Charity Operational and Community Manager

This is an exciting role to take a small charity to the next level. As the sole salaried employee of Summer Hype, you will have real autonomy to shape how the charity operates, grows and deepens its impact. This is not a role for someone who wants to follow a rigid script — it is for a self-starter who sees the potential in a brilliant organisation and wants to be the person who helps it flourish.

Crucially, you will not be starting from scratch. Summer Hype has more than ten years of successful delivery behind it, a committed community of participants and leaders, and meaningful roots in Hackney. What we need now is someone to take everything we have built and unlock the next chapter.

Where we are heading

Our ambition is clear: we want to be reaching 100 or more young people in Hackney every year. To get there, we know we need to do more — more in-year engagement with our existing participants and leaders, more activities across the school holidays, and a deeper, more visible presence in the borough. We believe there is enormous untapped potential within Summer Hype, and this role exists to realise it.

Some of the directions we are excited to explore include:

•     Increasing in-year engagement with current and alumni participants and leaders — social events, skills sessions, community activities

•     Deepening relationships with schools and community organisations that already know and trust us

•     Growing our profile across Hackney so that Summer Hype becomes a recognised and respected name in the borough

•     Longer term, we want to explore expanding our residential offering to other school holiday periods, building on the success of our summer programme

The person who takes on this role will have the chance to shape what this growth looks like. You will report to a Board of Trustees who are committed to Summer Hype's future and will support your work. Beyond that, Summer Hype has a wider community of talented alumni, youth leaders and volunteers — people who genuinely care about what we do. One of the exciting challenges of this role is finding ways to bring that community into more regular, meaningful engagement throughout the year; they are an asset waiting to be activated.

While you will have a supportive Trustee team guiding you, you will need to be comfortable owning your work, making decisions and driving things forward. In return, you will have genuine freedom to shape what the role looks like and real scope to leave your mark on a charity that is ready to grow.

Key Responsibilities

Camp Delivery & Participant Recruitment

•     Identify and build relationships with referrers (schools, youth clubs and community organisations) to recruit new participants, including attending face-to-face meetings and maintaining a proactive presence in the community

•     Manage all communication with participants' families — from initial sign-up through to post-camp follow-up — ensuring every family feels genuinely connected to Summer Hype

•     Coordinate all camp logistics including securing the venue, arranging transport, ordering materials, working with the leadership team to plan the weekly programme and manage resources

•     Serve as the logistical support during the residential week, supporting the volunteer Heads of Camp and liaising with site staff, coaches and families

•     Collect feedback and data from participants, families and referees, working with the Fundraising and Impact Trustee

Leader Coordination

•     Manage the leadership application process and coordinate a team of youth leaders for the summer programme

•     Plan and deliver pre-camp training weekends and writing weekends, including sourcing venues and external speakers where appropriate

•     Organise ongoing team-building activities and social events to strengthen the Summer Hype leader community

•     Ensure all DBS checks are completed and records are kept up to date

Community Building and Year-Round Programming

•     Develop and deliver activities throughout the year for current and alumni participants, leaders and families — helping to build a thriving Summer Hype community beyond the summer

•     Embed Summer Hype within the wider Hackney community by forging links with local organisations, businesses and community groups

•     Seek opportunities for sponsorship, in-kind support and local partnerships to strengthen our presence in the borough

Governance & Administration

•     Maintain accurate records and data management systems in line with our data protection and safeguarding policies

•     Ensure relevant charity documentation is organised, current and compliant

•     Support the Board of Trustees with reporting and governance requirements

We expect flexibility will be needed across the core responsibilities (set out above). Additionally, after an initial period, the role has potential to flex to include some or all of the below responsibilities, following agreement between the successful job holder and Trustees.

Fundraising & Financial Sustainability

•     Research, write and submit grant applications; manage relationships with funders and attend grant meetings

•     Identify and develop new income streams including local business partnerships and in-kind support

•     Lead on fundraising campaigns, including coordinating matched-funding drives and supporter communications, working closely with the existing fundraising Trustee and volunteers.

•     driving the campaign, liaising with the leaders for coordinated posts

•     Be responsible for compiling the end of year report for Charity Commision/website

Communications & Digital Presence

•     Keep the Summer Hype website and social media presence up to date and look for opportunities to make it a more engaging and informative resource. Trustees are open to creative ideas to strengthen Summer Hype’s social media presence.

•     Send regular email updates to supporters and donors, nurturing those relationships over time

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is energised by the mission of Summer Hype and excited by the challenge of building something. You don't need to have done every part of this role before — but you do need to be the kind of person who figures things out, takes initiative and cares deeply about young people.

Essential

•     Experience in an operational, co-ordination or project management role (charity sector experience is welcome but not required)

•     Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously

•     Strong written and verbal communication skills, including confidence in building relationships with a range of stakeholders

•     A genuine commitment to the mission of Summer Hype and to the young people of Hackney

•     Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable working independently

•     Experience using standard digital tools (email, spreadsheets, social media)

Desirable

•     Experience of grant writing or fundraising

•     Experience working in or alongside a youth, education or community organisation

•     Familiarity with safeguarding requirements and best practice

•     Experience managing or supporting social media accounts and digital communications

•     Knowledge of the Hackney community or East London voluntary sector