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The National Youth Agency is looking for a Programme Governance Lead.

Programme Governance Lead
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £55,000 - £65,000 per annum (dependent on experience and qualifications)
Location: Home-based in England with occasional travel for meetings, workshops, and team activities. Head Office is in Leicester.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

We are looking for Programme Governance Lead to manage and oversee the successful delivery of all programmes/projects within the Programmes Directorate by establishing and leading consistent governance and assurance. The postholder will strengthen programme governance, reporting and risk management ensuring programmes are delivered by agreed methodologies and in a consistent manner.

Key Responsibilities

As our Programme Governance Lead, you will:

• Define, implement and maintain an agreed methodology for programme/project lifecycle governance.
• Chair programme/project boards and ensuring decisions, and actions are documented and actioned.
• Identify risks, issues and dependencies which are not captured by Programme Portfolio Leads. Ensure consistent risk management across projects and programmes. Proactively identify cross-programme/project risks and issues (including those not visible to project/programme leads), implement mitigations, and escalate risks/issues to the Director of Programmes and COO as required. Assess programme/project risks against the NYA risk register and update the register accordingly.
• Produce and present monthly programme governance reports at the Directorate Programme Board, providing clear portfolio-level insight (milestones, deliverables, RAG status, KPIs, benefits, and financial/resource assumptions) to enable effective senior decision-making and assurance.
• Design and run governance routines (e.g., project start-up, weekly/monthly reviews, decision logs, change control) and support high-quality papers and actions for directorate governance forums; ensure timely escalation of material risks, issues and decisions to the COO.
• Support teams to evidence compliance with funder/contractual requirements; ensure appropriate documentation, approvals and version control are in place and accessible.
• Implement and maintain a robust lessons-learned process (during and post-delivery) and ensure findings are integrated into future programmes/projects through updated standards, templates, training and assurance checkpoints.

Why Work for NYA?

• NYA operates as a people-focused organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
• NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
• A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
• NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
• We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

Closing date: 23:59 Friday 3rd July 2026.
N.B. We would encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may close the vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications.
Interviews: W/C 13th July OR W/C 20th July

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Please note: We use AI detector software, so applications or CV’s with high levels of AI generated content may be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance.

No agencies please.

Leukaemia UK – Our Charity
We are a ‘small but mighty’ charity with one big ambition: to stop leukaemia devastating lives. Over the next 10 years we want to help save and improve the lives of more people with leukaemia through funding life-changing research and campaigning for change. Despite decades of incredible progress, only half of leukaemia patients live longer than five years after their diagnosis. We won't stop until we change this.

We are looking for a Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager to join the Policy and Advocacy team. At a pivotal moment for Leukaemia UK, they will lead and manage our political influencing work, ensuring our profile and reputation remains high and we are able to influence political decisions.

With our new strategy period beginning in 2027, over the next 5 years we plan to increase our investment into ground-breaking research and campaigning to improve diagnosis, treatment and care. We are in a period of significant growth, investing to grow our income, profile, influence, engagement and impact.

Having developed our policy, public affairs and campaigns function over the current strategy period, this role will help take this to the next level and play a key role in strengthening our ability to influence change across the UK.

Team

We are a close-knit team, who are all passionate about Leukaemia UK and putting those affected by the disease at the heart of everything we do. We are all focused on pragmatic, practical solutions, as well as ensuring that our charity gets the funding it needs to continue to help those diagnosed with leukaemia and related conditions.

As a small organisation with just over 30 employees, every role counts. We have ambitious plans and we rely on individuals being self-starters, resilient and used to working at pace to maximise our collective impact. We are all about delivering exceptional expertise and making a real change to people’s lives.

Leukaemia UK and You

We are looking for a self-motivated Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager to join our team, taking a leading role in shaping and delivering Leukaemia UK’s influencing and campaigning activity to drive policy change. The successful candidate will be an innovative, driven and forward-thinking individual with a proven track record of delivering impactful public affairs and campaigning work within the health charity sector. You will work closely with the Head of Policy and Advocacy and the Policy Officer to ensure a coordinated, insight‑led and strategically aligned approach to policy development, public affairs and campaigning activity across the organisation.

The Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager will be instrumental in strengthening and growing the charity’s profile, influence and impact among political stakeholders and senior civil servants across all four UK administrations. This role will ensure that the ‘patient voice’ is heard and acted upon by key decision-makers, while also ensuring that the needs and priorities of individuals affected by leukaemia are understood, represented, valued and embedded within our influencing and campaigning strategies.

Alongside this, you will lead the development of creative and innovative campaigning approaches, using a range of tactics to effectively engage supporters, partners and policy makers in our work. You will create compelling opportunities for stakeholders to join our efforts to drive policy change, and ensure that our campaigns are visible, impactful and aligned to our policy priorities.

You will work closely with the Communications team to ensure that campaigning to drive policy change is clearly understood, amplified and embedded across digital channels and content strategies, maximising reach, engagement and impact. You will also support with identifying and developing new opportunities for PR, media engagement and thought leadership to strengthen Leukaemia UK’s position as a credible and influential voice in the sector. You will be representing Leukaemia UK in multiple charity coalitions and forums to ensure that leukaemia is represented on the political agenda.

The successful candidate will be adept at articulating evidence-based policy positions to policy makers, healthcare professionals, researchers, effectively representing the perspectives of those affected by leukaemia. They will have the ability to influence a wide range of senior stakeholders to drive progress and bring about meaningful change. A strong understanding of the external political landscape, coupled with exceptional communication skills and attention to detail, is essential.

This role does not currently include direct line management responsibility but will play a key role in coordinating activity across the Policy and Advocacy function, with potential to take on management responsibilities as the team grows.

Experience and skills

Essential 

• Experience of working within public affairs and/or campaigning, with demonstrable impact in influencing policy or driving change (candidates should have strong experience in at least one of these areas, with an understanding of how they work together)
• Experience of influencing government, policy makers and/or decision makers, preferably within the health, research or charity sector
• Experience of developing and delivering public affairs and/or campaigning strategies, including planning, delivery and evaluation
• Experience of engaging and managing a range of stakeholders, including policy makers, partners, and supporters
• Experience of producing high-quality written outputs such as briefings, consultation responses, or campaign materials to influence decision makers
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams, particularly with communications functions
• Experience of monitoring and evaluating activity to assess impact and inform future approaches
• Experience of delivering multiple projects and programmes in a fast-paced environment

Desirable

• Experience of integrating campaigning with digital, PR or communications strategies
• Experience of identifying PR, media or thought leadership opportunities
• Experience of working in the cancer or wider health policy environment
• Experience of line management or supporting others’ development

Knowledge and personal traits

Essential

• Strong understanding of the UK political and policy landscape, including how decisions are made and influenced
• Understanding of how public affairs and campaigning can work together to drive change, including supporter engagement and mobilisation
• Ability to think strategically and identify opportunities to influence policy and public debate
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly to different audiences
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders with differing perspectives
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of the importance of engaging with patients and underrepresented groups
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to work at pace

Desirable

• Knowledge of the cancer, research or NHS policy landscape
• Experience of working with patients or in an advocacy capacity

Role Specifics

• Full time: 37.5 hours per week, worked Monday to Friday.
• Location: We are very flexible! Our offices are based in Central London, and we operate hybrid working.  In this role you are required to work from the office at least one day per fortnight and as appropriate, to  undertake the proper performance of the role duties regarding internal and external meetings and activities.
• Annual Salary: £40,000 - £50,000

Benefits- We are proud of our benefits

• 36 days holiday per year, including bank holidays- pro rata for part time employees
• Pension – default is 4% employee and 4% employer and we match up to 6%
• Life Assurance – x 4 cover
• Critical Illness Cover
• Cash back healthcare scheme & Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Hybrid Working
• Company sick pay
• Individual training budgets

Applications and interview timings 

If you feel you have the passion for our work and the right mix of experience, skills, energy, and flair, then we would love you to apply. Please also see the full job description attached to the advert.  To minimise unconscious bias, we use anonymous recruitment and are unable to consider direct applications. Please apply via the CharityJob website with your CV and covering letter.

Closing Date: 9am Monday 22nd June 2026

• First interviews will be held via Teams on Thursday 2nd July 2026
• Second interviews will be face to face in our London Offices – at 26 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5BL on Thursday 9th July 2026

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Georgia

Georgia Papacleovoulou

Head of Policy & Advocacy

Leukaemia UK

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.