Jobs for the Youth and Children sector

About the role:

Step into a role where your drive, resilience and belief in young people can truly change lives. As a Young Person’s Worker in Camden, you will be right alongside young people at risk of homelessness, helping them move from uncertainty towards stability and independence. This is hands on, purposeful work where every day matters, and where your determination can unlock real opportunity for those who need it most.

In this role, you will manage a caseload of young people, building trusted relationships and empowering them to lead their journey forward. You will create and review personalised support and safety plans, support moves into independent accommodation, and help young people take confident steps into education, training or employment. Working within a trauma informed and strengths based approach, you will champion each young person’s goals while developing practical life skills such as budgeting, self care and cooking. You will also support access to essential services including mental health support, housing advice and employment pathways, motivating and coaching young people to take ownership of their futures.

At Single Homeless Project (SHP), you will be part of a tenacious, values driven team that does not shy away from challenge and believes in doing things differently to achieve lasting change. We will support your ambition with ongoing training, development and the chance to grow your career while making a genuine impact. If you are ready to bring your energy, compassion and persistence to a role that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.

About you:

• You bring experience working with young people in the community and in accommodation services.
• Your toolkit includes practical skills in motivation and coaching young people
• Your approach is creative, analytical, trauma-informed and rooted in a strengths and recovery model.
• You can creatively inspire opportunities for our young people to thrive and to develop to their highest potential.
• A non-judgmental approach to working with complex needs young people and to promote a strengths-based approach and an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Strong team-working and interpersonal skills, maintaining a collaborative approach to supporting young people achieve the outcomes and goals we support them to set for themselves.

About Us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important Info:

Closing Date: Sunday 31st May at midnight

Interview date: Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th June in a YP service 

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant.

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications with insufficient/without current right to work or requiring sponsorship will not be accepted for this role. 

Coin Street Nursery is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to join our friendly and dedicated team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who takes pride in creating fresh, nutritious meals from scratch and is committed to promoting healthy eating for young children.

While experience in a nursery or similar setting is desirable, it is not essential. We welcome candidates with strong catering experience in preparing meals at scale who share our values around nutrition and quality.

We operate a busy nursery, preparing meals for up to 80 children and staff daily. The successful candidate will be highly organised, able to manage their own workload, and committed to maintaining high standards across all areas of the kitchen.

We are proud of our 5-star food hygiene rating and our excellent standards of cleanliness. Maintaining health and safety, food hygiene, and compliance will be central to your role. Working within a set budget, you will also be responsible for effective menu planning, stock control, and food purchasing, ensuring meals remain fresh, healthy, and varied.

You will play a key role in meeting the diverse dietary needs of our children. A strong understanding of allergies, intolerances, and special diets is essential to ensure every child receives safe, high-quality meals.
You will be supported by a part-time kitchen assistant; however, you will retain overall responsibility for the kitchen, including end-of-day cleaning and organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare nutritious, balanced meals for children and staff
• Manage kitchen operations, including ordering, stock control, and budgeting
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness, and safety
• Cater for a range of dietary requirements, including allergies and cultural preferences
• Lead and organise daily kitchen activities effectively

We are looking for a Head Chef who can demonstrate:

• A current Food Hygiene Certificate
• Significant experience preparing a wide range of meals in a non-domestic setting for large groups, ideally including young children
• Experience in menu planning, ordering, and stock management 
• Strong knowledge of dietary requirements, food hygiene, and health & safety 
• Good literacy, numeracy, and budget management skills 
• The ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with colleagues and children 
• A proactive approach to contributing to service development, including diverse and culturally inclusive menus

Creating an inspirational neighbourhood
We provide the opportunities and spaces for people to lead their own change.

Our activities are wide and far reaching. From giving families and children the best start in life through our childcare and family support, to creating and maintaining high quality live, work and play spaces on land which we own.

We promote enterprise, creativity and lifelong learning whether that’s through providing employment, volunteering opportunities, nurturing enterprise or delivering programmes and activities.  We provide housing that supports our community; we champion co-operative housing and influence local and national housing policy.

From sports and dance to healthy eating and gardening, we offer a range of facilities and activities accessible to everyone to support health and wellbeing in our community.

In return, we can offer you:

• 35 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) pro rata for part time staff
• 8% contributory pension scheme (5% employer contribution, 3% employee contribution)
• Health and wellbeing support, including online mental health therapy sessions
• Free gym membership at Colombo, annual flu jabs
• Commitment to training and development

Contract
Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Salary
£33,000 per annum

To Apply
To apply, please download and complete the application form. Once completed, submit your application via email. Please visit our website if you require more info.

Due to Safer Recruitment guidance, please note that additional documents, such as CVs, will not be considered.

Successful candidates will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check. 

Closing Date
Please send your application by midnight on 21 June 2026

Head of Corporate Partnerships
AllChild
London, UK (Hybrid options available)
Full-time and permanent role
Salary positioned at c. £55,000 pa (with flexibility on this for the right candidate)

Help every child and young person flourish. 
How?  Help us double our income and deepen our impact.

We’re a national charity with a local heartbeat — working with communities so that every child and young person can access the right support, at the right time, in the right way.  Our place-based approach is rooted in early identification, trusted adult relationships, whole child/whole system support and joined-up communities. 

Our model has been successfully funded so far through a unique collective impact funding model across local and central government, schools and philanthropy, and we aim for a broader mix of funders who are committed to transforming their communities.  As we embark on our second decade, we are ready for this next chapter: scaling our place-based model nationally and doubling our annual income from £8m to £16m+.  We’ve built a community of committed supporters across individuals and foundations, and there’s significant opportunity to grow our offering for corporate partners.  To enable this vision, we’re now seeking an exceptional specialist to join us as the Head of Corporate Partnerships, and design and implement a new strategy to create a significant step change in this area.

Reporting to our newly appointed Director of Fundraising, you will be responsible for building up our value proposition, shaping our corporate engagement strategy, and increasing income and range of partnerships in this area.  You will play a key role as a senior leader in our fundraising team, and bring a strong track record of new business development and managing strategic funding partners for the organisations you’ve represented.  Your creativity and ability to inspire the best out of your colleagues has resulted in income growth and success in embedding new ideas and approaches.  Underpinning all of this will be your excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills, ability to build new programmes and initiatives, and enthusiasm to be part of an organisation that is growing and at pace.

If this is the sort of career challenge you are seeking next and want to unlock transformational funding for children across the UK, we’d love to hear from you.  If you’re interested in hearing more, please contact our recruitment partner at Richmond Associates on +44 (0)20 3617 9240 or you can download further details from their website before applying.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 09:00 ON MONDAY, 1 JUNE 2026

Barnardo's is one of the UK's leading children's charities, and our North England Fostering Service has recently been rated ‘Good' by Ofsted.

We are committed to providing safe, nurturing, and supportive homes for children and young people. Wwe are now looking for a passionate and skilled Supervising Social Worker to join our committed team.

Our North England service covers Yorkshire, Humber, and the North East of England.

About the Role

This exciting opportunity has arisen following an internal promotion.

As a Supervising Social Worker, you will play a vital role in supporting foster carers to deliver high-quality care.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing a protected caseload with access to innovative social work training
• Supervising, supporting, and developing foster carers
• Undertaking assessments of prospective foster carers
• Contributing to the matching process and foster home stability
• Working collaboratively with children, families, carers and professionals
• Maintaining accurate and timely records in line with regulatory standards
• Delivering training to foster carers
• Following Induction period participating in the out-of-hours rota (with additional payment)

What We're Looking For

We're seeking an individual who is:

• A qualified Social Worker (DipSW, CQSW or equivalent)
• Registered with Social Work England
• Experienced in fostering or children's social care
• Skilled in building strong, supportive relationships
• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Why Join Barnardo's?

• A supportive and inclusive working environment
• Access to high-quality training and development, including DDP and trauma-informed approaches
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Opportunities to develop your career within a well-respected national charity

Additional Information

• A recognised Social Work qualification and SWE registration are essential
• Experience in Family Placement, Child Protection, or Looked After Children services is required
• A full UK driving licence, access to a car, and business-use insurance are essential due to the nature of the role

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.

Alongside Youth Workers and Senior Youth Workers you will focus on delivering face-to-face youth work in schools and in community settings.

You’ll be working alongside young people who may be navigating complex challenges, including community safety concerns and the risks of exploitation. Your role will be to build trust, provide meaningful support and empower them to make positive choices for their future.

If you’re committed to creating lasting change and have the skills to connect with and inspire young people, we’d love to hear from you!

Alongside Youth Workers and Senior Youth Workers you will focus on delivering face-to-face youth work in schools and in community settings.

You’ll be working alongside young people who may be navigating complex challenges, including community safety concerns and the risks of exploitation. Your role will be to build trust, provide meaningful support and empower them to make positive choices for their future.

If you’re committed to creating lasting change and have the skills to connect with and inspire young people, we’d love to hear from you!

Service Manager – Community Services

Please note, this is an on-site role only. Due to the nature of our Refuges and Outreach services, it is essential that our teams are present and accessible, enabling us to provide safe, responsive and high-quality support to those who need us most.

About Safenet

Safenet delivers domestic abuse services across the North West, including refuges for women and children, safe houses for men, and community-based support.

We provide trauma-informed, survivor-led services and work with partners to help people stay safe and rebuild their lives.

About the Role 

As Service Manager – Community Services, you will lead the operational delivery of community-based domestic abuse services, including IDVA, triage and outreach support for adults, children and young people. Working closely with the Area Operational Lead and as part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will provide strong, values-led leadership to frontline teams, drive service performance, and ensure delivery is safe, responsive, trauma-informed and survivor-led. You will also play a key role in strengthening partnerships, supporting service development and ensuring services remain compliant, effective and sustainable.

Women only occupational requirement: This post is open to women only under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010. Due to the nature of the role and the needs of the survivors we support, Safenet considers being a woman to be a genuine occupational requirement for this position.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational delivery of community domestic abuse services, ensuring support is safe, timely, trauma-informed and survivor-led.

• Provide effective leadership, supervision, reflective practice and case management oversight to staff, supporting wellbeing, accountability and professional development.

• Oversee referrals, allocations and case progression to ensure survivors receive an appropriate, equitable and responsive service, with risk managed effectively.

• Monitor service quality, performance and outcomes through audits, data, survivor feedback and reporting, and use this insight to drive continuous improvement.

• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, legal, contractual and organisational requirements, maintaining accurate oversight of governance and risk.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with statutory, voluntary and community organisations to strengthen referral pathways and improve outcomes for survivors.

• Support service planning, workforce coordination and cover arrangements to ensure safe staffing and consistent service delivery across periods of leave and absence.

• Contribute to strategic development, identifying emerging needs, supporting service growth and helping to shape high-quality, inclusive responses for diverse communities.

What you’ll need 

Essential: 

• Experience of managing or leading teams within domestic abuse, social care, housing, community safety or a related support environment.
• Strong knowledge of domestic abuse, trauma-informed practice, safeguarding for adults and children, and risk management in complex cases.
• Ability to provide effective supervision, case oversight and reflective support that promotes staff wellbeing, professional curiosity and high-quality practice.
• Experience of performance monitoring, report writing and using data, feedback and outcomes information to support service improvement.
• Ability to build positive working relationships with statutory, voluntary and community partners and represent the organisation confidently in multi-agency settings.
• Excellent communication, organisational and IT skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate records and reporting.
• Commitment to equality, inclusion and survivor-led practice, with the ability to model Safenet and Calico values in day-to-day leadership.

Desirable 

• ILM, CMI or another relevant management qualification, or evidence of continued professional development in leadership.
• Experience of service development, project delivery, change management or supporting new initiatives within a support service setting.
• Knowledge of Women’s Aid National Quality Standards and relevant legislation and frameworks relating to domestic abuse and safeguarding.
• Understanding of budget monitoring, contract requirements or income maximisation within a commissioned or grant-funded service.

Salary: £ 36’500
Hours: 37 per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Bury
Closing date: 19th June 2026

Telephone screening: 25th June 2026
Interview date: 29th June 2026

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of adults, children and young people. Appointment will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment checks. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to inclusive, anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice.

Challenge Events Assistant

Location: Edinburgh or Stepps (Hybrid)

Salary: £26,807 - £28,324 per annum, pro rata

Contract Type: Temporary for 12 months, Full time 35 hours per week

Closing Date: 03/06/2026 23:59

The Vacancy

This is a really exciting time to join Children’s Hospices Across Scotland – better known as CHAS. A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Challenge Events Assistant to join the fundraising team to play a key role in CHAS’ More Than a Hospice Appeal - an ambitious, once‑in‑a‑generation campaign to change the future of care for children who will die young.

Challenge events are some of the most exciting and fast-paced fundraising activities at CHAS – from running events and virtual challenges to adrenaline-fuelled experiences. This role is hands-on and varied. One day you might be supporting participants preparing for their first marathon, and the next you could be at an event pit stop, setting up, welcoming supporters, and keeping energy high throughout the day with a team of volunteers.

During event season, you’ll often be out and about, attending events, working occasional weekends, and being part of the buzz that comes with live events. At the same time, there’s a strong administrative and planning side – coordinating logistics, managing data, responding to supporter queries, and helping ensure every event runs smoothly behind the scenes. It’s a role for someone who enjoys being busy, can adapt quickly, and is just as comfortable with spreadsheets and emails as they are cheering participants across a finish line.

Key Responsibilities

Working within the culture, ethos and philosophy of CHAS, you will assist the Mass Participation Events Manager with the management and evaluation of challenge events and the recruitment and stewardship of supporters. Key responsibilities include:

• Assisting with the management of in-person challenge events, including liaising with third party event organisers, suppliers and attendance on the day
• Assisting with the development of the virtual events programme, stewarding participants through social media and answering queries
• Producing copy to promote events for website, social media, press and email
• Assisting with the recruitment of supporters for events in the challenge event calendar, and stewarding them to raise as much as possible for CHAS
• Assisting with event research
• Administration

About You

In order to help CHAS achieve our goal of reaching every family in Scotland that needs us, you will have:

• Experience of fundraising / events or HNC level qualification (or equivalent) in either Public Relations, Marketing, Media, Communications, Event Management, Fundraising or related discipline
• Demonstrable working knowledge of Microsoft Office or similar packages
• Demonstrable experience of keyboard skills and maintaining information databases
• Good communication skills to deal with staff, volunteers and general public in an appropriate and effective manner
• Competent on social media
• High level of accuracy and numeracy skills, as this role requires cash handling
• Demonstrable attention to detail
• Planning and organising skills for effective management of event calendar
• Experience in an office and customer services environment
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle

Why CHAS?

At CHAS, we support families during the toughest of times. We have ambitions to reach every family in Scotland who is living with the heart-breaking prognosis that their child is dying and offer them our care and support to empower them to make the most of the short time they have together. The skill, determination and creative flair of our Fundraising Teams makes this possible. 

This is a pivotal moment to join CHAS. We’ve just launched More Than A Hospice - a £20 million appeal to change how Scotland cares for children who will die young, and for the families who love them. Every week, three children in Scotland die from an incurable illness, and advances in medicine mean more children are living longer with complex, life‑shortening conditions - a gift, but one that demands change.

Right now, too many families don’t have real choice throughout their child’s life, or at the end of it - and are sometimes forced into decisions because the care they need isn’t always there when it’s needed. We believe Scotland can - and must - do better. Joining CHAS now means being part of an ambitious appeal that aims to ensure care follows the child - at home, in hospital, or in a hospice so no family faces that moment alone

We offer

• Flexible Working: our teams work flexibly and in a hybrid manner with time split between at home and onsite in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
• Development Opportunities: exposure to a variety of fundraising activities
• Professional Growth: Work with industry leaders in a high-performing team where you will be encouraged and supported to excel and develop your skills.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Including generous annual leave and pension, incremental salary progression, access to Blue Light discounts, and health and wellbeing support.

How to Apply

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply and you will be redirected to our careers page to complete your application.

Hours 25 Hours Per week across 5 days – to include daily play sessions 4-6pm each day. 

Manchester Young Lives is offering an exciting opportunity to join our team as an Early Intervention Worker, providing high-quality pastoral and therapeutic support for children and young people aged 6–14 years.

Following successful delivery for the last three years, we are delighted to be recruiting to a vacancy within our Early intervention team. The Early Intervention role focuses on providing support specifically for children and young people suffering increased levels of anxiety, loss of confidence and self-esteem, missing school or other types of isolation and trauma.

This role involves working directly with children and young people through face-to-face support, while also integrating into Play and Youth Sessions at our Adventure Playgrounds. You will work closely with families, schools, and other education and support agencies to help create the best possible opportunities and outcomes for the children and young people we support.

Based at our Adventure Playgrounds in Moss Side and Ardwick, the successful candidate will bring enthusiasm and passion for working with children and young people, the ability to use creative and innovative approaches to engage, support, and reassure them alongside a strong commitment to making a positive difference within local communities.

Working hours include after-school sessions and evening work, Monday to Friday, with some weekend work required to respond to local needs. Staff may also be required to work across a number of locations as part of the wider team.

Job Purpose

The Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Lead will play a central role in ensuring that the voices of patients, carers, and communities, particularly those experiencing the poorest cancer outcomes, are embedded in the design, delivery, and evaluation of cancer services across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Firmly embedded within the Cancer Alliance Early Diagnosis Team, the postholder will lead the development and delivery of a coordinated PPI approach that strengthens community insight, supports co‑production, and ensures that early diagnosis initiatives are shaped by lived experience and community need.

The role will act as a bridge between the Cancer Alliance, Spring North, VCFSE partners, and local communities, ensuring that engagement is inclusive, culturally competent, and aligned with NHS England’s Working with People and Communities guidance.

Salary: £39,000–£42,000 per annum (£65,000–£70,000 FTE equivalent) 

Contract: Permanent – Part time, 3 days a week 

Location: London or Birmingham 

Working pattern: Hybrid. Cross-region travel up to twice a month for in-person SMT meetings. 

Envision is at an exciting moment. Our programmes are working, our partnerships are growing, and our team cares deeply about getting it right. What we need now is someone to help us build the infrastructure to match our ambition – reaching and impacting more young people from less-advantaged backgrounds across London, Birmingham and Bristol. 

As our Chief Operating Officer, you will join our Senior Management Team and take clear ownership of Envision's finance, compliance, HR governance, and operational efficiency. This is a newly defined role – created to give the function the senior leadership it needs and to free the CEO to focus on external leadership, fundraising, and strategy. 

You will join an SMT of four, working alongside the Director of Programmes and Impact and the Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships, led by the CEO. It is a collegiate team that operates with a high degree of mutual trust and collective ownership – and we are looking for someone who is as comfortable in a strategic conversation about Envision's future as they are reviewing a set of management accounts. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Play an active role in SMT – contributing operational and financial insight to organisational planning, strategy development, and decision-making alongside the CEO and senior leadership team. 

• Lead finance oversight and board reporting: overseeing monthly and quarterly management accounts, leading the annual budget-setting process, owning the audit cycle, and preparing papers for the Finance, Audit and Risk Governance (FARG) Committee. 

• Own HR policy and governance: maintaining Envision's HR framework, handling complex employee relations matters, and overseeing the full employee lifecycle with execution led by the Business Admin and Finance Officer. 

• Line manage the Finance Manager and Business Admin and Finance Officer, providing clear direction and developing a high-performing team. 

• Lead operational improvement: conducting a review of processes and systems, building a live improvement register, and implementing agreed changes through to completion – not just to proposal. 

• Explore and pilot AI and automation tools for high-friction tasks. Genuine curiosity and willingness to experiment matters more than technical expertise. 

• Hold compliance and risk governance oversight – GDPR, Health and Safety, regulatory filings – ensuring a clear calendar of requirements is owned and met. 

Essential Experience, Knowledge and Competencies 

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), or demonstrable equivalent finance expertise. 

• Proven experience in a senior operational leadership role with finance oversight responsibility. 

• Experience of audit management and board-level financial reporting. 

• Track record of leading and developing small teams. 

• Working knowledge of GDPR and charity compliance obligations. 

• Demonstrable ability to operate at a strategic and governance level 

• Experience leading operational process or systems improvement, from diagnosis through to implementation. 

• Active interest in AI and automation tools, with a practical approach to exploring and applying them. 

• Commitment to Envision's vision, mission and values and ability to work well in, and contribute to, our organisational culture. 

Envision actively encourages applications from those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as they are currently under-represented in our organisation. We seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. Envision graduates will be guaranteed a first-round interview. 

Please note: we are unable to support visa applications and therefore applicants must have the right to work in the UK. 

To apply, please apply through CharityJob.

Closing date for applications- Wednesday 10 June (midnight) 

Round 1 interviews (online) : Thursday 18 June 

Round 2 interviews (in person- London): Thursday 25 June 

We will only be contacting candidates who have been shortlisted for interview. The safety and wellbeing of the young people we work with is paramount at Envision. Successful candidates will be subject to a full Enhanced DBS check and reference checks. All new staff must attend safeguarding training during their induction period. 

Do you have a passion for gardening, the outdoors and creativity and enjoy sharing these interests with children and young people?

If so, we would love to hear from you.

Manchester Young Lives are recruiting a Garden Play Worker to enrich our Ofsted registered afterschool play provision for 6–13-year-olds. This is an exciting opportunity to help children connect with nature develop environmental awareness and take pride in creating and caring for a flourishing garden within our Adventure Playground.

We are looking for someone who can facilitate environmental and outdoor play supporting children to build self-confidence, self-esteem, and wellbeing while learning through the hands-on gardening and exploration.

The successful Candidate will:

Develop and support an engaging garden project within our outdoor play space.

Facilitate creative nature-based play and learning activities.

Build positive trusting relationships with Children.

Encourage Team work, responsibility, and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Manchester Young Lives supports children and young people, often from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to learn, develop and connect with their communities. Our work provides safe supportive relationships with committed staff and space to play, explore and let off steam in our outdoor space.

If you enjoy being outside, love gardening, and have a natural ability to engage and inspire children through play, this role could be perfect for you.

This role is at Manchester Young Lives Adventure Playground in Wythenshawe, and includes Monday – Friday play sessions, 3.45-6.15pm, and daytime holiday playschemes.

We are now looking for an exceptional Senior Operations Manager  to lead the organisation into its next phase - someone who can balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational delivery, while continuing to build on the Centre’s strong reputation.

The Sunshine Centre is a well-established and highly valued community hub, supporting children and families across Banbury through early years provision, family services and strong local partnerships.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a purpose-driven organisation where your impact will be visible, meaningful and genuinely valued within the community.

The role

As Senior Operations Manager you will take overall responsibility for the leadership and performance of the Centre, working closely with the Board of Trustees to shape its future direction.

You will:

• Provide clear strategic leadership and deliver the Centre’s long-term vision

• Oversee day-to-day operations across early years provision, childcare and family services

• Lead and develop a team of 30-35 staff, including the Senior Leadership Team

• Ensure high standards of safeguarding, compliance and regulation (including Ofsted)

• Take ownership of financial sustainability, including budgeting, fundraising and income generation

• Drive continuous improvement, responding to community needs and feedback

• Act as a visible ambassador, building strong relationships with families, partners and stakeholders

This is a hands-on leadership role, requiring both strategic thinking and close involvement in day-to-day delivery.

About you

You’ll be a confident, values-led leader with the ability to inspire others and deliver real impact.

You will bring:

• Proven leadership experience within early years, childcare, charity or community settings

• Experience working in regulated environments (e.g. Ofsted), with strong safeguarding knowledge

• A track record of securing funding through fundraising, bid writing or income generation

• Strong financial and commercial awareness

• The ability to turn strategy into practical delivery

• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams

• A genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and families 

Why join the Sunshine Centre?

• Lead a respected, community-rooted organisation with a strong local impact

• Shape the future strategy and long-term sustainability of the Centre

• Work with a committed team and supportive Board of Trustees

• Make a meaningful difference to children, families and the wider community

Future First is looking for a passionate and organised Programmes & Partnerships Manager to lead the delivery of key partnership programmes that help state school students build confidence, motivation and career aspirations through alumni networks.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a mission-driven charity working to ensure every state school and college is supported by a thriving alumni community. You’ll work closely with senior leaders, funders and partners to manage projects, strengthen strategic relationships and help shape the future of our programmes.

We’re looking for someone with strong project and stakeholder management experience, excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach. You’ll also line manage our Corporate Partnerships Executive and play a key role in driving programme quality, learning and impact across the organisation.

About us Future

First wants to see every state school and college in the UK, and every state pupil, supported by a thriving and engaged alumni community, which improves students’ motivation, confidence and life chances. We have a network of alumni who have supported our programmes in schools for over a decade. They act as accessible and inspirational role models by sharing their stories through a variety of activities, including blogging, online mentoring, networking and careers activities in our member schools. We manage these relationships through our Future First Hub – a safe, social media style interface that allows schools to build and manage every aspect of their network in one place.

About the role

The role of the Programme & Partnerships Manager is to lead and coordinate the planning, delivery, management and monitoring of Future First’s key partnership programmes. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with demonstrable experience in project management, excellent partnership and stakeholder engagement at all levels, and committed to Future First’s aims and values. 

Application process 

To help you prepare the strongest possible application, we are hosting an information and Q&A session about the role on Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 12 noon. This is an optional session where you can hear more about the role and ask any questions you may have. If you would like to join this session, please see the attached job pack for how to register your interest. 

Applications must be submitted by Monday 15 June at 12 noon. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There will be two rounds of interview, initially via Zoom (week commencing 22 June) and for those short-listed, in-person in London (week commencing 29 June).

Future First is committed to safeguarding the staff, volunteers and young people we work with. Where applicable, a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for the successful candidate.