Entry level jobs for the Disability sector

Are you organised, with excellent communication skills, attention to detail and passionate about making a difference?

Stories and impact sit at the heart of what we do at Horatio’s Garden. After the devastating blow of a spinal injury, the future can seem bleak. Horatio’s Garden creates beautiful vibrant gardens outside the starkness of NHS spinal injury centres. Places where people can begin to find connection, enjoyment and peace. We are here to open up the possibility that, in spite of everything, life can go on.

We are looking for a Stories and Impact Assistant to help us share the transformative difference our work makes for people with spinal injuries, their families and NHS staff.

This new role will be responsible for how we create and maintain the best processes to manage the powerful stories from people in our gardens and the impact data we collect. You will create a new stories and impact hub to effectively support our communications and fundraising work. You will also help to organise, input, collect and create content and evidence that can be adapted for different uses.

This role would suit someone looking to start or build their career in the communications or impact field or charity sector. It is a one-year fixed term role with training and development opportunities funded by philanthropic organisation the Rank Foundation.

Key details

• Based near Salisbury, Wiltshire (some hybrid working possible)
• Salary £24,479
• Full time, fixed term
• Reporting to Communications Manager
• Application deadline: Monday 19 January
• Initial interviews: W/C 2 February
• Start date: April 2026

Purpose of role

Stories and impact sit at the heart of what we do at Horatio’s Garden.

This pivotal new role will help us maximise these pillars to support the ambitious fundraising and brand growth in our five-year plan to complete gardens at all NHS spinal injury centres so we can be there for everyone who needs us.

The Stories and Impact Assistant will be responsible for how we create and manage the best processes to amplify powerful stories of people with spinal injuries, their families and NHS staff across our fundraising and communications work.

The role will create a new stories and impact evidence hub that will support how our impact and data gathering evidence is best used for funders, supporters and other key stakeholders to understand what life is like after a spinal injury and the transformative effect of our gardens.

You will have some opportunity to travel to the charity’s gardens and meet people with spinal injuries, volunteers and staff.

Funding

This is a one-year fixed term role funded by the Rank Foundation, a philanthropic organisation which encourages and develops leadership and promotes enterprise and innovation. It is part of the Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine, a leadership programme which offers a 12-month role alongside training and development opportunities. The role includes mandatory training days held by the Rank Foundation that will require travel and possible overnight stays.

It would suit someone looking to start or build their career in the communications or impact field or charity sector. The final job offer is subject to approval of the chosen candidate by the Rank Foundation.

Main duties

• Liaise with organisational teams across fundraising and communications to best understand how stories, impact data and published evidence are needed and used across the organisation.
• Design and maintain robust systems and processes to manage our complex database of stories and impact data from each of the gardens and track their use to ensure we’re making the best of their potential across our fundraising, channels and events.
• Make sure all content is accessible and adapted for different written and digital platforms.
• Comply with GDPR regulations, safeguarding and best practice (training is provided as needed) to make sure our system is safe but also supportive to individual needs.
• Help to manage the library of our digital assets like photos and videos, ensuring the team have access to the most impactful content for their needs.
• Work closely with the Senior Impact Researcher to support the organisation and management of data and scientific evidence, for example patient questionnaires and counting garden use.
• Respond to briefs from the team to gather impact reports featuring individual stories to share with internal and external stakeholders.

General duties

• Support the wider team with administrative duties that support the smooth running of the organisation.
• Actively contribute to team and all staff meetings.

Skills required

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with attention to detail.
• Discretion in dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a diverse workload.
• Good IT and software skills and willingness to learn.
• Ability to work as a self-starter, using your own initiative.
• Flexible, can-do attitude, with the ability to remain calm and professional when under pressure.
• Basic digital software knowledge including design and film editing would be desirable – and we can support this with additional training.

We are looking for someone who has:

• The ability to take initiative and be a self-starter, working independently as well as part of a team.
• Strong administrative skills and organisational abilities.​
• Ability to engage and build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• A willingness to learn new skills and to develop existing skills.
• A positive, can-do and resilient attitude.
• Passion for the charity sector.
• Understanding of best practice with relation to consent processes and data protection – and we can support this with additional training.

Horatio’s Garden is keen to promote training and opportunities, and we will support the candidate to attend relevant training courses where a need can be demonstrated and to make the most of any opportunities to learn additional skills.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society. Please note that this role will involve occasional out-of-hours working (including evenings and weekends).

How to apply

Please read the full job description before applying. Please submit your CV and cover letter (no more than two sides of A4) outlining why you are suited to the role to Alex Geaney, Communications Manager. Please note that applications will not be considered without a cover letter.

The closing date for applications is Monday 19 January 2026. Interviews will take place w/c 2 February, with the role starting in April 2026. We may close the applications earlier if a suitable candidate is found. We look forward to receiving your application.

High Value Officer
Home based, remote working 
£28,000 pa plus excellent benefits
35 hours per week

The High Value Officer for our Fundraising team will focus and lead on supporting the Trusts and Major Donor teams with postal and electronic mailings; keeping the CRM up to date; supporting the Prospects Research Manager with initial research, identifying new opportunities and sources of funding; streamlining administrative systems and processes; creating purchase orders and invoices; supporting the Major Donor Manager with administration of the Mid Value pool.

This is a great junior role, offering opportunities in several High Value fundraising teams. You will get to use your administrative skills across a range of activities and also develop your research skills when looking at prospects and supporting the Corporate team in their due diligence work.

You will: 

1. With support from the MD Manager, lead on the day-to-day running of our Mid Value programme including administration and delivery of a calendar of activity

2. Support the team with various CRM system processes, and ensure records are accurately updated

3. Support the Prospect Research Manager to identify new opportunities and sources of funding

4. Streamline and manage electronic folders

5. Create purchase orders and invoices

6. Support the Trust and Major Donor teams with mailings (postal and electronic)

7. Carry out day-to-day Corporate Partnership activities and monitor incoming requests.

You will have good organisation and administrative skills. Having good time managements skills and being able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously will be key to making a success of this role. You will also have excellent IT skills, ideally with experience of using a CRM (we use Microsoft Dynamics).

We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Together, we will end the discrimination faced by our communities, help people hear better now and fund world-class research to restore hearing and silence tinnitus.

We work with our communities and partners across industry, government, charity, education and more to change life for the better.

RNID has a proud history and big ambitions. We’re focused on making the greatest impact possible across the whole of the UK. We champion the latest technology and the opportunities it brings. We also know the value of a friendly face in local communities to support people where they need it most.

We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate our diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from BAME backgrounds or who are deaf or hard of hearing. With almost 20% of our employees having a disability we proudly hold Disability Confident Leader status and guarantee an interview for disabled applicants meeting the minimum essential criteria.

Closing date: Sunday 21 December 2025
Interviews: w/c 12 January 2026