Chief operating officer jobs in Edinburgh

About Us

We are an environmental charity with science at our heart. We help people to take action to protect the nature around them; by connecting them with it and giving them the tools they need to do so. We passionately believe in citizen science and are leaders in it. Our current focus areas include helping to create nature-friendly urban spaces, growing the impact of internationally known citizen science programmes such as Freshwater Watch, developing early career scientists and sharing learning internationally, and working with partners to advance the science, tools and thinking behind citizen science.

What we are looking for

Earthwatch Europe is recruiting a Director of Science and Impact. We are looking for someone with a deep understanding of the pressures facing our natural world and how citizen science and community action can help address these challenges, using high quality data, knowledge and practical demonstration to influence governments and corporations.

You will have a background in citizen science and an in depth understanding of current and future environmental policy trends and priorities.  You will be an experienced leader with excellent interpersonal skills and a track record of successful relationship and partnership development at all levels. You will have strong project and budget management experience, and you will be an exceptional strategic thinker with the ability to create and deliver effective strategies and action plans

Please see the full job description attached.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK; Earthwatch is unable to support visa applications. 

Earthwatch is committed to making any adjustments we can for short-listed candidates, to facilitate participation in our interview process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check and other due diligence checks, given the nature of this position within the charity.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Operations Manager 

Organisation: Religions for Peace United Kingdom (RfPUK)

Salary: £38,000 – £42,000 

Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week). Core working hours are 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Home-based employees are expected to be available and responsive during these hours.

Contract: Fixed-term (12 months) 

Location: Home-based / hybrid (occasional travel)

Reporting to: Chair of the Board of Trustees

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to take operational and administrative responsibility for a small, ambitious charity. You will run governance, compliance, contract management, finance liaison, data protection, safeguarding, HR, grant administration, and media and digital maintenance. You will work directly with the Chair.

This is a KEY gatekeeper role for someone who can steady the executive arm in response to the Board's strategic direction, concentrating on rigorous enforcement and maintenance.

Key responsibilities

• Board administration (agendas, minutes, documents, filings, trustee records)

• Contract and grant administration (drafting, tracking, compliance)

• Finance liaison (working with finance service provider, accountant, treasurer)

• Compliance (GDPR, safeguarding, risk register, Charity Commission filings and all charity related issues)

• HR and resource management

• Website and social media coordination

Essential criteria

• 4+ years in a leadership or senior operations role within a charity or not-for-profit

• Experience as a board secretary or company secretary

• Experience drafting contracts and managing compliance protocol

• Knowledge of CIO governance and Charity Commission requirements

• Diciplined and methodical apporach towards established processes

• Excellent attention to detail and written English

Desirable but not essential

• Experience in the interfaith or multi-religious sector

• CGI qualification (or working towards)

Infrastructure Requirements (BYOD)

RfPUK operates a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) framework where paid staff provide their own personal computer hardware to access our systems. All work is web-based via Google Workspace for Charities and does not require high-specification hardware. The charity provides all system user licenses and funds required antivirus software for work devices, but does not provide or fund personal hardware or domestic utility bills.

What we offer

• Real ownership of a charity's operations

• Direct reporting to the Chair – simple management structure

• Salary £38,000–£42,000

• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays

• Our workplace pension scheme is in line with statutory requirements, with employer contributions (3%).

• Home-based working with a structured core hours framework (9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday)

How to apply

Please send your CV and a cover letter (maximum two pages) 

Closing date: 20 August 2026

Interview Date: 24 August 2026

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Safeguarding statement: RfPUK is committed to safeguarding. 

Equal opportunities: RfPUK is an equal opportunities employer.

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[End of Advert]

PURPOSE OF ROLE

As part of Caudwell Youth’s five-year strategy to Go National, this role will lead the development and delivery of the organisation’s first online mentoring service.

The Project Manager for Online Services will oversee the pilot, implementation and ongoing management of the programme, ensuring safe, accessible and high-quality support for young people. Working closely with the Deputy CEO and internal teams, the role will shape the future of Caudwell Youth’s digital support offer.

Key Duties

• Lead the pilot and implementation of Caudwell Youth’s national online mentoring programme.
• Manage the digital platform where the online mentoring will take place, ensuring it operates effectively and provides a user-friendly service.
• Working in conjunction with internal teams to develop evaluation and evidence outcomes of the pilot.
• Oversee the day-to-day delivery of the online mentoring programme, ensuring safe, consistent and effective support for young people.
• Understand and analyse user journeys, using the data and insight to shape current programmes and ensure continuous improvement of online services.
• Identify opportunities to expand reach and accessibility for young people who may face barriers to in-person support.
• Ensure robust safeguarding practices within digital mentoring environments with support from Deputy CEO.
• Ensure the programme provides consistent, safe and effective support for young people.
• Monitor programme performance and contribute to evaluation and reporting for internal learning and funders.

Coordination & Development

• Develop processes, guidance and resources to support safe and effective online mentoring.
• Develop and coordinate collaboration with stakeholders
• Carry out user research and usability testing with young people and mentors to continuously improve the service.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and training of volunteer mentors delivering online mentoring.
• Provide guidance and support to volunteers to ensure they feel confident delivering mentoring in a digital environment.
• Develop and maintain risk management processes specific to online delivery.

Partnership & Liaison

• Communicate technical requirements and flag any issues to the online mentoring platform provider, to ensure the platform supports safe and effective service delivery.
• Collaborate with the team, and stakeholders in the design phase on the platform

General

• Undertake and identify training as required and take a positive approach to personal development.
• Fulfil the duties and responsibilities of an employee as regards to Health and Safety at Work, including own safety and self-management.
• Undertake any other reasonable tasks deemed necessary.

Experience & Skills (Essential):

• Experience delivering or managing online or digital services, ideally within a support, education or youth-focused environment.
• Experience managing projects from development through to implementation, including coordinating multiple stakeholders.
• Experience supporting, coordinating or supervising volunteers or frontline staff.
• Strong communication and organisational skills, with the ability to coordinate teams and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively with technical teams (developers, designers or platform providers) with an understanding of user experience and accessibility.
• Experience carrying out user research or usability testing, and gathering data, feedback and evaluation to review and improve services.
• Ability to develop and implement processes and systems to support effective programme

Experience & Skills (Desirable):

• Experience working with young people, mentoring programmes, or wellbeing services.
• Knowledge of digital safeguarding and managing risk in online environments.
• Experience developing or launching new services, pilots or programmes.
• Experience working within a charity or non-profit organisation.
• Experience delivering or supporting national or remote services.

Why Work For Us

We are an experienced team that are dedicated to improving the lives of the young people we support.

Benefits:

• Flexible working
• Hybrid – working from home and in the community
• Private Healthcare (including Employee Assistance Programme and extended counselling sessions)
• Life Insurance
• Group Personal Pension with a 5% employer contribution and Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• 25 days annual leave (FTE) plus bank holidays, plus charity closure between Christmas and New Year
• Extra paid day off on your birthday
• Paid day off for volunteering in your community
• Training opportunities to support your personal development
• Employee discounts on everyday goods and services
• Being part of a passionate and dedicated team

Caudwell Youth is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of this commitment, we undertake disclosure checks in accordance with the Codes of Practice for all. Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude applicants.

As an organisation supporting young people with care experience, with mental health and those at risk of criminal exploitation and offending, we are keen to receive applications from those with lived experience. For those who are care experienced, we will guarantee an interview.

We actively seek to bring diverse perspectives and experience, and especially welcome applications from disabled people and those from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQIA+.

Job Title:

Victim Support Casework Team Lead 

Salary:

Actual salary is £27,200 per year (FTE £34,000). 

Contract/Hours:

Permanent. 4 days per week / 0.8 FTE. The normal working week is 30 hours.

Annual Leave:

FTE annual leave entitlement is 23 days pro rata plus public and bank holidays. 

Location:

NUM delivers its services UK-wide through a combination of digital resources, remote services and in-person hubs. Staff work on a hybrid basis, with the balance of home and location-based working depending on business needs. This role is primarily remote, with occasional travel possible for meetings, events, and outreach. If you are based in one of our hubs, Glasgow, Manchester or London then this is desirable.

About NUM:

National Ugly Mugs (NUM) is a UK-wide charity which delivers a holistic safety, wellbeing and economic support model for sex workers, combining digital harm prevention, specialist casework, mental health support and pathways to economic stability. Activities are delivered UK-wide via a digital platform, remote services, and in-person hubs. We run a wellbeing drop-in service in Glasgow and other in-person services and events in Manchester and London. We have developed Vocational Support Services for those exploring careers both in and outside of sex industries and we run a Racial Justice project and Youth Justice project that makes visible the lived experiences of harm among racialised and young (18-25) sex workers towards systems change. 

NUM values those with lived experience in sex industries and work with them to shape services and responses, conduct research, develop education packages, and participate in policy advocacy to change the conditions that lead to survival sex work, gain rights and recognition, and improve the safety of UK-based sex workers. 

Background and Responsibilities:

The casework team is at the heart of NUM. We provide vital support from assistance through the criminal justice journey to essential emergency financial support. We are looking for a Casework Team Lead to lead our casework team. If you are driven, have a keen eye for detail, can effectively motivate others in a demanding and emotive area of work with the ability to support people in an empathetic and trauma informed way then this could be the role for you. 

This role will specifically focus on the day-to-day running of the casework team alongside carrying your own caseload. The work involves utilising and monitoring our digital platform and CMS maintaining and monitoring the documentation of cases and coordinating responses to ensure sex workers received the high standard of support they deserve, to prevent and recover from violence as well as seek justice and recourse. The Victim Support Casework Team Lead is responsible for maintaining high standards for all digital, individualised and in-person support provided by the casework team. All responsibilities can be grouped under five umbrella categories. The successful candidate will evidence suitability for the role based on the strength areas below:

1) Management: Manage the operations and administration associated with victim and vocational support casework. 

2) Leadership: Lead and motivate the team of national case workers towards service excellence. The best leaders can also be led. The successful candidate will value the lived and learned experiences on the casework team and ensure that everyone works to their strengths and strives for the best outcomes for sex workers. 

3) High Standards: Support good performance and quality outcomes for sex workers.

4) Creative and Innovative: Ability to strategise and problem-solve. Sex workers experience forms of violence before and after accessing support. At NUM, our principle of 'Sex Workers First' means that we work with them to achieve the outcomes that they desire. Sex workers are in control of their healing and recovery, and it will be the successful candidate's job to ensure that lives are improved as a result of contact with NUM. 

5) Well-being Focused: Provide care for the health, safety and welfare of the case work team and the sex workers we serve. 

Day-to-day tasks include but are not limited to the following.

• Managing your own caseload, providing individualised support to sex workers alongside your leadership role ensuring that sex workers are put at the forefront of all services offered. Maintaining our high standard of support.

• Continued monitoring and development of the NUM platform backend functions to find efficiencies and boost productivity. Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) based on new policies and service priorities, new platforms/ procedures, and new innovations or services. 

• Problem-solving to ensure the smooth and efficient operations of the casework team eg, managing resource and rota’s including leave and absences, delegation of task where appropriate to the casework team.

• Audit overview and quarterly reporting to Operations Manager with responsibility for data management and the production of case studies. 

• External communications with practitioners to ensure best practice of utilising NUM service, promoting NUM membership where possible and attending external meetings as a NUM representative where required. 

• Host or contribute to the ongoing meetings of the National ISVA/SWISVA forum and continue to foster useful and productive spaces for SWISVAs (specialist sex work ISVA’s) throughout the UK to share experiences, insights towards delivering quality support services to sex workers with maintaining high service standards and prioritising self-care. 

• Deliver weekly operations meetings, keep them short and concise to discuss operational updates NUM wide/internal. Analyse statistics and case work trends and discuss any issues or take aways with the Operations Manager to inform Casework Team strategy.

• Communicate and collaborate with other work streams and projects at NUM. Contribute to organisational priorities and support initiatives that strengthen National Ugly Mugs’ overall impact. 

• Lead 1-2-1 check-ins and appraisals with staff, acknowledging individual and team success in appropriate ways, motivating the team and resolving conflict and managing team dynamics (with support where needed).

• Onboard and train new members of the casework team.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable casework skills, with experience in delivering advice, information, emotional and practical support and advocacy in partnership with health, wellbeing and criminal justice outcomes for individuals who may have experienced traumatic events.

• Experience managing a team, providing line management support, and managing rotas and team resources.

• An understanding of coordination responsibilities and the requirements of middle management in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment.

• Qualified ISVA or relevant casework support experience.

• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work with multiple partners on complex cases.

• Excellent administrative and organisation skills, able to manage both your own and other people’s workloads effectively.

• An understanding of Equal Opportunities, the diversity of sex workers and the impact of criminalisation, stigma, and marginalisation on sex workers and a team comprising those with lived experience.

• Effective communication skills and the ability to deliver training, guidance, advice and support to a diverse range of stakeholders to promote best practice in relation to supporting sex workers when they’re victims of crime.

• Experience of using online communication tools, CMS (Oasis), google workspace, MS suite, slack and other digital platforms to maximise efficiency and productivity of your own casework and that of the casework team. 

• Experience of dealing with internal and external complaints and having difficult conversations.

• Strong empathic and active listening skills.

• Willingness to undertake continued professional development. 

Desirable:

• Experience of the sex work community.

• Experience completing detailed reports on workstream productivity, both statistically and in written form.

• The ability to understand local, regional and national policy and evidence-based research in relation to community safety, health and social inclusion.

• Ability in languages other than English is beneficial but not required. 

If you are passionate about NUM’s mission to ‘end all forms of violence against sex workers’ we would love for you to hear from you!

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications close on 13th August 2026 at 11:30pm BST. We encourage applicants to apply before the deadline as interviews may be held on a rolling basis. You can apply via Charity Jobs or by emailing admin[at]nationaluglymugs[dot]org with your name and ‘Victim Support Casework Team Lead’ in the subject line. 

Please include a CV (max 3 pages) and a cover letter (max 2 pages) describing your suitability for the role. The cover letter should address the points in the ‘Personal Specification’ section of this posting. 

NUM is a diverse team committed to inclusion and equal opportunities in the workplace, and we actively encourage applicants of all different ages, genders, social and economic backgrounds, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations, and from people with disabilities. If you have any access requirements related to applying, please contact admin[at]nationaluglymugs[dot]org.

We understand that everyone’s experience is different and encourage applications from those who may not meet all of the person specifications. If you’re passionate about equality, economic empowerment, and ending violence against sex workers, we want to hear from you.

Interviews are planned to take place remotely on week starting August 17th. We will let you know by August 18th if you have been selected for an interview. Please note that due to the high number of applications expected for this role if you do not hear back from NUM by the August 18th unfortunately your application has not been successful. We are not able to provide feedback on your application at the application stage.

Location: Remote (Based in England, Scotland & Wales with some travel required).

Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 pro rata (£21,000 - £24,000 3 days or £28,000 - £32,000 4 days)

Hours of work: Full time OR part-time 3 or 4 days a week (21 or 28 hours)

Contract type: Permanent

Why work for Kids Matter?

• Generous annual leave – 25 days (plus bank holidays) per year pro rata, with time off between Christmas and New Year's additional to this allowance.
• Remote working contribution – receive £26/month pro rata towards the costs of working from home and/or using a co-working space.
• Access to coaching sessions, training opportunities and our Employee Assistance Programme (a confidential support service for staff).
• Flexible working across weekdays to suit your schedule.

About us

Kids Matter is one of the UK’s fastest growing children’s charities.

Our vision is to see every child in need raised in a strong family. Our mission is to reduce the impact of poverty on children through community-based parenting programmes.

Research shows that group-based early intervention parenting groups are the most effective way to support children in need. We train peer facilitators in local churches - the largest voluntary body in the country - to run our affordable, accessible and highly effective parenting programmes, written by Clinical Psychologists. They come alongside parents and carers, building long-lasting community in addition to encouraging confidence and learning positive parenting skills.

We value difference and diversity, and we want our workplace to be built on shared values of equality and mutual trust, with team members representing the wide range of backgrounds and experiences that exist within the UK. We therefore actively encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, particularly those who are African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or part of other minority ethnic communities, who have lived experience of the impact of low-income/low-support circumstances, and who are living with a disability or identify as being neurodivergent.

About the role

The Grant Manager role involves:

• Writing clear and compelling grant applications that communicate Kids Matter’s vision and impact
• Building and nurturing strong, professional relationships with grant funders through regular updates, meetings, and invitations to engage with our work.
• Working with the Head of Fundraising & Communications to forecast income and contribute to long term fundraising planning
• Working closely with programme, finance, and research and impact teams to gather accurate data, budgets, and stories

About you

Are you experienced in Grant Writing? Do you have strong relational skills? Are you a Christian with an active faith in Jesus? Do you have a passion for Kids Matter’s vision of seeing every child in need raised in a strong family?

Then we would love to hear from you!

How to apply

You can apply for the Grant Manager position by clicking ‘Apply via Website’ and completing a copy of our online application form.

The deadline for applications is 24th August 2026. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email.

We also ask for all applicants to submit an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, which will be sent to you to complete following the submission of your application. This form will be used for anonymous analysis to ensure our overall recruitment procedures are fair and transparent. It will never be viewed or used as part of the selection process. It is optional to submit this form.

If you would like any application/interview support or you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, or if you would like an informal phone call to ask questions or discuss the role, please contact Katie Washington (HR & Systems Manager).

Please see the job pack for more details on the role and application process.