Chief Executive Officer (Part-time, 3 days/week)
Veterans With Dogs (VWD) is seeking an experienced, values-driven and credible Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead our charity into its next chapter. This rare and exciting opportunity offers the chance to guide a small, high-impact team at a pivotal stage in the charity’s growth.
Location: Flexible / UK-based, with regular travel to Exeter, training sites, and key meetings as required. We are flexible in how this is structured, and relocation is not required.
Salary: £45,000–£55,000 pro-rata (equivalent to £27,000 - £33,000 for 3 days/week) + 3% pension contribution
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 21 hours / 3 days per week
Holiday: 28 days per annum (FTE), plus bank holidays
Reports to: Chair of Trustees
Direct reports: 3
About Veterans With Dogs
Veterans With Dogs is a UK charity that transforms the lives of Armed Forces veterans living with mental health challenges. Through the provision of highly trained assistance dogs and trauma-informed support, we help restore purpose, independence, and dignity to those who have served.
Founded in 2012, our work addresses a vital gap for veterans living with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and complex trauma. Through our award-winning PALS™ (Partner Animal Life Skills) programme, we support veterans to rebuild their lives, with the constant support of a trusted companion by their side.
Following a period of governance transition and renewal, we are entering a new and exciting phase. We are strengthening leadership, systems, and strategy to ensure long-term sustainability and greater reach, while maintaining the quality, care, and integrity that sit at the heart of our work.
We recognise that this is a senior leadership role within a small organisation and are committed to flexibility in how the role is delivered. We are open to conversations around working patterns and location to ensure we attract the strongest possible candidate.
We are also open to shaping aspects of the role around the strengths and location of the successful candidate.
We would particularly welcome candidates who can bring fresh perspective, while respecting and building on the strong foundations already in place.
This is an opportunity to shape the future of a respected and growing charity at a pivotal moment, with genuine scope to influence strategy, culture, and long-term impact.
The Role
The CEO will provide strategic direction, operational oversight, and cultural leadership for Veterans With Dogs. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, the CEO will oversee the delivery of the charity’s mission, ensure operational excellence, develop our long-term strategy, and foster a values-led and high-performing team.
This is a hands-on, multi-dimensional leadership role, ideal for a calm, pragmatic, and inspiring individual with experience of organisational stabilisation, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable growth. You will build strong relationships with the team and stakeholders, maintaining a visible and engaged leadership presence both in person and remotely.
This is a genuinely part-time role with a focused and manageable scope, supported by an engaged Board of Trustees and a committed team. The role is designed to be sustainable within the allocated hours.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategy
- Lead the development and delivery of an interim plan and longer-term organisational strategy
- Translate strategic goals into clear operational priorities and plans
- Foster a compassionate, inclusive, and mission-aligned organisational culture
- Act as a credible and inspiring ambassador for Veterans With Dogs with stakeholders, funders, partners, and the public
- Guide the charity through stabilisation and values-led, sustainable growth
Governance & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with all relevant charity law, regulation, and best practice
- Work in partnership with the Board of Trustees, supporting effective governance and reporting
- Implement and embed improvements in HR, finance, safeguarding, IT, and operational systems
- Lead on organisational risk management, ensuring policies and procedures are in place and regularly reviewed
Operations & Programme Delivery
- Oversee day-to-day operations to ensure safe, ethical, and effective service delivery
- Ensure safeguarding standards are upheld for both veterans and dogs
- Drive continuous improvement in programme quality, delivery, and impact measurement
- Ensure operational systems and data processes are robust, compliant, and fit for purpose
People & Culture
- Lead, support, and nurture a small, dedicated staff team and wider network of volunteers
- Promote staff wellbeing, clear communication, and professional development
- Work with trustees to assess future staffing needs and build leadership capacity
Finance & Sustainability
- Work with trustees and advisors to ensure sound financial management and reporting
- Contribute to financial planning, budgeting, and development of a sustainable reserves policy
- Help diversify income streams, supporting fundraising efforts, corporate partnerships, and individual giving
Fundraising & External Relations
Build and maintain relationships with funders, donors, corporate partners, and sector allies
- Collaborate with the fundraising trustee to develop new funding opportunities
- Represent the charity externally with credibility, transparency, and professionalism
- Strengthen partnerships with ADUK, ADI, Cobseo, and other key membership bodies
Person Specification
Essential
- Senior leadership experience within a charity, social enterprise, or values-led organisation
- Strong knowledge of charity governance, regulation, and trustee relationships
- Experience leading teams through organisational change or stabilisation
- Financial literacy with experience of budgeting, reporting, and planning
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills across diverse stakeholders
- A calm, values-based, and ethical leadership approach
Desirable
- Experience in health, mental health, veterans’ services, or trauma-informed work
- Experience working with boards during periods of strategic or leadership transition
- Fundraising and/or income generation experience
- Understanding of safeguarding best practice (for people and/or animals)
- Lived experience of the military or charity sectors (not essential)
Our Commitment
Veterans With Dogs is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds and strive to create a supportive, respectful, and empowering workplace. We recognise the value of lived experience and are committed to continuous learning as an organisation.
How to Apply
Please apply via Charity Jobs.
If you would like a confidential conversation before applying, we would be happy to speak with you.
Closing date to apply: 5pm on Thursday 11 June 2026
- First interviews (online): week commencing 22 June 2026
- Second interviews (in our Exeter office): TBC
Previous applicants need not reapply, thank you.
Veterans With Dogs is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1161554).
Apply with your CV and a Covering Letter to explain your interest and suitability for the role.
No recruiters at this stage please.
Previous applicants, please don't apply. Thank you.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
To improve the quality of life for Veterans who are living with mental health disorders with the support of assistance dogs
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader to relaunch and build the next phase of the UK Democracy Network: a national network that helps organisations working to strengthen democracy across the UK connect, collaborate and coordinate more effectively.
This is a rare opportunity to shape a growing national network. The Network already has strong foundations, sector backing, and three years of core funding secured. The next step is building it into an independent, trusted and influential organisation that helps the democracy sector work together more effectively.
About the Network
The Democracy Network exists to help make collaboration across the democracy sector more effective. It connects organisations, practitioners and professionals across the UK democracy ecosystem, helping to reduce duplication, strengthen relationships, share intelligence, and enable more coordinated collective action.
About the host organisations
The Network is jointly incubated by two organisations with deep roots in UK civic tech, democratic education, and sector-wide network building:
The Politics Project supports young people to use their voice by giving them access to brilliant democratic education. They work with young people, teachers, youth practitioners and politicians to help them learn about, teach and actively participate in democracy. The Politics Project also leads the Democracy Classroom Network, a sister network of over 100 organisations across the democracy, education and youth sectors which support over 3,500 teachers and youth practitioners to engage young people in democracy.
Democracy Club produces the most comprehensive election data in the UK. Established in 2010 and registered as a Community Interest Company in 2015, it runs the national polling station finder Where Do I Vote and candidate lookup service Who Can I Vote For, serving election information to millions of UK voters each year and supplying data to the Electoral Commission. Democracy Club brings a mailing list of 35,000, an active community of 1,200 volunteer contributors collaborating on election information, and strong digital and data expertise to the Network.
Our vision for the Network
Over the last year, we have carried out extensive consultation with members of the UK Democracy Network, the Network’s Steering Group and funders. Through this process, we have developed a new vision for the Network that is designed to reflect and support the diversity of the democracy sector, and the wide range of approaches, perspectives and organisations within it.
Our model is built around a series of smaller thematic, geographic and demographic-based “hubs” within the wider Network. These hubs will create spaces for organisations and individuals working on particular issues, in particular places, or with specific communities to collaborate more effectively, while remaining connected to the wider democracy ecosystem.
Alongside this, the Network will support stronger coordination and information sharing across the sector through activities such as a monthly bulletin, shared events, an annual conference and practical tools and databases that help partners collaborate more effectively.
Importantly, we want to build on and strengthen the excellent work that already exists across the democracy landscape, rather than duplicate it. Over time, we also hope the Network can help incubate and support new hubs and collaborations around emerging issues and opportunities within the democracy sector.
About the role
The Network will be delivered by a small core team: a Network Director (this role), a Network Manager (in post), and a Network Coordinator (to be recruited).
Our medium-term ambition is for the Network to become an independent organisation in its own right. We see this role as central to shaping that transition, with the successful candidate expected to lead the Network into its next phase as an independent organisation over the course of the grant period.
Key responsibilities
The Network Director provides overall leadership of the Network and is responsible for its long-term sustainability and strategic direction.
Specifically:
- Strategic leadership. Set strategic direction for the Network in consultation with members, hosts and the Steering Group / Board.
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Represent the Network. In networking and fundraising events, high-level roundtables and in high-profile relationships with government, funders, media and sector leaders.
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Lead on fundraising. Develop relationships with major funders, alongside Harriet Andrews at The Politics Project, building a diversified, sustainable funding base.
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Oversee the Network's transition to an independent legal structure. Support the establishment of the Board, working with Harriet Andrews and Sym Roe to recruit members with a mix of professional expertise and elected network representatives.
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Build an inclusive, supportive team culture. Line manage the Network Manager and Network Coordinator.
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Oversee monitoring and evaluation. Lead reporting to funders, and support the annual review process with the team and Steering Group / Board.
Person specification
We are looking for a values-driven, experienced, strategic leader. They will have strong people and financial management skills, and the ability to build trusted relationships across the democracy sector. They will be an excellent communicator, comfortable leading through complexity and change, and motivated by a commitment to strengthening UK democracy.
The postholder will be expected to work in-office two days a week and attend regular in-person engagements in London.
Benefits
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33 days’ annual leave pro rata, including Bank Holidays (with three days off between Christmas and New Year).
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4% employer pension contribution.
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2 working days / 15 hours of volunteer leave a year.
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Cycle to Work scheme.
Further information about the role and job specification can be found in the Candidate Recruitment Pack.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
The UK democracy sector has historically been less diverse than the country it serves, and we want to help change that, starting with how we recruit. We particularly welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in democracy sector leadership, including people of colour, disabled people and people from working-class backgrounds.
How to apply
Please apply via charity job with the following:
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Your CV (no more than two pages).
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A supporting statement of no more than 500 words, setting out how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the person specification and why you are drawn to this role.
The closing date is 11.30pm, Sunday 14th June 2026.
We will shortlist on the basis of the supporting statement against the person specification.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Senior Service Designer
Location: remote. This role can be based at any of Barnardo's national offices. Regular local and national travel will be required.
Help us design services that transform childhoods
At Barnardo's, we believe every child deserves a safe, happy and hopeful future. For over 150 years, we've been innovating to improve the lives of children, young people and families across the UK. Today, we run more than 800 services and are committed to making them excellent, inclusive and designed with the children, young people and families who use them.
As a senior member of the Service Design team, you will play a vital role in applying service design methods to deliver measurable improvements in service quality, efficiency, value and outcomes for children, young people and families.
We are continuing to strengthen how we design and improve services across Barnardo's, working across a complex and evolving portfolio that spans children's services, digital delivery and business development.
This role offers the opportunity to shape not only individual services, but how service design is used to support decision-making, prioritisation and innovation across the organisation.
This is a hands-on role as well as a strategic one – you'll be actively designing, prototyping and iterating services as well as shaping direction and decision-making.
As a Senior Service Designer, you will:
- Work across a portfolio of projects, balancing priorities and adapting to changing organisational needs
- Contribute to service development and proposals, working with business development colleagues to shape service models
- Influence decision-making and prioritisation, using evidence and insight to guide direction
- Identify opportunities to improve services in ways that deliver better outcomes, greater efficiency and value for money
- Lead the end-to-end design of services in complex environments, shaping user-centred, evidence-based solutions that respond to organisational priorities, and creating service maps, blueprints, prototypes and other design artefacts to bring ideas to life
- Test and iterate service concepts in response to feedback and learning, refining solutions to improve outcomes
- Ensure services are coherent and integrated across online and offline channels
- Work across functions including business development, digital, finance, operations, research and policy to engage stakeholders and support organisational change
- Mentor and support colleagues – developing confidence and skills, with the potential to provide line management support to junior designers where appropriate
- Develop practice and contribute to standards, frameworks and reusable design patterns
- Share learning internally and externally, contributing to professional communities of practice and helping raise the profile of service design at Barnardo's
This is a varied, hands-on and project-focused role that allows for autonomy, creativity and real impact. You'll be part of a warm, committed team that shares learning, supports wellbeing, and is united in a clear mission: designing for better outcomes for children and families.
You'll work with a high degree of autonomy, navigating complexity and ambiguity, delivering tangible improvements to services and contributing to a growing and evolving design practice.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for a Senior Service Designer who can:
- Work autonomously to lead the design of complex services
- Manage competing priorities effectively across projects, balancing time, focus and trade-offs
- Influence stakeholders and support organisational change beyond immediate project teams, communicating design decisions and complex ideas clearly to a range of audiences
- Understand how services operate within wider organisational systems, and use this to inform decision-making and support effective change
- Confidently use a range of evidence, including user research, service data and performance insights, to inform decisions and guide direction
- Conduct in-depth user research to generate actionable insights and guide decision-making
- Create and iterate prototypes and other design artefacts
- Integrate offline and online service delivery into coherent end-to-end services
- Design and facilitate collaborative workshops with a range of stakeholders and partners
- Evaluate and evidence the impact of service design work
Previous experience in children's services, health, education or related public/third sector contexts is desirable – but if you bring transferable skills, we want to hear from you.
What You'll Get in Return
- 26 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays
- Access to the Barnardo's pension scheme
- Flexible working and hybrid/remote options
- Wellbeing initiatives and Employee Assistance Programme
- Regular supervision and career development opportunities
- The opportunity to shape how service design is used across a national organisation
- The chance to work on services that support children, young people and families across the UK.
Inclusion and Belonging
We are committed to building a diverse workforce. We particularly welcome applications from disabled candidates, LGBTQ+ people, people from racially minoritised communities, and those with care experience. If there's anything we can do to support you through the application process, please let us know.
Ready to Apply?
Together, we can change childhoods and change lives.
When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.