, and nationally. This role will work closely with local civic institutions, such as churches, mosques, schools, universities, unions and other community groups to:

• develop the leadership of people within those organisations - our 'leaders' who lead the campaigns we work on

• help them identify the changes they want to see and create strategies to win those changes

• strengthen institutions’ own abilities to achieve their missions.

This includes listening to members of the community to find common issues, engaging local decision-makers through meetings, and planning in-person ‘actions’, where you might hold those in power to account. All of this work is underpinned by the knowledge that everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. This work will be rooted locally, but you will be a part of a bigger national drive to make change alongside diverse local alliances across the UK. In Essex, the work is currently focusing on the first Mayoral Election for the County but you will also work on other campaign priorities that are developed through the institutions you work with.

Working as a Senior Organiser for Citizens UK, reporting to Sebastien Chapleau, Regional Supervisor for the South of England and Wales, your main responsibilities will include:

Build relational power to further the goals of CUK

• Develop a comprehensive power analysis for Essex, particularly as the County will elect its first Mayor in May 2028 

• Develop and grow strong working relationships with power players at a county-wide level or sector, including journalists; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required

• Conduct one-to-one relational meetings in order to develop relationships with leaders; demonstrating timely and effective agitation to stimulate action

• Work effectively with local journalists and media outlets to further CUK’s goals

• Develop a strategic plan to enhance people’s participation in public life as well as enhance non-partisan political and democratic practices across Essex.

• Develop a strategy built on an acute sense of how communities and institutions behave within, and across, the cultures and contexts of Essex. 

• Develop a plan that enables clear and impactful cross-institutional collaboration across Essex.

• Develop a clear strategy to address the shared interests between TELCO and Citizens Essex Leaders (eg around the Lower Thames Valley, overlaps between RC and CoE Dioceses in East London and Essex, etc.). 

Identify and develop relational leaders prepared to act with others for the common good

• Work with and learn from the best veteran leaders on key actions 

• Play a central role in the development of primary leaders; creating plans with them that are carried out

• Nominate leaders for training on the core taster curriculum and for National Training

Strengthen institutions and develop BBOs

• Organise diverse alliances to work together locally but, most importantly, at chapter level

• Create/develop a leadership team of positional leaders and representatives from all institutions at chapter and local levels that are successful in combining action with growth. Work closely with the co-chairs to develop leader-led strategies. 

• Design organising strategies that combine internal & external action

• Ensure that core teams are developed across all institutions across the broad-based alliance to ensure that organising - rather than servicing - remains the top priority. 

Support leaders through the Cycle of Action to create change

• Take the staff lead on chapter-wide actions and campaigns; aiming to achieve significant wins at chapter/campaign level

• Facilitate Issues Workshops and Delegates Assemblies and, in the run up to May 2028, a Mayoral Accountability Assembly

• Develop strategies for significant impact; with comprehensive plans & tactics 

• Support actions, ensuring publicity, and facilitating high level negotiations 

• Evaluate the effectiveness of actions; demonstrating ability to incorporate lessons learned into future actions

Contribute to CUK’s financial viability through effective fundraising & financial management 

• Recruit new dues paying institutions; negotiating annual membership dues and letters of understanding as required

• Recruit and work with large organisations; ensuring that they invest into the alliance and not solely internal delivery 

• Contribute to fundraising by securing £75k-£90k per annum overall, at least half of which should be ‘hard money’ from retention and recruitment of member institutions and strategic partners.

Contribute to effective teamwork

• Line manage other Organisers in Essex

• Attract and help recruit new Organisers

• Lead other Organisers or Associates in a manner that supports high performance by providing clear expectations and providing proactive coaching, support and accountability. 

• Teach entire training curriculum on National Training successfully; acting as a ‘Track Captain’ by providing meaningful feedback and support to other trainers

• Deliver sessions at Guild Days

• Produce all required reports and follow CUK’s procedures on time and to the required standards

Contribute to the Craft of Community Organising

• Schedule an average of at least 4 to 5 1-2-1 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice

• Commit 10 working days pa (pro rata for part-time staff) to the preparation, delivery and evaluation of Citizens UK National Community Leadership Training;

• Contribute to the leadership of a Guild Team and help it develop as a Community of Practice that enables Organisers across the UK to develop their skills and experience.

Inclusion 

• Displays self-awareness of DEI issues and good practice. 

• Is alert to the impact on chapters and team members.

• Lead, support collaboration and acts within their area of responsibility and influence. 

• Support in the resourcing, evaluation, and reporting of DEI work, as relevant

Build relational power to further the goals of CUK

• Develop a comprehensive power analysis for Essex, particularly as the County will elect its first Mayor in May 2026 

• Develop and grow strong working relationships with power players at a county-wide level or sector, including journalists; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required

• Conduct one-to-one relational meetings in order to develop relationships with leaders; demonstrating timely and effective agitation to stimulate action

• Work effectively with local journalists and media outlets to further CUK’s goals

• Develop a strategic plan to enhance people’s participation in public life as well as enhance non-partisan political and democratic practices across Essex.

• Develop a strategy built on an acute sense of how communities and institutions behave within, and across, the cultures and contexts of Essex. 

• Develop a plan that enables clear and impactful cross-institutional collaboration across Essex.

Personal Specification

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any subject or equivalent (D)

• Evidence of further and continuing study including a possible professional qualification (D)

Experience

• At least three-years employment track record of successful Organising (D)

• Demonstrated ability to lead a team; including motivating and developing more junior staff (E)

• Experience of risk taking to create a project/situation/event that illustrates your values (E)

• Experience of successful fundraising (E)

• Experience of successfully supporting young people in schools/colleges/universities to develop successful campaigns (E)

• Experience of successfully developing faith leaders across a range of denominations (E)

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects on time and to standard (E)

• Clear evidence of campaigns won and people developed (E)

Key skills and knowledge

• Ability to build and maintain relationships (E)

• Ability to inspire, motivate and lead (particularly people who are different than you) (E)

• Ability to organise yourself and others and to work responsibly in an unstructured environment (E)

• Financial management skills including ability to set and manage a budget (E) 

• Ability to use imaginative strategies to help improve disadvantaged communities (E)

• Ability to plan and organise under pressure (E)

• Ability to work with and relate to all types of people (E)

• Ability to teach and run workshops (E)

• Ability to develop the potential of others (E)

• Ability to communicate well verbally and in writing (E)

Personal qualities & values

• A passion for justice (E)

• A good sense of humour (E)

• A positive enthusiasm for working with faith congregations, trade unions, schools and other community organisations (E)

• Good judge of character (E)

• High levels of emotional intelligence (E)

• An interest in and experience of politics and public life (E)

• Able to work in a team (E)

• Willingness to work within accountable relationships (E)

• Self-motivated and adaptable (E)

Our Organisers and some project teams work closely with our member institutions and will be expected to attend member events that take place in the evenings and occasional weekends. We operate a Time Off in Lieu approach and have very flexible working arrangements to ensure a good work-life balance.

Please note that the role is Essex-wide and, as such, there is a practical expectation that the successful candidate will be able to drive between key locations across the county (with associated mileage costs being covered by Citizens UK). 

The successful applicant will be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check. DBS checks are renewed on a 3-year cycle.

About the application process

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role. 

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.