Corporate and community fundraising officer jobs

Title:  Head of Campaigns

Salary:        £60,000

Contract:      Temporary

Hours:  37.5 per week (Monday to Friday) 

Holiday:  25 days per year plus bank holidays 

Location:  Home based with regular across the UK

Probationary Period:  3 months

Reports to:  Chief Executive

Benefits:  An additional 3 days holiday between Christmas and New Year

Flexitime policy

5% pension contribution

Anticipated contract duration:  9th November 2026 - February 2028 

We are River Action

We are a small and agile campaigning organisation on a mission to rescue the UK’s rivers from a toxic cocktail of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution and water shortages. We support community action, galvanise and mobilise public opinion, influence government policy, take legal actions and call out destructive industrial practices to incentivise changes that end river pollution and secure freshwater. 

We are a talented team of positive disrupters and stakeholder mobilisers delivering our strategy to urgently protect and restore our rivers for the benefit of communities, rivers and wildlife.

Our rivers are our life support system and they are dying. We need urgent action to bring them back to life.

Who we are looking for

We're looking for an exceptional campaigner to lead an ambitious environmental campaigning  programme for just over a year to cover maternity leave. This is an exciting opportunity for an inspiring leader who can develop bold, strategic campaigns that shift public debate, influence decision-makers and deliver tangible environmental outcomes.

You'll be an experienced campaign strategist who understands that lasting change rarely comes from a single tactic. You'll know how to bring together compelling communications, evidence and investigations, grassroots mobilisation, political engagement, legal interventions and partnerships into integrated campaigns capable of changing policy, behaviour and corporate practice.

We're looking for someone who combines strategic vision with practical delivery. Someone who is comfortable making decisions in a fast-moving environment, spotting opportunities as they emerge and adapting campaigns to maximise impact.

Experience in environmental campaigning would be highly valuable, but above all we're looking for someone with an outstanding track record of leading successful campaigns that have shifted opinion, influenced policy or held powerful institutions to account.

We’re looking for someone who brings energy, creativity and courageous leadership. Someone who is excited by building campaigns that challenge the status quo, comfortable navigating complexity and able to combine bold thinking with sound judgement. You'll know when to disrupt, when to collaborate and how to inspire others to believe that together we can restore the UK’s rivers. 

If you're motivated by creating change, thrive in a dynamic environment and want to lead campaigns that make a genuine difference to one of the UK's greatest environmental challenges, we'd love to hear from you. 

What you’ll be doing:

As Head of Campaigns, you will be developing and delivering bold, integrated campaigns that drive lasting change for the UK's rivers. You'll lead and inspire a talented team of campaigners, helping them to develop innovative, impactful campaigns while fostering a collaborative, ambitious and supportive culture. You'll work closely with colleagues across communications, policy, legal, fundraising and research, ensuring our work is strategically aligned and greater than the sum of its parts.

Leading River Action's Campaigns Team, you will shape the organisation's campaigning strategy, ensuring our work is innovative, evidence-led and designed to influence public opinion, hold polluters to account and secure meaningful political and systemic change. You'll create campaigns that connect compelling storytelling with community mobilisation, strategic communications, political advocacy, legal action and partnerships, ensuring every part of our work contributes towards our mission to rescue the UK’s rivers.

You'll provide strategic leadership across the full campaign lifecycle, overseeing campaign planning, delivery, budgeting, resourcing and evaluation. You'll ensure our campaigns are informed by robust evidence, guided by clear objectives and measured against meaningful outcomes, using insight and learning to continually strengthen our impact.

You will lead River Action's communications and public profile, ensuring our campaigns cut through the national conversation, inspire public action and strengthen our reputation as one of the UK's leading environmental campaigning organisations. You’ll oversee media, messaging and campaign communications that amplify our voice and build public support for change.

Internally, you'll work in close partnership with the Head of Public Affairs to ensure our public campaigns reinforce and accelerate our political influencing work, while ensuring community campaigns and grassroots action inform our national priorities. You'll also work alongside the Head of Legal to develop campaigns involving strategic litigation to achieve change within and outside of court and legal processes, using legal action as a catalyst for wider public awareness, policy change and industry accountability.

As a member of River Action's Senior Management Team, you'll help shape the strategic direction of the organisation and contribute to organisational leadership beyond your own department. You'll work alongside the CEO and fellow Heads of Department to deliver our organisational strategy, embedding collaboration, innovation and impact across all areas of our work.

You'll also play a key role in securing the resources needed to deliver our ambitions. Working with the Head of Development, you'll help develop compelling funding proposals, inspire funders with our vision and demonstrate the impact of our work through robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Working with the Finance and Operations Manager, you'll oversee campaign budgets, ensuring resources are managed effectively and strategically.

Main Duties 

• Provide strategic leadership as a member of the Senior Management Team, supporting the CEO to deliver River Action's organisational strategy, theory of change and long-term vision.

• Lead the development and delivery of River Action's integrated campaigning strategy, ensuring our public campaigns drive measurable environmental, political and societal change.

• Develop and oversee a portfolio of ambitious national campaigns, identifying opportunities to influence public opinion, policy, regulation and industry practice through innovative and impactful campaigning.

• Lead River Action's communications, media and public engagement strategy, ensuring compelling storytelling, strong brand visibility and effective use of traditional, digital and social media to grow our influence and supporter base.

• Lead the planning and delivery of River Action’s creative interventions and actions, from polling, petitions and shareholder actions to public protests and high-profile actions.

• Serve as a senior public representative and spokesperson for River Action, building the organisation's profile and influence through media engagement, public speaking, stakeholder engagement and high-profile external events.

• Oversee River Action's digital campaigning platforms, including the strategic development of our website and digital engagement tools.

• Work closely with the Head of Public Affairs  to ensure campaigns and political advocacy are fully integrated, maximising opportunities to influence government, regulators and decision-makers.

• Work closely with the Head of Public Affairs to ensure grassroots action informs national campaigns, and national campaigns empower and amplify community action.

• Work with the Head of Legal to identify, develop and deliver strategic legal interventions that strengthen campaigns, increase accountability and drive systemic change beyond the courtroom.

• Build and maintain influential relationships with campaign partners, coalitions, NGOs, academics, community organisations, funders and other key stakeholders to maximise collective impact.

• Lead campaign planning, governance and delivery, ensuring campaigns are effectively resourced, managed and evaluated against agreed objectives, budgets and monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) frameworks.

• Lead, inspire and develop the Campaigns Team, fostering a collaborative, creative and high-performing culture that enables colleagues to thrive and deliver exceptional work.

• Work with the CEO, Head of Development and senior colleagues to secure funding for campaign activities, contributing to funding proposals, donor engagement and impact reporting.

• Work with the Finance and Operations Manager to develop, monitor and manage campaign budgets, ensuring resources are used effectively and strategically.

• Support organisational reporting by contributing to Board papers, quarterly and annual reports, organisational planning and performance monitoring.

Other Duties & Responsibilities 

• Adopt a positive approach to personal and professional development; engaging in one to one meetings and relevant training.

• Be aware of, and act on, relevant health and safety responsibilities as an employee of River Action and adhere to these wherever you are working.

• To maintain confidentiality in all areas of work at River Action.

• UK travel will be required. Training & operational activities may require overnight stays away from home, in which case standard River Action procedures apply.

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to creating an inclusive, equal and diverse workplace and a positive organisational culture.

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across River Action to collectively deliver our ethos and mission.

What you’ll bring

The position will suit a strategic, well organised, energetic, passionate and dedicated person. The ideal person will be an excellent leader, a people person, and thrive within a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The person will have a passion to protect and restore our waterways and hold those responsible for environmental destruction to account.

• Ability to think strategically to deliver campaigns that are positively disruptive and meet River Action values.

• Line management experience of highly experienced professionals, bringing out the best in your team.

• Creative attitude and skills for solving problems and raising awareness of problems and solutions.

• A head for organisation and excellent time management, bringing others along with you in planning and delivering interventions and projects at short notice and under pressure.

• Experience in public and/or political campaigning either within or outside the environmental sector.

• Experience and contacts in communications and PR. 

• An understanding of the issues that are impacting our rivers, and their solutions.

• The ability to establish and maintain effective contacts and relationships with senior and influential external individuals and bodies.

• The ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with a wide range of people both verbally and in writing including the media, community groups, other NGO representatives, government, industry leaders, supporters and followers on social media.

• Exceptional IT literacy and a head for figures and budgeting.

• Ability to work independently and take initiative to solve problems.

• Ability to work flexible hours as necessary.

• A good team player with a willingness to muck in as and where required.

• Ability to think clearly even when working under pressure.

• A passion for River Action’s mission and vision.

Diversity and Inclusion

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies show that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single criteria. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. So if you like the look of this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with everything in the job description, we would still like to hear from you. You may be just the right person for this or other roles. 

How to apply

To apply, please submit to jobs at riveractionuk dot com with the subject ‘Head of Campaigns’’:

• your CV (2 pages max), 

• a cover letter (2 pages max) explaining why you want to work for River Action and how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, and 

• a written submission (2 pages) as described below. 

Only applications including all three documents will be accepted. Please provide your documents in pdf format. 

Written submission

River Action is looking to develop a campaign around water security in the UK to launch in 2027. Please put together a campaign brief setting out the challenges faced, how we would develop and deliver this campaign including campaign asks; campaign outcomes; public, political and legal tactics; routes for funding and resource requirements.

Your campaign brief should be no longer than 2 sides of A4. 

Application process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until 23:59 on 19th July.

Should your application be shortlisted, the next stage will involve an initial 30 minute interview on 28th July via video conference. You may then be invited to attend a second interview with a panel on 3rd August. 

Please indicate in your covering letter or in a covering email your availability for interviews on these dates.

If you have any questions about the role or your application, please contact us on jobs at riveractionuk dot com.

"Lead finance. Shape strategy. Change lives."

Aspire Oxfordshire is an ambitious charity working to tackle inequality and create lasting opportunities for people and communities facing disadvantage. Every year, we support people experiencing homelessness, poverty, poor mental health, digital exclusion, unemployment and other barriers to reaching their potential.

Through supported housing, homelessness prevention, education, training and employment programmes and digital inclusion projects, we help people take positive steps towards greater independence, wellbeing and opportunity.

We are now seeking a values-led and commercially minded Head of Finance and Resources to join our Leadership Team and play a key role in shaping Aspire's future.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced finance professional who wants to combine strategic leadership with hands-on operational delivery in an organisation that makes a tangible difference every day.

As Head of Finance and Resources, you will lead Aspire's finance and resource functions, ensuring strong financial stewardship, effective governance, organisational resilience and sustainable growth. Working closely with the Chief Executive, Trustees and senior colleagues, you will help shape organisational strategy, support business development and fundraising activity, and ensure the charity remains financially strong and well positioned for the future.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who combines strong technical finance expertise with excellent leadership and relationship-building skills. You will be equally comfortable presenting financial information to Trustees, supporting managers to improve financial performance, and helping to identify opportunities that strengthen our impact and sustainability.

You will bring:

• A recognised accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) and/or significant senior financial management experience.

• Experience of leading finance and operational functions within a charity, public sector, social enterprise or similarly complex organisation.

• Strong strategic financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting skills.

• Experience of producing meaningful management information and using data to support organisational decision-making.

• Advanced Power BI and financial reporting skills, with the ability to develop insightful dashboards and reporting solutions.

• Knowledge of grant funding, commissioned services and restricted fund management.

• Experience of developing and improving systems, processes and organisational effectiveness.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, support and develop others.

• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with Trustees, funders, partners and colleagues.

• A practical, solutions-focused approach and willingness to work collaboratively across the organisation.

• A commitment to Aspire's values and a genuine passion for creating opportunities for people facing disadvantage.

Why Join Aspire?

This is an opportunity to join an ambitious organisation at an exciting point in its development. You will play a key role in helping Aspire deliver its Strategy 2025–2030, supporting innovative services that help people secure safe housing, improve their wellbeing, gain qualifications, access employment and build brighter futures.

In return we offer:

• Salary: £50,000 – £55,000 per annum

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

• Pension contribution

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Hybrid working arrangements

• The opportunity to make a genuine difference in the lives of people across Oxfordshire

Aspire Oxfordshire celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in the charity sector.

Location: London, UK (hybrid working – from Albert House, Old Street)

Team: Resource Mobilisation

Contract: Permanent 

Salary range:  £37,590 - £39,402 per annum

Closing date: 10 July 2026 (midnight UK time)

ABOUT THE ROLE

Start Network has an exciting opportunity for a Partnerships Engagement Officer to join our growing Resource Mobilisation team. The role supports donor engagement and income growth, working with trusts, foundations and corporate funders to build strong, long term relationships through high quality stewardship, communications and engagement.

You will support the management of existing and new donor relationships, contribute to proposals and reporting, research and cultivate new funding opportunities, and work closely with colleagues across the organisation to deliver clear and compelling donor communications. The role also leads on the coordination of Start Network’s annual donor visit, taking the full range of our donors to a priority Start Network country of operation to see our work in action.

WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation.

Our current membership is made up of nearly 100 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability.

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• Being a part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector.
• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based)
• Family friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more!
• 25 days’ holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff (depends on the country based)

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Our roles are open to discussion about flexible working. For part-time working and job-shares, please get in touch with us before putting in an application.

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm. We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, BAME, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Person Profile.

APPLICATION

Please contact the People and Culture Team if you have any questions or need support with your application. Please email us.

We use Be Applied, our online recruitment platform which uses anonymised applications and predictive, skill-based assessments which are blind- reviewed to reduce bias.

Closing date: 1st February 2026

Date for 1st Interview: 15th /16th July  (Subject to change)

Date for 2nd Interview: 20th July (Subject to change)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications and we may review candidates on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible to avoid disappointment.

Any offer of employment will be conditional subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data. Start Network also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The core of the scheme is that participating organisations share information about safeguarding-related misconduct (i.e., sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment) that a candidate has been found to have committed during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. For more information regarding this scheme, please visit their website.

About Global Health Partnerships
Global Health Partnerships is a UK-registered charity with nearly four decades of experience connecting NHS institutions, diaspora health workers, Royal Colleges, and government partners with counterparts across Africa, Asia, and beyond. We strengthen health systems, build the evidence base for UK investment in global health, and work at the interface of domestic and international health policy. Our network includes 256 confirmed MCH health workers across 32 institutions, established relationships with RCOG, RCM, RCN, and NHS England, and a track record of supporting the APPG on Global Health and Security. We are a trusted, non-partisan intermediary between UK clinical communities and policymakers.

Why this is an exceptional opportunity
This is a rare and timely role for a senior external affairs and communications professional who wants to make a direct, measurable difference to global health. You will be joining Global Health Partnerships at a pivotal moment, as we launch an ambitious advocacy programme, with the backing of a major foundation and a network of frontline NHS clinicians and health institutions.  
 

This is not a general communications role. It is a specialist advocacy and policy influence position, focused on translating evidence and health worker experience into parliamentary and media impact. If you want to shape how UK politicians and the public think about global health and see that shift lead to real changes in funding and policy, this is the role for you.

Job purpose
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive, you will lead GHP’s external affairs and communications function across the full range of the organisation’s strategic priorities. This includes designing and executing GHP’s advocacy strategy for priority programmes — with the Every Mother, Everywhere MCH programme as the flagship — while also building GHP’s broader profile as the leading UK voice on NHS institutional partnerships, health workforce policy, and the mutual benefit case for UK investment in global health. You will manage GHP’s relationships with key stakeholders in parliament, government, and the media, and ensure that GHP’s full portfolio of work is visible, compelling, and connected to the policy arguments that matter most to funders and decision-makers.
 

You will oversee GHP’s secretariat relationship with the APPG on Global Health and Security, develop and support networks of health worker and diaspora advocates, lead media and parliamentary engagement, and coordinate a coalition of civil society, clinical, and community organisations around shared advocacy priorities. With the communications team, you will also work closely with the fundraising and programmes teams to ensure GHP’s communications and public profile actively support income diversification and donor engagement across institutional, trust, and corporate funding streams.
 

While the immediate priority is our Maternal and Child Health Advocacy programme and its parliamentary and media objectives, this role carries wider organisational responsibility for GHP’s positioning, reputation, and voice in public discourse on global health. The postholder will line manage the Communications Manager and be accountable for the coherence of GHP’s external communications across all channels and programmes. 
 

For full details on the role, including the Person Specification please look at our job pack.

What we offer:

As well as your salary which is paid monthly, you'll also get:

• Flexible and hybrid working
• 25 days annual leave plus three days off between Christmas and New Year
• Annual learning and development allowance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 5% employer pension contribution when an employee contributes 3%

How to apply: 
 

Please apply with a CV and a covering letter of no more than two pages by 10th July 2026.
 

Your covering letter should address the following: why you are interested in this role at this moment; how your experience of external affairs is relevant to GHP’s organisational priorities; what you understand to be the strongest argument for UK investment in global health and how you would build political and public support for it. 
 

GHP is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the communities and health systems our work engages with.

Charity People is delighted to be partnering with Cancer Support UK to recruit a Digital Communications and Marketing Manager.

Contract: Permanent role working five days per week
Salary: £40,000 full time
Location: Hybrid role between home and South London office, with ideally two days per week in the office at South Wimbledon. The charity is also open to applications from home-based candidates.
Closing date for applications: 9am on Friday 10th July
Interviews: Interviews will be held in person on the 20th and 21st July

About Cancer Support UK
Cancer Support UK exists to tackle the profound sense of isolation many people experience after a cancer diagnosis. While diagnosis and treatment can have significant physical impacts, the emotional toll can be just as challenging, leaving many feeling alone at a time when connection and understanding are essential. The organisation is dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by cancer feels supported, understood, and never alone, from diagnosis through treatment and into life beyond.

Through practical and emotional support, Cancer Support UK meets a largely unmet need. Its Cancer Kits, thoughtfully created with input from people with lived experience, provide comfort and reassurance at a critical moment, while its Cancer Coach services offer ongoing guidance to help individuals navigate life after treatment. Alongside this, the organisation works with businesses and the health sector to improve support for those affected by cancer. With millions of people in the UK living with a diagnosis, the charity's mission is clear: to reduce loneliness and ensure no one faces cancer alone.

You'll work within a small, dedicated and talented team and will play a central role in shaping how Cancer Support UK tells its story; leading the development of high-quality, impact led content that brings lived experience together to build support loyalty and increase public engagement and understanding.

The role has real scope for impact and innovation and will work closely with colleagues from across the charity, including the CEO, to build on strong foundations. Core responsibilities within the role will include:

• Lead all digital communications, including website, social media and online campaigns
• Manage and create content for the website, overseeing written, visual and video
• Develop and deliver a planned schedule of communications activity across all channels
• Develop and maintain a compelling library of supporter stories (written, film and imagery), ensuring appropriate permissions and coverage across key research areas
• Work with colleagues to source, craft and share stories that demonstrate impact and inspire support
• Collaborate with colleagues to translate unique insight from beneficiaries into engaging stories that demonstrate the positive impact of the services delivered by Cancer Support UK
• Work closely with the fundraising team to optimise digital communications
• Engage with and respond to the organisation's online community in a timely, supportive and professional manner
• Ensure consistent use of brand, tone and values in line with brand guidelines
• Track and analyse digital performance using tools such as Google Analytics and income reports, using insight to continuously improve effectiveness
• Report on how communications activity drives engagement, enquiries, donations and pledges
• Manage relationships with third-party agencies where required, including briefing, objectives and evaluation
• Coordinate corporate communications such as the annual review and impact report

We would love to see applications from candidates with the following skills and experience:

• Previous experience within a communications role within a charity or similar organisation
• Demonstrable experience of leading on storytelling, narrative development or content creation that has driven engagement or fundraising outcomes, with the ability to identify the emotional heart of a story and shape it appropriately for different audiences and channels
• Experience planning and delivering social media content using a structured schedule
• Experience developing e-communications to build loyalty and engagement
• Experience managing website content, ideally WordPress or similar
• Understanding of online community management and supporter engagement
• Confidence using analytics tools to measure and report on digital performance
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build positive relationships with diverse audiences
• Emotional intelligence and sensitivity when engaging with people affected by medical conditions
• Understanding of how to use video and film across digital channels
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy
• Familiarity with CMS platforms, social media channels (e.g. Instagram, Facebook) and e-marketing tools (e.g. Mailchimp, DotDigital)

If you're interested in hearing more about this opportunity, please send your CV to Alice at Charity People in the first instance by applying to this advert. 

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.

Director of Operations – Finance & Support Services
Dartington (& Torquay as required)
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, ideally Monday-Friday 08.30-16.30
Salary: £51,663.00 - £59,597.00 per annum (DOE)

Are you a skilled operations professional with a background in finance?

We have a brand-new opportunity at Lifeworks Charity, for a Director of Operations (Finance & Support Services) to play a crucial role in our Central Support team. You will drive the sustainable growth and operational efficiency of the charity, directly contributing to our charitable impact.

You'll blend your financial expertise with your keen eye for operational oversight in this hybrid role, ensuring our resources are managed effectively to benefit the young people and families we support.

Who we are:

Since 1996, we've been empowering people with learning disabilities in Devon to achieve their dreams and build fulfilling lives. Our core values of kindness, respect, and positivity guide everything we do.

What you’ll do:

Finance

- Manage and maintain all financial aspects of the charity, including (but not limited to), budgeting, forecasting, reporting, ledgers, balance sheets, bank reconciliations, debtor accounts, cash flow management, insurances, property and procurement.
- Take a lead on the development of financial and fundraising processes and strategies.
- Manage and be the main point of contact for all aspects of ESFA and DfE funding compliance and reporting.
- Lead a small team to deliver outstanding support to the charity and act as a key financial advisor to managers across the organisation.
- Produce clear and concise monthly management accounts and provide financial insights to senior managers and the Board of Trustees.
- Working closely with external auditors, prepare and oversee our year end accounts.

Operations

- Ensure that charity governance and compliance is upheld, by contributing to record maintenance, managing registers and supporting with reviews of policies and procedures.
- Work with our external IT partners to manage our technology. You will make sure that the correct infrastructure, systems and processes are in the right place at the right time.
- Lead on IT security for the charity, implementing regular reviews to monitor compliance.
- Act as the Data Controller and manage all areas of data protection regulations, always prioritising data security.
- Develop and review charity policies as necessary, ensuring they align with best practices and legal requirements.
- Ensure compliance of Health and Safety policies, liaising with external advisors to maintain safety within the workplace.

Last but not least, we are looking for someone that is an advocate for people with learning disabilities and shares our common goal of making sure the people we support achieve their best lives with us. You may not be involved in the day-to-day work with our service users, but the work you will do is vital to the success of our charity.

What we're looking for:

You'll be a motivated and experienced professional who is passionate about making a difference. You should be:

- ACCA/CIMA/ACA part-qualified with significant experience (or fully qualified is a bonus!).
- A proven leader with the ability to inspire and develop a team.
- An expert in financial management, from budgeting to reporting.
- An excellent communicator who can clearly explain complex financial information to all audiences.
- Experienced in managing a broad portfolio, ideally including Health and Safety, IT, or facilities.
- Knowledgeable about governance frameworks and risk management.

If you are a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach and a desire to contribute to a vital cause, we would love to hear from you.

We're passionate about supporting our staff just as much as we are about supporting our service users. When you join our team, you can expect:

- An hourly rate above the Real Living Wage
- A holiday entitlement of 33 days’ holiday (inclusive of bank holidays)
- A fully funded DBS check and update service to ensure a smooth onboarding process
- Access to valuable resources including an employee assistance program to support your mental and emotional health

Building a diverse and safe team:

At Lifeworks, we're committed to fostering a workplace that reflects the diversity of our community. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from individuals with disabilities who meet the job criteria, and we guarantee qualified candidates with disabilities an interview.

Lifeworks is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. To achieve this commitment, we will ensure the continuous development, improvement and review of robust safeguarding processes and procedures that continuously promote a culture of vigilance in respect of safeguarding within our organisation. All staff undergo Safer Recruitment checks which include pre-employment checks, reference checks, and a DBS check with Barred List checks (where applicable).

Early applications encouraged!

This vacancy is scheduled to close on the 19th of July, but may close earlier if suitable candidates are identified. So, to ensure your application is considered, ensure you apply early!

The interview format will consist of 3 parts; a formal interview assessment, a short presentation and a Q&A with staff members. If you are selected for interview, further details will be shared ahead of the above date.

Apply today and tell us why you'd be a great fit for our team.

Please note that this role was previously advertised as Operations Manager. We ask that previous applicants of this role need not reapply.

We’d appreciate no contact from agencies regarding this role. We are only accepting direct applications.

Charity People is delighted to be partnering once again with Maudsley Charity to recruit an External Affairs and Influencing Manager.

A hugely exciting new role within the Communications team at the charity, the postholder will work across media, external affairs and influencing to engage with key stakeholders, boost the charity's profile, and promote learning and adoption of the solutions the organisation funds. You will be responsible for sharing evidence and learning in order to influence the people who fund, adopt and commission mental health care and services, and will work closely with the CEO to increase engagement with policy work which the Maudsley Charity undertakes through it's work in coalitions.

External Affairs and Influencing Manager
Contract: Full time, permanent role
Salary: £48,000 per annum
Location: Hybrid role between home and London office, with two days per week in the Denmark Hill office
Closing date for applications: 9am on Tuesday 28th July

First round interviews will be held remotely on: Thursday 13th August
Second round interviews will be held in person on: Thursday 20th and Friday 21st August

About Maudsley Charity

Maudsley Charity funds and supports clinical, academic, and community partners to ensure that everyone experiencing mental illness can access the right care, while using insights from their work to drive wider improvements across the UK.

Recognising the profound impact of mental illness and the inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes - particularly those linked to social deprivation and racism - the organisation focusses on addressing gaps in care.

With an approach that combines evidence, lived experience, and a commitment to equity, the organisation backs impactful, evidence-based solutions, ensuring services are shaped by real-world insight, and prioritising support for those most underserved to drive improvements that benefit all.

About the role

This is a core role within the organisation's influencing strategy, and your primary responsibilities will include:

External Affairs & Influencing:

• Develop and deliver influencing plans to promote adoption of effective mental health care initiatives being funded by the charity
• Develop productive relationships with key stakeholders (journalists, NHS trust leaders, ICBs, ICSs, VCSE orgs) to gather intelligence and shape strategy to inform the charity's positioning
• Lead the charity's thought leadership development providing strategic advice to senior leadership on political, NHS and mental health policy developments
• Strengthen the charity's role in mental health policy and advocacy coalitions, by contributing to collaborative advocacy, media and communications outputs
• Lead the charity's response to government mental health care consultations and calls for evidence
• Monitor funder sector trends and conversations, and actively seek out opportunities for the charity to strategically engage and influence by sharing learning from its grant making practice

Media management

• Develop and implement integrated external affairs campaigns that support the charity's influencing work
• Create persuasive materials, including press releases, op-eds, spokespeople briefings, comment pieces, and digital content and pitch to relevant outlets
• Maintain and grow relationships with journalists, broadcasters and sector media to secure relevant high-quality coverage of the charity's activities, grant holders and their projects
• Act as first point of contact for media enquiries, managing proactive and reactive press activity
• This role is expected to grow and develop and the postholder will be fully supported from across the organisation as the position evolves, within an organisation that offers a friendly, values led culture.

We would love to hear from individuals with the following skills and experience:

• Demonstrable track record of developing and implementing successful influencing strategies in the mental health sector
• Experience of stakeholder management within mental health care, including NHS Trust leaders, Integrated Care Boards, commissioners and senior clinicians, and with academics and researchers
• Strong experience in media relations, including briefing senior spokespeople, drafting press releases, media handling, and securing media coverage with a good understanding of the needs and expectations of different outlets and publications
• Keen understanding of the NHS, mental health policy landscape, and the related environment, key stakeholders and sector drivers
• Understanding of the key components and considerations of successful external affairs media and influencing
• Understanding of the sensitivities around mental illness, including working in an empathetic manner with people with lived experience
• Understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles and a commitment to apply them in your work and as an organisation
• Influencing skills including confidence and credibility in working with stakeholders,
• Communication skills and the ability to produce clear and effective communications and the ability to confidently and accurately represent the organisation externally
• Written and editorial skills including the ability to craft narratives for different external audiences and communicate the charity's work in press releases, articles, policy briefs

How to apply

Maudsley Charity is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented backgrounds. We welcome applications from non-graduates.

Applications are managed via Charity People and involve a structured, anonymised process focusing on your experience and potential. Please send your CV to Alice at Charity People in the first instance.

Please see full job pack and job description attached.

There is also an optional 'Ask Us Anything' Webinar via Zoom on Thursday 16th July at 12.30pm where the Maudsley staff will answer questions. Please get in touch with Reception at Charity People if you'd like to register for this and they will send you the link. Please submit questions in advance to reception at Charity People before 9am on Wednesday 15th July 2026 in order that we can ensure all of your queries are answered.

Equal Opportunities monitoring

We ask that applicants complete our DEI monitoring form when submitting their CV for this role.

Maudsley Charity is an equal opportunities employer, and makes no discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex. Specifically, we will also oppose unfair discrimination of those with mental health issues.

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.