Jobs

The Task Ahead: Finance Manager

As The Difference moves from its early start-up phase into the delivery of our 2025-30 strategy, our programmes and sector-influencing work are expanding to reach more schools and to deepen our impact. Alongside this growth, our team - and the operational function which supports them - is also growing.

As Finance Manager, you will be a key member of the Finance & Operations team. You will hold end-to-end responsibility for the finance function, from reconciliations to budgeting. You will decide where and how our existing processes could be improved, as well as developing new systems that will underpin our work as a larger and more established charity. You will be supported by the Director of People, Finance & Operations, as well as our external auditors.

The Difference is still a small and growing charity. This means that our work is fast-paced, our roles are broad, and there is a culture of being reactive and flexible, as the needs of the organisation evolve. If this sounds exciting rather than daunting, then this could be the role and team for you!

Areas of Responsibility

The Difference is looking for a Finance Manager to lead our finance function in the following ways:

• Oversee our internal bookkeeping, payment, and accounting processes, and improve these systems ongoingly.

• Lead on budgeting and forecasting across the organisation, supporting teams to predict income and expenditure and make sound financial decisions.

• Lead on the production of management accounting information, including internal monthly management accounts, quarterly reports for Trustees, and financial reports for investors.

• Lead on The Difference’s audit process, with external auditors.

• Work with the Development & Impact Manager to update fundraising pipelines, and ensure the availability of high quality income projections for Trustees.

• Support accurate budgeting and reporting for grant funding, including tracking spend of restricted funds.

• Support business planning by working with teams to model potential future work - e.g. costs of expansion of an existing programme; modelling potential new programmes.

Person Specification

Essential – We are looking for the following skills, aptitude and experience; though you may be stronger in some areas than others:

• Values – Your experience evidences shared values with The Difference (see below) and a personal commitment to our mission to improve life outcomes for vulnerable people.

• Finance experience, operational and strategic – Experience across all areas of finance, from accurate invoicing, payments and record-keeping, through to setting and managing budgets, financial modelling and forecasting, and working with external accountants or auditors.

• Finance process development – Experience of developing finance systems; the ability to recognise how processes could be continuously improved, and enact this improvement.

• Leadership of self and others – Confident in identifying skills or information gaps within your team, and drawing on the expertise of others to address these gaps. Able to show how you've continually grown your own skills and those of your team members so that together you can efficiently cover workload and plan ahead.

• Proactive problem-solving – Ability to thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment and to problem-solve: from rolling sleeves up and diving into detail to working collaboratively to build capacity.

Desired – You are more likely to be successful in your application if you have one or more of the following additional experiences: 

• Accounting qualification and experience - Some form of accounting qualification and post-qualification experience.

• Early-stage charity/social enterprise experience – You may have specific experience growing charities or businesses for social good at the early or start-up phase.

• Experience of charity finances – You may have worked for or supported other charities, and have experience of working with philanthropic grants, charity accounting, and governance.

• Insight into schools – You may have experience working in the education sector, whether that’s through working for a business or charities that partnered with schools, or through working in a school yourself. 

Why Work for The Difference?

Schooling isn’t working for the children who need it most. Every week in England 109 children – equivalent to three full classrooms – are permanently excluded. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Since the pandemic, school suspensions have risen significantly, as has persistent absenteeism. 1 in 5 children are missing more than 10% of their time in school. Children who are excluded or persistently absent are much more likely to already be experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. They are more likely to live in poverty, have additional learning needs, suffer mental health challenges, or experience a lack of safety outside school. Certain ethnicities are also disproportionately affected, notably Gypsy Roma Traveller and black Caribbean children. 

Exclusion and high rates of absence can have a dramatic effect on life chances. These young people are more likely to drop out of education or employment, become vulnerable to long-term mental ill health, or be at risk of criminal exploitation. The Difference believes that children and young people deserve better and that the education system has to change.

Our Organisation 

The Difference is a young education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning.  By 2030, we want rates of exclusion and absence to be falling nationally and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, including those who may be vulnerable. The Difference was born out of a year of research into school exclusions with think-tank IPPR. This research identified a lack of inclusion expertise in schools and proposed a new leadership development programme to fill this gap. In 2018, Difference founder Kiran hired the team who took this idea from concept to reality, beginning work with our first schools.

The Difference is now a 22-strong team delivering multiple school leadership programmes, alongside a growing research and policy arm. The team is supported by our Youth Advisory Board, made up of young people who have experienced exclusion and who provide their expertise and insights on how school inclusion work should be done. This work is needed more than ever. Effects of COVID-19, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, have substantially increased levels of vulnerability. Schools serving excluded pupils face under-funding. The Difference has had excellent early impact but there is work ahead to capture this, share learning with schools and policy-makers, and grow our capacity to lower exclusions across England.

Our Values

• High Expectations - We are ambitious for excellence from young people, colleagues and ourselves.  We don’t believe in writing off someone’s potential because of their identity or experience of crisis. 

• Strong Relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions, and know that this requires deliberate relational practice. We see colleagues and partners as people first and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks, gain more feedback and have greater impact.

• Internalised Locus of Control - We work hard to reframe difficult situations to discover what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agency in our work/

• Pragmatism - We believe leadership means recognising current limitations and striving for improvements within and beyond them.  We develop consensus and chart new ways forward, challenging false and extreme positions like “zero exclusions” or “no excuses”.

• Scientific approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast and often is key to finding the best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make adjustments and choose new directions. 

• Not Squeamish about Structural Inequality - We believe patterns of inequality can and should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about these inequalities, and both the individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to overcome awkwardness in talking about this; and begin by acknowledging our own biases and blind spots.

• Asset-based - We work hard to avoid deficit thinking and aim to start with what’s strong, not what’s wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly young people and families – as victims but instead to recognise their agency.

• Wise selves - To both enjoy work and do their best, we want to make decisions and work with others in our “wise” - or regulated - selves. We also want to bring our compassionate self to those we work with, externally and internally, to support one another through challenging times. 

How To Apply 

To apply, please complete all sections of the application form by midnight on Sunday 19th May.

First round interviews will be held during the week beginning 27th May, over video call. Please indicate if you would not be available to attend an interview during this week.

If successful in this stage, second round interviews (including a task to be completed the same day) will take place on the week beginning 3rd June, at our office in Bethnal Green. 

We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the charity sector such as people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the care system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates. 

As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names and any protected characteristics redacted.

Recommended Reading 

If you’d like to understand more about The Difference and what we are trying to achieve, we would recommend the following:

• The research which underpins our organisation.

• Our latest Impact Report, sharing our work in 2023

The Pelham is a local Christian charity that enriches lives in real and diverse ways for our community in Sidley, Bexhill. The Pelham aims to benefit the community through our charitable activities & projects, and effective partnership working.

This exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and vibrant local charity also represents a growing youth work provision, which has been developing over the last 5 years with an engaged group of local young people and strong links to local schools, community groups and churches. We are looking for a visionary and passionate youth worker to build on what has worked well to date and establish new opportunities and activities for local young people to benefit from. We are passionate about seeing local people’s lives lived to the full and reaching their potential in a supportive environment.

Following the opening of the basement in September 2023, The Pelham has a designated space for children and young people to call their own. In our current work as a Community Hub, we have over 60 partner organisations and over 400 people a week coming through the doors, and our vision is to see the range of activities and partners be replicated for local youth.

As well as leading the youth work, this postholder will join part of The Pelham’s project leadership team alongside the other four core projects:

· Our volunteer-run Coffee Lounge is open 5 days a week, providing a safe and warm space in the community to over 150 customers each week.

· The Pelham as a Community Hub welcomes over 400 people through our doors each week and hire our spaces out to over 60 different local organisations that use The Pelham as a base for their valuable assistance to help people in need locally. The range of organisations covers the voluntary, statutory and small business community to create a vibrant and dynamic space.

· RunningSpace is our suicide prevention project with a vision to champion life and beat suicide through walk2run groups. We currently run sessions in five locations, across East Sussex and Kent. We also host suicide prevention training too on a regular basis.

· The Pelham Counselling Service offers individual and group work therapy sessions with its team of 9 counsellors. It offers bursaries and a flexible service to best meet the needs of local people.

In joining the team, collaborative working will be at the heart of the development of the youth work, including group therapy sessions for young people, suicide prevention work and volunteering and employability pathways.

As a charity and team our core values are to be:

· Welcoming- We welcome everyone in with love and respect

· Relational- We build strong and trusted connections within our community

· Generous- We choose to be generous as we look to bless people we meet

· Authentic - We aim to have integrity, openness and compassion in all we do

· Ambitious - We create sustainable and transformational opportunities that impact people for good.

The current outworking of the role, fulfilled in 12 hours a week, includes:

· Running an after-school youth club for secondary school aged children on a Tuesday evening, supported by a team of volunteers. Currently, 30 young people on average attend.

· Working within the local secondary school’s pastoral care team on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes

· Development of activities for The Basement, which is the designated space for children and young people at The Pelham. This space was opened in September 2023 following an extensive capital redevelopment.

· Providing a range of activities and events in the school holidays.

The hours for this job are 30 hours per week. There is an openness to job sharing and also extending the role to full time hours. If these elements are of interest do reach out for an initial conversation and do apply)

Main Purpose of the Role:

The Youth Worker will take the leadership role in the development of Youth work from The Pelham, as part of its charitable work and community service, working under the guidance of the CEO and as part of the Project Leadership team.

The role will include having vision to develop relevant and appealing opportunities in Bexhill for young people, working together with local partners, including schools and voluntary organisations. This will include innovative options outside of our current scope of work, which may include wellbeing activities, studying support, home education, group work therapy and more.

There will also be administrative responsibilities specific to this role, including safeguarding and risk assessing all activities and events as well as the young people that you will be working with.

The role will also involve hosting a range of regular session specifically for young people, as well as empowering and encouraging young people, in line with the vision and values of The Pelham as a charity.

Key Tasks:

1. To create a safe environment for young people to be at The Pelham, including all necessary safeguarding requirements and good practice.

2. To run youth activities at The Pelham on a weekly basis in term time, including but not limited to:

1. After school sessions

2. Evening sessions

3. Daytime sessions for home educated or de-schooled students

4. School holiday activities

3. To provide consistent and appropriate input into the lives of local young people living in our community, giving them purpose, value and significance.

4. To develop partnerships specifically focused on the usage of the basement during the daytime. This is focused around exploring connections with home educated students, and those outside of mainstream education.

5. To establish key links with existing youth provision in the town, alongside the schools, voluntary groups and faith groups.

6. To work alongside The Pelham Counselling Service to promote and support the wellbeing of young people, including through the use of group workshops.

7. To support a volunteer team to support in hosting youth activities, all with the appropriate DBS checks and training.

8. To work alongside the pastoral care team at Bexhill Academy to provide support to students during lunchtime(s) in the school week.

9. To explore and respond to the local need for young people, including helping to mitigate anti-social behaviour in Sidley with increased interaction and trust building. This will include working with local partners including Heart of Sidley, Rother Safety Partnership and Sussex Police.

10.  This will also extend into local connections in Sidley, Pebsham, Chantry and Bexhill Town Centre in providing opportunities for children and young people and their families, as well as other youth focused organisations.

It is also possible to arrange a conversation with Ollie Jeffs, CEO, to discuss the role further including the flexibility of a job share or if a candidate is seeking full time hours.

Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, with around 300 people diagnosed every day. The Macular Society is the only charity determined to beat the fear and isolation of macular disease with world class research, and the best advice and support.

To support people affected by macular disease now, the Macular Society provides a range of support, information and services. Our research programme is focused on finding new treatments and a cure to Beat Macular Disease forever.

Our Head of Legacy and In Memory Fundraising leads a small, dedicated and highly-skilled team. Working with the Associate Director of Fundraising and Marketing, the role is responsible for building and developing our vital legacy and in memory programme. The role includes the development of innovative and engaging marketing strategies - including recruitment and stewardship across legacies and in memory - investigating new audiences and channels and requires excellent budgetary management including detailed income forecasting.

With an ambitious approach and natural empathy, you will relish the opportunity to use your extensive knowledge of legacy based fundraising to increase income and optimise opportunities. If you lead by example to create a caring, approachable and supportive environment for all – by listening to each other and working together and enjoy driving through improvements to enable team to deliver, then we would love to hear from you.

In return, we provide a great working culture – we do something worthwhile and are proud to work together to Beat Macular Disease – as recognised by our inclusion in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 list. 

We offer flexible working options, 26 days annual leave, rising to 27 after one years’ service, the ability to buy or sell annual leave, supportive family policies, and 6% pension contribution.

We are passionate about treating people fairly and as equals, doing so is instinctive to us. To Beat Macular Disease for all we know we have work to do. That’s why we are keen to hear from people of all backgrounds who have the skills and experience we are looking for. We particularly encourage applications from people from under-represented groups, to help ensure what we do and how we do it is inclusive – for everyone.

Interviews: First stage interviews to be held week commencing 3 June 2024

As part of our selection process, we will be asking candidates to deliver a short presentation during 1st stage interview.

Programmes Manager 

Salary:

£32,000 - £40,000 + £2,000 London weighting

Contract:

1 year contract

Hours:

Full time

Location:

London / Hybrid

People can work flexibly as per Bite Back 2030’s hybrid working policy noting that office based employees are expected to be in the office two days per week. Remote staff are required to travel to our London HQ at least once a month; if you are on a remote working contract, your travel to the London office for team days will be paid.

NB: This role will require occasional travel to schools across England.

Reporting to:

Head of Programmes 

About Bite Back 2030 

We’re surrounded by junk food. From the moment we're born, every second of every day, children are being targeted. Giant companies manipulate them with colourful, cuddly, clever marketing, deceive them with packaging claims and pump products at them that are full of junk. It's become the cultural wallpaper. Now, it risks endangering the health of a generation.

In the UK, nearly a third of children aged 2-15 face a higher risk of food-related ill health in their futures. The good news is, it's preventable. And we're biting back.

Bite Back is a youth activist movement challenging a food system that's been set up to fool us all by:

1) Calling out the manipulation of the junk food giants.

2) Demanding higher standards from food marketing and from everyday food itself.

3) Mobilising and equipping young people in the fight for better food.

We do all this so we can bite back against a global epidemic of food-related ill health.

About Bite Back in Schools 

Bite Back has delivered our youth social action programme — Bite Back in Schools— to over 120 schools over the last two years. Working with secondary schools, we have supported over 2,000 11-14 year olds to plan and deliver social action projects to prioritise child health by improving their school food. This could be by making nutritious and sustainable food the norm by increasing the flow of healthy options in their canteens, or by redesigning the school food experience to put healthy options in the spotlight.

With funding awarded from the #iWill Fund, we are recruiting a brilliant cohort of schools who will join the programme in September 2024. Our programme model combines an assembly delivered by a Bite Back young ambassador, five hours of curriculum time sessions for a whole year group, and our ever-popular and impactful School Food Champions (SFC) extra-curricular club. You can read more about our offer for schools here. 

Role Description

The Programmes Manager plays a key role supporting our community of schools during their time on the programme. They will support the design and lead on the delivery of Bite Back in Schools to ensure the best possible user experience for young people, their teachers and their schools, and to ensure the programme makes the greatest possible impact.

The Programmes Manager  will report to the Head of Programmes, and will work closely with colleagues across Bite Back, in particular with our comms, digital, youth and policy teams, working within our Strategy and Delivery Function. 

Key responsibilities include:

Relationship management

• Provide ongoing support to schools throughout their time on the programme, building strong working relationships with participating schools. 

• Lead communication with all schools, being the first point of contact for the coordinator and lead teacher in each school.

• Support monitoring and evaluation through creation of surveys, ensuring completion of baseline and end of year surveys, and analysis of data submitted (in partnership with our external evaluators).

• Book and arrange assemblies, coordinating between schools and our Bite Back Ambassadors.

Community management 

• Celebrate and share examples of best practice and impactful social action projects amongst our community of schools.

• Design and deliver training and webinars for schools.

• Lead on the design and delivery of competitions for schools.

• Schedule and organise visits to schools, agreeing agendas with the schools in advance to include elements including meeting pupils and teachers, leading feedback sessions and focus groups and supporting the development of their social action campaigns.

• Drafting of termly newsletters and regular emails to schools.

• Create case studies and collate material to share with our comms and digital teams.

• Encourage teachers and pupils to use the new Bite Back digital platform to share their stories and projects, and take part in broader Bite Back campaigns.

• Grow our movement - supporting the recruitment of future cohorts by promoting the Bite Back in Schools programme, distributing recruitment comms, holding set up calls with interested schools, and guiding schools through the application and enrolment process, working closely with the Head of Programmes on the design of these processes.

Project management of systems and operational support

• Manage the SFC inbox, dealing with enquiries from schools and other partners.

• Process invoices related to the programme, liaising between schools and the Bite Back accounts team, and monitoring the monthly total payments made to schools.

• Manage the budget for specific areas of programme expenditure, such as merchandise and Ambassador training. 

• Creating and uploading new high quality session plans, resources and materials to our digital  platform as required.

• Design and maintain reporting systems to monitor levels of engagement of individual schools, flagging concerns and proactively finding ways to mitigate issues to ensure schools remain on the programme.

• Management of programmes section of Bite Back CRM system, keeping data up to date and accurate, and developing reports to share programme data with team and funders.

Programme design and improvement

• Identifying opportunities to optimise the potential of our programmes and proactively making suggestions for continuous improvement to our user experience, programme design and systems. 

• Proactively seek feedback on customer satisfaction, impact and service improvement and use this to inform suggestions for improvements.

• Feed your ideas into programme delivery and development.

• Support new pilots and interventions, including testing innovative ideas on the ground, as requested to enable Bite Back to develop our suite of programmes and maximise opportunities for new work to further our mission across the school sector.

Skills / Experience (required)

The ideal candidate would have the following experience and qualities:

• Strong organisational and project management skills, with excellent time management, ability to manage competing priorities and attention to detail

• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages and language to resonate with different audiences.

• A proven record of building relationships across sectors, with young people and adults.

• Experience of creating resources which are engaging for young people and simple to deliver for teachers 

• Strong understanding of the education sector and experience of working with schools and teachers. 

• Experience of youth facilitation and / or delivering training. 

You will be able to show the following qualities:

• A bold and open mind - you will be prepared to think differently about issues.

• A level head - you will be comfortable working both reactively and proactively.

• A sense of humour - we believe work should be fun and that we all perform at our very best when we enjoy what we do.

• Creativity - you will come at issues from new and unusual angles and be prepared to work hard on finding fresh and surprising angles.

• Resilience - you will be prepared to keep going or as our values say, set back won't set you back.

• A passion for our mission.

Skills / experience (desired):

• Experience of working with CRM systems particularly Salesforce.

• Experience in drafting compelling copy and uploading content to digital platforms.

• Understanding of youth social action and extracurricular programmes.

• Interest in campaigning, social justice, food, and child health. 

• Experience of managing budgets.

The salary is in line with the BITC job framework - minimum of £22,770 per annum regional and £25,875 per annum London office based. 

The location is flexible - across the UK - homebased or based out of a BITC office with a hybrid approach.

The responsibilities include: 

• Undertaking project management, including coordinating the team
• Tracking, monitoring and evaluating engagement with our inclusion campaigns via internal systems including Salesforce and Power BI
• Supporting the team with primary research, literature reviews of secondary sources and analysis of numerical data
• Developing content such as toolkits, factsheets, blogs, slide decks, case studies and other knowledge-based content to support businesses to engage with and implement campaign asks
• Managing internal and external stakeholder relationships
• Managing the Employment and Skills Twitter channels, posting content and driving engagement
• Using your own initiative to anticipate and vary the effort needed to meet internal and external deadlines
• Supporting on all aspects of delivering events, including occasional presenting

The successful candidate must be willing to undertake some travel within the UK, up to once a month.

Closing date - Sunday 19 May 2024 at midnight 

Interviews on Tuesday 28 May 2024 

The CO will work with the whole community of Thames View and Barking Riverside wards (and across the wider borough of Barking & Dagenham) to transform the area via environmental action, into a place that people are proud of, where they can see a positive and exciting future and feel able to influence and shape the wider changes that are taking place due to development / regeneration.

On a day-to-day basis, the CO will have the overall responsibility for delivering environmental action, including litter picks, supporting volunteers, ensuring that activities are delivered on time and within budget and that targets are met. S/he will have experience of working in communities under pressure, be committed to a community-led approach and be capable of establishing and running environmental sessions, including litter picks and chairing of community meetings.  S/he will have the  skills and personal qualities to build strong, trusting relationships, and the confidence and maturity to encourage and support others to take a lead.

 Key responsibilities:

· Organizing litter picks with residents and local groups

· Liaising with strategic partners (LBBD, NHS, BRL, Be First etc).

· Publicising activity on social media

· Producing short 100-word reports for newsletters

· Attending team meetings

· Supporting volunteers.

· Chairing community meetings.

· Completing 1-2 small grant applications

· Financial oversight of budget and monitoring requirements

· Development of forward strategies to support environmental action

· Attend training as appropriate.

· Ensure compliance with Thames Life strategies – safeguarding, health and safety, EDI etc.

· Any other duties as required.

The post for an initial 3-months pending review, with the hope of the post continuing thereafter 

Hybrid working with regular travel to our London Bridge Office 

What the job involves 

We’re looking for an Income Processing Executive to join our Data Import Team. This role who will be vital in ensuring our regular giving income continues to grow and help to fund our research to stop prostate cancer killing men.

You’ll be responsible for the day to day running and upkeep of our regular giving customers’ details in our CRM, and for the preparation and submission of weekly payment files to our payment partner. This requires handling data effectively, promptly and above all accurately in line with our business priorities while ensuring best practice and compliance.  

You’ll proactively engage regularly with other teams ensuring that our supporters are given an excellent service, that meets the business objectives of Prostate Cancer UK. 

This role will take responsibility for checking that incoming data matches uploaded data, investigate and resolve discrepancies, and adjust gift data in our CRM, Raiser’s Edge, when required.  

What we want from you 

We're looking for someone with a high attention to detail. You’ll understand the foundations of information architecture, and how data structures underpin real-world actions.   

Being a natural problem solver, you’ll use your initiative to find, address and resolve issues as and when they arise.  You’ll thrive when working solo yet possess the ability to adapt within a friendly team environment and collaborate when needed.

It will be hugely beneficial if you can demonstrate strong prioritisation and decision-making skills and are able to work to tight deadlines with changing priorities.  

Why work with us?
Every man needs to know about the most common cancer in men – prostate cancer. It’s a real and present danger that takes over 12,000 of our dads, grandads, brothers and friends each year.

Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK. We have a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging lives. We invest millions in research to revolutionise testing, treatment and care. We’re blazing a trail to a screening programme that could save thousands of lives with regular, accurate tests for all men at risk. And we work tirelessly to spread the word about risk and offer specialist support to people living with the disease.

Work with us and you’ll see your efforts pay off as we give men and their families the power to navigate prostate cancer.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

At Prostate Cancer UK, we believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to building a strong and innovative workplace that represents, and can advocate for, the communities we support.

It’s our ambition to become an anti-racist organisation, and our mission to advance racial equity in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

We’re continuously learning more about the needs of our colleagues, and have three amazing People Networks, sponsored by our Leadership team: Pride, Mind & Body and Multicultural.

Ways of working

Our hybrid working approach combines the best of flexible working – a positive work/life balance, inclusive and accessible platforms, and online information at our fingertips.

Next steps
More information on what we offer, as well as the role, can be found on our vacancies page. Please download our job profile document (job description) with our ‘How to apply’ section sharing the key points to refer to in your application and to apply.

Got a question? Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or questions – we’re here to help.

The closing date is Sunday 19th May 2024.  Applications must be submitted by 23:45 UK time. 

 Interviews: By arrangement. Currently scheduled for the week of Monday 3rd June 2023. 

Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) Peer Mentor Advert

Fixed term contract until 31st March 2026 – linked to funding

Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Salary Grade 1.1 - £24,102 per annum

Have you experienced mental health issues? Are you an ex-offender? Would you like to use your experience to help others turn their lives around? We have a paid vacancy for someone to join us as a Peer Mentor and gain experience working with a leading provider of homelessness and housing advice and support while inspiring and motivating others in their own recovery.

About the Peer Mentor Service

Shelter is delivering a Peer Mentor Service in partnership with the Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) within Birmingham and Solihull’s Mental Health Foundation Trust. The FIRST service is a comprehensive recovery focussed multi-disciplinary team addressing the individual needs of our service users through tailored packages of care. It includes Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Support Workers, Peer Mentors, Substance Use workers and Social Workers. Each service user will have an allocated Care Coordinator and Responsible Clinician who monitor, and review care and support needs and interventions.

The Peer Mentor role will engage with clients on the ward and within the community - with a primary focus on supporting clients with their transition away from staying on the ward to living in the community. The Peer Mentor service’s aim is to help people with multiple and complex needs to enhance the support available through the FIRST Pathway.

About Shelter

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the role

As a Peer Mentor, you'll support people with mental health concerns who are looking to create sustainable lives in the community by improving engagement with services with a view to sustaining wellbeing and reducing reoffending. Your own experiences will be invaluable as you engage with and motivate individuals to set goals around their recovery. This will include building a relationship of trust with individuals and understanding the importance of empowering them to make their own choices. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to access personal support to develop new skills and improve your self-confidence to do the job.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About you

We’re looking for people who have had mental health issues, are ex-offenders or who have been through the criminal justice system. Lived Experience of homelessness and substance use is useful but not essential. You’ll need to have accessed support services, have an understanding of how these experiences have affected you and be able to tap into these experiences to identify gaps in services and barriers to recovery and how things can be improved. You’ll need to have been stable for at least 18 months and be willing to share details of your successful journey with others to help them. You will be looking to go into a career supporting vulnerable adults and this will be a great opportunity to gain experience. Basic computer skills will be needed, as well as the interest to develop and learn new skills.

*Offers of employment are subject to Risk Assessment, Enhanced DBS, Proof of Right to work and two references being satisfactory to Shelter. 

*Evidence of/ or willingness to receive the below vaccinations are a requirement of this post: 

· Tetanus 

· Diphtheria 

· Polio 

· MMR 

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, childcare vouchers, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

If anyone would like further information about this position, Shelter in partnership with FIRST will be holding an information session on 29th April at 11.00 am.  To register your interest please see details on the job advert on Shelter's website.

Apply to be part of an exciting initiative and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Role Purpose

RISE strives for a world where people can lead safe, purposeful lives as a result of better relationships within families and communities; where harmful behaviour is marginalised and fewer people are victims of crime. In order to create safe communities, RISE empowers people to break their cycle of harmful behaviour. RISE’s programmes challenge attitudes and facilitate long-lasting behaviour change and are driven by the belief that people can make better decisions, given the right support. RISE are specialists in designing and delivering evidence-based, transformative behaviour change courses within the criminal justice system and wider community.

With the main objectives of reducing re-offending and helping to protect the public, the RISE practitioner will deliver a range of interventions (individual and group), that RISE may design, commission or be commissioned to deliver in the future in the community.

Avon and Somerset Police has commissioned us to deliver ‘Chance to Change’, a new informal out of court resolution (OOCR) Deferred Prosecution for 18–24-year-olds in Avon and Somerset. The Support Worker is key to the successful delivery of the Deferred Prosecution Scheme, and will manage cases from the point of referral, tracking progress and compliance. The Support Worker will act as a single point of contact to secure the offender’s engagement, working alongside other partners to address the offender’s needs, with the aim of eliciting behaviour change and reducing reoffending.

Key Accountabilities

Delivery:

• Manage cases with a range of complex needs and behaviours.
• Deliver a range of short interventions which include group work, one to ones, embedding a multi-agency approach in Avon and Somerset.
• Undertake holistic assessments that identify risk and protective factors, and develop bespoke support plans.  
• Work collaboratively with the Chance to Change partnership, including attendance at multi-agency meetings where required.
• Track service user’s progress and compliance against their individual Support Plan, reporting back to the ASCEND team.
• Adhere to relevant group work programme manuals and deliver programme sessions to ensure the integrity of programme delivery, which is overseen by the Team Leader.
• Apply specialised materials to support delivery to consider diverse needs, working proactively to provide a non-discriminatory service.
• Be responsible and accountable for working with Team Leader to ensure risk is reviewed on a weekly basis.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques and strength-based approaches in building a range of therapeutic skills to engage with offenders to address their behaviour.
• Encourage and facilitate learning with participants on a group, including proactively working to elicit behavioural change and acceptance of their behaviour.
• Work closely with other professionals to ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect where there is an imminent risk to another person. Apply RISE’s escalation procedures.
• Be personally accountable for the completion of the initial needs assessment, support plans, and end of intervention reports, and ensure they are to a high standard.
• Ensure effective planning for the delivery of each intervention in advance of the session.
• Participate in and pass the necessary training to be able to deliver all interventions.
• Assist or lead on the delivery of training courses.

Out of Court Resolution (OOCR) courses:

• Deliver a range of OOCR short courses online and in person.
• Ensure delivery is in accordance with the RISE OOCR course manuals and process mapping.
• Adhere to course manual sessions and materials and ensure the integrity of programme delivery is always maintained, overseen by the Team Leader.
• Apply specialised materials to support your delivery to racialised and marginalised groups and adjust materials according to meet neuro-diversity needs, agreed by the Team leader.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques and strength-based approaches in building a range of therapeutic skills to engage with service users online and in person.
• Encourage and facilitate learning with participants online using variety of techniques like break-out, noticeboard etc.

Recording and administrative tasks:

• Ensure timely and accurate recording of all relevant data (needs assessment support plan compliance, attendance, feedback, mid-way and end of intervention reports) using systems provided and in line with performance standards.
• Ensure regular contact with the ASCEND team, recording and reporting back offender compliance.
• Maintain an accurate audit trail of all relevant communication with partner organisations involved.

Delivery:

• Manage cases with a range of complex needs and behaviours.
• Deliver a range of short interventions which include group work, one to ones, embedding a multi-agency approach in Avon and Somerset.
• Undertake holistic assessments that identify risk and protective factors, and develop bespoke support plans.  
• Work collaboratively with the Chance to Change partnership, including attendance at multi-agency meetings where required.
• Track service user’s progress and compliance against their individual Support Plan, reporting back to the ASCEND team.
• Adhere to relevant group work programme manuals and deliver programme sessions to ensure the integrity of programme delivery, which is overseen by the Team Leader.
• Apply specialised materials to support delivery to consider diverse needs, working proactively to provide a non-discriminatory service.
• Be responsible and accountable for working with Team Leader to ensure risk is reviewed on a weekly basis.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques and strength-based approaches in building a range of therapeutic skills to engage with offenders to address their behaviour.
• Encourage and facilitate learning with participants on a group, including proactively working to elicit behavioural change and acceptance of their behaviour.
• Work closely with other professionals to ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect where there is an imminent risk to another person. Apply RISE’s escalation procedures.
• Be personally accountable for the completion of the initial needs assessment, support plans, and end of intervention reports, and ensure they are to a high standard.
• Ensure effective planning for the delivery of each intervention in advance of the session.
• Participate in and pass the necessary training to be able to deliver all interventions.
• Assist or lead on the delivery of training courses.

General tasks:

• Develop excellent relationships with customers and respond positively to their needs.
• Be a strong advocate for RISE interventions, representing RISE and its interventions at key stakeholder events.
• Attend Clinical Consultancy to support safe practice and develop resilience during the delivery of demanding work as directed by the Team Leader.

Confidentiality and Information Security

• Adhere to the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts and comply with the terms of RISE’s Privacy, IT and Data protection policies, and that of our partners where relevant.
• Comply with security measures in accordance with RISE policies and our partner’s E-mail and Internet use.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

RISE is committed to keeping children and vulnerable adults safe. Post holders with direct offender contact are responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults they come into contact with. Post holders not in direct offender contact have a general responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.

Other duties

• Undertake other duties as may be required which are commensurate with the grade and nature of the post.
• Cover for other posts as appropriate, and willingness to be trained in new interventions.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience

Essential

• Effective interpersonal skills and communication skills in person and online
• Minimum 1-year experience working with hard-to-reach individuals.
• Ability to effectively undertake risk assessments.
• Ability to write high quality reports.
• Understanding of offending behaviours, needs and issues, particularly for young adults.
• Experience of delivering domestic abuse and/or trauma interventions or case work.
• Good understanding of race and equality issues and impact on communities.
• Experience and knowledge of multi-agency liaison risk management.
• Experience of working with both Families, Children and Service Users.
• Ability to motivate and engage a difficult client group while undertaking interventions. This may be as part of one to one basis or group work.
• Openness to new ideas and ways of working.
• Ability to relate positively and empathetically but without collusion.
• Ability to appropriately challenge negatives attitudes, thinking and behaviours.
• Willingness to learn and develop from feedback about performance.
• Experience of effective team working.
• Ability and willingness to use new technology.
• An Enhanced DBS Check is required for this role.

Desirable

• Ability to develop new interventions.
• A relevant qualification, e.g social work, probation studies or cognitive behaviour therapy or family therapy.

Corporate responsibilities

Vision: Work towards our vision of transforming lives through innovative rehabilitation solutions

Values

Demonstrates our values every day, in relation to:

• People
• Change
• Innovation
• Diversity
• Excellence
• Evidence-led
• Collaboration
• Social impact

Strategic Objectives

Promoting equality, diversity and rights

• Promote RISE’s Equality Policy and Code of Conduct and carry out duties and responsibilities with due regard to these polices at all times.
• Promote anti-discriminatory practice in ways that are consistent with professional legislative frameworks and RISE policies.
• Embed considerations around diversity and inclusion into RISE’s engagement with customers and stakeholders.  
• Ongoing review of marketing and communications strategies aimed at staff, customers and stakeholders in order to ensure they reflect the needs and interests of different groups in society.

Health and Safety

Undertake health and safety responsibilities specific to the post and be accountable for health and safety matters in accordance with RISE and commissioner’s policies.

Code of Conduct

Always abides by RISE’s Code of Conduct.

Value for Money

Considers issues of Value for Money in all aspects of their work, always striving to realise and demonstrate cost-effectiveness, sustainability and social impact.

• Salary: £43,136.87
• Location: Flexible, Shelter provides flexibility to allow home-based, Shelter Office-based, or a combination of the two, although ad hoc travel to London and other locations is required
• Contract type: Permanent
• Hours: 37.5 per week
• Leave: 30 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays
• Closing date: 19th May 2024
• Interview Date: Interviews will be held on a rolling basis via MS teams so flexibility can be offered to applicants who are shortlisted

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Are you passionate about leveraging technology to drive positive change? Do you have a knack for aligning technology with business objectives? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team as an HR Information Systems (HRIS) Manager at Shelter.

About Shelter

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination, and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the Team

This role sits within the Business Enablement team within Shelter’s Technology & Data (T&D) Department, which is made up of 30+ people based across the country with bases in London, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.

The T&D Department is accountable for developing and leading Shelter’s technology and data strategic priorities, providing a secure infrastructure, management of data and insight to underpin strategic outcomes, delivery of technology change projects, data governance and the provision of support for a range of software, systems, and platform tools.

About You

As the HRIS Manager, you'll be responsible for managing and developing our HRIS system, ensuring it aligns with Shelter's strategic priorities.

You'll collaborate with various teams to ensure our HRIS supports critical business functions effectively.

You will have experience providing and managing a HRIS support function.

You’ll bring significant experience in managing HRIS systems, excellent communication skills, and a passion for driving change.

You will have experience in aligning technology roadmaps with business strategy (PeopleXD experience advantageous).

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

How to apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement with responses to points 1, 2, 3 and 11 in the ‘About you’ section of the job description, of no more than 350 words per point

Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below throughout your responses.

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset.
• We work together to achieve our shared purpose

Please note CVs without supporting statements will not be considered. 

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing, and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

About Us:

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is the biggest girl-led organisation in the world. Our diverse movement represents 10 million members, which includes 1 Million committed and dedicated volunteers across 153 countries and territories (we call them Membership Organisations!)

Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting has transformed the lives of girls and young women worldwide, supporting and empowering them to achieve their fullest potential and become responsible citizens of the world.

Our strengths lie in innovative non-formal education programmes, leadership development, advocacy and community action; empowering girls and young women to develop the skills and confidence needed to make positive changes in their lives, in their communities and the world around them.

About the Role:

Would you like to make a difference to the lives of girls and young women around the world? Are you passionate about gender equality? Do you want to support girls and young women to feel confident, resilient and empowered to take the lead in their lives, their communities, and the world? 

The Strategic Partnerships Fundraising Manager will play a key role in driving forward our business development ambitions. You will lead the prospecting and cultivation process right through to collaborating with experts across WAGGGS on programme/product design through to bid development for some of our largest, most exciting and complex corporate funding opportunities.

Your focus will be on developing new and scaling our current programmes and projects on topics such as climate change, menstrual hygiene, leadership, gender-based violence and STEM.

About the Team:

The team is comprised of New Business Experts with a full range of bid development skills from budget building, programme design and commercial expertise required to secure high value multiyear opportunities. Alongside side new business fundraisers you will also be working with our Senior Membership Organistaion Partner, who will support and negotiate funding opportunities at a country led level.

The Strategic Partnerships Team works closely with colleagues from across WAGGGS such as the Global Programmes, Core Mission, World Centres and Membership to deliver on our objectives. Join a team that is passionate and ambitious in building and delivering compelling mutually beneficial opportunities that can empower and develop girls and young women across the world.

About You:

The successful candidate will have significant experience in devising strategies to generate income from corporate donors, ideally within the international fundraising space.

You will be adept at maintaining and building solid working relationships with senior stakeholders and corporate partners, especially in cross-cultural settings.

You will have a good track record of budget management and delivering agreed fundraising targets.

French, Spanish or Arabic language skills are desirable but not essential.

Salary: Grade 1.2 - £24,102 per annum pro rata

Contract: Fixed term until end of October 2026

Part time – 18.75 hours per week

Closing date: Sunday 19th May 2024 at  11.30 pm

We’re looking for an enthusiastic individual with office administration and customer service experience to join us as an Administrator and provide the support we need to help us deliver an effective local service. This is an exciting opportunity, and you will play a key part in standing up to the housing emergency.

About Shelter

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So we are striving for change; with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the team

Shelter Sheffield provide housing advice and support to people across the city with a focus on emergency homelessness, intensive support for children and families, people experiencing domestic abuse and people with multiple and complex needs. We take a holistic approach to help people deal with interrelated issues that can impact their ability to keep a home and help over 5000 people a year while also working to change the underlying systems that cause the housing emergency.

About the role

You will be the first point of contact for in-person and telephone callers to the service - taking client details, providing information and working with advisers to direct enquiries to the right people.

You’ll provide administrative support and have responsibility for designing and developing office systems and processes, data input, extraction and analysis and finance administration.  Helping front line staff with case administration, assisting the Hub managers with ad-hoc projects and seeing that our office equipment is properly maintained – all are aspects of this interesting, varied and vital role.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About you

We are looking for someone who;

• Has proven office administration and customer service experience. You’ll be a confident user of Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.

• With a passion for social justice.

• Will thrive in a fast paced and busy office environment, with a flexible and tenacious approach and will enjoy learning new skills.

• Has strong data processing skills with the ability to input, extract and analyse data and to review processes, introducing new ways of working where needed.

In return we can offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata for part time staff), enhanced family friendly policies, pension, and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Home is everything. We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Join us in ending the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and our communities.

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced operations manager to join our team. We are looking for someone who will help strengthen the foundations of our organisation, as well as help us expand our growing network of partner organisations across the UK. 

As a small charity, the role will require balancing practical tasks with strategic planning and management. Building on what has already been done, you will work directly with the CEO to help build the operational structure of Big Green Heart, and support its day-to-day operations. 

You will also facilitate the national deployment of Big Green Heart workshops across the UK, and will work with the CEO and trustees to implement the strategy needed to upscale the work of Big Green Heart. 

__________________________________________________________________________________

JOB TITLE: Operations Manager

SALARY: £27,000 - £30,000 / year,  FTE

LOCATION: Remote

FT / PT: Part Time

HOURS: Approx 16 hours per week.  The hours will be flexible and may include evenings and weekends.

ANNUAL LEAVE: 25 days pro rata

__________________________________________________________________________________

RESPONSIBILITIES

• You will develop and implement operational policies, procedures and systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation.

• You will monitor and evaluate the operational performance of the organisation, identifying areas for improvement and implementing solutions.

• You will manage the operational activity of our Big Green Heart experience days, supporting the CEO in the delivery of them. 

• You will work closely with our partner organisations who are using the Big Green Heart model, ensuring that the high standards and values of our teaching are maintained.

• You will also work with the Big Green Heart team to onboard new partner organisations. You will work with them to understand their needs and secure buy-in. 

• You will collaborate with the trustees, who also contribute to tasks linked with Big Green Heart's development. 

• You will manage the budgeting and financial planning processes, working closely with the Treasurer.

• You will be trained as a Big Green Heart facilitator with an expectation that you may be needed to facilitate a workshop during your time at the organisation.

• You will participate in professional and networking events related to Big Green Heart’s field of intervention.

• You will support staff members, trustees and volunteers, providing guidance and training in the operations of the charity as needed.

__________________________________________________________________________________

NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS

• At least two years experience in operations management, preferably within the charity sector. 

• A self motivated individual, capable of independent working.

• Ability to translate vision into a working practice. 

• Strong organisational and multitasking skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks effectively.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, with the capacity to work collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders.

• Familiarity with budgeting and financial management processes.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other relevant software applications.

• Commitment to the mission and values of the Big Green Heart.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

• Experience of working in a start-up environment, supporting the operational needs of a fledgling organisation. 

• Familiarity with using KNACK database.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The Big Green Heart recognises the need to provide a safe and caring environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults. As part of our safeguarding policy we will require any successful applicant to complete disclosure checks and obtain an enhanced DBS certificate. 

There is an occupational requirement that the job-holder is a Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note that we can only consider applications from candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK.

You'll develop and strengthen our work with children within our passionate, inclusive and diverse faith community, particularly but not exclusively within our Sunday gatherings.

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One Church Brighton is quite an unusual church! We are messy, organic and entrepreneurial; we have a variety of projects all trying to tackle social justice issues; and we seek to encourage people to get involved with issues that they are passionate about, rather than directing the agenda from ‘the top’. We have a wonderfully eclectic worshipping church community who appreciate the space to ask awkward questions and embrace different views. We are known for expressing an inclusive theology -  if you are not open to embracing and welcoming people of different sexualities, different beliefs, different attitudes and behaviours you will find it very hard to work for One Church. If however this is the kind of thinking that thrills you, then you’ll find a wonderfully affirming community who are genuinely trying to build God’s kingdom here in Brighton. 

The outcome of this theological thinking has shaped a set of values that we  believe in wholeheartedly and shape all that we do as a church. These values are:

Intimacy with God 

Involvement in the world 

Interdependence with one another 

Inclusion of everyone

and Integrity in all we do. 

We are hoping to find a very special person to join in the journey of One  Church, helping us to develop our children’s work so all in our church family are equipped and nurtured to live out the ethos and values of our faith as we  follow Christ. Specifically, we want someone who translates all that’s good about One Church and communicates and embodies that to the younger generation who call this church their home. Working alongside the Associate Minister, we want someone to share the overall responsibility for the spiritual health and discipleship of our children’s work. You will be passionate about children, and also able to encourage other people to engage with and nurture this generation in their expression of faith. 

Key responsibilities 

To work alongside the Associate Minister and Youth Worker to ensure that strong, proactive pastoral care exists across the children and youth by  coordinating and delivering a high-quality children’s (0-11) programme on Sundays and beyond.

Whilst supporting a great team of volunteers you will oversee and nurture the children’s work across One Church including the development of age appropriate curriculum to be used on Sundays. As a Church that openly questions, we want to encourage this ethos across the whole family and  especially our children and young people. Therefore, you must have a real  heart for children and their spiritual formation and be comfortable chatting  with them, as well as their parents, about their faith and experiences of God,  giving them a real sense of belonging within the wider church family. 

The linking of our children’s work and the teaching themes on Sunday aim to  ensure we always reflect our key values so they make sense in the real world.  You will lead this work through our Sunday children’s groups – Buds (pre school), Saplings (school years r-2) and Forest (school years 3-6) – as well as supporting children’s activities in our wider church events such as the church weekend away.

Sunday children’s work development.

To nurture our children on their faith journey, in a way that reflects the values and ethos of One Church. In practise, this will involve:

• Organising great kids work content that is dynamic, creative and inclusive,  and that enables every child to make sense of faith in the real world.

• Pulling together a curriculum of content that helps the kids grow in, question, and express faith. This will involve drawing on external resources where helpful, but also developing resources where there aren’t suitable children’s group work curricula available. 

• Ensuring that our church space is a suitably equipped, bright, attractive  place that is child friendly and accessible for everyone including those with additional needs. 

• Being creative and thinking ‘outside the box’ about what kids work in a  church should be - we don’t want to be bound by the way things have  always been done.

Discipleship and community outside of Sundays.

We have a wonderful group of children, and our heart is to provide more  spaces for them to grow in love, community and discipleship together beyond  Sunday mornings. This might look like meeting up to fly kites together,  forming some regular Journey Groups or mentoring relationships to do life  and faith in meaningful ways, taking trips to Rock Farm (our therapeutic  smallholding in West Sussex) to get some dirt under their nails, or  alternatively just getting together to watch a movie and paint their nails!  Whatever it looks like, we believe that a life of faith is a life best done together,  and we want our kids to have that sense of being a part of a family in which  they are completely welcome to be themselves, to bring their faith and their  questions, and to see the whole of life as a part of their spiritual journey.

We are particularly keen to invest in our Key Stage 2 group as they transition to become part of our youth work. We also encourage collaboration with our Youth Group and joint sessions to explore and develop mentorship opportunities across the age groups. You, alongside the Youth Worker will be responsible for how this comes together  to develop a strong pathway between the groups.

Supporting families.

Parenting is rarely a walk in the park, and helping kids find their feet in faith can be tricky at the best of times. To add to this, though, many of the parents and carers in our church are asking questions around what it looks like to support our kids in faith when their own understanding of God and the Bible is often uncertain and full of more questions than answers! How do we pass on the great bits of our faith without some of the more problematic baggage that often comes along with it? This isn’t an easy question and it’s not one that you’ll come sailing in with an answer to, but it is one that you’ll need to be able to engage with with as you spend time carefully listening to, and encouraging  our children and their parents.

Volunteer Recruitment and Support.

Recruiting, training and developing volunteers is absolutely essential to this role! Without a team of inspired and enthusiastic volunteers your job will be impossible. Working out strategies, communicating with passion and vision and following people up in informal and fun ways are key to getting people to volunteer and you’ll need to invest well in this task for the success of the children’s work for One Church. You’ll

hold regular meetings with your team of volunteers to provide support and motivation, with help from our Volunteer Coordinator, Head of Operations and Associate Minister. 

Communication.

We need to tell others about all that is happening in the life of our children’s work! Part of this role will be communicating with parents and the wider church family about how One Church is equipping and nurturing their children through their spiritual journey and Christian faith. Alongside one to one chats, this will also involve the ability to inspire through ‘up-front’ verbal communication in a variety of settings including children’s talks/activities on Sundays, as well as web-based and printed communications.

Administration.

Self-organisation, good time-keeping and an attention to detail will be key. The coordination and support of a rota and clear plan for our children’s work is crucial. The better our children’s work is organised, the easier it’ll be for parents and volunteers to be engaged and to feel supported.

Safeguarding.

This role will, with support from the Associate Minister and the Safeguarding team, be responsible for ensuring good practices around child-protection and safeguarding as well as the health and safety of our kids and team.

Team Work.

We have a diverse and broad staff team, your role will sit within the Sundays and Church Community Team (Minister, Associate Minister, Development and Wellbeing facilitator and Youth Worker). You will need to be good at, and committed to, working with others. This might be quite intensive times of working one-on-one with a colleague or it might be simply being aware of the work of another team, but either way your role will help foster a strong sense of togetherness and a supportive culture where nobody’s work is more important than anyone else’s. You’ll also be a part of our weekly wider staff meeting.

Kids work in the community. 

We’ve always dreamed of increasing our kids work to benefit more people in our local area and across the city, whether that’s by exploring options to support struggling children in local schools, meeting and building relationship with families that use our café, supporting the work of Chomp, or any initiative that helps families at their point of need. This might be tricky to fit into 16 hours a week, but funding dependent, we’d be really open to expanding the role to include this area of work. 

Official bits. 

Benefits 

• 5% pension on qualifying earnings 

• Development of the post holder towards their full potential 

• An annual retreat will be encouraged and paid for by One Church 

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays (on a pro rata basis) 

• The chance to be part of a fun and energetic team. 

One Church reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the church.