Senior Programmes Manager

Chopwell Regeneration Group is looking for an ambitious, values-driven and highly capable Senior Programmes Manager to help lead the next stage of our growth.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a successful and widely respected community organisation and play a central role in delivering programmes that improve wellbeing, skills, employability and opportunity for local people. Working closely with our Board, staff team, volunteers, partners and funders, you will provide strategic leadership, manage staff, lead impactful projects, and ensure our work continues to place Chopwell residents at the heart of everything we do. If you are an experienced leader who believes in the power of communities to shape their own future, we would love to hear from you.

About Chopwell Regeneration Group (CRG)

CRG is a trusted, community-led charity working at the heart of Chopwell to improve wellbeing, opportunity and quality of life.

Founded in 2017 by local residents, CRG has grown into a locally valued and widely respected organisation delivering community-led regeneration that works. We have a strong track record of partnership, collaborating with organisations across health, education and employment sectors.

In 2022 we opened The Bank, a multi-award winning community hub. It hosts a popular café, an affordable community market, a training kitchen, rental offices and business support, and a wide programme of learning, wellbeing, employability and social activities. 

In 2024 we opened our second building The Regeneration Shop - a volunteer-led repair and reuse space providing opportunities for residents to develop practical skills, reduce waste and build confidence. We are currently in the process of acquiring a new and bigger building for our Shop, to expand our repair activity and its associated social and commercial impact.

We have a team of 11 staff and every year work with over 200 volunteers.

Alongside our venues, we deliver a range of projects across Chopwell. This includes our food sustainability initiative Can Chopwell Feed Itself? and Brightening Up Chopwell bringing people together to improve shared public spaces and strengthen community pride.

Our Values and How We Work

We are an organisation that:

●       Is committed to a thriving, sustainable future for Chopwell.

●       Listens to our community- local consultation and lived experience shapes our work.

●       Is ambitious for our community, driven to achieve impacts, and willing to innovate.

●       Cares deeply about people, and supports our staff and residents to develop, grow and thrive.

●       Values working in partnership with organisations locally, regionally and nationally.  

●       Is guided by an active, experienced Board with a high level of expertise, including members with strong local knowledge and lived experience.

●       Has a committed, skilled and hardworking staff team who bring energy and heart to their work.

 

Job Description: Senior Programmes Manager

Hours:                 30 - 37.5 per week* (subject to agreement)

Holiday:             6 weeks pro rata (includes bank holidays)

Pay:                    £39,000 - £48,000 per year pro rata (depending on skills and experience)

Place of work:   The Bank, 19-21 Derwent Street, Chopwell, NE17 7HU

Reporting to:     CRG Board of Trustees

Contract term: 12 month fixed term contract (expected to renew subject to funding)

 

The Senior Programmes Manager will work closely with our Senior Finance & Commercial Manager to provide leadership for Chopwell Regeneration Group (CRG), reporting to the Board of Trustees.  They will lead on strategy, planning and delivery for all programmes, working with board, staff and volunteers, and external partners to ensure activities are achievable, properly resourced, financially sustainable, impactful and effectively evaluated.

 

Key areas of responsibility:

●       Strategic planning and delivery of social, cultural, education and training programmes that meet CRG’s objectives, including improved mental health and wellbeing, skills development and employability for Chopwell residents.

●       Leading the growth of our public programmes that deliver wide-ranging educational and wellbeing benefits for the people of Chopwell, from social prescribing activity to business support. This includes planning annual programme aims and outcomes, developing partnerships, and ensuring delivery is financially sustainable and properly resourced.

●       Leadership and management of staff including line management responsibility.

●       Managing the volunteer programme in line with best practice and working with the staff team to recruit, communicate with and support volunteers.

●       Developing and managing successful and innovative partnerships across a range of sectors and growing partnerships locally, regionally and nationally.

●       Ensuring there is sufficient staff capacity to deliver programmes effectively, and advocating for and working with the Board to identify funding and support for additional resources.

●       Identifying new funding opportunities and working with CRG Board to secure grant funding for programmes in line with strategic objectives.

●       Managing budgets for all programmes and ensuring financial targets are met. 

●       Evaluating outcomes across all programmes including collecting data, generating case studies and impact reports for Trustees, funders and a range of stakeholders.

●       Ensuring programmes are delivered in accordance with current legislation, contractual/accrediting body requirements and CRG’s policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Data Protection. 

●       Working with the staff team to generate news articles, photos, printed material and social media content to promote CRG’s programmes.

●       Representing CRG at relevant events, networks and forums to build networks and raise CRG’s profile across a range of sectors.

 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Needed

We are looking for a Senior Programmes Manager who can provide strategic leadership, strengthen our delivery and help ensure that Chopwell residents remain at the centre of everything we do. The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

Essential Criteria

Leadership & People Management

●       Leadership and management experience

●       Ability to influence, motivate and inspire others

●       Experience of people management and supporting staff/volunteers

●       Confidence in advocating for community needs and priorities

Community-Led Practice

●       Proven ability to work with communities, service users or audiences to shape programmes or services

●       Commitment to inclusive, participatory and community-led approaches

●       Ability to build trust and work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds

Partnership & Collaboration

●       Strong collaboration and partnership-building skills

●       Ability to work confidently with partners across sectors

●       Excellent communication and advocacy skills with a range of stakeholders

●       Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Programme and Operational Management

●       Experience of developing, managing and delivering successful community programmes

●       Ability to manage operational delivery, budgets and impact targets

●       Experience of safeguarding, health and safety, GDPR or relevant compliance frameworks.

●       Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities

 

Strategy, Funding and Evaluation

●       Experience of identifying opportunities, developing projects or securing funding.

●       Ability to monitor outcomes and evaluate impact.

●       Experience of writing reports, case studies or funding updates.

Personal Qualities

●       Creative thinking and problem-solving

●       Self-motivated, resilient and adaptable

●       Committed to the aims of Chopwell Regeneration Group

 

 

Desirable Criteria

●       Experience of leadership and management in the voluntary, charity or community sector.

●       Experience of managing grant-funded programmes.

●       Good knowledge of safeguarding, health and safety, GDPR or relevant compliance frameworks.

●       Experience of social prescribing, employability, education or wellbeing programmes.

●       Experience of communications, PR or social media content creation.

●       Understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing communities like Chopwell.

●       Lived experience of the communities CRG serves.

 

Additional Information

●       We would ideally like the successful candidate to start as soon as possible, but can be flexible.

●       Flexible working arrangements are available and can be discussed at interview. Please note the majority of your working week will be expected to be on site. Also, occasional weekend and evening working will be required. This includes quarterly public meetings and trustee meetings every two months (minimum).

●       Successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

●       CRG is a Disability Confident employer. Any applicant with a disability who meets the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.  Please include information in your application if you are applying under the Disability Confident scheme.

●       Any applicant living in an NE17 postcode who meets the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

 

Deadline for applications:          11.59pm on Sunday 24 May 2026

Interviews:                                    During week commencing Monday 1 June