Purpose of the Role
The Clinical & Research Lead role provides senior clinical leadership across Together for Short Lives’ most complex and high-profile programmes. The role leads the design and delivery of national clinical initiatives, strengthens clinical governance and safeguarding oversight, and builds the organisation’s research and evidence capability.
Working closely with the Head of Services & Impact, the postholder ensures programmes are credible, evidence-informed and deliver measurable impact for children, families and the wider sector. The role will lead work that strengthens professional practice, improves outcomes for families, and supports national sector development. The role involves significant external representation, national stakeholder engagement, programme planning, research and data oversight, and leadership of internal and external events.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
· Represent Together for Short Lives in national clinical, policy and professional forums, contributing to the organisation’s credibility and influence across the children’s palliative care sector.
· Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of internally hosted stakeholder meetings, including the Leaders of Care Forum and other professional engagement events.
· Provide professional and reflective input into complex organisational decisions relating to clinical practice, programme design and ethical engagement.
· Build strong relationships with practitioners across health, social care, education and voluntary-sector partners to support implementation of clinical programmes and foster collaboration.
· Engage with Integrated Care Boards, Strategic Clinical Networks, and children’s palliative care providers to ensure our work aligns with national priorities and regional needs.
Programme Leadership & Project Oversight
· Provide senior leadership for the planning, development and delivery of clinical and service-improvement projects, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy.
· Oversee the development of project briefs, initiation documents, outcome measures, risk registers, evaluation plans and implementation timelines.
· Hold responsibility for monitoring progress, quality assurance, and risk management, escalating concerns to the Head of Services & Impact as required.
· Coordinate cross-functional project teams and ensure effective collaboration with external organisations, hospices, NHS partners and charitable funders.
· Ensure projects are delivered within agreed scope, timelines and budgets.
· Support the development of robust programme models, theories of change and outcomes frameworks that strengthen the organisation’s ability to secure external funding.
· Contribute to the development of cases for support and programme proposals in collaboration with fundraising colleagues.
Research, Evidence & Insight
- Lead the organisation’s research prioritisation programme and support development of a national children’s palliative care research agenda.
- Build and maintain relationships with academic partners, research institutions and clinical leaders to strengthen the evidence base for children’s palliative care.
- Support development of evaluation frameworks that demonstrate impact, learning and outcomes across programmes.
- Contribute to the organisation’s longer-term ambition to develop a ‘Centre of Impact’, positioning Together for Short Lives as a national authority on evidence and insight in children’s palliative care.
- Ensure research and evaluation activity is ethically robust, appropriately governed and aligned with sector priorities.
Data, Impact & Reporting
· Provide oversight and leadership for data collection, monitoring and reporting processes across the Services & Impact portfolio.
· Line manage the Data & Impact Officer, ensuring robust reporting systems, high-quality data, and meaningful evaluation of programmes.
· Ensure outputs are translated into insights that demonstrate effectiveness, equity, reach and learning - supporting fundraising, influencing and strategic decision-making.
· Support development of improved feedback mechanisms from families and professionals to evidence the impact of support offers and clinical programmes.
Professional Support, Education & Sector Development
· Contribute to the development and dissemination of clinical resources, guidance, toolkits and training for professionals working with children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
· Support national programmes of work, including definitions of children’s palliative care, categories of need, standards, workforce development and professional education.
· Facilitate knowledge exchange and best-practice sharing across the sector through networks, events, workshops and targeted professional engagement.
· Deliver presentations, training sessions and clinical briefings to a wide range of audiences.
Family and Service Engagement
· Work with colleagues across the Services & Impact team and external partners to ensure projects reflect the lived experiences and priorities of children and families.
· Support co-production activities and ensure family voice is meaningfully incorporated into project design and evaluation.
· Promote and signpost to the Family Support Hub and relevant offers, ensuring clear and consistent messaging about available support.
Governance, Quality & Reporting
· Provide additional clinical oversight and challenge across the organisation’s work relating to safeguarding, ethical engagement and complex family situations.
· Contribute to strengthening organisational clinical governance processes and risk management.
· Provide expert advice to colleagues on safeguarding, ethical engagement with families, and complex clinical issues arising from programme work. Contribute to internal reporting cycles, board updates, quarterly programme reviews and funder reports.
· Maintain accurate project documentation, data dashboards and risk logs.
· Provide expert advice to colleagues and stakeholders on clinical considerations and best practice in children’s palliative care.
General Responsibilities
· Provide effective line management, supervision and support to allocated staff.
· Attend team meetings, leadership meetings and organisational events as required.
· Commit to continuous professional development and reflective practice.
· Undertake other duties relevant to the role as required by the Head of Services & Impact.
Please apply using the Application form attached to this advert
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We exist to ensure every seriously ill child and their family gets the high-quality children’s palliative and end of life care
Thank you!
We are seeking an exceptional leader who can act as a credible spokesperson and ambassador for the Catholic Union, building trusted relationships across the Church, parliament and wider society and helping to grow the Catholic Union’s influence and engagement in the years ahead.
Founded in 1870, the Catholic Union of Great Britain brings Catholic laity and Catholic social teaching to the public square across England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with dioceses, parishes, MPs, MSPs, MSs, peers and Catholic organisations, our vision is of a society in which Catholic laity are informed, equipped and encouraged to engage in public life.
Our work is shaped by three key themes: engagement, education and encouragement. Through these we foster informed participation in public debate, help Catholics and the wider public understand contemporary social and political issues through a Catholic lens, and inspire greater confidence for Catholics to contribute to civic and community life.
In recent years the Catholic Union has developed from being largely volunteer-led into a more professional and strategically focused organisation, strengthening relationships across the Church and wider society. Our Weekly Briefing, now read by around 6,500 people each week, has become a key channel for parliamentary reporting, Catholic news and reflection.
As Director, you will lead the Catholic Union at an exciting moment in its development. You will represent the Catholic Union publicly, strengthening relationships with bishops, diocesan leaders, parliamentarians and Catholic organisations. You will act as a trusted ambassador for the Union, grow our channels of influence and engagement, and work with Trustees, Council and a small experienced team to support the organisation’s continued development.
If you are inspired by the opportunity to serve as a public voice for a respected Catholic organisation and help foster thoughtful dialogue and engagement in public life, we would love to hear from you.
For more information, please see the job pack attached. Closing date 10th April.
Thank you!
Starting Salary: £31,312 - £33,815 (including London weighting)
Location: Romero House, London
Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London head Office
Job Profile
We are looking for an Advocacy Assistant who is keen to contribute to the work of CAFOD’s advocacy work, especially our work in Parliament. You will work closely with the policy and campaigns teams in contributing to bringing about long-term change for the poorest and most marginalised. The post will be responsible for monitoring key issues in Parliament and supporting work with the CAFOD All-Party Parliamentary Group. It provides direct support to the Director of Advocacy and Communications and ensures our advocacy and development education grants programme is well administered. You will be interested in advocacy work and have had some experience in campaigns, policy or parliamentary work, maybe gained in a voluntary capacity. You’ll be very well organised, with an eye for detail and completing tasks on time.
Key Responsibilities
Providing focused and valuable administrative support
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Developing and amending online and offline systems for teams or the Group
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Support the teams on events, activities and projects
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Supporting and Coordinating Supporter mailings
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Collate relevant annual reporting information including the ECOSOC reporting.
Parliamentary Monitoring
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To track Parliamentary activity, statements, questions and circulate these to relevant stakeholders within CAFOD
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To support organising Parliamentary events and APPG meetings
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To work with other NGO’s and coalitions on Parliamentary activity
Grant Processing
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To administer the advocacy and development education grants liaising with prospective and successful grantees as appropriate.
Communications Support
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Act as a first point of contact for any external enquiries, passing on requests to others as appropriate, and ensuring that the Supporter Relations Team have up to date information
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Supporting the campaigns and policy team’s communications, mainly internal, and where appropriate, through CAFOD’s external website, social media tools
Financial Support
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Monitoring expenditures and budgets
Person Specification
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Understanding CAFOD: I understand, demonstrate and actively support CAFOD’s vision, mission and values and what we aim to achieve
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Managing ourselves: I recognise what needs to be done and take action to deal with it
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Working with others: I help others in the team and across CAFOD to achieve their goals
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Communicating: I actively listen to others; I keep colleagues informed of developments that may affect them
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Managing resources: I am clear about available resources and how they can be best used. I am careful in the use of resources, including other people’s time
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Achieving results: I have a clear sense of priorities. I keep focused on the work to be done.
Job-specific Competencies
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Experience in administration and budgets in an office environment with good knowledge of IT systems
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Good communication skills, written and verbal.
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Understanding of the UK Parliament is helpful but not essential.
CAFOD is a welcoming and supportive place to work and is committed to a safe and inclusive working culture where all are respected. CAFOD will make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disabilities or individual needs are fully supported.
Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults
CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.
Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.
CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
Registered Charity
101 - 500
CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales tackling poverty and injustice across the world.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.