Role: Humanitarian Management Trainee: Communications
Hours: Full-time
Pay: £35,000 GBP gross per annum
Duration:18 months (with possible extension dependent on funding)
Location: UK-based with international deployment
Are you looking to kickstart your career in the humanitarian sector? Is your ambition to develop towards leadership roles in humanitarian work? And are you willing to work hard, learn by doing, and contribute to humanitarian work by doing everything it takes to deliver lifesaving health emergency responses?
UK-Med is a frontline medical aid charity. Born of the NHS, we’ve been working for over 30 years towards a world where everyone has the healthcare they need when crises or disasters hit.
We are excited to launch our Humanitarian Management Trainee Scheme, offering three distinct trainee roles in the areas of MEAL, Communications and Human Resources & Membership. The Humanitarian Management Trainee Scheme presents an unparalleled learning opportunity for early-career professionals who are committed to a career in humanitarian work. It is an opportunity to accelerate your development towards future leadership roles in the humanitarian sector.
The Humanitarian Management Trainee Scheme consists of an 18-month pathway designed to provide in-depth exposure to humanitarian health programming through a structured professional development plan. You will embed within a team, gaining practical experience and contributing actively to its work and priorities and those of the wider organisation, both at Headquarters and in the field. Alongside this, you will undertake formal and informal professional development through training, mentoring, shadowing and on-the-job learning.
The traineeship is a structured development opportunity and is not intended to fill an established role within UK-Med’s organisational structure.
As a trainee, you will:
- Embed within a team at UK-Med Headquarters, gaining practical experience while contributing to our wider humanitarian preparedness and activities.
- Deploy internationally to assist in delivering humanitarian health responses.
- Participate in tailored training, mentoring, shadowing and on-the-job learning to build your skills, knowledge and experience.
You will have relevant qualifications or equivalent professional experience, with an established technical foundation in your chosen field. Some professional and international experience is essential, alongside a strong interest in applying your existing skills and developing your career within the humanitarian sector.
How to apply
We strongly recommend that you read the Candidate Information Pack - Humanitarian Management Trainee - Communications - Sept 2026 before applying for this role.
To apply, please submit a current CV and answer the application questions:
Please apply below, as soon as possible and no later than Thursday 8th October 2026.
Our selection process is designed to understand your potential, motivation and suitability for the Humanitarian Trainee Scheme, as well as the skills and experience you would bring to your chosen pathway.
Shortlisted candidates will first be invited to an online interview. Following the interview stage, selected candidates will then be invited to attend an in-person assessment in Manchester. The assessment will include a range of individual and/or group activities designed to explore your skills, approach and potential.
The in-person assessment is expected to take place on the 19th of November in Manchester. If you progress to this stage, you will be expected to attend in person, so we encourage applicants to keep this date available where possible. UK-Med will provide further information regarding the assessment and associated travel/logistical arrangements to candidates invited to this stage.
Please note: Due to the nature of this role, candidates must be deployable without the need for additional visa applications to Schengen countries. This requirement is essential for operational reasons to ensure swift and efficient deployment in humanitarian settings, enabling timely and effective responses to crises.
Applications for work in the UK can only be accepted from people with an existing right to work in the UK.
UK-Med is committed to safeguarding of our personnel and beneficiaries and has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation and abuse.We conduct thorough vetting before any appointment is confirmed.
UK-Med is committed to the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion.We strive to provide an inclusive and supportive environment where employees feel respected and supported to be able to fulfil their potential.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
AKF(UK) JOB DESCRIPTION
1. JOB TITLE
Facilities and Operations Manager
2. REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
JOB TITLE
FOR
2.1 REPORTS DIRECTLY TO
Head of Kings Cross Properties
Strategic direction, measuring performance against targets, regular reviews, role modelling, support, guidance, development and performance management.
2.2 REPORTS INDIRECTLY TO
AKF(UK) Property Committee
Reporting on financial results, compliance, company law, charities legislation.
2.3 DIRECT REPORTS
Facilities and Maintenance Assistant Manager
Facilities and Maintenance Officer x 3
Strategic & Operational direction, measuring performance against targets, regular reviews, role modelling, support, guidance, development and performance management.
3. JOB PURPOSE
In the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, the Aga Khan Centre (AKC) is a place for education, knowledge, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim Civilisations and is home to three organisations founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) and the Aga Khan Foundation United Kingdom (AKF(UK)).
This role is responsible for managing the effective functioning of the Aga Khan Centre to provide safe, efficient, secure, legally compliant and environmentally friendly spaces for residents, employees, students and visitors.
1. Leading a small team, the Facilities and Operations Manager will be responsible for providing a seamless support service to manage and deliver high quality proactive and reactive maintenance to a standard which is in accordance with the nature of the Aga Khan Centre and provides value for money. The role covers all aspects of repairs & maintenance including plumbing, air conditioning, electrics, building fabric, health & safety and emergency support and requires the postholder to be hands on, supporting the maintenance team with technical support, knowledge & coordination as well as executing PPM plans, managing contractors and overseeing and inspecting works.
The Facilities and Operations Manager will be a natural people person who leads with warmth, fairness and consistency, builds strong relationships across the team and the wider building, and is confident in managing day-to-day people situations with empathy, sound judgment and a balanced approach.
This is an office-based role, Monday to Friday, 8 hours per day (including a 1-hour unpaid break), to be worked flexibly within the hours of 8am and 6pm. Whilst weekend work is rare, there may be occasional requirements to attend site outside of normal working hours. The postholder will also be required to be on call for out of hours emergencies.
4. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
4.1 AKC Building Operations
· Oversee and manage the teams responsible for the reception, security and cleaning.
· To prepare and keep up to date the Facilities Management (FM) Plan for AKC and the approach taken for each ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ FM service, including planned preventative maintenance and lifecycle replacements, ensuring that a suitable, safe, high-quality operating environment is provided.
· To act as a point of contact for technical support in order to reduce supplier callouts and ensure the correct supplier is allocated to resolve the problem, after issues have been looked at in-house first.
· To manage, plan and monitor the day-to-day repairs and maintenance activities of the building management team, ensuring works are completed on time, to the highest quality and in line with the approved FM plan.
· To coordinate and manage activities of suppliers working in and around AKC including checking and approving completed work, ensuring it is on budget, within agreed timescales and to the quality required.
· To act on defects highlighted in suppliers’ reports and ensure resolution following up on any unresolved issues that could affect plant or equipment performance and safety.
· To ensure the AKC maintenance reporting system is updated with work carried out and outstanding tasks.
· To ensure maintenance supplies, spares and stock levels are monitored and supplies are always available.
· To receive, review, store and respond to suppliers’ reports, i.e. lifts, eye bolts, water sampling, lighting protection, etc. and supply a level of technical advice to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation.
· To maintain and review equipment asset registers and update accordingly.
· Responsible for the Health and Safety policy for AKC and liaising with outsourced consultants to ensure that AKC is compliant and required checks are carried out.
· To maintain all maintenance and H&S documents, registers and systems at all times and act as knowledge-holder on behalf of AKF(UK) for Operation Manuals, as-built drawings, maintenance records, licences and operating certificates related to AKC.
· Working in conjunction with the AKC IT team and external providers be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the core building services systems including for FM, Room Booking and Security.
· To adhere to the AKC environmental policy promoting and driving energy & water saving initiatives as well as recycling initiatives at all times.
· Plan and implement minor projects to optimize space utilisation within AKC. Participate as a key stakeholder in major projects.
· Support the relationships with the tenants of the AKC retail units.
· Ensure that the gardens embedded within the AKC, and the surrounding grounds and gardens are properly cared for and landscaped.
· Liaise with the Estate Landlord and their agents regarding estate management, central services, infrastructure and security issues and maintenance of the public realm around AKC
· Liaise with other building managers on the KX Estate and maintain good neighbourly relations.
· Respond to emergency situations or other urgent issues involving AKC.
4.2 AKC Building Administration
· To prepare an annual operational plan and budget for the AKC building management team.
· To provide commentary and analysis for the monthly building management finance report and work with the Property Finance Manager to ensure that there is an up to date forecast at all times.
· To lead any supplier procurement processes related to building management.
· Monitor and approve all building management supplier invoices and staff expenses for payment in line with approved budgets. Seek additional approvals for unbudgeted or excess expenditure.
· To ensure that safeguarding processes are embedded into all building management operations, all building management supplier contracts and the building management policies and processes.
· To routinely review standards of service and ensure best practices are being followed and to benchmark the costs of AKC building management against equivalent buildings to assess and demonstrate value for money.
· Manage and maintain the SLA standards, KPIs and targets for the AKC building management team.
· To own the AKC building management risk register ensuring that it is up to date at all times.
· To attend the AKF(UK) Property Committee meetings
· Work flexibly in terms of working hours to support and accommodate events and incidents outside of regular working hours.
· To ensure all tasks from the Security Audit are completed promptly, while maintaining up to date policies including the Critical Incident Plan and Office Security Plan
4.3 AKC Events
· To ensure that the building management team support the events management team with all large and complex events, including organising facilities for car parking, traffic control, security, first aid, and hospitality.
· To ensure that the building management team supports the dismantling and removal of the event materials and clearing the venue efficiently.
4.4 People Management
· Help the AKF(UK) CEO and Senior Management Team promote an organisational culture of teamwork and service, high-quality, transparency and accountability, innovation, and inclusiveness.
· Supervise, coach and mentor building management staff, building a highly skilled and motivated team demonstrating best practice in the sector and exemplifying AKF (UK) values and behaviours.
· Oversee and set annual performance objectives and evaluate performance in accordance with the AKF (UK)’s staff performance management procedures.
· Identify staff with potential for advancement and, as part of succession planning, contribute to their development.
· Build a culture throughout the building management team of continuous improvement, in which staff are cognizant of and influence the broader learning agenda alongside delivery objectives.
Carry out any other duties as assigned by the Head of Kings Cross Properties.
5. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ATTRIBUTES & BEHAVIOURS
5.1 Qualifications
· A degree in Facilities Management or similar qualification would be an advantage.
5.2 Experience
· Experience of staff management
· Experience of managing third-party contractors
· Experience in managing complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems
· Experience of managing planned preventative maintenance for hard and soft services
· Experience of working in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment
· Experience in planning programmes of work for maintenance in accordance with the buildings requirements and identifying gaps in the maintenance strategy.
· Experience of identifying trends and developing/implementing management reports.
· Experience in a similar field e.g. school, university or charity.
5.3 Skills
· Good interpersonal, customer care and liaison with a wide range of stakeholders
· Ability to explain technical issues to non-technical personnel.
· Ability to work both strategically and operationally.
· Ability to successfully manage time, plans and other related tasks.
· Ability to continuously meet targets and surpass expectations.
· Ability to lead, inspire and motivate a team to meet objectives.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
· Good presentation skills.
· Excellent communication skills and able to communicate with internal and external customers.
· Commercially aware with good negotiating skills.
· Excellent client facing skills with the confidence to deal with people at all levels.
· Capable of working independently and collaboratively as part of a wider team.
· Good numeracy and presentation skills.
· Self-motivated, action-focused and with a proactive approach.
· Ability to always maintain a professional appearance and approach.
· Proven ability to deal with change.
5.4 Knowledge
· Knowledge of statutory legislation (Pressure Systems Safety Regs, HSG 274 Parts 1, 2, 3, 17th Edition Electrical Regs, LOLER, Working at Height Regs, etc.) and capable of verifying certification relating to the relevant statutory legislation.
· Thorough understanding of building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire safety).
· Working knowledge of a CAFM system (Concept Evolution, TABS FM etc.)
· A good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Project, Excel and PowerPoint.
· Awareness of sustainability and energy efficiency practices
5.5 Attributes
· Demonstrates equity, transparency and integrity with high personal and organisational ethical standards; is fair, honest and trustworthy with respect for confidentiality; inspires and builds trust and respect.
· Respectful of diversity; sensitive towards others; open and understanding toward other people’s cultures, values, autonomy, and faiths; demonstrates compassion and empathy; is courteous to others with respect for their background, religion, gender and age
· Committed to acting ethically and upholding safeguarding standards towards all staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries of the organisation.
5.6 Behaviours
· Communicates clearly and concisely, individually and across a broad scope of stakeholders and communities; expresses complex ideas and concepts in simple terms; listens to the views of others; changes communication styles to meet individual and audience needs; encourages dialogue and effective communication by others.
· Builds, maintains and deepens constructive and effective relationships with stakeholders, changes approach to achieve desired results if required.
· Has a customer focused approach, is flexible and always puts the good of others at the centre of decision making; optimises the culture of volunteerism and respect for others and is dedicated to AKF’s purpose and fulfilling the mission.
· Is a supportive team player, collaborates creating a culture of knowledge sharing and team learning. Is proactive in teamwork.
· Inspires self and others to greater performance, professional standards and results; likes to get things done; accepts new challenges and opportunities to enable self-reliance and achievement of full potential; gives and receives timely balanced feedback.
· Acknowledges creativity; adapts established methods for new uses; is focused on improving systems and processes; open to change; analyses, synthesises and challenges conventional thinking.
· Enterprising attitude that is quick to search out alternative solutions to needs or problems; creates and participates in communities of practice to establish networks of problem solving and organisational learning.
· Drives commitment to delivering high quality results with cost-effective use of resources; sets appropriate deliverables and uses innovative working methods to develop capacity, capability and a sustainable environment; has a clear vision of outcome and communicates this to inspire resources.
6. KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Internal Relationships
· AKC Events
· AKC IT
· AKC Gallery
· IIS
· AKU-ISMC
External Relationships
· Suppliers
· Kings Cross Estate
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.