4 Jobs for the Disability sector

Who we are

Camphill Village Trust is a national charity that has been supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs for more than 70 years. Across our communities in England, we enable people to lead meaningful, independent and connected lives through high-quality, person-centred support, underpinned by a strong commitment to inclusion, community and opportunity.

Our communities are distinctive places. Alongside high-quality care and support, people have opportunities to develop skills, build relationships and participate in meaningful activities through our farms, gardens, workshops, cafés, shops and wider community partnerships. Our connection with nature, land and community remains an important part of who we are and our ambition for the future.

Camphill Village Trust has been through a significant period of organisational change and is now entering an important next chapter. We are building greater stability across the organisation while continuing to develop the quality, consistency and sustainability of our services.

As part of this next phase, we are seeking an experienced Director of Operations to provide strategic leadership for our core care and support services and help shape their future development.

About the role

As Director of Operations, you will have strategic responsibility for our care and support services and play a critical role within our Executive Team.

Supported living sits at the heart of Camphill Village Trust and this appointment will bring deep operational and social care expertise, ensuring we continue to deliver safe, high-quality, person-centred services while developing a sustainable model for the future.

This is a significant leadership role with responsibility for a c.£20m budget and an experienced operational leadership team. You will provide strategic oversight of quality, safeguarding, regulatory compliance and operational performance, while working with colleagues to strengthen our approach to supported living and housing and ensure our services deliver meaningful outcomes for the people we support.

There is important transformation ahead. We need to continue strengthening quality and consistency, develop our operational and leadership capability, improve our understanding of service financial performance and ensure our structures and systems are fit for the future. We are also considering the future relationship between our housing and supported living provision and how our care and support model should evolve.

Our communities have experienced considerable change and they already have significant knowledge, commitment and capability. You will therefore take time to listen and understand before determining what needs to change, working alongside experienced colleagues and empowering leaders rather than imposing solutions.

You will also help us look ahead. We have ambitions to grow our impact and reach more people and you will develop strong relationships with commissioners and partners, understand emerging needs and opportunities and ensure future growth is both financially sustainable and consistent with the quality and values we expect.

This will be a highly visible role. We want our Executive leaders to understand our communities by spending meaningful time in them, meeting colleagues and the people we support, seeing our services first-hand and staying connected to the impact of the decisions we make.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an established senior social care leader with significant experience leading complex care and support services.

You may have worked within learning disability and autism services, supported living or another relevant area of adult social care. Exact sector experience matters less than a strong understanding of regulated care and support, quality, safeguarding and the realities of delivering sustainable services in a challenging commissioning environment.

You will understand what excellent support looks like and bring the credibility to provide assurance and constructive challenge at Executive and Board level. Experience of CQC-regulated services and a strong understanding of the responsibilities associated with the Nominated Individual role will be particularly important.

Alongside your technical expertise, you will bring strong commercial and financial judgement. You will understand service models, commissioning arrangements and financial performance and make difficult decisions when necessary, without ever losing sight of the impact those decisions have on people’s lives.

Your leadership style will matter just as much as your experience.

We are looking for someone calm, considered and resilient; a leader who listens, builds relationships and creates confidence during change. You will recognise that meaningful transformation takes time and have the patience to understand what is already working before deciding what needs to change.

You will be comfortable working through others, developing capable leaders and drawing on the expertise around you rather than needing to have all the answers yourself.

Above all, you will share our commitment to putting people at the heart of decision-making and be excited by the opportunity to spend time within our communities, understand what makes Camphill Village Trust distinctive and help us build outstanding, sustainable services for the future.

An exciting opportunity!

This is a rare and genuinely exciting opportunity to lead the UK's only dedicated charity supporting children, adults and families affected by MPS, Fabry disease and related lysosomal storage disorders. Following the current Chief Executive's planned move to become Managing Director of Rare Disease Research Partners (RDRP) in January 2027, the incoming CEO will take the helm of an organisation with over forty years of history, a trusted national reputation and a growing role on the international rare disease stage. The successful candidate will shape the strategic vision for more than 1,800 families, oversee the close partnership between the Society and its research subsidiary RDRP, and champion the patient and family ethos that sits at the heart of the organisation's work. It is an opportunity to combine ambitious strategic leadership with deeply meaningful, human impact, working alongside a committed Board, Senior Leadership Team and wider community of clinicians, researchers and pharmaceutical partners.

As our next Chief Executive, you will

• Define and deliver the MPS Society’s strategic vision.
• Provide confident oversight of governance, finance, compliance and reporting.
• Effectively manage the operational alignment between the MPS Society and RDRP.
• Always keep the members and family voice at the heart of strategy, service design and decision-making.
• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with statutory bodies, government agencies, pharmaceutical partners, clinical expert centres and other key stakeholders to support the Society’s objectives, influence policy and practice, and protect its professional reputation.
• Act as a visible and credible public voice to raise awareness, improve visibility, support, treatment access and outcomes for people affected by MPS, Fabry disease and related conditions.
• Collaborate with other rare disease bodies, patient organisations and other key audiences.
• Lead and empower the senior leadership team through effective delegation, early involvement in strategic discussions, clear accountability and support for individuals to flourish.
• Encourage an open, supportive work environment allowing creativity and building staff confidence.
• Help shape the future of the MPS Society.

About you

•  Self-motivated, with the drive to lead the organisation through a period of change and transition.
• Unquestionable probity and personal integrity, given the trust placed in the CEO by families, trustees and partners.
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills, able to convey complex scientific and clinical information to audiences ranging from clinicians to families with no prior knowledge of MPS disorders.
• Strong self-awareness, with insight into their own leadership style and impact on others.
• Emotional resilience, able to sustain performance while supporting a community facing life limiting conditions.
• A collaborative and empowering leadership style, able to build trust, delegate effectively and help individuals across the organisation flourish.
• Genuine passion for the Society's mission, with a family and member-first ethos.
• Confidence to build relationships across a wide range of stakeholders, from beneficiaries and Trustees to politicians, media and pharmaceutical partners.
• A proactive, positive approach, comfortable reacting to change and organising their own work to meet deadlines.
• Confidence speaking publicly on behalf of the organisation and the people it represents.

Why join us?

A close-knit, values-led culture. With just over thirty staff across the Society and RDRP combined, this is a place where the CEO can know the team personally, work closely with families day-to-day, and see the direct results of decisions rather than managing at a distance through layers of bureaucracy.

• Genuine autonomy to shape direction. The Board is explicitly looking to the new CEO to bring fresh thinking on technology, AI, and digital tools, and to give real freedom to modernise fundraising, services, and engagement rather than simply maintaining what already exists.
• A stable foundation to build from over forty years of track record, trusted relationships and a strong national reputation mean the incoming CEO can focus energy on vision and growth rather than firefighting or rebuilding credibility from scratch.
• Proximity to cutting-edge science: the Society's close relationship with RDRP gives the CEO regular exposure to advances in rare disease research and treatment access, while day-to-day research leadership sits with the RDRP Managing Director, allowing the CEO to focus on strategy, people and sustainability.
• A high-visibility, high-influence platform. Regular contact with government, pharmaceutical companies, clinicians and international rare disease bodies offers strong opportunities to build a public profile and personal network well beyond the charity sector.
• A team that already shares the mission. Staff are described as passionate about the Society's aims, and as having a family-first ethos, so the new CEO inherits a culture to lead and empower rather than one that needs to be built from the ground up.
• Work with a different kind of return. Beyond salary and career progression, this role offers the less tangible reward of knowing that strategic and financial decisions translate, into better support for families facing some of the rarest conditions in the country.

Benefits

Join us and you will be working for a caring charity offering:

• A competitive salary
• Generous annual leave
• Extra leave between Christmas and the New Year
• Contributory pension
• Life assurance (subject to the conditions of the scheme)
• Employee assistance programme offering support 24/7

Further information

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the UK.

The main duties, responsibilities and requirements of this role can be viewed in the job description on our website.

Salary to be agreed depending on experience and will be pro-rata for part time hours.

This is an essential car user post. The applicant must hold a current UK driver’s licence, with no more than 6 points, have access to a car and be able and willing to drive UK wide as required.

This senior role requires flexibility in working hours and location.  It is primarily offered on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days in our Amersham, Buckinghamshire, office each week. As part of the role, UK and overseas travel is necessary, which may on occasion include early morning and/or evening working and sometimes overnight stays. We have policies in place to ensure that any unsociable hours worked over the weekend are fairly compensated through TOIL.

This role will require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check (DBS) details of which can be found in the job description.

For an informal discussion about the role or the work of the MPS Society, please contact Dr Fiona Stewart.  Contact details can be found on the full job description. Kindly note, meetings with other relevant people will be available to shortlisted candidates at interview stage.  

Lead a Transformational Fundraising Vision – Shape the Future of Epilepsy Research

Epilepsy Society is entering one of the most ambitious chapters in its 130‑year history. A landmark planning decision has unlocked an anticipated £93 million to accelerate pioneering research, advanced diagnostics and scientific innovation, enabling us to become the world’s largest epilepsy research centre. We are now seeking a Director of Fundraising & Marketing who can turn this moment into momentum.

This is a strategic leadership role for someone who excels at setting vision, building capability and inspiring others. You will define the fundraising and marketing strategy for a new era, shaping the propositions, partnerships and profile that will fuel discovery and deliver impact for the 630,000 people living with epilepsy across the UK.

You will work at the intersection of science, philanthropy and influence: partnering with world‑leading researchers, engaging major donors and foundations, and elevating Epilepsy Society’s voice as a leader in neurological research and innovation. Your leadership will ensure we have the visibility, credibility and investment required to accelerate breakthroughs and improve lives.

If you are energised by building something significant, we would be delighted to hear from you.

About Epilepsy Society

Epilepsy Society is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by epilepsy through world‑class research, specialist medical care and trusted information. Our partnership with UCL places us at the forefront of global scientific discovery, while our clinical services, advocacy and support ensure that lived experience shapes everything we do.

We are now embarking on a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to expand our research and medical centre, invest in cutting‑edge technology and accelerate personalised treatment for people with the most complex needs. Realising this potential requires deeper partnerships, greater visibility and sustainable income growth.

About You

You are a strategic fundraising and marketing leader who brings:

• A track record of shaping high‑value fundraising strategies and securing transformational support.
• The credibility to influence at Board, executive and senior stakeholder level.
• Experience building ambitious teams, cultures and capabilities.
• The ability to translate scientific innovation into compelling, investable propositions.
• A strategic mindset paired with the judgement, presence and relationship‑building skills needed to operate at the highest levels.

You thrive in environments where you can build, shape and lead, and where your work directly accelerates scientific progress and improves lives.

If you want to play a part in creating a future where people with epilepsy are understood, supported and empowered, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Closing date: Tuesday 29th September at 9am