Fundraising innovation manager jobs

This role is a unique and exciting opportunity for a passionate, hands-on Chef and Trainer to join our rapidly growing charity and support our mission to transform kids’ health through food in schools in a new region. This role will be critical in delivering our flagship programme Transformations and work directly with school kitchen teams across the North West and North East of England.

Who we are
Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. Our mission is to improve kids’ health, through improving school food & food education. We focus our efforts in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, where more than a third of children are entitled to free school meals, and diet-related disease is driving further inequality. We support and train school kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share learning and resources, aiming  to inspire and enable others to follow our lead. We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education, setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.

 About you and the role

This role is responsible for the delivery and continuous improvement of the Chefs in Schools Transformation Programme across the North West and North East of England. The Transformation Programme is our flagship year-long initiative, designed to support school kitchen teams and senior leadership teams in serving the best, freshest, and most nutritious food possible. Through this programme, we transform school lunches, upskill kitchen staff, and integrate food education into the heart of the school culture, ensuring that high-quality, scratch-cooked meals become the standard for every pupil.

As a Chef Trainer, you will act as a pivotal, hands-on ambassador for this mission, supporting kitchen teams, school leadership and the wider school community to embed a high quality, sustainable school food culture in schools. You will support development of the programme’s pipeline and join a brilliant, passionate and experienced team of Chef Trainers, with the opportunity to connect, share and learn from one another.

A key component of this role involves being based in schools for 2–3 weeks at a time, working directly on-site to implement the programme. You will travel to different locations across the North West and North East, supporting schools to build high-quality, sustainable food cultures. During your first year, the focus will be specifically on the North West region,  ranging from Manchester to the Wirral, where you will help establish Chefs in Schools’ reputation for positive change.

The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we urge you to apply anyway. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and for us the most important ‘experience’ is passion for our mission.

We want to get to know you at the interview and understand we can do this best if you’re at ease. We’re an inclusive employer and work hard to create a welcoming working environment for everyone, including appointing a neurodiversity champion to help us  identify how we can make our work environment work for everyone. If you need adjustments to the interview process please let us know.

As we work with children and young people, an offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS clearance, in line with our safeguarding policy.

Key responsibilities:

Programme Delivery & Training:

● Inspire, train and cook with chefs, cooks and kitchen teams in the preparation of fresh, nutritious food to meet specified standards, imparting your passion for fresh, quality food and building capability across client schools in line with the Chefs in Schools model.

● Deliver and oversee Transformation Programme delivery in schools within the region, ensuring high quality outcomes aligned to programme objectives and proposals, including check-ins to support proposal and pipeline development.

● Work closely with Head Chefs, Headteachers and School Business Managers to provide fair assessment of culinary ability for existing and new Head Chefs including skills tests.

● Support with recommended kitchen structures at Transformation schools using the Kitchen Brigade system.

● Advise and guide Head Chefs, Kitchen Teams and School Business Managers to improve uptake, menu development and School Food Standards compliance.

● Advise on reputable, quality and cost-effective suppliers to support schools to reduce cost per meal per child without sacrificing food quality. Including light-touch auditing and development of procurement suppliers in the region.

● Encourage schools to monitor, control and reduce kitchen, service and food waste.

● Train kitchen staff to follow up-to-date Health and Safety and hygiene policies and procedures, alongside latest EHO, Food Standards Agency and Allergen guidance.

● Work with the Senior Programme Manager to develop training materials that support the charity’s wider work, ensuring training plans reflect the latest relevant guidance including EHO, Food Standards Agency and Allergen guidance.

● Support schools to develop a whole-school food culture through food education with pupils, aligned to School Food Standards, and the creation of scratch-cooked, delicious and nutritious school food.

Transformation Programme Development:

● Support growing regional brand awareness, in partnership and alignment with the Senior Programme Manager.

● Visit potential new school clients to assess kitchens and kitchen teams (check-ins) within the region, working with the Senior Programme Manager to support proposal and pipeline development as required.

● Support the onboarding of new schools based on the outcome of check-ins conducted and proposals.

● Support in maintaining, improving and running the programme, and Innovations, School Chef Educator and Membership programme needs as required.

Administration & Measurement:

● Support with monitoring and capturing of programme KPIs of Transformation schools, measuring success against Chefs in Schools benchmarking and keeping the Senior Programme Manager updated on any variances.

● Support with case study development working in partnership with the Comms and Fundraising team.

● Report any complaints or serious incidents to the Senior Programme Manager and follow relevant actions related to Chefs in Schools Escalation and Tracking processes.

Essential Skills & Experience:

● You have interest and belief in our mission to improve kids’ health through improving food and food education in schools.

● You have significant professional experience as a chef (minimum of 5 years), ideally with a background in schools, high-volume catering or institutional cooking.

● You have experience training or mentoring kitchen staff, including building culinary capability and culture change.

● You are confident in assessing culinary skills and advising on kitchen structure, menus and supplier choices.

● You are organised, methodical and able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.

● You are a strong communicator able to build trusting relationships with different types of stakeholders.

● You have a sound understanding of Health and Safety, Food Hygiene, Allergen regulations and School Food Standards.

Desirable skills & experience:

● Experience working in a school or educational setting.

● Comfortable with data capture, reporting and keeping accurate records.

● Familiarity with the Kitchen Brigade system or equivalent kitchen management structures.

● Experience working with or for a charity or social enterprise.

● A full UK driving licence.

Benefits

You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who works hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We were voted one of CODE Hospitality’s happiest places to work in 2024. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.

We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays, 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period as well as wellbeing days over the summer school holidays.  We also have a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.

We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.

The Society is looking for a new member of staff to develop, manage and coordinate the Make Your Mark in Volunteering Campaign. The Campaign Coordinator will provide project management and delivery of campaign events, training, communications, audience development, partner engagement and evaluation. They will liaise with and support the Make Your Mark Working Group, the wider Make Your Mark membership, community groups and external partners to ensure the implementation of inclusive volunteer programmes.

The Make Your Mark in Volunteering Campaign, is hosted by the Society and supported by the Make Your Mark Working Group.

Role: Make Your Mark Campaign Coordinator – 37 hours per week, fixed term to 31 March 2029, with extension pending further funding

Salary: £35,400 per annum

Pension: 10% pension contribution by the employer

Hours: 37 hours (five days) per week with flexible daytime working hours Monday to Friday, occasional evening and weekend work required with time off in lieu (TOIL) provided

Location: Hybrid at-home and in-person working based at the Society’s office at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, with some time in partner organisation offices, particularly Volunteer Scotland in Stirling. However, as there are several flights of stairs up to the Society offices, we are happy to explore different ways of working.

Reports to: Make Your Mark Working Group; project managed by Sarah Pearce, Heritage Network; line managed by Jeff Sanders, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland; oversight group comprising Sarah, Jeff and Joanna Todd, Historic Environment Scotland

Probation: Nine-month probationary period during which time your skills and suitability for the post will be assessed

Find out more information on the Societies website.

How to Apply

Please submit a CV and a covering letter outlining how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the requirements (covering letter to be no more than two sides of A4) by the closing date to the Outreach Manager, Dr Jeff Sanders FSAScot.

Closing date: 11:59 PM (UK time) on 12 July 2026 

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in person in Edinburgh or online via Zoom during the week commencing 27 July 2026. Reasonable travel expenses can be claimed.

Applicants who are not shortlisted will be informed but unfortunately, no detailed feedback will be possible.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is dedicated to meeting the aims and commitments set out in its equality policy. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity. Please help us by filling in the Equalities Monitoring Form – a link will be emailed to you with receipt of your application. Filling in this form is voluntary and the results are anonymous and are not used in the recruitment process.

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.

This is a pivotal role within a small, ambitious team, working closely with clinical leaders and committees to deliver high-quality education for a diverse membership including nurses, consultants, resident doctors, pharmacists, scientists and allied health professionals. 

You will play a key role in shaping and delivering BSH’s educational offer – from webinars and podcasts to in-person events and digital learning resources – as well as leading the development of our new online Knowledge Hub. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Support the BSH Education Committee and deliver its programme of educational activity 

• Plan, coordinate and deliver webinars, podcasts, events and educational resources 

• Lead the development and management of the BSH Knowledge Hub, ensuring content is high-quality, relevant and up to date 

• Track engagement and usage data, including CPD activity 

• Support delivery of education sessions at external events and contribute to BSH events 

• Work collaboratively with other societies and organisations to enhance educational content and signposting 

• Support educational outputs across BSH committees, particularly the Nurse Forum and Research Forum 

Location: The role is national, managing teams in Northern Ireland, Wales and across England. You will need to be able to work at one of our BookTrust offices in London, Leeds, Belfast or Cardiff for an average of 8 days per month whilst some of these collaboration days may be worked in partner locations, at events or stakeholder meetings in any part of the country. The position will require regular travel to BookTrust office bases and to visit and engage as needed.

BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. We know that children who read are happier, healthier, more empathetic, and more creative. They also do better at school.

Working with every local authority and across every region in the country, and supported by Arts Council funding, we reach over 3 million families a year via partners in schools, children’s centres, health visitors and libraries. This incredible network helps us to get children reading across the country.

This is a new role within the organisation and the postholder will be responsible for defining aspects of the role, building relationships and processes that will enhance our ways of working as part of wider organisational processes. 

You will be an excellent communicator who manages up effectively and who is comfortable working across a matrixed managed team. You will work closely with the Director of Partnerships in building relationships, systems and processes that support our delivery across regions and countries as well as working closely with key role holders such as but not confined to the Head of Partnerships Development, and Head of Programme for Vulnerable Children.

The Head of Partnerships Delivery will lead and coordinate our early years scaled programme delivery as well as ensuring activities to support delivery and development of our vulnerable children’s work are catered or within team processes and relationship building with strategic and local stakeholders.

This work spans the organisation – and will have a close working relationships with key stakeholders in operations on aspects of the work as well as to research and impact, design and innovation, growth planning, communications, profile-raising and income generation – and requires strong collaborative working to draw on skills and capacity in all these areas. 

To apply, please complete the application along with a copy of your CV.

Want to join us? To find out more about who we are please go to our website. 

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and welcome candidates from all backgrounds and communities. 

Please note that this advert may close early should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity

We aim to provide an inclusive recruitment process and actively welcome applications from diverse talent pools: minority ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities and long-term conditions and candidates from underrepresented communities.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and want to ensure we have an accessible application process for all candidates. If you need any reasonable adjustments or would like us to do anything differently during the application process, please contact our HR team (contact details can be found on our website). 

BookTrust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The recruitment and selection process reflect our commitment to safeguarding therefore, the suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment, and pre-employment checks.

Location: The role is national, managing teams in Northern Ireland, Wales and across England. You will need to be able to work at one of our BookTrust offices in London, Leeds, Belfast or Cardiff for an average of 8 days per month whilst some of these collaboration days may be worked in partner locations, at events or stakeholder meetings in any part of the country. The position will require regular travel to BookTrust office bases and to visit and engage as needed.

BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. We know that children who read are happier, healthier, more empathetic, and more creative. They also do better at school.

Working with every local authority and across every region in the country, and supported by Arts Council funding, we reach over 3 million families a year via partners in schools, children’s centres, health visitors and libraries. This incredible network helps us to get children reading across the country.

This is a new role within the organisation and the new role holder will have a chance to shape and build the role over time.  You will be a strong leader with great people skills -experience of working with and leading teams working in geographically dispersed locations is advantageous. 

You will have a clear experience the public sector landscape with a track record of relationships building, and an understanding of the local government policy landscape. With a collaborative approach to working across interconnecting complex work areas, you will be comfortable working within a matrix style of management for your won direct reports and those of other teams. 

You may have charity or statutory setting experience, and will have the ability to set out a strategic direction for partnerships team members as well as being hands on in developing new relationships to support our work as well as being able to produce high quality written materials, analyse complex data and respond dynamically to a changing external landscape.

You will be an excellent communicator who manages up effectively and who is comfortable working across a matrixed managed team. You will have the ability to work closely with the Director of Partnerships in building relationships, and developing and delivering on strategies that support impact in our early years programmes by guiding the work of our partnerships team.  You will be working closely with key role holders such as but not confined to the Head of Partnerships Delivery, and Head of Programme for Vulnerable Children.

The Head of Partnerships Development will ensure increasingly effective pathways to families by setting out ways of working that ensure delivery teams can access these routes, influence decision makers and develop and build the right relationships for greatest impact. Along with the Director of partnerships the role holder will aim to both influence and respond to central, local and regional policy initiatives in the sector to support BookTrust’s mission to get all children reading, especially those from low income and vulnerable family backgrounds.
The role holder will ensure internal stakeholders are briefed on the local government landscape and that risks and opportunities are clearly articulated.

This work spans the organisation – from within our partnerships team to our research and impact, communications and external affairs, design and innovation, growth planning, communications, profile-raising and income generation – and requires strong collaborative working to draw on skills and capacity in all these areas. 

The role will work internally and externally to ensure the right inputs to ensure success for our scaled programmes, supporting everything from design to upskilling our team and relationship building across the local government and regional and country landscape.

To apply, please complete the application along with a copy of your CV.

Want to join us? To find out more about who we are please go to our website. 

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and welcome candidates from all backgrounds and communities,

Please note that this advert may close early should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity

We aim to provide an inclusive recruitment process and actively welcome applications from diverse talent pools: minority ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities and long-term conditions and candidates from underrepresented communities.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and want to ensure we have an accessible application process for all candidates. If you need any reasonable adjustments or would like us to do anything differently during the application process, please contact our HR team (contact details are available on our website).

BookTrust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The recruitment and selection process reflect our commitment to safeguarding therefore, the suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment, and pre-employment checks.