Volunteer support assistant jobs

Country Director – Scotland

We are seeking an experienced and credible senior leader to provide strategic direction and operational leadership for a national fostering charity’s work in Scotland.

Position: Country Director – Scotland
Salary: £53,836 to £59,012 per annum
Location: Glasgow, with hybrid and home based working considered
Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: Sunday 25 January 2026

About the role

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for leading and delivering the organisation’s vision, strategy and impact across Scotland. As a member of the Leadership Team, you will provide strategic oversight, manage people and budgets, and act as a key external representative with government, regulators and sector partners.

Key responsibilities include:

Providing overall leadership and management of the organisation’s work in Scotland
Developing and delivering Scotland specific strategies aligned to UK wide objectives
Leading, managing and supporting staff, volunteers and associates
Building and maintaining strong relationships with national and local government, regulators, fostering services and members
Acting as a spokesperson and senior representative in Scotland
Overseeing the design, delivery and evaluation of impactful programmes for foster carers and children
Driving robust monitoring, impact measurement and reporting
Securing funding through grants, tenders and partnerships
Holding and managing budgets in line with organisational policies
Identifying opportunities for innovation, collaboration and sector improvement
Growing individual and corporate membership across Scotland
Acting as safeguarding lead for the country and ensuring compliance with safeguarding policies

About you

You will be an experienced senior leader with strong credibility across children’s social care and fostering, comfortable operating at strategic and operational levels.

You will bring:

Senior leadership and management experience within children’s social care or a closely related field
In depth knowledge of foster care practice and policy across the UK
Experience of working with statutory local authority services and senior stakeholders
Proven ability to lead teams, manage change and deliver strategic plans
Experience of managing budgets and securing funding
Strong relationship building, influencing and communication skills
Sound safeguarding knowledge and practice
Excellent organisational and IT skills, including confidence using Microsoft Teams and Office 365
A clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to the organisation’s mission and values

Desirable experience includes a social work qualification, experience in the voluntary or independent sector, working across a national remit, or lived experience of foster care.

About the organisation

The organisation is the leading fostering charity in the UK, working to improve outcomes for children and young people through support, advocacy, programmes and membership services for foster carers and fostering services. It operates across all UK nations, working closely with governments, regulators and partners to influence policy and practice.

Other roles you may have experience of could include; Director of Children’s Services, Head of Fostering, Assistant Director Social Care, Regional Director, Service Director, Programme Director, Policy Director, Operations Director, Strategic Lead Children’s Services, Senior Social Work Manager, National Manager.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE POST

This strategic and outward-facing role will be instrumental in expanding the School’s network of supporters and maximising philanthropic income as we celebrate our Centenary in 2026. The postholder will take a leading role in identifying, cultivating, and securing new major donor relationships - building a strong and sustainable pipeline of prospects capable of making transformational gifts to support the School’s vision and long-term priorities as it seeks to uphold its global standing as a centre of performance excellence in classical dance from London base.

This position offers an exceptional opportunity for an experienced development professional to play a pivotal part in shaping the School’s next chapter. Working closely with senior leadership, the postholder will design and deliver innovative engagement strategies to attract new supporters, deepen relationships with key prospects, and communicate the School’s impact and ambitions with clarity and passion. The role requires a proactive and strategic relationship-builder with the confidence to engage high-level individuals and the insight to convert interest into enduring philanthropic partnerships in support of the future of the performing arts at the highest level.

CONTRACT TERMS

Hours: 35 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Salary: £45,000 per annum

Location: Upper School, Covent Garden

Start Date: March/April 2026

Annual Leave: 30 days per annum

MAIN DUTIES

Donor Cultivation and Relationship Management

• Build and nurture strong, long-term relationships with new and existing supporters through personalised engagement strategies informed by the Head of Development
• Represent the School at meetings, events, presentations and functions to cultivate connections with prospective donors
• Collaborate with senior leadership and the Donor Relations Team to ensure high-level donors are onboarded seamlessly and receive tailored stewardship and recognition.

Strategic Fundraising Planning

• Develop and implement strategies to attract new major donors, aligning with the School’s fundraising priorities for UK in-year activity, as well as USA and Asia development
• Work with senior leadership to set fundraising targets, track progress, and report on performance across each giving level prioritising annual donations of £50k+ per annum.

Proposal Preparation

• Collaborate with content, communications and marketing team colleagues to create compelling materials that articulate the School’s mission and strategic priorities
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of fundraising campaigns, events, and initiatives to engage, cultivate and convert prospective supporters.

Prospect Research and Identification

• Maintain and update the active prospects pipeline, ensuring all opportunities are tracked and appropriately prioritized with touchpoints and assigned relationship leads
• Contribute to the invitations tracker to ensure all prospects are engaged with in a systemised and relevant way according to location, interest, propensity to give.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Analysis

• Maintain accurate records of donor engagement and interactions in the CRM system improving and refining systems and processes as part of a growing department
• Monitor progress against fundraising targets, providing regular reports and insights to senior leadership on pipeline value from identification to stewardship stages
• Analyse donor trends, sector insights and curate feedback to refine engagement strategies.

Team Collaboration and Leadership

• Work closely with colleagues across Development and the Senior Leadership Team as well as Artistic and Academic staff to refine the propositions and align fundraising priorities
• Host year-round events with the Development Team to enable all prospect engagement
• Mentor and support junior staff involved in development activities where appropriate.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience in donor cultivation and relationship management - Demonstrated success in building and sustaining 5 and 6 figure annual relationships with major donors and key stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and project management skills - Capacity to manage multiple donor relationships, events/projects, and fundraising initiatives simultaneously, while maintaining attention to detail in a dynamic office environment.
• Strong strategic fundraising expertise - Ability to design, implement, and evaluate fundraising strategies that align with institutional priorities and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - Skilled at engaging and influencing diverse audiences through persuasive written and verbal communication, including at senior levels.
• Proficiency in proposal and campaign development - Experience preparing compelling fundraising proposals, campaign materials, and event strategies that inspire donor support.
• Analytical and reporting skills - Ability to monitor, interpret, and report on fundraising performance, donor trends, and engagement metrics using CRM and data analysis tools.
• Collaborative teamwork - Proven ability to work effectively across departments and with senior leadership, collaborating with colleagues to achieve shared goals.
• Ethical commitment and alignment with institutional values - Demonstrated integrity, discretion, and commitment to advancing the mission and values of the School through responsible fundraising practices.

Desirable Criteria:

• A knowledge and appreciation of ballet, the arts, performance, elite sport
• Understanding of 501c3 and Endowment Fund structures
• Previous experience of using Salesforce.

SAFEGUARDING DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and recognises that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. The School expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment to children’s safeguarding and to share this child-centred approach. This approach means that staff must consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child. Additionally, the following is expected of all staff:

• To uphold the School’s policies relating to safeguarding and child protection, behaviour, health and safety and all other relevant policies
• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible and come into contact with
• To report any safeguarding concerns using the relevant channels, such as informing the Designated Safeguarding Lead, in a timely and appropriate manner
• To ensure full compliance with all statutory regulations, particularly the most recent Keeping Children Safe in Education, and to communicate concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, other relevant staff of The Royal Ballet School or local children’s services as appropriate.

This job information cannot be all encompassing. It is inevitable over time that the emphasis of the job will change without changing the general character of the job or the level of duties and responsibilities entailed. Consequently, this information will be periodically reviewed, revised and updated in consultation with the post holder to reflect appropriate changes.

We are committed to creating an environment where all our employees feel part of our team and can flourish, regardless of their background. We’re proud to be an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.

The Organisation

The Royal Parks (TRP) is a charity created in March 2017. We manage over 5,000 acres of diverse parkland, rare habitats and historic buildings and monuments in eight Royal Parks across London. These are Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St James’s Park, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park.

We also manage other important public spaces including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens. Our eight Royal Parks and other iconic green spaces are among the most visited attractions in the UK with tens of millions of visits every year.

We are now looking for a Park Officer to join us on a full-time, permanent basis, working 36 hours a week, as well as some weekends and evenings for events. The postholder will be required to work onsite 5 days a week.

The Benefits

• Salary of £33,666 - £37,921 per annum, depending on experience, plus an on-call allowance of £3554 per annum
• 26 days' annual leave plus public holidays, increasing to 29 days after 3 years’ service
• Pension scheme (3% employee contribution; up to 10% employer contribution)
• Private medical insurance and healthcare cash plan
• Employee assistance programme and access to mental health first aiders
• Learning and development opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Offices in a beautiful location

This is a rare and rewarding opportunity for an individual with a decent grasp of all things landscape, parks, horticulture and heritage-related to join our iconic and nationally treasured organisation.

You’ll get to enjoy the privilege of working in St James’s Park, one of the most historic and high-profile parks in the country, gaining first-hand experience in a unique environment where world-class landscapes, major events, heritage assets and daily public life come together at the very heart of London.

In return for your commitment, you’ll be supported to grow your skills and confidence through meaningful collaboration with experienced professionals, as well as terrific learning and development schemes.

So, if you’re looking for a career that combines purpose, variety and an extraordinary setting, apply today!

The Role

As a Park Officer, you will support the safe, smooth and welcoming day-to-day operation of St James’ Park.

Working closely with the Park Manager, Assistant Park Managers, Head Gardener, Senior Wildlife Officer and Volunteer Manager you will play a role across a wide range of park operations, from horticulture and estates activity to events, sustainability and public engagement.

You will support events and filming activity, liaise with contractors and estates teams, respond to enquiries from park users and stakeholders, and help maintain clear, engaging signage and public-facing information. This will include working on some weekends and evenings for event monitoring.

Additionally, you will:

• Carry out regular inspections of park facilities and infrastructure
• Monitor playgrounds, amenities and park furniture
• Assist with estate developments and compliance with licences and permits
• Help manage the park vehicles fleet and participate in the duty management on-call rota
• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations whilst promoting a safe workplace and minimising risks

About You

To be considered as a Park Officer, you will need:

• Experience working at medium or large events at an operational level
• Report writing and proofreading experience
• Knowledge of Health and Safety principles, roles and responsibilities
• A basic understanding of best practice and technical matters relating to landscape, parks, horticulture and sustainability
• Good communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
• A full, valid driving licence

Other organisations may call this role Park Management Officer, Park Operations Officer, Technical Officer, Urban Park Officer, Park Ranger, Park Warden, Forest Ranger, or Countryside Officer.

We want to put everyone in the best possible position to succeed and use Recite-me accessibility software. At the top of the application page, there is an “Accessibility Tools” button which you can use to complete the application form in a way that works for you. If you think that you may need more support to complete our application process, please do get in touch.

The Royal Parks is strongly committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Please visit our website to find out more on our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

So, if you are interested in this unique opportunity as a Park Officer, please apply via the button shown. Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.