Jobs in Alfreton

Following a strategic pause to reset the organisation with the help of an interim senior management team, we are now ready to recruit our long-term Chief Executive Officer. 

Self Help UK (SHUK) provides holistic support and knowledge via close interaction with local communities, peer groups and volunteers to a) prevent long-term health conditions and b) help those with existing conditions to feel more confident, informed and supported in navigating their health journey in a way that works best for them. 

Our values are empowering others, putting people first, acting with integrity and showing compassion.

We are looking for a Chief Executive Officer to take us into the next phase of growth, with the following responsibilities:

• Forming relationships with local charities and funders in Nottinghamshire and wider East Midlands region, and building relationships within the Deaf community, locally and nationall
• Representing SHUK across relevant forums, networks, and platform
• Bringing funding into core/central functions and securing ongoing funding for existing and future projects
• Managing the operations of SHUK via a senior leadership team of managers and function leads
• Ensuring SHUK is compliant with charity and employer regulations, ensuring high standards of governance, transparency, and integrity
• Ensuring overall financial control of the organisation, supported by the Finance Manager, keeping a regular eye on the core and restricted cashflow
• Supporting the Board of Trustees by ensuring they are making decisions based on accurate information and context
• Ensuring all members of staff and volunteers are supported and developed
• Ensuring SHUK’s services are of high quality and have a positive impact on those who use them
• Driving continuous improvement in quality, standards, image, and reputation

The personal qualities this role needs are:

• A dynamic leader, with ideas and principles that align with those of SHUK
• Enthusiasm to take on a challenge, focused on ensuring SHUK has long-term sustainability
• Clear management abilities at all levels in order to challenge, engage, address issues and provide support
• Able to communicate a clear vision and strategy, with proven ability to translate vision into business plans
• Demonstrable understanding of charity finances, with strong budget management, financial planning skills and the ability to diversify income
• Experience of working in the voluntary sector, with direct experience of fundraising
• Knowledge of the current NHS plans, and the significance of health inequalities – able to make a case for its importance during bids
• Knowledge/understanding of the Deaf Community
• Experience of managing change and stabilising an organisation
• Business development/networking skills
• Able to pivot between strategy and transactional or work with others to provide those skills, leading through empowerment
• Active interest in and knowledge of the Nottingham/Nottinghamshire locality.
• Able to work in Nottingham at least one day per week

Background:

SHUK is a leading peer support organisation with over 40 years of experience in developing and delivering peer-led services. Our mission is to empower individuals and communities by embedding peer support principles into health and wellbeing initiatives. We have created a range of innovative programmes that help people living with cancer and other long-term health conditions to navigate challenges and take control of their health and wellbeing.

We work in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support on projects that make a real difference. These include national and local initiatives for the Deaf community, volunteer-led support for anyone affected by cancer, and prehabilitation services for those facing complex treatment. We are collaborating with our Integrated Care Board (ICB) on cancer projects, and work within our Integrated Care System (ICS) to strengthen partnerships and synergies with local health and care delivery, improve health literacy and increase cancer screening uptake among underserved communities in Nottingham. Looking ahead, we are exploring a new direction to position SHUK as a holistic, person-centred support provider, embedding peer support and volunteer-led activity at the heart of everything we do. Our vision is to challenge health inequalities and enable people to feel confident, informed, and supported in shaping their own health journey.

A selection of causes covered by SHUK:

• Peer support
• Long-term health conditions
• Cancer diagnoses and prevention
• Voluntary sector support
• Health inequalities, including the deaf community
• Under-served communities

Organisational Vision & Context:

As we journey towards our vision to bring fulness of life for every child, no matter what struggles they face, we’re looking for a motivated and mission-driven individual to join our team as a Church Relationship Lead for our Make Lunch programme. 

While our programmes vary, they share one common thread: an unwavering resolve to see lives transformed for good. Mobilising over 200 churches and 1,500 volunteers, TLG’s volunteer programmes – Early Intervention and Make Lunch – currently support around 5,000 children and their families each year. However, our vision goes further: we aim to see many more churches partner with us to transform lives in their communities.

This Role’s Impact:

We are seeking an experienced, relational, and highly organised leader with a strong passion for the issues of mental health, poverty, and social justice that underpin Make Lunch. Working alongside other Church Relationship Leads, this role will train, support, and develop church-based volunteer Make Lunch teams, ensuring they provide effective support and meaningful connection to children, young people, and families in their communities.

With excellent people, communication and training skills, the postholder will nurture positive, growing relationships with volunteer Make Lunch Coordinators, enabling excellent programme leadership at a local level. Operationally astute and confident in bringing constructive challenge, they will ensure all Make Lunch activities are safe and fully compliant. Driven by a commitment to continuous improvement, they will foster a growth mindset among those they support, maximising the impact of Make Lunch both locally and nationally.

TLG is a Christian charity and, as a team, we want to bring our faith to the work we do; as such, we are recruiting an individual with a strong and vibrant Christian faith. We would welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds to enable us to better reflect the needs of the communities we serve.

Hours: Part time (22.5 hours per week, 0.6 FTE), including Tuesdays

Closing Date: Sunday 29th March

Initial Interviews: Monday 13th April – Online

Final Interviews: Tuesday 21st April – at our National Support Centre in West Yorkshire

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) (Registered Charity Number 1213337) 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.

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 Engagement and Involvement Officer will play a central role in supporting meaningful engagement and involvement of young people, families, schools and other interest-holders in the process of designing, delivering and ensuring the best outputs from the Adolescent Health Study.

Primarily, the postholder will be responsible for the stewardship and coordination of the AHS Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG). The post-holder will provide ongoing support to YPAG members to ensure their active participation in opportunities to inform and shape the work of AHS. This will include working closely with the adults in the YPAG members’ lives, including parents/carers, teachers and other relevant adults or professionals. The postholder will also be required to build positive working relationships with other organisations and institutions that work directly with young people. They will support the Engagement and Involvement Lead to develop mechanisms to reach wider and more diverse groups of young people to take part in engagement and involvement activities at AHS.  

This is a role that requires confidence, autonomy, enthusiasm and skill. The post-holder will be a strong advocate for children’s rights, have a sound working knowledge and understanding of safeguarding practices, and demonstrate experience of co-ordinating youth advisory groups, youth councils or similar.

Main responsibilities

Coordination & facilitation

• Plan, organise, and deliver regular meetings, workshops, and consultation sessions with young people.
• Develop accessible, inclusive and engaging materials to support young people’s participation in activities and discussions.
• Ensure robust mechanisms are in place to facilitate a feedback loop, communicating to young people the impact of their input.
• Ensure safeguarding, wellbeing, and inclusion are embedded in all activities.
• Lead on and maintain communication with young people, parents/carers (where appropriate), and partner organisations.

Support for young people

• Provide guidance, pastoral support, and clear information to help young people take part confidently and safely.
• Facilitate training and development opportunities to build young people’s skills, knowledge, and confidence.
• Foster an environment where young people feel respected, valued, and listened to.
• Manage mechanisms for reward and recognition of young people’s input and contributions.

Strengthen and enable staff team

• Strengthen knowledge and understanding of youth engagement and involvement across the organisation.
• Enable the wider staff team to plan and conduct activities with the YPAG and wider groups of young people, supporting the design of involvement tasks that are age-appropriate, inclusive, and aligned with best practice.
• Provide feedback to colleagues on how to maximise the impact of youth involvement.

Administration & governance

• Manage recruitment and onboarding processes for YPAG members.
• Oversee consent processes, data handling, and safeguarding requirements.
• Coordinate payments, incentives, travel, and expenses for young people.
• Maintain accurate records, produce meeting notes, and ensure timely communication.
• Support the Engagement and Involvement Lead to track, document and report on outcomes and the influence of young people’s involvement on projects and workstreams.

Continuous learning and development

• Contribute to the development of the organisation’s engagement and involvement strategy.
• Contribute to the evaluation of engagement and involvement activities and gather feedback from young people, parents/carers and other relevant parties we work closely with.
• Maintain an interest and working knowledge of best practice in youth involvement, participation, and co‑production.
• Identify opportunities to share learning and reflections with the AHS team and wider colleagues to continuously improve practice and processes.

Interest-holder and partner engagement

• Build and maintain partnerships with schools, youth organisations, and community groups to recruit and support young people to engage in engagement and involvement activities.
• Provide verbal and written presentations of engagement and involvement work with young people to internal and external audiences.
• Represent AHS in meetings, workshops and events where appropriate.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential criteria

• Experience developing and delivering engagement and involvement activities with young people and other relevant interest-holders (such as parents, families, teachers and schools).
• A proven track record or professional background in working with young people – such as in youth work, counselling, mentoring, education, or a related setting.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, especially with young audiences.
• Understanding and experience of good practice in youth engagement and involvement, including the principles and implementation of safeguarding, data protection, and inclusive practice.
• Experience of co-ordinating a youth advisory group, council, board or similar structure
• Ability to work autonomously, prioritising tasks and manage own workload.
• Ability to design and deliver workshops, focus groups or meetings that encourage open dialogue and collaboration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - able to communicate effectively and confidently with a range of stakeholders and to summarise and report key information clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated commitment to children’s rights, youth participation and the meaningful inclusion of young people’s views and perspectives.
• Confidence using online meeting tools (e.g. MS Teams, Zoom), and collaborative platforms (e.g. SharePoint, Microsoft 365).

Desirable criteria

• Relevant qualification in youth participation, youth work, community engagement or similar.
• Understanding of public involvement in research or willingness to develop expertise.
• Understanding of key concepts and challenges in young people’s health and wellbeing and the transition to adulthood.
• Understanding and knowledge of key potential partners across the UK for delivering youth engagement in the sector.
• Experience using digital engagement and facilitation tools for online sessions (e.g. Miro, Mural, Mentimeter, Canva, PowerPoint).

Dimensions

• This has been designed as a full-time role, although part-time work could be considered for the right candidate.
• Flexible working may be required across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be necessary to various AHS locations and partner organisations.
• Willingness to work hours flexibly including some evenings/weekends.

Additional Information

• Enhanced DBS/PVG or equivalent safeguarding check will be required.

Application Process

This post is subject to receipt of satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check and right to work in the UK (visa sponsorship is not available). Please apply with a CV and a covering letter (of no more than two pages) explaining what you can bring to this role, and including your current salary.

The closing date for this position is midnight on End of Day Sunday 29 March.

Interviews are currently expected to be held during the weeks commencing 27 April and 05 May.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. 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 age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Beyond these protected characteristics, we acknowledge the importance of socio-economic background, childcare and caring responsibilities, educational background, neurodiversity, and any other factors that shape an individual’s identity and opportunities. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to contribute fully.

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.