Policy research jobs

About Us

We are Kinship, the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers - friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. Our mission is to ensure kinship families are recognised, valued, and supported. We provide advice, training, and community connections to help carers navigate the challenges of raising children in kinship care. Together, we campaign for change so that every kinship family gets the support they need.

About the role

Kinship Connected is an evidence-informed 6-month intervention for kinship carers. It is delivered in the home and in the community. As a Kinship Family Worker for Kinship Connected, you will deliver our flagship programme to families in Surrey. You will provide intensive one-to-one support to kinship carers to empower them to become resilient, well informed and equipped with a strong support network to help them care for the children in their care. You will help them to navigate their local ecosystems and support them to unlock community assets and support.

Alongside this, you will play a key role in the delivery of Kinship’s Ready Programme in Surrey, ensuring kinship carers are supported to access and engage with workshops and wider kinship services that meet their needs. The Kinship Ready programme is designed to support prospective and new kinship carers understand their journey to becoming Special Guardians.

You will be committed to the work of Kinship, passionate about making a difference to the lives of vulnerable families, and you will have proven experience of working with families, particularly those in more disadvantaged circumstances.

You’ll bring excellent relationship building, communication and organisational skills, as well as the ability to work on your own initiative and collaboratively with partners, both externally and internally.

Key responsibilities:

One-to-one support

You will provide intensive one-to-one support, directly to kinship carers for up to six-months working within the Kinship Connected delivery model. This may include, but is not limited to:

• 1:1 emotional support
• Advocacy support in meetings
• Supporting kinship carers to attend a peer support group
• Liaising with local organisations that can offer specialised support and training
• Liaising with schools or other organisations
• Supporting kinship carers with the behaviour of the child/ children in their care
• Signposting to other support services
• Grants – support with grant application for essential items and holiday breaks
• Setting up and facilitating a monthly support group within your commissioned area
• Signposting carers to Kinship training opportunities or organising targeted training workshops within your LA

Ready Programme delivery and coordination

As part of your role, you will support the effective delivery of Kinship’s Ready Workshops, working closely with the internal colleagues and the local authority. Responsibilities include:

• Booking kinship carers onto Ready workshops and supporting their engagement throughout the programme
• Registering carers via scheduled phone calls, ensuring they understand the programme and feel supported to attend
• Identifying and responding to any additional needs carers may have, including reasonable adjustments, access needs or emotional support, and signposting appropriately
• Referring carers to other Kinship services such as Kinship’s Advice service, Peer to Peer and Training and Support
• Occasionally assisting with the delivery of Ready Programme workshops online
• Completing administrative tasks related to the programme, including registering attendance, maintaining accurate participant records and updating internal systems
• Collating feedback, monitoring outcomes and gathering other relevant data to support evaluation, reporting and continuous improvement of the Ready Programme

Knowledge, abilities, skills and experience:

Essential:

Experience

· Experience of family work and undertaking needs assessments both in person and remotely

· Experience of setting up and facilitating support groups on an in-person and remote basis.

· Experience of working with statutory, voluntary and community networks and the ability to represent the organisation to external stakeholders.

· Experience of dealing with safeguarding

· Experience of using a Customer Relations Management system (CRM)

Knowledge, skills and understanding

• Knowledge and understanding of kinship care and the ability to learn quickly about the regulations and guidance relating to special guardians.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven track record of high-level administrative work and experience of working with a case management system to record interventions.
• Excellent organisational skills
• The ability to maintain confidentiality, in line with Kinship policies and GDPR
• IT skills and experience, particularly in Work, Excel, and CRM’s such as Salesforce
• Ability to work on your own initiative and manage your diary
• The ability to manage a complex and varied workload to successfully meet project deadlines and KPI’s.
• Right to work in the UK and a Full, clean driver’s licence.

Desirable:

• Personal experience of kinship care
• Experience in writing copy, case studies and newsletter articles as well as shorter reports
• Experience of using Salesforce database or similar
• Knowledge and awareness of the National Kinship Care strategy for England 2024

Kinship offers 30 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time). We have an excellent wellbeing offer including the Employee Assistance Programme and clinical supervision. We will invest in your professional development with training and career development opportunities.

Kinship is committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion.  We believe our work is greatly enhanced by the varied backgrounds, experiences and views represented within our teams.  We aim to create inclusive teams, celebrate differences and encourage everyone to join us and be their true self at work.   We therefore encourage applications from anyone who fits our values, whatever their religion or belief, sex, gender identity, race, age, sexuality or disability and are actively seeking candidates that can bring real innovation and commitment to us. 

Application questions:

1. Motivation and role understanding

Why do you want to work for Kinship as a Kinship Family Worker delivering the Kinship Connected programme, and how does this role align with your values and experience?
Please refer to your understanding of intensive one-to-one family support and the additional responsibility of supporting carers to engage with programmes.

2. One-to-one family work and assessment

Kinship Connected provides intensive one-to-one support to kinship carers over a period of up to six months.
Describe how you would build trust and effective working relationships with kinship carers, both in person and remotely. Please include:

• Your approach to completing a carer needs assessment and setting SMART goals
• An example of how you have adapted your approach to meet the needs of a family facing challenges or disadvantage

3. Group work, programme coordination and administration

This role includes supporting the delivery of group-based support (running peer-support groups), including coordinating carers’ participation in the Ready Programme and occasional involvement in workshops.
Please describe your experience of:

• Booking or registering individuals onto groups, workshops or programmes
• Supporting engagement before, during and after sessions for peer-support groups and workshops/training referrals
• Managing associated administration (e.g. attendance records, data entry, feedback collection)

If you do not have direct experience, please refer to similar work you have undertaken.

4. Safeguarding, boundaries and managing complexity

Kinship carers supported through this role may experience high levels of stress, trauma and complex family situations.
How do you:

• Identify, respond to and escalate safeguarding concerns in both one-to-one and group settings
• Maintain professional boundaries while offering empathetic support
• Manage a varied caseload, prioritise tasks and maintain accurate records when working with families experiencing complex or crisis situation

Play to the Crowd (incorporating Theatre Royal Winchester, Hat Fair and Playmakers) is looking for a Fundraising Manager. 

Hours/contract: Permanent, full time, 36 hours per week (job share or part-time hours will be considered for the right candidate)

Salary: £28,950 - £32,754 depending on length of service 

Base: Theatre Royal Winchester / Hybrid

We’re looking for a confident and enthusiastic fundraiser with a track record of delivering and leading major donor fundraising, membership schemes, corporate partnerships as well as securing significant funds from Trusts and Foundations.

The Fundraising Manager is responsible for implementing the charity’s fundraising strategy to increase our fundraised income to support all areas of our activity. This will be achieved by connecting donors and supporters to our mission to delight and unite communities through the power of live performance and participation.

The charity has ambitious plans for the future. We will continue to invest in the beautiful Theatre Royal Winchester. With the absence of Arts Council England National Portfolio funding, we will be transitioning to a new structure and funding model for future Hat Fair festivals. Through our engagement projects we will continue to have impact on our local community both in central Winchester and the wider district.

The Fundraising Manager role will be vital in:

• Helping to develop a sustainable fundraising model to secure future Hat Fair festivals

• Securing funding from Trusts and Foundations for community projects, core revenue to support our artistic and creative ambitions, and capital works

• Cultivating and securing large gifts from Major Donors

• Growing our membership base – our members are loyal and key advocates of the charity and audiences for our events

• Managing the relationships and developing our Corporate Partnerships 

How to Apply 

Application deadline: 10am Tue 17 February 2026 
Interviews: Wed 25 February 2026 

Interested? If you would like to find out more details about this role please visit our website where you can find the Job Description and Person Specification. Our website also contains our application form. Please note that we require fully completed application forms. We are unable to accept CVs. 

Keen on this role but seen something you’re not sure about? Don’t rule yourself out, get in touch to talk it through. For an informal discussion about the role, please get contact Kirstie Mathieson, Communications and Development Director (email available in the job pack) 

Play to the Crowd is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences and is also open to job share proposals. 

Trusts & Foundations Manager – David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)

 Hybrid | Full-time | 35 hours per week

We’re looking for an experienced Trusts & Foundations fundraiser to lead and grow our major grant income at the David Shepherd Wildlife FoundationDSWF).

In this senior role, you’ll develop and deliver a sustainable Trusts & Foundations strategy, securing significant multi-year funding to support our conservation, education and art programmes. Working closely with our Senior Management Team, you’ll build strong relationships with UK and international grant-makers and position DSWF as a strategic funding partner.

About you:
You’ll bring a strong track record of securing five-figure (or above) grants, excellent writing skills, and a genuine passion for conservation and the protection of endangered species.

Why join us?
• Make a direct impact on wildlife conservation
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture
• Hybrid working and generous annual leave

Apply now to help protect wildlife and build long-term funding for conservation.

Visit the careers page of our website for full details, job description and application pack. Deadline for applications Monday 16th February.

Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough is expanding its services to provide vital, community-based support to Doncaster residents facing the challenges of the rising cost of living and energy crisis. We are seeking a dedicated individual to deliver holistic and specialist Money & Energy advice.

As part of our team, you will empower clients to achieve the best possible outcomes by providing high-quality customer service and support, all while upholding the core aims and principles of the Citizens Advice Service. You will thrive in a dynamic environment, demonstrating both initiative and strong teamwork, and be committed to going the extra mile to make a real difference. 

This fixed-term contract is initially until 30st June 2026  and is subject to continued funding. The role involves working across various locations within Doncaster.

 

Role purpose

• To provide Energy & Money advice to clients 

• To provide advice on how to deal with Energy Debts 

• To provide a high-quality advice and support services 

• A Benefit Calculation as part of Income Maximisation

• Energy Efficiency support & advice 

• Act for the client where necessary by calculating, negotiating, drafting or writing letters and telephoning. 

•  Negotiate with third parties as appropriate. 

• Switching energy providers 

• Information and support on the Priority Services Register

• Check eligibility and provide Information about the Warm Home Discount 

• Any other possible Schemes / Grants available that can support the client with their energy issues

• Provide Advice on energy complaints and processes 

• Smart Meter information / advice

• Carbon Monoxide Awareness

• To provide Financial Capability and Income Maximisation advice to clients. 

• To share responsibility for compliance with the Projects targets and requirements.

• Ensure quality standards are met. 

• To work effectively with other partners to deliver a seamless service to clients

• Undertake service delivery at Outreach venues as required. 

• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer to other advisers or specialist agencies as appropriate.

• To contribute to the Research and Campaigns work of Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough.

Advice 

• To provide Energy & Money advice to clients on energy issues

• To provide advice on how to deal with Energy Debts, looking at wider debt issues and options, making referrals or taking action as appropriate. 

• Provide General Advice and assisted information to clients on energy issues

• Empower clients to act on advice and information provided 

• Act for the client where necessary by calculating, negotiating, drafting or writing letters and telephoning.

• Negotiate with third parties as appropriate. 

• Ensure income maximisation through the take up of appropriate benefits. 

• Provide advice and assistance to other staff across the whole range of advice issues. 

• Ensure that all casework conforms to the organisation's Office Manual and the Advice Quality Standard and/or the Specialist Quality Mark as appropriate.

• Maintain case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, statistical monitoring and report preparation. 

• Ensure that all work conforms to the organisation's systems and procedures. 

Research and campaigns 

•  Assist with research and campaigns work by providing information about clients' circumstances. 

• Provide statistical information on the number of clients and nature of cases and provide regular reports to management. 

• Monitor service provision to ensure that it reaches the widest possible client group. 

• Alert other staff to local and national issues. 

Professional development 

• Keep up to date with legislation and undertake appropriate training. 

• Read relevant publications. 

• Attend relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the Team Leader and/or Line Manager. 

• Assist with Service initiatives for the improvement of services. 

Administration 

• Review and make recommendations for improvements to Citizens Advice services. 

• Maintain local information systems. 

• Use IT for statistical recording, record keeping and document production. 

• Keep up to date with policies and procedures relevant to organisational work and undertake appropriate training. 

• Attend internal and external meetings as agreed with the Team Leader and/or Manager.  

• Maintain close liaison with relevant external agencies. 

Other duties and responsibilities 

• Carry out any other tasks that may be within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service. 

• Demonstrate commitment to the aims and policies of the Citizens Advice service. 

• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for your own safety and that of colleagues. 

Person specification

• Experience of providing Advice. 

• Effective oral communication skills with particular emphasis on negotiating and representing. 

• Effective writing skills with particular emphasis on negotiating, representing and preparing reviews, reports and correspondence. 

• Ordered approach to workload and an ability and willingness to follow and develop agreed procedures. 

• Understand the issues involved in interviewing clients. 

• Numerate to the level required in the tasks. 

• Ability to prioritise own work, meet deadlines and manage caseload. 

• Ability to use IT in the provision of advice and the preparation of reports and submissions. 

• Ability to monitor and maintain own standards and work as part of a wider team 

• Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and its equality and diversity policies. 

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of providing General. Energy or debt advice would be desirable. 

• Experience of working to targets

• Experience of working in the voluntary sector would be desirable. 

• Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively 

• Demonstrate understanding of social trends and their implications for clients and service provision 

• Have access to a vehicle and be willing to travel

Events Fundraising Officer

We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.  

We currently have around 95 staff based in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to grow our staff team to deliver our ambitious strategy, On a mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Job Summary for Events Fundraising Officer 

We’re seeking an experienced Events Fundraising Officer to work on delivering our UK wide portfolio of challenge events. You’ll be passionate about working in events fundraising and enjoy being part of a busy team. This role sits in the Events team within the Public Fundraising department, generating over £1 million of income. The Events Fundraising Officer will play a key part in our exciting plans to grow this area of fundraising.

We're looking for someone who loves building relationships, enjoys creating engaging communications, has excellent attention to detail and loves working as part of a busy and thriving team. If this sounds like you and you fit our person specification, you might be the person for us. In return you'll join our brilliant team and finish each day knowing you've played a central role in supporting people affected by bowel cancer.

The role is managed by the Senior Events Fundraising Officer and other key relationships are with the wider Public Fundraising team, Marketing and Communications, Data and IT, Finance teams and external agency partners.

Main responsibilities

Project management

· Support the Senior Events Fundraising Officer in managing, delivering, and evaluating a range of fundraising events covering running, cycling and UK challenge events

· Manage events in the portfolio for example Great North Run, Ultra Challenge Series treks

· Regularly report on agreed KPIs

· Work closely with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure fundraising events are effectively promoted

· Develop and maintain excellent relationships across the organisation to ensure projects are executed effectively, on time and to budget

· To prepare and present event evaluation reports

Supporter care and stewardship

· Write and develop effective stewardship journeys, using engaging copy to ensure income targets are hit, average gifts are increased, and supporter conversion and retention rates are improved

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

#Fundraising #Events Fundraising #Events Fundraising Officer 

Yada is a small charity working to prevent and remove the stigma around the sexual exploitation of women and girls. Based in West Sussex our services include specialist 1-1 tailored support to self-identifying women involved in the sex industry, as well as partnership working to deliver preventative workshops to women who may be at risk of sexual exploitation.

Our training offer to professionals who support women who are being sexually exploited has also grown over the last few years. In 2025 over 200 professionals received our training. We are at an exciting time in the development of the charity as we look to expand our services, including reviewing our established training offer and exploring new options. 

The role

The Training and Resourcing Lead will have a key role to play in shaping and strengthening Yada, building on our previous success, and ensuring the charity’s sustainability as a respected specialist in the area of sexual exploitation locally and nationally. The role will have responsibility for leading on the review, design, development and delivery of our training offer to external partners and professionals, including networking and proactive local partnership building, to ensure all professionals who support women who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation receive training support. The role will also have responsibility to research, design and deliver a package of short internal training sessions for the development and upskilling of our outreach staff to ensure they remain trauma informed and current as specialists in supporting women in the sex industry. There is an expectation that the post holder will become Yada’s specialist in the sexual exploitation of women who are at risk, and be able to share this knowledge.

About you

We are seeking a self-motivated and organised female who has experience at collabarative working and relationship building, with previous experience in presenting or training.  She should have the ability to take on a specialist area and share this with others in a professional manner in person or online, promoting positive learning. Ideally this person would have previous experience or knowledge of working with vulnerable people, demonstrate an understanding to responses to trauma and PTSD, or show a commitment and passion for marginalised communities and be willing to learn. Knowledge of violence against women and girls would be an advantage.​

Founded in 1927, the University of Hull has a long and proud history. Through our teaching, research and civic engagement, we are helping to shape and deliver the future prosperity of our region and far beyond. 

Leading the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement team, the Director will drive the design and implementation of the University’s inaugural comprehensive fundraising campaign, launching it at the culmination of our centenary celebrations in summer 2028. Building on progress made to date, the Director will leverage the centenary to elevate the roles of philanthropy and alumni engagement in support of the University’s future ambitions. 

Person specification: 
- Extensive knowledge of philanthropy, preferably within higher education, including fundraising best practice
- Extensive knowledge of alumni engagement and its role in building connections and supporting wider institutional priorities
- Demonstrable track record of building relationships and working with prospects to secure gifts at the six-figure level and above
- Experience of leading philanthropic campaigns and exceeding fundraising targets
- Experience of leading and managing teams carrying out philanthropic and/or engagement activities 
- Experience of strategic and data-driven operational planning and performance management

Dixon Walter is leading the candidate search on behalf of the University. For more information and details of how to apply by 15 February, please see the candidate brief.

#Director
#DirectorPhilanthropyandAlumniEngagement
#UniversityofHull

We’re excited to be partnering with Consumers International, a high-impact, international non-profit, membership organisation, working at the forefront of social innovation, consumer rights and global policy. This is a fantastic opportunity for a Communications Lead – a proactive, strategic thinker who can help tell their story to the world.

I’m especially keen to hear from individuals with persuasive communications experience, reaching out to industry makers, government, society, or charities as part of your communications background. B2B Communications experience is essential.

As Communications Lead, you will enjoy working within an innovative, entrepreneurial environment, with a drive to deliver excellence and aptly project manage across high-profile moments – events, product launches, campaigns.

Your experience:

• Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing strategic communications plans which have significantly raised an organisation’s profile.
• Established communications experience, preferably in a B2B environment, for memberships, charity, government or international development sectors
• Evidence of crafting a range of communications that have resonated with funders and/or partners, including across industry and policy-makers.
• Strong track record of creating compelling communications, particularly for digital (website, social media) and externally placed pieces (opinion pieces).
• Strong audience mapping, message development and evaluation experience.
• Excellent project management and organisation skills, being able to lead well across teams and managing external stakeholders to time and budget.

Are you driven to lead strategic communications across digital, social, and campaign channels – helping shape global narratives and raise the visibility of key research, tools, and events for Consumers International? Please apply today!

• Remote role
• 2-year fixed term contract, with strong potential to become permanent
• £43,000- £45,000 depending on experience
• Interviews held on a rolling basis – early applications encouraged.

Applications for the Communications Lead will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please apply today. For more information, please apply now!

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Are you passionate about building meaningful relationships and making a real impact in the community?

We are looking to appoint a dynamic and innovative High Value Manager to help resource our mission and nurture excellent relationships with high value donors.

Key responsibilities: This pivotal role will work with our existing supporters and prospects to provide them with the best possible experience with The Salvation Army.

In addition, as a High Value Manager, you will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies for donors giving under £10,000, crafting personalised journeys that highlight the impact of their generosity and strengthen their connection to our mission.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Good previous experience of successfully working in a fundraising role, with a demonstrable understanding of the supporter experience, and practical experience of developing and implementing effective supporter/client cultivation strategies to deliver sustained income.
• The ability to write effective communication materials to improve and enhance engagement with high-value supporters, helping them see the impact of their contributions.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relations with high-value supporters.
• Good commercial awareness, with prospect research experience and the ability to engage with new/existing supporters to secure donations, whilst fully aligned with and demonstrating the behaviours and values of the organisation.
• Proven ability to lead improvements and develop new tools to enhance the High Value Donor supporter journey.

Join us and be part of a team making a real difference every day.

Benefits:
25 days annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata for part-time) a contributory pension scheme; an employee assistance programme.

Working hours: Minimum of 35 hours per week, working a minimum of 40% across each month in the Territorial Headquarters, London, SE5 8FJ.

Closing date: Tuesday 10th February 2026 at 9am.

In order to complete your application please download and read the job profile and any other attachments.

In the job profile you will find the criteria required for the role please make sure that you address this in your supporting statement as this forms the basis of our shortlisting.

Appointment subject to satisfactory references, proof of right to work in the UK.

For details of how to prove your right to work in the UK please click here and please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship. 

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier if we feel that we have received sufficient applications.

Promoting equality in the workplace and as a disability confident leader scheme employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet all the minimum essential criteria for the vacancy

Barrow Cadbury Trust is an independent, endowed charitable foundation that has been working with others to drive structural change that leads to a just and equal society for more than 100 years.

We want to effect long-term structural change through influencing, advocacy, campaigning, convening and research. We work in deep collaboration with partners, with a focus on helping build and sustain alliances and ecosystems for social change. We are also committed to supporting those directly affected by injustice to play a central role in advocating for change.

This is an exciting time to join the Trust. As Head of Migration you will manage an established grants programme that aims to support a fair and just immigration system and a more balanced migration debate. We are entering the final year of our current strategy and are looking for someone who will both manage the existing grants and partnerships and oversee an evaluation of our migration work to date, so that this learning can feed into the development of a new organisational strategy.  This role will be of interest if you are committed to social justice and want to help the Trust build on our work to make a real difference in tackling long-term structural inequality.

We have a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and we encourage applications from people with personal experience of the social justice and human rights issues we seek to address. All staff have the right to request flexible working and to have this considered by their manager.

We're looking for a highly organised and creative Communications Officer to join our busy Communications Department. If you're passionate about clear, compelling communication and want your work to make a real difference across our membership, this could be the role for you. The communications team help champion the value of our members, influence national debate, and support our members. As part of our Creative, Publishing and Production team, you'll help deliver high-quality publications, campaigns and communications seen by nurses, policymakers and the wider public. Your work will support our mission to improve nursing practice, shape health policy, and represent more than half a million health professionals.

As our Communications Officer, you will:

• Be the engine behind our publications and materials.
• Coordinate production workflows across planning, writing, design, print and distribution.
• Maintain project files and schedules, keeping our processes running smoothly.
• Keep our publication's database up to date, summarising new materials and monitoring stock levels.
• Support consistent, high-quality communication
• Proofread and edit copy, ensuring accuracy, clarity and adherence to writing standards.
• Check and protect the visual identity across a range of channels, materials and communications
• Write copy for events, campaigns and marketing materials, working with designers to produce print- and web-ready outputs.
• Help bring our stories to life
• Source appropriate photography, manage permissions and maintain the photo library.
• Support the ongoing development of key campaigns, including updates, proofreading, image research and commissioning designers.
• Play a crucial role in member and stakeholder engagement
• Manage distribution of publications for members, staff and events.
• Work with colleagues across the organisation to deliver a seamless service for our members.
• Represent the team at occasional UK-wide events, including our week-long Annual Congress.
• We're looking for someone who can work confidently in a fast-paced environment, build strong relationships and bring precision and creativity to everything they do.

Experience & skills required for the role

• Experience in a communications or publications role, including writing for print and digital.
• You will have worked in the public sector in communications and, ideally in a health or membership setting.
• A strong copywriter, editor and proofreader - able to follow house style and follow guidelines with meticulous attention to detail.
• Experience of working on publications and a wide range of channels and formats
• Able to understand complex information or policies to create engaging content
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines within a busy team.
• Excellent literacy, numeracy and organisational skills.
• Confidence of working collaboratively with colleagues at all levels
• Educated to an A-level standard or equivalent; a communications-related qualification
• Willingness to travel occasionally (including overnight stays) and attend Congress.

If this role is of interest, please apply ASAP with a word version of your CV highlighting all your experience for the role or do get in touch to discuss the role in detail. The deadline is Friday the 30th of Jan 10am and interviews are to be held week commencing the 2nd of February.

Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk

Overview

We’re looking for a strong bid writer to join our successful national Business Development Team as a Business Development Officer. This is an excellent opportunity to grow your career in business development within a successful team that prioritises social impact, development and progression. We’d particularly like to hear from people that have experience of writing high-scoring drug and alcohol service bids.

Location: London, Brighton, Manchester or Leeds.

Salary: £37,184.91 – £39,891.91 per year. If you’re based in London, you’ll receive an additional £4,133.14 per year - Inner London Weighting.

Contract: Permanent.

Responsibilities

About the role

Change Grow Live is a health and social care charity. Across the country, we support people to make positive changes in their lives, including around drug and alcohol use, smoking, homelessness and criminal justice.

As a Business Development Officer, you’ll play a key part in helping us secure new contracts and deliver high‑quality services for adults, children and young people. You’ll work with colleagues across the organisation to develop excellent written material for bids and proposals. This role offers a great opportunity to learn and develop while using your established skills, and you’ll be encouraged to take on more responsibility as you progress.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Writing and editing multiple complex bid responses within live tenders
• Working with colleagues across the organisation to gather information and evidence
• Project managing smaller bids and proposals with support from a Senior Business Development Officer or Business Development Manager
• Completing online research, analysing data and collating evidence
• Creating presentations, diagrams and reports
• Helping improve how we do things.

About you

We’re looking for candidates with proven experience of writing tenders, proposals or grant applications, or writing in other professional or academic environments, for instance journalism, research or marketing.

You are:

• A highly competent communicator with excellent writing skills
• Able to analyse data and interpret evidence, with good IT and research skills
• Solution-focused, creative and proactive
• Happy to give and receive challenging feedback
• Collaborative and contribute to a positive culture team
• Ready to work hard to deliver on CGL’s values and mission.

What we offer

You’ll be able to access structured training, development and mentoring as part of a supportive team. There’s a clear progression pathway within the team, from Officer to Senior Officer, Manager, Senior Manager, Deputy Director, and Director. Several of our current Seniors and Managers were previously in the Business Development Officer role.

We also offer:

• The option to work from home for some of the week
• Wellbeing support, including an employee assistance programme and an hour each week for wellbeing activities of your choice (find out more here).

We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we work with. We pride ourselves on an inclusive and supportive workplace, evidenced through our Investors in People silver status.

We’re happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that you need to be successful. Please let us know in your application or at any stage of the process if you would like to discuss this.

Before you apply

In the application portal, there’s a section called ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’. This is your chance to tell us about why you’re a good fit for this job – we won’t be able to consider your application unless it’s filled in. Please explain how you meet each of the person specification criteria (listed at the end of the job description). Use clear examples of your experience (this link contains some useful guidance). As guidance, written statements should not exceed 1,000 words. You can address multiple criteria together where you think it makes sense.

Interviews will be held 16th – 23rd February 2026 via MS Teams. We’ll also ask shortlisted candidates to complete a written task online during this timeframe, at a time of your choice. We may hold a pre-qualification stage task (e.g. presentation) depending on the number of applicants.

We encourage applications from individuals who may not meet every requirement but are excited about the role. We value lived experience of substance use, homelessness, and/or multiple disadvantages.

We’re a Disability Confident Committed employer. Under our Disability Confident interview scheme, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. Please confirm in the ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’ part of the application if you are applying under this scheme. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

Check the job description and team explainer for more information. You can contact Yasmin Gilders to discuss this role further.

What our people say

Kitty, Business Development Officer:

“What was your route into your current job? I graduated with an English Literature degree in 2019 and started out as an Editorial Assistant in publishing. Furloughed during the pandemic, I took the opportunity to complete a master’s in English Literature before moving into medical communications, where I also worked as an Editorial Assistant. While I enjoyed the work, I wanted a role that allowed me to get more involved in the research and writing, which led me to join CGL as an Assistant Business Development Officer in 2023. After gaining bid writing experience, I started as Business Development Officer in 2024.

What are your favourite parts of the job? I love how varied the job is. One day I might be deep in research, whether that’s desk-based or visiting a service in person, while the next I’m writing and editing responses for a live bid or even creating visuals. No two days are the same, and variety keeps the job exciting.

How would you describe the team? The team is incredibly lovely and supportive. There’s always someone ready to offer help, share advice, or even just have a quick chat, which makes it a really positive and collaborative environment to work in.

What were your highlights from last year? Being part of the team that won the Blackpool contract. We all invested a lot of time and effort into it, and the whole organisation was excited by the outcome.

Is there anything you would say to someone considering applying? Go for it! It’s a fantastic role within a supportive, friendly team, and there’s so much variety and opportunity to learn. If you’re considering applying, you won’t regret it.”

Holly, who progressed from Business Development Officer to Senior Business Development Officer last year:

“What are your favourite parts of this work? The amount we learn from bid to bid. No two services are the same and I’m constantly coming across amazing individuals, teams and interventions. Being part of a team that helps share and celebrate great work, and support other services to implement new and exciting initiatives is really rewarding.

How would you describe the team? Helpful, real and full of knowledge. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and is happy to share their skills, knowledge and learning. I’ve never felt like I’ve asked a silly question, and I don’t feel like I must put a on ‘work mask’.

What were your highlights from last year? Becoming a Senior and working across 7 different bids or direct awards last year. It was busy but I learnt so much, made some great connections with people across the organisation and feel excited for 2026.”

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 33 to 36 (£37,184.90 - £39,891.91)

Interview Date

16/2/2026

Closing Date

8/2/2026

Overview

We’re looking for an Assistant Business Development Officer (Bid Writer) to join our national Business Development Team. This is a great opportunity for an excellent writer to start or grow your bid writing career in a successful team with progression opportunities. 

Location: London, Brighton, Manchester or Leeds. 

Salary: £27,861.26 − £32,002.35 per year. If you’re based in London, you’ll receive an additional £4,133.14 per year as Inner London Weighing. 

Contract: 12 months fixed term. 

Responsibilities

About the role 

Change Grow Live is a health and social care charity. Across the country, we support people to make positive changes in their lives, including around drug and alcohol use, smoking, homelessness and criminal justice. 

As an Assistant Business Development Officer, you’ll play a key part in helping us secure new contracts and deliver high quality services for adults, children and young people. You’ll support the development of bids and proposals by writing, researching and collaborating with colleagues across the organisation. 

Your day-to-day will include: 

• Writing and editing bid responses 
• Working with colleagues across the organisation and our partner agencies 
• Completing online research, analysing data and collating evidence 
• Creating presentations, diagrams and reports 
• Helping improve how we do things. 

This is a developmental role, and you’ll receive ongoing support, guidance and training to help you progress. 

About you 

We’re looking for excellent writers who share our passion for supporting people to make positive changes in their lives. You don’t need previous experience in business development, but experience in health and social care, writing, sales, research, or data is beneficial. 

You are: 

• A clear, concise and engaging writer 
• Motivated to learn and develop, welcoming feedback 
• Collaborative and contribute to a positive culture team 
• Curious and analytical 
• Solution-focused, creative and proactive 
• Ready to work hard to deliver on CGL’s values and mission. 

What we offer 

You’ll be able to access structured training, development and mentoring as part of a supportive team. There’s a clear progression pathway within the team. We have a great record of people quickly progressing to Business Development Officer and Senior Business Development Officer roles as they take on increased volume, complexity, and leadership across proposals. 

We also offer: 

• The option to work from home for some of the week 
• Wellbeing support, including an employee assistance programme and an hour each week for wellbeing activities of your choice (find out more here). 

We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we work with. We pride ourselves on an inclusive and supportive workplace, evidenced through our Investors in People silver status. 

We’re happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that you need to be successful. Please let us know in your application or at any stage of the process if you would like to discuss this. 

Before you apply 

In the application portal, there’s a section called ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’. This is your chance to tell us about why you’re a good fit for this job – we won’t be able to consider your application unless it’s filled in. Please explain how you meet each of the person specification criteria (listed at the end of the job description). Use clear examples of your experience (this link contains some useful guidance). As guidance, written statements should not exceed 1,000 words. You can address multiple criteria together where you think it makes sense. 

Interviews will be held 16th – 23rd February 2026 via MS Teams. We’ll also ask shortlisted candidates to complete a written task online during this timeframe, at a time of your choice. We may hold a pre-qualification stage task (e.g. presentation) depending on the number of applicants. 

We encourage applications from individuals who may not meet every requirement but are excited about the role. We value lived experience of substance use, homelessness, and/or multiple disadvantages. 

We’re a Disability Confident Committed employer. Under our Disability Confident interview scheme, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. Please confirm in the ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’ part of the application if you are applying under this scheme. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed. 

Check the job description and team explainer for more information. You can contact Yasmin Gilders to discuss this role further. 

What our people say 

George, who progressed from Assistant Business Development Officer to Business Development Officer last year: 

“What was your route into the team? I came into Business Development after starting out in frontline roles in local authorities and then a housing charity, where I realised I wanted to continue having an impact on people’s lives, but on a bigger scale. The Assistant Business Development Officer role was a perfect progression, and after about a year I successfully applied for a Business Development Officer role. This felt really manageable given the space for development as an Assistant Business Development Officer. 

What are your favourite parts of the job? Winning contracts is a really great feeling, especially when I know they’ve been shaped with service users and colleague to make sure we’re designing services that offer the best support to the most people. I also value the constant opportunities to learn, feeling supported in my development, and seeing the decisions I’m involved in having a real impact on people’s lives.

What were your highlights from last year? Our team away day in Liverpool, which was great fun as well as chance to hear from the managers of our new Liverpool service. It was one of the first bids I worked on as an Assistant Business Development Officer, and it was amazing to see our bid come to life, being delivered by a passionate group of people.

What would you say to someone thinking of applying? I’d definitely say go for it, and once you start, embrace how much there is to learn! Make the most of a really knowledgeable and supportive team, of managers who genuinely want you to succeed, and of all the opportunities to try new things and develop new skills.” 

Holly, who has progressed from Assistant Business Development Officer to Senior Business Development Officer: 

“What was your route into the team? I was a psychology graduate and teacher training drop out! With my experience of working in schools and academic research into young people’s substance use, I started working as an Education Lead for one of CGL’s young person’s services. After a year I applied to join the Business Development Team, wanting to utilise my experience of working frontline and my love of research and writing. I’ve progressed from Assistant to Officer and then Senior Officer since joining the team in 2022.  

How would you describe the team? Helpful, real and full of knowledge. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and is happy to share their skills, knowledge and learning. I’ve never felt like I’ve asked a silly question, and I don’t feel like I must put a on ‘work mask’.

What would you say to someone thinking of applying? Not to think they can’t do it just because they don’t have experience in bid writing or business development. It’s more important to be able to demonstrate that they’re a confident professional writer and are really passionate about working in the drug and alcohol support sector.” 

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 23 to 28 (£27,861.26 - £32,002.35)

Interview Date

16/2/2026

Closing Date

8/2/2026

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Trusts Fundraising Executive to help grow our income from Charitable trusts, foundations and other grant makers.  This role will support the development and delivery of funding applications as well as helping to identify new funding opportunities. This is a hybrid role.

Heart of Kent Hospice provides compassionate, specialist end-of-life care for people across our community. As demand for our services grows and NHS funding continues to cover only a fraction of our true costs, the need for exceptional bid-writing and proactive trust fundraising has never been more urgent.  This role is responsible for generating high-quality, compelling bids, predominantly in the three and four figure range, to fund essential clinical services, patient support, and transformational projects. You will help ensure the hospice can continue to deliver outstanding care today and plan confidently for the future.

Benefits of Working at the Hospice

At the Hospice we offer a competitive remuneration package including contributory pension scheme with NEST or the option to continue in the NHS pension scheme specifically if you have been contributing in the NHS pension for the last year, life assurance (2 x salary), employee assistance programme, incremental increases in annual leave from 27 days or 19 shifts per annum, up to 33 days or 23 shifts per annum, a flexible/hybrid working approach (where practical and appropriate for the role - 3/5 days at the Hospice location), a warm and friendly atmosphere with a focus on your health and wellbeing.

Trusts Fundraising Executive Main Responsibilities

• Proactively research and evaluate potential grant funders, identifying strong matches for priority hospice projects.
• Build intelligence on both existing and new trust prospects, ensuring a healthy and diverse pipeline of opportunities.
• Work closely with Clinical, Finance, and wider hospice colleagues to gather insight, data and evidence needed to shape compelling cases for support.
• Ensure all information collected meets funders’ expectations for clarity, impact, and accountability.
• Produce accurate and credible project budgets in collaboration with Finance.
• Monitor trust income performance against agreed targets and update colleagues proactively on progress, risks or emerging opportunities.
• Write persuasive, tailored funding applications that clearly communicate need, impact and urgency.
• Deliver exceptional stewardship through timely, personalised thanks, updates, and high-quality reports.

Trusts Fundraising Executive Essential Criteria

• Proven experience of writing successful, high-quality funding applications, securing three and four figure grants or higher.
• Demonstrable understanding of Trusts, Foundations, and statutory/lottery funders and what makes a compelling case for support.
• Experience researching funders and building a strong, diverse pipeline of prospects.
• Experience gathering information from internal stakeholders and translating technical or clinical detail into accessible, persuasive narratives.
• Understanding of budgets for fundraising applications and experience creating or working with project costings.
• Good knowledge of stewardship best practice and donor relationship management.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Full terms of Use and Privacy Policy can be viewed on the hospice website using the following link:-  . The policy outlines why we collect data, what we use if for and who we share it with.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We value diversity in all its forms and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, identities and disabilities.

A Standard DBS Check will be required if you are successfully appointed.

Registered Charity No 298164