Advice, Information Jobs
Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about us is available on our website.
We value diversity and aim to have diverse workforce that reflects the community and our service users, in line with our vision, values and inclusion commitments. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.
The UK Trauma Council (UKTC) is nationwide platform bringing together expertise in research, practice, policy, and lived experience in the field of childhood trauma. We are seeking a Programme Manager to work closely with UKTC Co-Directors to coordinate and oversee the entire programme of work.
The ideal candidate will have significant experience of leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders. They will be skilled in building strong relationships, managing budgets and developing strategies for income generation. The ability to working autonomously is essential and we would expect the successful candidate to have working knowledge of co-production processes with Experts by Experience as well as commitment to improving the mental health of children, young people and families. Please refer to the Job Profile for a more detailed overview and all the role requirements.
The UKTC is a unique project, bringing together experts from across the UK to produce resources and training that support those working with traumatised children and young people. This role is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to a huge number of traumatised children and young people.
Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.
Location
Hybrid working (a mixture of onsite and home/remote working). Staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours at our London site (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH).
Contract duration
Permanent.
Closing date for applications
Midday (12pm), Tuesday 7 May 2024.
Notification of interview
Shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Monday 13 May 2024. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Interviews
Interviews will be held on Monday 20 May 2024 (afternoon).
How to apply
Please visit our Careers page to register and apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website
We value diversity and aim to have diverse workforce that reflects the community and our service users, in line with our vision, values and inclusion commitments. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.
Safe Evolve, Early Intervention service is a new service commissioned by the London Borough of Ealing and represent an exciting partnership with the Anna Freud. The service offers brief evidence-based individual and group interventions to address mild to moderate wellbeing needs largely using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), trauma-informed and mentalization approaches. It consists of two teams: one a specialist schools outreach service and the second a community well-being team for children and families.
The Deputy Head of Service post will support the expansion and delivery of SAFE Evolve including direct interventions, consultation and training to professionals, as well as making sure that the clinicians operate at all times from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects the diversity of Ealing and ensures all work is sensitive to the needs of a range of ethnic, cultural and religious groups, is gender sensitive, anti-discriminatory and values diversity.
This is an exciting opportunity to join one of our thriving Clinical Help offers in the Schools Division. Successful candidates will demonstrate extensive experience of clinical supervision, implementing interventions with children and young people in schools and confident communication skills to effectively liaise with external agencies and represent the Ealing Early Intervention Service at a high standard.
Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor licence therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.
Please note: we cannot accept CVs or applications by email, therefore all candidates must register an account and apply online via our careers portal on the Anna Freud website where you will be able to view our range of staff benefits as well as helpful technical tips regarding our careers portal before proceeding to apply.
Location
Hybrid (a mixture of home/onsite working): staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours, either at our London site (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH) or our Ealing site (Greenford Service Centre, Oldfield Lane South, Greenford UB6 9LB). The role is based in Ealing and while hybrid working is offered, face to face presence is a key part of the role.
Contract duration
Permanent
Closing date for applications
Midday (12pm), Tuesday 7 May 2024.
Notification of interview
Shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Thursday 9 May 2024. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Interviews
Interviews will be held on Monday 13 May 2024.
How to apply
Please click on the 'Apply now’ button. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Closing Date: 5 May 2024
Ref 6622
In this Senior Technical Lead - Entrepreneurship role, you will use your deep expertise in innovative finance and enterprise development to lead and support the delivery of enterprise development programmes, both existing and upcoming, across various countries.
You will help shape SCUK's commercial strategies by providing strategic and commercial insights, guide existing initiatives, and sharing through best practice.
You will be instrumental to achieve the Innovation Hive's system change goals for entrepreneurship as a means to delivering impact, influencing not just the Save the Children movement, but also the broader NGO sector and beyond.
The Innovation Hive are a team focussed on achieving transformative, systemic, change for children, for our organisation, for our sector and beyond. To do this we run a corporate venturing function at SCUK backing innovation projects that will help us maximise the impact potential of existing and new resources, and increase funding directed towards Save the Children's mission. Our purpose is clear: to transform, build and champion new growth opportunities and business models, moving at pace and collaborating inside and outside of or organisation to do this.
Key Accountabilities include:
Technical
- Use deep technical expertise and proven experience on innovative finance and delivering enterprise development programmes to lead on the delivery and/or support of existing (eg. 3 Ukraine, Kumwe Hub) and upcoming (eg Turkey, Nigeria, Ethiopia) Enterprise Development programmes to exit point.
- Use proven commercial experience to support the development and delivery of the strategy to explore SCUK's commercial opportunities such as shared value partnerships.
- Provide guidance and advice on existing SCUK commercial initiatives.
- Work on the development of a “best-practice” advisory service for SCUK to support Enterprise Development programmes for local contexts.
- Working collaboratively across SCUK, Save the Children International, LIFT Lab, Save the Children Global Ventures, Kumwe Hub and Country Offices and others to design and support the implementation of those projects.
- Lead all aspects of an end-to-end opportunity, including origination, due diligence, design, committee approval, go-to-market strategy and oversight of delivery.
- Contribute commercial acumen to project design, delivery and evaluation.
- Provide strategic and analytical insight through the generation of accurate and compelling reports and presentations, including for internal and external stakeholders.
Thought Leadership
- Achieve the Innovation Hive's system change goals for entrepreneurship, influencing not just the Save the Children movement, but also the broader NGO sector and beyond.
- Influence and engage senior leaders with gravitas to build high-level buy-in for and understanding of your work.
- Be an active leader in relevant community of practices (or creating those that not yet exist) that bring together stakeholders, including donors, investors, and beneficiaries, to drive the adoption of enterprise development and innovative finance mechanisms.
- Lead and build essential partnerships with organisations and industry experts to ensure the delivery of strategic projects. Including specifically in the impact finance and social enterprise space, confidently representing Save the Children at key external events and building our presence.
Learning and Organisational Development
- Responsible for bringing best practice into Save the Children – and embedding your technical knowledge and learning across the organisation, specifically regarding innovative finance and enterprise development, to build organisational capacity.
- Draft and preparation of proposals, pitch decks, and associated materials to engage diverse client groups (e.g. the Innovation Hive's Investment Committee and relevant board steering committees) to ensure the Hive's activities are communicated highly effectively and strategically.
About You
To be successful, it is important that you have the following skills and experience:
- Knowledge and proven multi-year experience on the strategic implementation and operationalization of Enterprise Development programmes.
- In-depth knowledge of current best practices in enterprise development and innovative finance, combined with established connections with industry experts and relevant networks, enabling the leveraging of these relationships for strategic advantage and collaborative opportunities.
- Demonstrated commercial expertise with a strong ability to guide and enhance commercial initiatives, leveraging a comprehensive understanding of market trends and business strategies to maximize impact and sustainability.
- Experience in senior leadership roles within a development, management consulting environment or equivalent.
- Significant experience with impact measurement, and management frameworks.
- An excellent stakeholder manager with demonstrated networking and influencing skills at all levels.
- Ability to adapt financial mechanisms to humanitarian and/or development contexts.
- Proven track record of project delivery.
- Creative and strategic in problem-solving, effectively involving multiple stakeholders with empathy and open-mindedness.
- Capable of handling complexity and uncertainty with a clear and organized thought process.
- Organized self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset, eager to challenge the status quo.
- Quick at understanding new markets/products and passionate about impact, technology, and entrepreneurship, with a strong drive for personal and organizational growth.
- Focused on achieving targets aligned with organizational strategies and appreciative of the complexities in a global international organization.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
Location: Central London, Leadenhall St (hybrid) or Addis Ababa, Dakar or Nairobi with regular international
Salary: £45,992
Application Deadline: 30 April 2024
We seek a seasoned advocacy professional, with good analytical skills, to continue our successful influencing work surrounding animal health systems and coordinate the Action for Animal Health Coalition work. Your experience of analysing the advocacy landscape, engaging in global processes, and influencing stakeholders from a range of disciplines is essential. In order to excel in this position, you will need to demonstrate your ability to gain internal and external support to these areas of work. You possess effective negotiation and persuasion skills; you are highly experienced in working with coalitions and engaging with key global players to achieve advocacy goals.
If you have what it to takes to advance agendas at the highest levels, actively listen, support joint working, and want to be part of this growing movement for change, we want to hear from you!
At Brooke, we celebrate diversity and the creative new ideas it brings. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds, in particular global majority candidates, candidates from a social mobility background, disabled and neuro-diverse candidates, and candidates under 25 as these groups are currently under-represented at Brooke.
We are aware that studies have shown that women and global majority candidates are less likely to apply for a role if they feel they do not meet the full criteria of the job description. If you feel you meet the majority of the criteria, we would love to hear from you.
We offer a variety of flexible working options to best support our staff and to ensure our working practices are as inclusive as possible.
Closing Date: 1 May 2024
Ref 6681
Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for a driven individual to join us as our Senior Philanthropy and Partnership Manager - Africa. This is an opportunity for a motivated individual who is passionate about driving positive change in Africa through philanthropy and strategic partnerships. You will build meaningful relationships with high-net-worth individuals and corporate partners and manage high-value philanthropic partnerships aimed at transforming the lives of children worldwide.
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
About you
As our Senior Philanthropy and Partnership Manager-Africa, you will be responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with Africa-based donors, including corporates, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals. Working closely with our Partnership and Philanthropy Team, as well as regional and country offices across Africa, you will drive new business opportunities and secure significant six to seven figure gifts.
As part of the Africa Philanthropy team, you will play a pivotal role in advancing the Africa Philanthropy Initiative (API) and our mission to raise funds and develop strategic partnerships that benefit children across the African continent.
In this role, day -to- day, you will:
- Collaborate with country offices to progress existing opportunities and develop proposals for new business, leveraging local philanthropic trends.
- Work alongside the Head of Africa Philanthropy to implement strategic corporate and philanthropy aspirations, driving forward directly funded new funding models.
- Network and attend external events to raise visibility for Save the Children's Africa Philanthropy Initiative.
- Develop and implement strategic donor plans and stewardship events, tailored to engage and steward donors from Africa.
- Manage the Africa Advisory Board, identify potential donors, and ensure effective approaches are made to secure funds.
To be successful, it is important that you have:
- Experience in working or living in Africa, with a passion for African philanthropy and its potential for transformative change.
- Demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships with high-level stakeholders in the charity or private sector.
- Proven track record of securing six to seven figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals or experience in securing new business in a commercial environment.
- Exceptional proposal writing skills and experience in developing high-quality proposals for business and/or philanthropy partners.
- Familiarity with emerging markets, preferably in Africa, and a knack for identifying and cultivating new business opportunities.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Commitment to Save the Children's values and mission to improve the lives of children and families worldwide.
What we offer you:
- Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.
- To have the best (and happiest) employees we focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, and health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
- We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.
Closing Date: May 1, 2024
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
Brooke’s work across Africa, Asia and Latin America transforms the lives of animals and people in the communities we serve. With an exciting global strategy and ambitious plans for growth, we are looking for a highly change orientated business focused HR Manager.
Join the passionate People and Culture team at Brooke, offering high level HR support to our Programmes directorate by guiding them through re-structures and overall organisational change. Collaborating closely with Heads of Department, you'll foster a culture of continual improvement and collective change leadership. Conducting organisational change workshops, you'll empower staff with the understanding and skills needed to navigate change effectively, while partnering with the Internal Communications Manager to ensure seamless communication throughout.
Your responsibilities will also include offering expert day-to-day advice and guidance to Directors, Heads of Department, Managers, and staff on People & Culture matters. This entails providing policy advice, implementing best practices, and offering HR support across various aspects.
We are seeking a CIPD qualified candidate with substantial experience in business-focused or income-generating environments. As a change leader, you'll excel in embracing and facilitating change, instilling a mindset of continual improvement, and coaching managers through performance management processes. Your exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, coupled with your in-depth knowledge of current UK employment legislation, will be invaluable in driving forward our organisational goals.
If this sounds like you join us today and be a part of something truly meaningful!
At Brooke, we celebrate diversity and the creative new ideas it brings. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds, in particular global majority candidates, candidates from a social mobility background, disabled and neuro-diverse candidates, and candidates under 25 as these groups are currently under-represented at Brooke.
We are aware that studies have shown that women and global majority candidates are less likely to apply for a role if they feel they do not meet the full criteria of the job description. If you feel you meet the majority of the criteria, we would love to hear from you.
We offer a variety of flexible working options to best support our staff and to ensure our working practices are as inclusive as possible.
Job Description
The Head of Advocacy and Policy will be responsible for developing an excellent Advice Service and Retention Team to support and advise students effectively to enable excellent student experience and satisfaction.
This role will lead on the development of effective insights, representation and support initiatives/campaigns for students, across our three campuses at Greenwich, Avery Hill and Medway.
This role will enhance work with the diverse student population of the University of Greenwich and lead a dynamic team to ensure students have consistent and accessible services that contribute to positive student experience.
This role sits within the wider Membership Services department, together with other key areas consisting of; Activities, Sport, Academic Communities, Representation and Democracy, we provide a high-quality service for students, that they can shape, steer and be at the heart of.
This postholder will be part of the GSU Senior Leadership Team and will be expected to contribute to department and organisation wide strategic development.
The post holder will:
- Have expert knowledge in areas of in relation to Advice and Retention and policies and legislation relating to such activity
- Support and develop strong student-led communities and campaigns in areas of: Advice, wellbeing and retention so that members can thrive
- Provide line management support to staff so that the team have up to date, specialist advice skills, knowledge and understanding of University regulations, policies and procedures that may affect the work of the Advice service and oversee engagement across Greenwich’s 3 campuses
- Undertake casework and provide expert advice for the team on all aspects of Advice
- Lead on the project management of wellbeing/health promotion campaigns and initiatives throughout the year, as well as any external bids through bodies such as OfS
- Oversee the Retention and Wellbeing Project work, and other relevant projects with external partners
- Lead on insights work relating to retention, wellbeing and support
- Lead on responses to external consultation and enquiry responses, including but not limited to OfS, Department for Education, OIA and Universities UK
- Support elected officers to deliver on campaigning priorities
- Ensure the Advice service has the skills and is equipped to support the diverse needs of students at Greenwich and Kent at Medway.
- Provide regular insights and reports on the GSU Membership to inform our strategy and service provision
- Work with other Heads to develop relevant and modern Front of House services for each GSU campus ensuring ease of access and consistency for all members.
Key Areas
- Be an engaged and active member of the Senior Leadership team, contributing regularly and working collaboratively with peers
- Provide leadership, strategic direction and day to day operational management to the Advocacy and Policy: recruiting and inducting members of staff, motivating, supporting and developing team members to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge for their roles as well as manage performance
- Develop a proactive results driven culture within the team, ensuring agreed objectives and targets are delivered, whilst promoting a collaborative approach to working with internal departments
- Develop succession plans and identify training and development opportunities within the team
- Be accountable for the quality of outputs of the team
- Provide support to the Officer team helping and equipping them, particularly in their roles as representatives and providing pastoral support and guidance.
- Ensure the whole organisation is aware of and understands the work of the Advocacy and Policy Team and its contribution to our strategic objectives
- To maintain expert and up-to-date knowledge on sector policies and regulations relating to advice, retention and student success, providing relevant guidance to officers and staff as required.
- Develop and promote a culture of continuous improvement across the team to ensure we can adapt to changing students’ needs and priorities, as well as building on successes and preparing for the future.
Strategic Development
- Contribute to the strategic objectives of GSU, with a particular focus on advice, support and wellbeing in relation to the student experience
- Develop and oversee a new and innovative approach to proactive health and wellbeing campaigns that empower students to look after themselves and each other, as well as seeking support
- Lead on Access and Participation Plan Engagement, acting as the key contact on this area with the University.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with relevant senior UoG staff and departments including Student Academic Services, Faculties and our partners at Kent Unio
- Develop and oversee the Advice service to support advocacy initiatives at multiple levels within the University, ensuring both students and University stakeholders view GSU as a credible and reliable source of information on the needs of students.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Develop and oversee a structured approach to gathering, analysing and reporting on data relating to engagement of students with our services and to student views on key issues relating to retention and success
- Develop and oversee processes of collecting quantitative and qualitative data from casework to analyse trends and inform feedback for the SU and university
- Ensure evaluation mechanism are embedded in the teams working practises and that findings are shared and used to implement learnings with the goal of improving services
- Support Officers by preparing information, statistics and trends about key services to be shared within the University committee cycle
- Be responsible for the implementation of service standards for the Advocacy and Policy Team and to monitor and report on adherence to these standards
- Prepare materials to apply for any relevant quality mark accreditations for the service.
Budget and Financial Management
- Manage a budget relating to Advocacy and Policy including any restricted funds.
- Be responsible for the teams resources, ensuring these are effectively allocated, managed and controlled
- Review and establish processes, systems, polices and where appropriate standard procedures to maximise efficiency ensure deadlines are met and a positive return on investment
- Review and provide narrative for scrutiny at monthly management meetings with the Finance Team
Stakeholder management
- Collaborate with GSU colleagues, particularly the Student Voice and Engagement Teams to ensure we have a consistent approach to how we work with and support students
- Work with students through our representative structures and forums to ensure we shape services students want and need, taking into consideration the varying campus priorities
- Maintain strong relationships with key university staff to develop, deliver and evaluate collaborative projects and interventions supporting advice and retention
- Attend meetings relating to Advocacy and Policy as well as associated areas at both GSU, the University and externally, included, but not limited to regional networks
- Identify opportunities to share best practice and represent the work of GSU and your team to the wider HE community, through conferences and publication.
Personal Specification
Essential Experience
- Line management experience
- Relevant experience working in the youth, education, students’ union or other membership or advisory organisation
- Experience of leading a multi-functional team
- Experience of mentoring coaching staff/elected officers
- Experience of developing operational policies and procedures
- Experience of budget management, project management, and operational management
- Experience of working with a range of stakeholders and partnership working or strategic networking
Essential Skills and Abilities
- Ability to work with and lead a high performing team
- Ability to troubleshoot difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently and effectively
- Ability to produce confident, clear written reports and be able to write succinct documents on complex areas
- IT skills at a level that supports membership CRM systems, Advice Pro and other platforms
- Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to manage others to reach deadlines, within agreed budgets and to a consistently high standard
- Ability to write strategies and be able to effectively communicate vision and mission
- Ability to stay focused and efficient in the face on changing priorities
- Track record of successfully developing and implementing projects and operational change
- Able to draft policies and procures with an eye for detail and accuracy
Essential Knowledge
- Awareness of current issues within the higher education sector
- Knowledge of relevant external bodies and organisations including Advice UK, NUS, Citizens Advice, OIA, Ofs, Student Minds
- Knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation
- Knowledge of Safeguarding, advice legislation, risk assessments and GDPR
- Knowledge of providing 121 support
Education/Training
- No one specific qualification is required, but evidence of recent continuing professional development in a professional area relevant to the post is required. For example: ILM, City &Guilds etc.
Personal Attributes and other requirements
- Able to travel within the Borough and Region.
- Able to work some evenings and weekends and stay overnight where necessary.
- Works well in a team with a flexible approach to work
- Be eligible for a DBS check if needed
- A commitment to the principles and practices of equality and diversity
- An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.
- Commitment to the values and ethos of GSU.
Desirable other requirements
- Visionary, creative, and innovative strategist
- A positive, solution focused leader – able to make ‘tough’ decisions; determined and resilient in order to cope with the demands of the role
- Empowering, authentic leader with high levels of emotional intelligence
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About Unlocked
Unlocked Graduates exists to break cycles of reoffending, with particular focus on breaking the link between disadvantage and reoffending. Currently prison is not a place which successfully does this: the average prisoner has 16 previous convictions and 48 percent of prisoners reoffend within a year of release. Unlocked Graduates exists to fix this problem. Our mission is to break cycles of re-offending by developing outstanding individuals to lead rehabilitation in prisons and throughout society.
About the role
This is a phenomenally interesting role as it offers the opportunity to radically reimagine what incredible training can look like for a singularly powerful role: the prison officer is the only professional who reaches every single prisoner including the most vulnerable and challenging. They set the culture on the landings and have the power to create a safe and secure environment that is focused on rehabilitation. For this reason, at the heart of Unlocked is a highly effective training provision developing the leaders our prison service needs. It is this area that you will be responsible for.
Evidence guides everything we do here at Unlocked. It’s the foundation upon which our award-winning leadership development training programme is based on. We’re looking for a Head of Curriculum with a deep passion for best practice pedagogy, curriculum and assessment to help us continue to develop our participants into transformative prison officers and extraordinary future leaders. You will use your deep understanding of pedagogical theory and an uncompromising enthusiasm for how people learn to oversee an entire two-year programme of study, from initial residential training all the way through to ongoing professional development.
Our team has worked hard to craft an outstanding training programme for our participants. Our practice-based curriculum and pedagogy is built on the work of Doug Lemov, and the knowledge aspects of the curriculum are embedded in theories of explicit teaching rather than discovery learning for novice practitioners, as per the work of E.D. Hirsch. These theories will be therefore essential understanding for anyone taking on the role.
Positioned as pioneers in the prison sector, we are proud to have built a strong reputation for developing quality training for a frontline public sector role. Notably, elements of our training have been integrated into His Majety’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) training of all new staff, and various other countries and related sectors have reached out for us to share our training expertise too. As the Head of Curriculum, you will hold a pivotal role, uniquely positioned to directly influence and create proof points for change across the whole service.
You do not need prior knowledge of prisons or prison officer training to successfully take on this role, but you do need to be excited by our mission to develop outstanding leaders to break cycles of reoffending in prison. You will be supported by current and former prison service staff and have access to all the information and resources you require to build your knowledge-base quickly. Our ideal candidate will be somebody who is excited by what it is possible to achieve in this sector; who wants to take our already industry-leading training and make it even better.
For further details and to apply, please click the apply button to be re-directed to our jobs portal.
Closing date: 29th April 2024
The role
Our services are growing. We are looking for locally based sessional facilitators to support the delivery of our Moving Forward courses across the UK. Our Moving Forward courses are for anyone with a primary breast cancer diagnosis who has finished their hospital-based treatment. Courses are a combination of face to face and online support and are delivered in partnership with local NHS Trusts/Boards. The number of courses can vary across locations but will typically be between 2 - 4 courses a year.
This is offered as a contract for services position and as such the appointed contractor would not be an employee of Breast Cancer Now but a self-employed individual. We require all contractors to adhere to and follow Breast Cancer Now applicable policies and procedures and to undertake some mandatory training in core subjects such as data protection and cyber security. A satisfactory criminal record check will be required.
About you
You will be based locally to one of the available locations with a strong background in group facilitation and course delivery. You will also have excellent organisation and time-management skills, superb oral and written communication skills, and the ability to multitask. You will work independently across a geographical area, supported by the regional services team and our local volunteers.
You will be required to have access to your own IT equipment.
About us
We’re Breast Cancer Now, the research and support charity. We’re the place to turn to for anything and everything to do with breast cancer. However, you’re experiencing breast cancer, we’re here.
The brightest minds in breast cancer research are here. Making life-saving research happen in labs across the UK and Ireland.
Support services, trustworthy breast cancer information and specialist nurses are here. Ready to support you, whenever you need it.
Dedicated campaigners are here. Fighting for the best possible treatment, services and care, for anyone affected by breast cancer.
Why? Because we believe that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live – and be supported to live well. But to create that future, we need to act now.
Role description
The role description is available for you to download.
Locations
Lincoln, Boston (Lincolnshire), Halifax/Huddersfield, Newcastle, Middlesbrough/Stockton, Stoke and Stafford
Pay: We offer flat fees for work undertaken delivering our services as listed below:
· £25 per hour when facilitating a course (course duration will vary depending on location).
· Additional fees for attending training and update meetings. We do not pay for travel time, unless asked to travel outside of geographical area.
When applying
Please submit an online application form and supporting statement via the link provided. When applying please ensure you refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and clearly provide as much information as possible with examples to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria
Please specify within your application which location/s you are applying for. If you have any further queries about the role, we encourage you to get in touch by contacting the Breast Cancer Now Recruitment Team.
Closing date 9:00am on Friday 3rd May 2024
Interview dates
Interviews will be held virtually over Microsoft Teams on the following dates based on the location you have applied for. If you have applied for more than one location, you will only be required to have one interview (if shortlisted):
· Lincoln: 17th May 2024
· Boston (Lincolnshire): 17th May 2024
· Halifax/Huddersfield: 17th May 2024
· Newcastle: 17th May 2024
· Middlesbrough/Stockton: 17th May 2024
· Stoke and Stafford: 17th May 2024
* Services are usually held in community venues in town or city centres that are accessible via public transport. Parking may or may not be available at the venue. If you would like to know the exact location of our current venue in a specific location please get in touch, although do be aware that venues are subject to change.
Closing Date: 24 April 2024
Ref 6685
We're looking for a Finance Business Partner to join Save the Children UK in an exciting role partnering with the Start Network within our Global Programmes division!
This position is for an 18-month Fixed Term Contract.
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
Our Finance Team helps us to grow our income and increase the impact of our spending and our Finance Business Partners key responsibilities include leading our financial planning and management, driving value for money, providing excellent management information and analysis, and providing robust partnering and challenge to managers at all levels.
About the role
Reporting to the Head of Finance, you'll be partnering with the Start Network as part of our Global Programmes division, working and influencing the relevant teams to support their strategic decision making and managing income/expenditure budgets across divisional areas of significant variability.
Start Network is an independent charity made up of more than 80 aid agency members across five continents, including international, national and local organisations who aim to deliver more effective emergency aid, harnessing the power and knowledge of the network to make faster and better decisions to help people affected by crises.
The Start Platform maintains a strong relationship with Save the Children as the grant custodian of many of the Start Network's programmes, so whilst you'll be embedded within the finance team at Save the Children UK in this role, you'll be playing a key role dedicated to the Start Network.
As Finance Business Partner, you will support and drive the business areas you partner with, including Start Funds and Risk Financing, in maximising impact for children through delivery of effective and efficient financial performance and awards management.
In this role, you will:
- Provide strategic and financial decision support to your assigned team within Global Programmes to underpin strong financial performance
- Provide effective monthly reporting to support regular reviews of business performance
- Work alongside the business to develop forecasts, budgets, and longer-term financial plans
- Develop business models underpinning financial planning and provide the financial inputs for business cases
- Assist teams in developing their strategy and building business cases for investment spend within their areas, providing financial and commercial insight and challenging to ensure best value for money and efficiencies.
About you
You'll be an experienced qualified certified accountant with relevant post qualification experience, ideally in the not-for-profit sector.
You'll have excellent stakeholder management skills, with the proven ability to work collaboratively and influence the decision making of a diverse set of stakeholders.
To be successful, you'll demonstrate:
- Experience providing strategic and finance business partnering support to senior managers
- Experience in the preparation of management accounts and involvement in financial planning and budgeting processes
- Experience managing awards, including budget and financial report preparation
- Strong Microsoft Office skills (and an advanced Excel user)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to identify financial issues as they arise, assess their likely impact, and devise appropriate responses
- Commitment to Save the Children's vision, mission and values.
What we offer you:
Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.
- We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
- We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applicatio
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
Closing Date: 21 April 2024
Ref 6692
We are looking for a proactive and collaborative individual to join the People Team as Employee Experience Partner, for a 12-month maternity cover fixed term contract (to start in May 2024).
This role presents an exciting opportunity to work cross-organisationally, leading and implementing employee experience projects and solutions that support the end-to-end employee life cycle!
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
About the role
As Employee Experience Partner, you'll be a strategic enabler to both the organisation and People Team, responsible for creating innovative, sustainable interventions that look to evolve the individual and group employee experience (EX) for our people for now and for our future workforce.
Accountable for the end-to-end evaluation and improvement of the EX-journey, you'll work closely and proactively with stakeholders across the organisation to identify, deliver and review the impact of key EX initiatives that align with our People, Organisation's, and DEI strategies.
Leading customer-centric process design and engaging with colleagues to agree improvement activities driven by data, you'll play a key role in enabling teams to improve the ‘moments that matter' for our employees.
You'll also hold accountability for delivering “Your Voice”, SCUK's quarterly engagement survey, gathering employee feedback via Peakon (our survey partner) and analysing that data to identify trends and areas for improvement, as well as building on our employee data proposition, to identify and connect the relevant metrics to help us understand engagement, behaviour, and performance.
Ultimately, you'll be focused on building the best employee lifecycle that supports our employees at life and at work, creating an environment that every staff member can thrive in!
In this role, you will:
- Be responsible for the leadership and implementation of cross-divisional and organisation wide projects in the EX arena, to diagnose, design and implement a variety of solutions based on data and insights.
- Provide leadership and act as the role model on all matters relating to EX, especially enabling People Team colleagues to understand the employee journey and how they can contribute and support associated plans to become a reality for the organisation.
- Support the development of SCUK's Employee Value Proposition (EVP) reflective of the employer brand and aligned to our culture, mission and values.
- Review and create ways to measure and assess engagement, working in partnership with Comms to create a clear employee voice that is heard, aligned, and supports the employee value proposition/EX (through listening channels, surveys, and other methods of feedback).
- Identify opportunities to enable and leverage agility across teams and organisation, providing leadership on Agile principles and techniques. Specifically supporting HR change leads on blending and implementing the appropriate methods (Agile, Lean and Design Thinking) to deliver change at the pace required to meet SCUK objectives.
- Support and advise on the deployment of relevant IT systems and platforms to support in the engagement and development of employees.
About you
You'll be an excellent relationship builder, demonstrating experience maintaining strong cross-organisational relationships and partnering at all levels, as well as ability to contribute effectively to a wider team strategy and change initiatives.
With high levels of self-management, you'll be committed to continuously learning, adapting, and responding to change, and working with others in an agile way. You will have a strong awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and be able to demonstrate how you have embedded this into EX interventions and approaches in the past.
Joining us during an exciting period of organisational transformation, you'll be open-minded and comfortable working in an agile and emergent way. Above all, you'll be passionate about creating a culture and employee life cycle that ensures colleagues across SCUK can thrive!
To be successful, you'll bring:
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of Employee Experience and Engagement at all levels, from organisation wide, to team and individual employee level.
- Data driven approach: strong analytical, Design Thinking and research skills.
- Adaptability and systems thinking mindset, with excellent self and interpersonal awareness and resilience.
- Ability to see the ‘big picture' of how people and culture fit into SCUK's overall strategy and goals
- An agile mindset and philosophy, ideally with knowledge of Agile delivery
- Detailed knowledge and understanding of how to identify and use customer-centric data types and sources to analysis and assess areas for development; tailor interventions / support and review efficacy of interventions.
What we offer you:
Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.
- We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
- We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). The People Team currently meet once a month in-person at our Farringdon office and other times will be based on business need.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
Head of Practice
Business Disability Forum (BDF) is the leading business membership organisation in disability inclusion. We are trusted partners, working with business, Government and disabled people to improve the life experiences of disabled employees and consumers, by removing barriers to inclusion.
- We work with over 570 members employing over 20% of the UK workforce and an estimated 8 million people worldwide.
- We advise, support and encourage businesses (many of them global) to become more disability-smart.
- We influence policymakers by representing the voice of employers and disabled employees.
- We provide evidence-based thought leadership on how business affects the lives of disabled people.
- We help effect changes in business practices, products, services and policies that positively impact the life experiences of disabled people, and also benefit business.
The role
The Head of Practice leads on best practice and practice development across Business Disability Forum. This includes leading and overseeing the work of the Advice Service to support our members and Partners and acting as the primary referral point for complex queries, collating and sharing best practice from within our membership and the impact of BDF best practice advice. They will also lead the delivery of the BDF internal upskilling programme to ensure that all Member and Partner facing teams are at the forefront of best practice in delivering high quality advice and support.
They will also work closely with the Content Team to ensure that BDF’s resources reflect the latest best practice and with the Policy Team to ensure BDF’s advice and resources reflect the latest policy and research thinking and to maintain our position as thought leaders.
The requirement
- Experience of leading and managing experts on diversity and inclusion related situations and of motivating.
- A demonstrable track record of relationship building at a senior level leading to tangible results.
- Experience of providing consultancy, training and advice on disability related issues.
- Experience of presenting to senior management and the board.
- Experience of working in human resources, talent management, or organisation development to at least adviser level.
- High level of understanding and knowledge of the Equality Act 2010 and recent disability related case law in the UK and Globally.
- Knowledge of disability best practice, topical issues within disability rights and policy and a commitment to continuous professional development.
For the full job description and person specification of this role and instructions on how to apply please visit our website below via the button below:
How to apply
Applications should be by CV and a supporting statement, of up to 400 words, detailing why you think you would be suitable for the role. If you require any adjustments to the application process please contact Barnaby Powell as set out below. Applications should be addressed to Barnaby Powell, HR & Office Manager, Business Disability Forum, Nutmeg House, 60 Gainsford Street, London SE1 2NY. If you are submitting your application by email please do so to barnabyp @ businessdisabilityforum .org .uk
- Closing date for applications: Sunday, 12 May 2024.
- First interviews are planned for the week commencing 20 & 21 May 2024.
- Second interviews are likely to take place in the week commencing TBC.
Business Disability Forum is committed to ensuring that all its information, products and services are as accessible as possible to everyone.
If you wish to discuss anything in regards to accessibility or if you require alternative formats please contact Barnaby Powell by email at bthe address above or by telephone on 020-7403-3020.
For further information on Business Disability Forum please refer to our website via the buttton below.
Equal opportunities
We are committed to becoming disability-smart and an employer of choice irrespective of race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, or pregnancy and maternity. The ethical and business case of ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society is at the heart of what we do. When we are recruiting, disabled candidates who meet all of the essential criteria will be offered an interview.
You will be working from the Haverfordwest Office, as well as being home based, and travel throughout Pembrokeshire is essential.
Salary: Band DP3 (2) - £23,550 FTE this is £18,840 actual for 28 hours a week and £14,130 for 21 hours a week
Hours: 21hours or 28 Hours per week depending on suitable candidate
We are looking to recruit a self-motivated, enthusiastic, hard-working experienced Information & Advice Officer to join our organisation.
You will be committed to providing up-to-date information and advice to older people and their carers in outreach locations, via telephone, online and face to face. Working to approved quality standards, you will be responsible for the effective delivery of providing advice covering a range of topics including (but not exclusively); Welfare Benefits, Housing, Social Care and local services.
Closing date: There is no formal closing date. Applications will be reviewed as received until the position is filled. If you are interested, please therefore apply as soon as possible.
Interviews: To be confirmed – via Microsoft Teams
This is fixed term contract funded initially until November 30th 2024 and subject to review and funding thereafter.
Key responsibilities of the role:
- Provide advice covering a range of topics including (but not exclusively); Welfare Benefits, Housing, Social Care and local services.
- Provide support in managing financial issues, maximising income, payment plans, budgeting and claiming welfare benefits.
- Provide support to older people to build personal and wider community resilience and live healthier and more connected lives in their own homes for as long as possible, thereby, reducing isolation, loneliness and increasing their independence.
- Provide support with available housing options, e.g., private rented, social housing, shared accommodation.
- Work with partners to obtaining aids and adaptations to assist individuals in remaining independent in their home and reducing the impact of frailty.
- Develop a working knowledge of the information resources and office systems, which support the advice service, using them effectively and contributing to their continuous improvement.
- Keep up to date on relevant changes in the law, policies, and procedures, both locally and nationally, as they apply to and affect older people and their carers.
- To provide and maintain statistical information and case records in line with data protection regulations.
- Contribute to the maintenance of local information systems.
- To work as part of a team with other advice staff and volunteers.
- To liaise with outside agencies including Social Services and Department for Works and Pensions on behalf of clients, and for the purpose of establishing close working links.
- To make home / outreach visits as necessary
- To assist with the training and supervision of the advice volunteers.
- Promote the service to local partners and those over 50.
Experience of delivering Welfare Benefits Advice is required.
If you are a strategic thinker with a passion for leadership and innovation, thrive in dynamic environments and possess a drive to make a tangible impact, this is an exciting opportunity for you to join our dedicated team as an Assistant Chielf Executive Officer (ACEO).
Assistant CEO responsibilities will include strategic leadership, development, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our programs. You'll also play a crucial role in promoting EDI and maintaining quality assurance standards.
You will need a professional qualification in mental health or related fields alongside experience in senior management and a passion, resilience and drive to improve the mental health of children and young people.
In return we offer a salary of £52,000 inclusive of Outer London Weighting, and a range of other benefits.
This is a full-time position, with the possibility of reduced hours (min 30 hpw/4days) and is office-based in Croydon but with regular travel within SW London.
Application pack can be downloaded from the Careers page on our website and applications should be returned to recruitment by midday on Monday 29th April 2024.
If you have any further questions please email recruitment or visit our website for more information about our services.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week with flexible/hybrid working (after initial probationary period)
Would you like to work for an organisation that makes a difference and improves lives every single day? The people who turn to us need our help to address the obstacles in their lives. You will be leading services helping some of our most vulnerable clients with complex and life changing issues. In our 85 year history, we are the busiest we have ever been and people need our help.
Citizens Advice Hammersmith and Fulham is an award-winning charity that provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice and information. We are a modern, innovative and progressive organisation working in a diverse and vibrant community. We employ over 50 people and have around 80 volunteers who help us to deliver generalist and specialist advice, undertake campaigning, and have a thriving portfolio of projects embedded within the local community. We are a flagship Local Citizens Advice within a nationally recognised network, delivering a multi-channel service including, face to face, telephone and digital channels.
About the role
You will oversee all phases of our funded services and programmes, working at senior management level. This role will be a driver of change, leading on all our funded services and the development of CAHF Innovation Hub which aims to test and pilot ideas on a small scale. We want to continue to evolve our services with the aim of increasing the reach and the impact of our work. The ideal candidate will have experience of delivering project(s) in the Advice Sector or demonstrable transferable skills, including:
- Collaborating positively with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders to maintain cohesive project delivery.
- Working with the Chief Officer to assess and review opportunities for securing new programmes of activities to strengthen our response to the community advice needs.
- Working with CAHF’s Advice Service Managers to ensure robust line management for project staff.
- Monitoring and reporting on project performance to KPIs to required quality standards.
- Manage conflicting priorities to ensure that objectives are achieved and deadlines are met.
What we can offer you:
We value our people and can offer a supportive culture within a high performing and award winning organisation. 86% of our workforce recommend us as a place to work. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and workplace to represent the diverse communities we service. We are committed to increasing our diversity and whatever your background, we welcome your application. We offer an attractive remuneration package with excellent terms including:
- Pension scheme
- Healthy work/life balance with flexible/hybrid working
- Generous holiday entitlement starting at 25 days per year ( in addition to bank holidays) and rising to 30 days with long service
- Access to mental health support helpline
- Learning, development and personal growth opportunities
Closing Date: Thursday 25th April 2024 by 08.00am
Test: 1st May 2024
Interview: 2nd and 3rd May 2024
We reserve the right to close the applications earlier if suitable candidates are found, so encourage early applications