Youth endowment fund jobs
The Youth Endowment Fund
Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Partnerships
Reports to: Director of Change, with significant engagement with Director of Public Affairs and Comms and CEO
Salary: £75,500 per annum
Location: Central London or Hybrid
Contract: 2-year fixed term – potential to extend. Open to 0.8 FTE for the right candidate
Closing date: Friday 26th September by 12pm
About the Youth Endowment Fund
We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.
Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.
The Youth Endowment Fund exists to try and permanently change things. To succeed, we must build an exceptional body of knowledge about violence affecting young people and how we reduce it. This knowledge has to be both rigorous and highly relevant to those making decisions about how to support vulnerable young people. We need to find out what works and what doesn’t through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s lives. We need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how delivery organisations need to change their practice and how the systems they operate in need to be reformed. We then need to work with the right people that can make change happen, across systems, policies and practice, to have a real impact on reducing violence affecting children’s lives.
We can’t do this alone, we have to build and maintain brilliant partnerships across government, with other funders and with wider society. We are looking for an exceptional individual to lead on this work. We also need to have an eye for the future. Our present endowment must be spent down by April 2029. We need someone who can lead on planning for the future.
Key responsibilities
You ensure that we:
· Are ready for the future: Born with a ten-year endowment, the YEF has become the leading authoritative voice on how to reduce violence affecting children. We must spend down this endowment by April 2029, so need to start thinking about after this date. You will lead on ensuring we have a great plan for post 2029. You will spot the best opportunities, assess them and, over time, take them. This includes both building great external relationships and also ensuring there’s a clearly articulated, inspiring narrative – filled with facts, examples and case studies - of what has been delivered to date and what needs to happen between 2029 and 2039 to double down on our mission. To do this, you will orchestrate the expertise and knowledge of colleagues across the organisation – ensuring that what you need comes together perfectly.
· Build and maintain great relationships across government: We have an increasingly large number of relationships across government – providing advice and support on what works to prevent violence. You will be ready to offer advice to colleagues on those relationships where needed. You will build new relationships and maintain them where they are needed so we are ready for the future. You will be really well organised too ensuring that internal colleagues know which relationships they own and making sure that key regular meetings are in place. We have a simple process that tracks these relationships; you will make this process work well for us – with minimum bureaucracy and maximum effectiveness. You will also provide help and advice and coaching as YEF colleagues think through how best to get system changes to happen that will ultimately reduce violence.
· Build great relationships with other organisations that will be key to the future: As the lead organisation on reducing violence affecting young people, we increasingly receive and see a host of opportunities to partner with other organisations including funders on projects, co-funding and research. You will support this work – leading on relationships that are essential in making us ready for the future. You will spot the opportunity, build relationships, bring in other YEF colleagues, pull together key information, write brilliant documents where needed, win others over. In short, you will make great things happen.
As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also:
- Lead on culture: Build and maintain a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
- Deliver on strategy: Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results, and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.
About you
You are this sort of person:
· You make things happen. You’re organised, delivery-focused, and produce high-quality work, even under pressure. You work independently and to a high standard. You are quick at really understanding something so you can make good decisions quite fast. You put plans together and make them happen. Wherever you work, people think of you as someone who makes things happen. You do it in a generous, kind way that means people are feel delighted to see you succeeding, never trampled upon.
· You like bringing order and clarity to a big project that involves lots of people. You are at home bringing order to a big project: working out who is going to do what by when, having a regular steering group to ensure progress, keeping everyone on side and delivering a great result at the end.
· You understand how government works – as in really understand. You understand the nuance of how decisions are made within government. You understand that there is no such thing as ‘the department’s position’ (instead there are different views competing) and that while some decisions are very rational, some are more about personalities and politics. You find the process of how decisions get made within government departments, and with Number 10 and the Treasury, fascinating.
· You are fantastic at spotting how to get something done in Whitehall or Westminster. You are really good at thinking about how to make change happen. To some, Westminster and Whitehall can seem like a blob but you are brilliant at spotting how to make change happen there. You can think through the intricacies of who to get onside, who to get advice from, who to persuade and how to get the job done. You have a track record of doing this.
· You write really well. The idea of writing one or two pivotally important longer documents (30-40 pages) for the organisation that makes the case for something and pulls in content from lots of colleagues, synthesising and making it all fit together sounds interesting. You know – from experience – that you would be good at it.
· You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You easily build good relationships with both very senior and very junior people. You can be at ease talking to a senior politician or a 15 year old. It is important to you to be humble. You acknowledge how much you don't know as well as how much you do.
· You are great at building lasting partnerships with other organisations. You have experience of building partnerships or collaborations with other organisations, winning them over, doing conflict well when you need to, communicating clearly so that the work gets done and people feel as good as possible about it.
· You are a team player. You work brilliantly in a team. You are not motivated by being the individual winner. You want the team as a whole to succeed. You enjoy coaching other people so that they perform excellently in a meeting. You are not possessive of your contacts. You don’t care who gets the credit as long as things get done. You like the idea of being part of a small, well-motivated team and are ok with the downside of this – that we don’t have a lot of junior admin staff to do the jobs we like less.
· You think and communicate really well from the big picture to practical reality. You’re a strategic thinker who can see the big picture without losing sight of the detail. You find it quite easy to summarise in a few sentences, a few pages or a few words a complex argument or case. Whether speaking or writing, you break down complicated concepts in ways that make sense to different audiences – without oversimplifying. You bring clarity where others bring jargon.
· You care about our mission. You can be easily motivated to do work to prevent violence. This is something that matters to you. You believe in getting people to do things that are most likely to save lives, rather than just things that sound good.
· You’re committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Not just in theory – but in how you work, who you listen to, and what you prioritise.
While it’s not a criterion, we are especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting young people.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.
Secondments
We are open to candidates that would prefer to join us on a 2-year secondment or career break. Secondment candidate should ensure that their current organisation is in support of this in principle, all candidates will go through the full interview process. Candidates should state clearly in their covering letter if they would like to join us as secondee.
Hybrid Working Details
The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office for a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.
As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.
To Apply
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by Friday 26th September 2025.
When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words (there is no need to be this long though) the following questions:
1. Tell us in two paragraphs about something you made happen. We are keen to find someone who is good at be a self-starter, organised and finding the way to make something happen. Tell us what you were trying to get done, how you organised the task and how you made it happen.
2. Summarise in one or two paragraphs your experience of working with or in central government. We are keen to find someone who knows how decisions are made in government and has seen them being made.
3. Tell in two paragraphs about someone or an organisation you won over or built a good relationship with.Tell us how you went about it. We are keen to find someone who quite easily builds good relationships with other organisations.
Interview Process
This will be a two-stage interview process. The first stage interviews will take place in the week commencing 13th October 2025. Second stage interviews are currently scheduled for the week commencing 20th October 2025
PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.
Benefits Include
· £1,000 professional development budget annually
· 28 days holiday – 3 of which are taken between Christmas and New Years - plus Bank Holidays
· Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support
· Volunteering days - 4 half days per year
· Death in service - 4 times annual salary
· Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm
· Financial support including travel and hardship loans
· Employer contributed pension of 5%.
Personal Data
Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.
Thank you!
The Youth Endowment Fund
Head of Change – Children’s Services
Reports to: Assistant Director for Change – Children’s Services, Neighbourhoods & the Youth Sector
Salary: £67,900
Contract: 2 year fixed-term – potential to extend. Open to 0.8FTE for the right candidate
Location: Central London, Hybrid*
Closing date:12pm on Wednesday 24th September 2025
About the Youth Endowment Fund
We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.
Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.
The Youth Endowment Fund exists to try and permanently change things. To succeed, we must build an exceptional body of knowledge about violence affecting young people and how we reduce it. This knowledge has to be both rigorous and highly relevant to those making decisions about how to support vulnerable young people. We need to find out what works and what doesn’t through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s lives. We need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how delivery organisations need to change their practice and how the systems they operate in need to be reformed. We then need to work with the right people that can make change happen, across systems, policies and practice, to have a real impact on reducing violence affecting children’s lives.
Key Responsibilities
We build demand and interest in evidence across the Children’s Services sector
This will include:
- Running events, speaking at conferences and curating webinars to bring evidence to life for practitioners
- We have great relationships with the people who can make change happen.
This will include:
- Developing great relationships with senior policy makers, sector leaders and experts, including representing YEF in external meetings and speaking at events.
- Managing a Strategic Advisory Board of leading experts across the children’s services sector and keep members onside and excited about our work.
We deliver our children’s services system recommendations.
This will include:
- Helping to identify the right recommendations at a system level (such as changes in policy, regulation, inspection, funding, or guidance) that make it more likely highly vulnerable children get access to the right support at the right time.
- Work out the best way to make our system recommendations happen (due for publication in December 2026) and then do it – persuading the key people to make changes that make a difference.
- Tracking progress carefully, being thoughtful and creative about when and how to change the plan.
We work out the most effective ways to connect people with the evidence, then make those things happen.
This will include:
- Helping children’s services leaders change how they plan or provide services to better protect children from violence, based on the YEF Children’s Services Practice Guidance – due for publication in May 2026.
- Creating a plan to get people to follow our guidance, using what we know about how they think and behave.
- Creating practical tools and resources that help leaders put evidence into action
- Continuously testing and improving our approach to get better results.
As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also:
- Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
- Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results, and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.
About You
You are this sort of person:
- You know how to make change happen. You combine analytical sharpness with emotional intelligence and real-world experience. You understand why people resist change – and how to move them through it. You’re curious about human behaviour and what drives decision-making.
- You bring deep experience of the children’s services system. You’ve worked at a senior level in or with children’s services – potentially commissioning support for young people at risk of or involved in violence. You understand how Directors of Children’s Services and other senior leaders think and know how to navigate and influence within the system.
- You communicate complex ideas clearly. Whether speaking or writing, you break down complicated concepts in ways that make sense to different audiences – without oversimplifying. You bring clarity where others bring jargon.
- You get things done. You’re organised, delivery-focused, and produce high-quality work, even under pressure. You work independently and to a high standard.
- You build trust and connect with people. From government ministers to social workers, CEOs to 15-year-olds – you know how to listen, build rapport, and make people feel heard. You’ve led meetings, made strong introductions, and bring people with you.
- You think big and adapt fast. You’re a strategic thinker who can see the big picture without losing sight of the detail. You’re logical, creative, and open to challenge – always testing and refining your ideas.
- You understand young people. You get what life can be like for vulnerable young people and you understand the systems and organisations around them. Ideally, you’ve seen this first-hand, whether professionally or personally.
- You’re committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Not just in theory – but in how you work, who you listen to, and what you prioritise.
You must have this sort of experience.
- Delivering concrete change in practice or systems that improved children’s lives. You have significant experience in leading behaviour, practice or policy changes within a children’s services setting. You can show how these have been effective in delivering tangible change.
- Leadership experience in the children’s services system. You’ve worked at a senior level in or with children’s services - especially local authority children's services, commissioning and/or children's social care policy, and you understand how to navigate and influence within these complex systems.
- Firsthand knowledge of the system that supports highly vulnerable children, particularly those at risk of or involved in violence. You understand the barriers these children face and what it takes to get them the right support.
While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.
Hybrid Working Details
The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office for a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.
As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.
To Apply
To apply, please send a CV, your answers to the three questions below and complete the monitoring form by clicking on "Apply for this" button by 12pm on Wednesday 24th September 2025.
When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words, the following questions:
Improving practice or systems
1. Can you describe a time when you successfully supported children’s services leaders to improve practice or systems? Please include the scale and context of your experience. (maximum 500 words)
Developing strategy
2. Please provide an example of a strategy you developed from scratch and implemented independently. What did you do, what was the impact, what did you learn? (maximum 500 words)
Personal and professional experiences in violence prevention
3. What personal and professional experiences have shaped your understanding of the children’s services sector’s role in preventing violence? (maximum 500 words)
Interview Process
This will be a 2-stage interview process. The first stage interview will take place on 9 and 10 October 2025
The second stage interviews are currently scheduled for the week commencing 13 October 2025.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.
Benefits Include
• £1,000 professional development budget annually
• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support • Volunteering days - 4 half days per year
• Death in service - 4 times annual salary
• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm
• Financial support including travel and hardship loans
• Employer contributed pension of 5%
Personal Data
Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Youth Endowment Fund
Research Lead
Reports to: Assistant Director of Research
Salary: £55,000
Contract: 2 years fixed term
Location: Central London, Hybrid*
Closing date: September 10th 12 pm
Interviews: 22nd September 2025
We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.
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The Research Lead will lead our interpretation and communication of YEF’s evaluation reports. This is at the very core of YEF’s mission and strategy. You’ll ensure all our evaluation reports are clearly and accurately communicated and have the maximum possible impact on policy and practice.
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Scope, commission, and appoint research teams to deliver YEF research projects including reviews of practice in YEF’s priority sector areas. This is a fantastic opportunity to use YEF’s endowment to fund high quality and impactful research.
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Act as the Research Team’s Methodological Lead and lead training for the YEF Research Team on a range of topics including research methods.
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To Apply
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To apply, please send a CV, a cover letter (including the examples requested in the job description below) and complete the monitoring form. You can submit your application by clicking on the "Apply for this" button on uur website by 12:00pm Wednesday 10th September 2025.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Support JRSST-CT and the UK Democracy Fund to achieve their aims of tackling political inequality and expanding democratic participation through developing and managing a portfolio of grants, and communication of our work to key stakeholders.
Responsibilities:
- Assess and manage the grant portfolio for the UK Democracy Fund and JRSST-CT, in support of the strategy.
- Lead development of JRSST-CT’s written communications, including website, newsletter copy, reporting to Board and funders, copy for fundraising, and case studies.
- Keep up to date with developments relevant to the Trust’s work and maintain and improve personal competence through continuous professional development.
- To work flexibly alongside other members of the team and take on reasonable tasks as appropriate over and above those set out above.
- Apply Trust policies as determined by charity, electoral and other legal requirements as well as good grant-making practice.
- To act as a focal point for dissemination of information and respond to enquiries about the Trust’s work.
- Represent, and be an effective ambassador for, the Trust externally.
- To develop and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders, including civil society organisations, academics, statutory bodies and civil servants.
Person specification:
- A demonstrable ability to turn strategy into a work plan and deliver it.
- Ability to design, develop, implement and manage a grant giving programme (which may or may not be demonstrated through grant management experience).
- Good project management skills, ability to manage multiple streams of activity simultaneously.
- Demonstrable understanding of how change is made through campaigns and policy influencing.
- Excellent writing skills with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively to internal and external audiences.
- Desk research skills and the ability to spot gaps in own knowledge and bring in the appropriate support or advice.
- Understanding barriers to participation or experience working with people often excluded from democracy, including young people, minoritised and racialised communities, migrants, disabled people and people on low income.
- A robust analytical approach combined with an instinct for a good campaign and when to take a risk on a new initiative.
- Ability to provide clear advice and support, while effectively managing and evaluating grantee performance.
- A track record of developing and maintaining relationships with a range of stakeholders, working flexibly and collaboratively with team members, Trustees, grantees and partners.
- Experience of organising meetings, seminars and public events.
- Ability and motivation to deliver high-quality work to deadline with minimum supervision.
- IT literate with good experience of MS Office and other relevant IT systems as appropriate for the role.
- A deep commitment to democratic reform, political inequality and an inclusive democracy and a sound grasp of UK political context, institutions, and processes including elections.
Diversity: The role involves outreach and engagement with politically under-represented demographic groups (including racialised and minoritised ethnicities, young people, migrants, people with disabilities or on low-income). Candidates with lived experience of, connections to, and understanding of barriers to participation are actively encouraged to apply.
Terms and conditions:
- Permanent contract
- Salary £45,000–50,000 depending on skills and experience.
- We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.
- Hybrid working either remote/home-based with an agreed frequency of travel to York or based in the York office. Occasional co-working with the Head of the UK Democracy Fund in London can be arranged.
- Leave 25 days plus bank holidays (and three days office closure at Christmas).
- Pension 10% employer contribution, 5% employee contribution, salary sacrifice option and life assurance.
- On-site parking in York.
- Professional subscription fees.
- The job may require some UK travel.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.