Operations manager jobs in Kingston upon thames, surrey

Portfolio Manager, Funding Department

12 Month Fixed Term Contract

£45,905 - £48,848 pa

City of London E1 8QS and we are a hybrid working organisation

Please note this is a hybrid role based on the successful candidate working at least two days a week in our London office. Remote contracts would not be considered for this role.

Purpose of Role

The Portfolio Manager plays a key role in the success of Comic Relief’s team responsible for grants that address the effects of poverty. This role is focused on food insecurity in the UK.

The Portfolio Manager will hold direct responsibility for new Comic Relief grant making and ongoing grant management in the UK, ensuring excellent grant making practice.

The Portfolio Manager will collaborate with other teams in the funding department and across the wider organisation to support Comic Relief’s overall objectives, including income generation.

This role sits in a team that also focuses on areas such as homelessness, early childhood development, maternal and child health, and forced migration.

Key responsibilities:

Grant making and ongoing grant management

· Manage new grant making, including working with colleagues to design funding opportunities, assessing funded partners, designing appropriate ongoing support mechanisms, and working with learning colleagues in the Funding Team on appropriate data collection

· Manage assigned funding portfolios and relationships with funded partners, ensuring that the portfolio is managed in a timely and responsive way, using Comic Relief’s (CR’s) systems and processes.

· Coordinate with other colleagues across the different teams in the funding department to ensure effective and efficient ways of working, and fruitful collaboration and learning across different funded issues and areas.

· Manage all ongoing requirements, such as narrative, financial and risk reporting, collaborating across the funding team and wider Comic Relief as appropriate.

· Work with the Assurance and Finance teams to ensure ongoing compliance across the portfolio with legal requirements, our grant conditions, reporting requirements and best practice.

· Collaborate with Partnerships colleagues to manage donor reporting and other information needs for external and internal use, such as information about our funded work and our partners.

Cross organisation and sector collaboration

· Support resource mobilisation partnerships through collaborative and supportive working with Comic Relief’s communications, fundraising and partnership teams.

· Work with the Partnerships Team to support strong relationships with existing and potential co-funding partners, including corporates and/or trusts, foundations and institutions, and support proposal development, reporting and other requirements.

· Work collaboratively across CR to support storytelling around CR’s impact.

· Develop a good understanding of areas of social change within assigned funding portfolios and areas of new grant making to be able to represent Comic Relief’s funding and priorities to internal and external stakeholders

· Contribute to internal communications regarding the work of the team and the wider Funding Team.

· Represent Comic Relief to strategic partners and co-funders, in relevant networks, and at external events.

General

· Manage the work of consultants and other contractors as required.

· Communicate in an open, honest and transparent way with funding applicants, funded partners and funding partners.

· Ensure that, when applicable, people with lived or learned experience are actively engaged with our work, contributing to the design and decision-making process of our funding portfolios.

Note: Some UK and/or international travel may be required for this role.

Person specification

Essential criteria

· Significant understanding/experience of the systems and structures that perpetuate social injustice and keep people trapped in poverty, including the best approaches to address them

· Experience and knowledge of grant making and programme design, including developing, implementing and evaluating programmes, and managing grants within a donor and / or implementing organisation.

· Experience of managing restricted donor funding and supporting ongoing donor management (e.g. government funding and/or funding from other institutions, trusts foundations or corporate entities)

· Personal and effective relationship builder with high emotional intelligence to nurture trust and respect in all relationships.

· Motivation, flexibility and resilience to navigate unforeseen challenges and collaborate effectively.

· Analytical thinker with the ability to see the bigger picture and make appropriate and effective decisions.

· An understanding or lived experience of social injustice, and proven track record of working in alignment with Comic Relief’s commitment to social justice, anti-racism, diversity, inclusion and equity

Desirable criteria 

· Experience with or knowledge of decolonising philanthropy and the wider funding sector

· Understanding of, and commitment to, the use of storytelling to engage the public in programmatic work

· Experience of budget management

Perks and benefits:

· Flexible working hours

· Work from home option

· Life Insurance

· Wellness programs

· Employee Assistance Programme

· Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

· Paid emergency leave

· Sabbatical Opportunities

· Professional development

· Mentoring/coaching

· Paid volunteer days

· Payroll giving

· Salary sacrifice

· Team social events

· Extracurricular clubs

· Cycle to work scheme

· Free fruit

To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.

Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why work at Comic Relief

There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London,

There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work.

Disability Confident Employer

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV and application questions.

We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email us via our website to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.

About Us

We are Global Dialogue, an international philanthropy support organisation partnering with independent funders to advance rights, equity, and diversity. Independent in status and global in reach, we provide funder networks, collaboratives, and partners with the practical support and technical expertise they need to create lasting, systemic change.

The Role

We’re looking for a highly organised and proactive Operations & Systems Manager to play a central role in ensuring Global Dialogue’s operations run smoothly and effectively. This maternity cover role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving problems, improving systems, and supporting teams to be their very best.

You’ll collaborate closely with the Chief Operating Officer, core operational team, and the hosted and incubated programmes to provide a trusted, responsive operational service that enables programmes to focus on their mission. You will be the first point of call for any operational queries, providing clear guidance on our processes and supporting with practical tasks. Your areas of support will span digital and IT systems, data management, programme support, travel and events processes, and internal communications.

About You

The right candidate will possess excellent project management skills, a systems mindset, and confidence working with IT and digital tools. You will be comfortable engaging with stakeholders at all levels, including external suppliers, programme staff, and colleagues across the organisation, and thrive in building trusted relationships. With a passion for improving systems and processes for people, you will be someone who has a track record of providing empathetic and resourceful solutions. An awareness of GDPR considerations and risk management is essential. Experience working in a fast‑paced organisation and confidence with digital systems (particularly Microsoft 365 and SharePoint) would be advantageous.

How to Apply

We are partnering with Doing Good Recruitment for this campaign. Please click ‘Apply’ to find out more, see the full JD and learn how to submit.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to the employment and career development of people with disabilities. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates

may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require anything if you are invited to interview. If you need this information in another format or if there are additional options you’d like to request, please contact Tristan at Doing Good Recruitment.

We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To help us monitor how we’re doing and identify any barriers in our recruitment process, we invite all applicants to complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form found on Doing Good Recruitment's application page.

Join Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and play a vital role in ensuring our teams can support families facing the unimaginable, helping us make a real difference.

We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Operations Manager to keep our offices, systems, and services running smoothly across the UK. This is a varied and impactful role where your work directly enables frontline teams to deliver life-changing support.

About the role:

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations, you will take ownership of the day-to-day operational infrastructure of the organisation, including:

• Managing office facilities, leases, and contracts across our head office and nine regional sites.
• Overseeing IT systems and supplier contracts to ensure reliability and security.
• Leading on contract negotiation and supplier management.
• Managing a central administration budget.
• Overseeing our fleet of 80 leased vehicles (with support from a Fleet Administrator).
• Improving efficiency of our systems, processes, and ways of working.
• Project managing office moves and operational projects.

This is a hands-on role with real responsibility and variety.

What we’re looking for:

Applications will be particularly welcome from those who have demonstrable experience of negotiating and managing contracts - including managed IT service contracts, budgets and holds a qualification in cyber security or IT.

• A systematic and effective problem solver – you are self-disciplined and analytical and you thrive on providing solutions, delivering high standards, and are skilled in appropriately tailoring your output to a range of different stakeholders for decision-making.

• A self-disciplined multi-tasker who is able to work independently and at a fast pace to meet deadlines – you are someone who perseveres and ensures close follow-up of delegated tasks to deliver consistently high-quality work through to completion.

• A strong verbal and written communicator with a high level of attention to detail – you’re a quick decision maker, who operates well within a defined area of control, basing your decisions on policy and procedures.

• You build strong working relationships both internally and externally – you are driven to achieve results and have the ability to train and support others to make correct decisions

• You work well within established systems, standards and procedures – you are accurate, highly numerate with excellent Excel skills and make fact-based and solution orientated decisions

What we offer:

We’re proud to be a Two-Star Best Companies Top 50 mid-sized organisation and a Top 10 Charity, and we’re committed to creating a great place to work. You will benefit from:

• Flexible working hours to balance home and working life
• Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand
• Company car for front line care posts

• 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)
• Time off in Lieu

• Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts
• Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes
• A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme
• Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year
• Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%
• The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping
• Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth

If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, click here. More information can also be found in our Candidate Pack.

About us:

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.

How to apply:

Please send your CV and a covering letter highlighting why your application meets the criteria for the role and should be considered above others to us via the link.

Please disclose in your covering letter if you have used AI for any part of your job application.

Interviews will take place at our Head Office in Leatherhead. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful. If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

Additional information:

• Interviews will take place in Leatherhead
• If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know
• An enhanced DBS check is required

Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

If you’re looking for a role where your operational expertise genuinely makes a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Location: Remote (UK only) or Hybrid (Brighton/Sussex) 

Salary: £35,787 (pro rata), 4 days £28,629.60 (actual) plus statutory pension contributions 

Hours: Part-time, 30 hours a week

Contract: 12 month contract, with the intention to renew if the role makes a positive impact 

Start: As soon as possible 

Who we are: 

Grassroots Suicide Prevention (GSP) is a national charity committed to the timely intervention and prevention of suicide. We work to empower people to help save lives through connecting, educating, and campaigning nationally. Our vision is a future where more lives are saved from suicide. 

About the role:  
We are seeking a highly organised and driven Project and Operations Manager to help streamline processes, deliver key initiatives, and support our continued growth in our Training team. In this role, you will bring together complex communications, requests, and ideas, translating them into clear plans, structured workflows, and effective processes that ensure the successful delivery of multiple projects. You will combine strong planning and organisational expertise with a practical, hands-on approach to implementation. Comfortable managing competing priorities, you will remain flexible and adaptable, responding effectively to unforeseen challenges while keeping projects on track. 

Your excellent communication skills will set you apart. You will be an active listener who can clearly convey ideas, build alignment, and confidently influence colleagues, stakeholders, and external partners. With a strong business mindset and a passion for operational excellence, you will play a key role in ensuring both projects and day-to-day operations run smoothly. 
 
This is a highly rewarding role with significant real-world impact. Candidates should demonstrate resilience, as the role involves remote working, engaging with complex subject matter, operating in a fast-paced environment, and managing multiple priorities. You will also be responsible for overseeing the simultaneous delivery of multiple training courses, requiring flexibility, strong organisation, and the ability to multitask effectively. You will be working in close collaboration and guided by the Training Manager and senior leadership staff. 

Your welfare is the utmost priority; before applying, please consider carefully whether the demands and requirements of the role and subject matter could impact your wellbeing. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Lead the project management of all training programmes and services, ensuring effective planning, coordination, delivery, evaluation, and reporting 

• Provide day-to-day coordination and effective leadership, including clear direction and support to the training team (currently three reports) 

• Oversee all aspects of contract delivery, including project planning, timelines, budget management, communications, and reporting to clients, partners and internal teams 

• Manage and maintain updates of a training calendar identifying activity, allocating trainers to training courses to ensure quality delivery of courses 

• Working with managers and team in Training, oversee the Assistant Trainers (freelance trainers) communications, allocations, contracts, feedback and allocation of work 

• Build, develop, and maintain strong relationships with external partners and clients, ensuring all interactions reflect the strategic direction and protect the reputation of the charity 

• Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, using strong negotiation and influencing skills to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to a high standard 

• Monitor and report on project progress and performance, ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of all training activities and identifying and raising risks or issues early 

• Working with managers in Finance and Training, set realistic targets, manage budgets, cross-checking invoices, and capacity, and track project performance against agreed KPIs 

• Support quality assurance across training programmes, including accreditation requirements, reviewing and proofreading materials, adherence to brand, copyright and maintaining high standards of training materials 

• Working with managers in Marketing and Training. oversee and provide reports on training evaluation data and feedback to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement 

• Working collaboratively with the Marketing team to ensure a consistent flow of content to promote the courses, such as upcoming training, feedback quotes and data, website updates, training videos and raising courses that align with campaigns 

• Working with managers in Communications, implement improvements to systems, processes, and workflows to enhance operational efficiency and the client experience from initial enquiry through to evaluation 

• Support the growth of the organisation’s training offer by identifying and assessing opportunities for new partnerships, services, and income generation 

• Maintain oversight of the effective and consistent use of operational systems and platforms across the team (such as Salesforce, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Monday), recommending improvements where appropriate 

• Working across the training team, ensure activities comply with relevant policies and regulations, including health and safety, safeguarding, suicide prevention, and ethical standards 

• Undertake additional duties as required to improve the function of the Training team, as directed by your line manager. 

To succeed and thrive in this role, you will be: 

• Confident, adaptable, and highly organised, with exceptional attention to detail 

• Eager to learn and develop, welcoming guidance and feedback from senior managers to continually improve 

• Hands-on and comfortable engaging with operational detail, while maintaining a strategic mindset 

• Proactive and solutions-focused, able to suggest improvements and independently resolve challenges when needed 

• Able to prioritise your own workload and that of your team 

• Reliable in meeting deadlines and maintaining consistently high standards of work 

• Skilled at communicating tasks clearly to project teams effectively and efficiently, with the ability to adapt communication styles to suit a range of audiences 

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced training delivery environment, able to prioritise effectively and manage multiple responsibilities 

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively adapting to rapidly changing needs and working flexibly across multiple projects 

• Self-motivated and capable of working independently and remotely, while also contributing positively as part of a team 

• Willing to act as a brand ambassador and consider and raise any risks to the charity’s reputation and profile within Training activity 

• Represent Grassroots Suicide Prevention on external groups and promote our services and expertise 

• Willingness to travel occasionally if required 

• Passionate about your part in delivering high-quality online and in-person training courses that help save lives. 

Essential Skills and Experience: 

• A recognised project management qualification or equivalent practical experience 

• Proven experience managing multiple projects simultaneously, delivering them from initiation through to completion across cross-functional teams 

• Strong ability to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, identify risks, and recognise emerging trends to inform decision-making 

• Experience writing high-quality reports for clients, clearly demonstrating project progress, outcomes, and impact 

• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, and motivate teams, fostering collaboration and high performance 

• Highly self-motivated and resilient, with the ability to work effectively in a remote or distributed environment 

• Evidence of developing and improving processes and procedures to increase organisational efficiency and effectiveness 

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, CRM systems, and email marketing platforms 

• Proven experience building and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues, clients, and key stakeholders 

• Strong negotiation, influencing, and diplomacy skills, with a track record of achieving positive outcomes, including growing client engagement 

• Experience representing and communicating with senior stakeholders and decision-makers internally and externally 

• Experience in operational, financial, and business planning, including budget management and monitoring 

• Understanding of accessible communications, brand consistency, key messaging, and reputation management 

• Commitment to safeguarding, confidentiality, and ethical practice. 

Desirable Skills and Experience: 

• Project management experience within teaching and learning environments, including e-learning development or delivery 

• Understanding of quality assurance processes, including reviewing and maintaining training or educational materials 

• Experience using AI tools responsibly and effectively, with awareness of both the opportunities and potential risks 

• Experience working in the non-profit or charitable sector 

• Experience collaborating with a diverse range of clients, such as non-profit organisations, county councils, corporate organisations, and the Civil Service 

• Knowledge or experience in health and social care, mental health, or suicide prevention 

• Experience with design principles and accessibility in communications, ensuring materials are inclusive and user-friendly 

• Familiarity with platforms such as Eventbrite, Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, Mailchimp

• Awareness of marketing and promoting training courses 

• Experience conducting competitor research and analysing data to inform improvements and decision-making. 

Why Grassroots Suicide Prevention: 

GSP is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community and workplace - a place where we can all be ourselves, and each have the equal opportunity to succeed and be recognised for our unique contribution. We value the experiences, skills and perspectives of all individuals and actively encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds. We make recruitment decisions based on applicants’ skills, experience, and knowledge, ensuring all applicants are treated fairly. 

Our employee benefits include: 

• Hybrid/Flexible working – we offer our team a split of home and office working, or fully remote working in some roles 

• Health Cash Plan and employee assistant programme offering a contribution to the costs of everyday healthcare needs (dental, optical, wellbeing) and counselling support, plus legal and financial support 

• Learning and development opportunities

• A creative, friendly and collaborative culture. 

Please note that we are looking for a start as soon as possible, so the selection process begins immediately and will close when we fill the post with the right person.

GSP is in a period of transition and development, and the post holder should be aware that their Job Description and line management may evolve to meet the future needs of the charity.