Children and families jobs in Edinburgh

Shine supports a community of over 15,000 members living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus, including 5,000 children and young people (0–25).

You will be delivering high-quality support and creating opportunities for children and young people living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus and their families/carers. Supporting Shine members to lead healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives by improving condition management and fostering connections within the Shine community. 

This role will focus on children and young people (0–25), you will be primarily working within the Children, Young People and Families team. However, there will be occasions when you will work across age groups to ensure the best outcomes for our members. 

The role is home-based but you will be required to attend regular clinics in London including GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital). Other travel across Southern England including Bristol, Devon and Hampshire may be required. There will be occasional travel required across wider areas and nationally including attendance at events, conferences and meetings at our head office in Peterborough. 

Benefits: 

• Competitive salary: Review due April 2027 

• Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings)   

• 3% pension contribution 

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year 

• Additional annual leave awarded for ‘long service’ 

• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave 

• Broadband allowance for home-based roles 

• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment   

• Access to our Employee Support Programme and Mental Health First Aiders  

• Support to learn and develop  

How to apply  

Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria for the job.  

If you would like to discuss the role please email Gill Valentine, Deputy CEO, to arrange a convenient time for a call.  

To apply please submit your CV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteria.

*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted* 

We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of your application, but we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated. We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications.  

Closing date:  Friday 15th May 2026 at 12 noon

Interviews:  Tuesday 26th May 2026  (Virtual) 

Please note: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore we encourage applications as soon as possible.  

Please see full details on the Job Description and Person Specification document below and on our website.

JOB TITLE: Community Support Worker

RESPONSIBLE TO:  Community and Families Manager

HOURS OF WORK: Part-time 28hours (evening and weekend work will be required)

LOCATION: Hybrid – in person community delivery across Scotland, with requirements to attend office base in Edinburgh and home working possible. (Car driver with access to own transport desirable)

DURATION: Fixed term 24 months (with potential for extension, funding allowing)

SALARY / GRADE:Grade 3 / £24479 per annum fte – pro-rata

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Community and Families Manager

• Head of Community Services and communities team

• Adoption UK Scotland and Kinship service colleagues 

• The Adoption and Kinship Community in Scotland 

• Local Authorities and external commissioners 

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• To support the community work of Adoption UK Scotland community support services, to plan and deliver community events, provide professionals, parents/carers, children, and young people access to information, resources, and services and to engage with families in their local communities. 

• To offer a front-line service, primarily to adoptive and kinship families, and care experienced individuals and young people, by supporting delivery and administration for activities and events, including regular support groups delivery, youth and teens/young adults, and family events. Support of events across Scotland based on resources and availability.

• Support planning, organisation of, and attendance at, in person and online events through funded projects and services to bring together adopted and care-experienced individuals and young people and adoptive and kinship families, enable peer support, build a sense of community and promote an active and supportive Community Network. 

• To respond to enquiries received via the Information and Support Service and relevant email inboxes with relevant information and/or signposting.

• To be part of the wider communities within Adoption UK Scotland, working across teams and services. 

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across all services areas of Adoption UK 

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Working alongside service leads within the communities team, and with the wider Adoption UK Scotland team members to plan and deliver specific events and activities for adoptive and kinship community members, and care experienced children and young people via our E Project youth service for children, teens and young adults.

• Provide administrative coordination for community event provision, including collating event materials, gathering feedback and evaluations for reporting purposes, supporting delivery of events, maintaining records using existing required systems, and responding to enquiries via our Information and Support line and relevant email inboxes.

• Working alongside Communications colleagues and across teams to ensure promotion of events to relevant target groups 

• Attending events to promote the wider work of AUK Scotland at conferences or support groups

• To hold responsibility for administrative requirements relating to community events, including setting up booking pages, sharing information via newsletters and social media, and recording service delivery interactions, using existing Adoption UK systems and processes

• To work with colleagues in the Foundations for Families kinship support service to support delivery and coordinate activities between services where appropriate.

• To report to line manager and directors in Adoption UK Scotland relating to service delivery, including contributing to monitoring and reporting on activities. 

• To work alongside Adoption UK colleagues to develop and improve resources and services for our communities.

Criteria

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the issues and challenges faced by care experienced families. (Essential)
• Experience of engagement and direct work with families and/or young people (Essential)
• Experience of facilitation of in person and online groups (or commitment to learn) and commitment to digital safeguarding (Essential)
• Relevant degree or qualification (e.g. community work, social sciences) or equivalent experience (Desirable)

Skills and abilities

• Report writing and record keeping (Essential)
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal (Essential)
• Ability to build and maintain relationships (Essential)
• The ability to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) (Essential)

Accountability

• Liaise with colleagues to share updates and information
• Report to supervisor and relevant managers and external commissioners on activities

Behaviours

• Takes pride in Adoption UK and promotes its values and mission in all interactions with external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of role at all times.
• Follows all policies and procedures relating to risk assessments, safeguarding and youth service delivery
• Contributes to an open and honest culture
• Encourages challenge and creativity, transparency and consistency.
• Leads by example.
• Offers outstanding service to members.
• Promotes cross functional team working, sharing skills and knowledge
• Communicates clearly, seeking clarity when unclear and valuing the opinion of others.
• Valuing the opinion of other. Treating colleagues and other stakeholders with respect.
• Takes pride in own development, committed to achieving high standards and agreed objectives

About Chapter One 

Chapter One is a dynamic, growing charity with a vision of a world in which all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive. Our mission is to close the reading gap by providing children with one-to-one support at the time they need it most. We work in thirteen areas/regions of the UK and will support over 4,000 children in 2026-27.

Our unique Online Reading Volunteer programme pairs struggling five to seven-year old (P2-4) readers with reading support volunteers who are working professionals. The volunteer ask is very focused: readers commit 30 minutes a week to read with a child using a bespoke digital platform for an entire academic year. The results are transformative, boosting children's reading confidence and ability. 

From a school perspective, online reading volunteers provide direct, meaningful literacy support for up to 10 pupils per class. The programme is particularly suitable for communities where it might be challenging to find parents and other volunteers who can commit to physically visiting schools to boost reading. For more information please visit our website and watch this short video!

About the Role

Chapter One is seeking a Scotland Programme Manager who is an excellent communicator and is able both to motivate and support schools and teachers to implement our online reading volunteers programme, and also to ensure that the programme’s impact and benefit to disadvantaged communities is maximised throughout the academic year. 

The post is ideal for someone looking for part-time, flexible, term-time only work from a home base and who is able to travel frequently in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The postholder will be joining a team of established Programme Managers who work in different parts of the UK and will need to have some flexibility to work some additional hours during busy autumn weeks, and conversely to work fewer hours during quieter periods of the year. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Effectively explain Chapter One’s online reading volunteer programme and its benefits to school leaders and teachers.

• Install, setup and maintain Chapter One equipment in participating classrooms. This will include technical configuration/troubleshooting of mobile internet hotspots with IT team support.

• Organise and conduct initial teacher training and follow-up.

• Ensure a smooth initial launch of Chapter One’s programme in every classroom.

• Fully understand the operation of the Chapter One platform and database and effectively communicate this to others as needed.

• Liaise with colleagues performing technical and volunteer support roles.

• Through regular visits to/contact with schools, provide on-going embedded professional learning and support to teachers throughout the year as needed.  

• Proactively monitor classroom adherence/fidelity to the Chapter One model, including systematic review of data reports and volunteer feedback, taking proactive action to resolve problems that arise.

• Analyse and manipulate data (largely in Google sheets) to produce reports and identify trends.

• Create regular data summaries for all participating classrooms.

• Lead annual review meetings for senior leadership at participating schools.

• Support programme monitoring, evaluation and research as required.

• Coordinate in person and virtual school ‘visits’ of volunteer teams to classrooms where necessary. This may include opportunities for Chapter One children to visit the office of the volunteers.

• Liaison with corporate partners as required.

• Weekly communication and status updates with Senior Programme Manager(s) and wider team.

• As a new school year approaches, secure commitments from returning schools and help find and target new schools to join Chapter One’s programme. 

We are looking for applicants with the following essential qualities:

• Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and organisational skills. 

• Proven track record of working at a senior level in education, project management or a related field. 

• Proven strength in both written and verbal communication. 

• Highly IT literate, with excellent computer skills, able to troubleshoot software and technical  hardware issues, adept with Google suite and Microsoft Teams.

• Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.

• Proven ability to work independently. 

• Self-starter and quick learner.

• Ability to adapt and embrace a changing environment. 

• Ability to drive and access to a car for work purposes.

Ideally, applicants will also have the following desirable qualities:

• Two years of teaching/education experience with primary age children.

• University degree.

How to Apply

Please send your CV (maximum 2 A4 sides) and a covering letter via Charity Jobs. Your covering letter (maximum 1 side of A4) should:

1) Explain your relevant experience and why you’re interested in this role at this point in your career.

2) Share your ability to be resilient when things are not going the way you thought, including clear examples of past experiences.

3) Explain how our organisational mission is in line with your values.

Applications that fail to meet these criteria will automatically be discounted. We understand that you may use AI to help craft your application, but do remember that we will be looking for individuals who write a letter that stands out. We want you to have every opportunity to shine and to show us your talents - please let us know if there is anything we can do to make sure the assessment process works for you.

Chapter One is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and celebrate diversity in backgrounds and experience and are deliberate about the kind of teams we are building. Literacy is a universal concern, and we need people from all backgrounds to maximise our innovation, creativity and impact. We especially welcome applications from persons who have experienced disadvantage and/or from those who are of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who are currently underrepresented in the organisation. 

Chapter One is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All postholders are subject to satisfactory references and a PVG check.  Copies of our Safeguarding Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy are available on request.

N.B. Shortlisting and phone screens are likely to take place week commencing Monday 1st June.  For successful candidates, interviews are likely to take place week commencing Monday 8th June.

Role Purpose

The Education Trainer supports the Education Manager in the design and delivery of specialist, evidence-informed trainings programmes for education professionals equipping them to support bereaved children, young people, adults and communities.

Using trauma-informed, evidence-based content delivered through both digital platforms and in-person, the role ensures schools and educational staff have practical tools to identify, respond to, support and/or refer bereaved children, young people and adults.

We are recruiting for two Education Trainers, both to work full-time hours (35 per week). One term-time only and the other to work year-round.

Main Responsibilities

• Working collaboratively with the Education Team and the team’s administrator to co-ordinate training requests responses.
• Working with the Education Manager and colleagues, support the design of training programmes tailored to the needs of the training delegates.
• Deliver the organisation’s education training packages online and/or face-to-face as required.
• Work with the team to ensure efficient flow of processes and procedures.
• To research key areas in need of bereavement training packages.
• To be an ambassador for the ASK Me Training and Manifesto to early years, primary, secondary and higher education institutions and professionals.
• To form key relationships with individuals and organisations to promote off-the-shelf training as well as rapid response, ASK Me and bespoke education training.
• To work with the team to develop new education training programmes and content.
• Work with the Marketing and Communications Team to promote education training programmes.
• Collaborate with the team to develop and review feedback framework to evaluate the training.
• Use feedback to improve the current training offer and identify gaps in education training offers.

 Communication and Relationships

• Build and maintain effective relationships with education professionals across early years, primary, secondary and higher education sector.
• Act as an ambassador for the organisation’s ASK Me Training and Manifesto and other key education programmes, promoting values of empathy, inclusion and best practice in bereavement support.
• Collaborate closely with the Education Manager, colleagues and the Education Administrator to co-ordinate training requests and ensure a seamless client experience.
• Engage with internal teams, including Marketing and Communications, to publicise training offers and strengthen audience reach.
• Work proactively to establish and nurture key relationships with external education networks, commissioners, and organisations to increase awareness and uptake of training programmes.
• Communicate sensitively and confidently when delivery content that may evoke emotional responses, ensuring a safe and supportive training environment.
• Demonstrate and promote the organisation’s values and culture through all forms of communication, behaviours and professional relationships.

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Strong presentation, facilitation and communication skills, adaptable to a variety of audiences.
• Contribute to the creation of bespoke education programmes or training sessions as well as to the development of new education training packages.
• Develop and adapt training content for both in-person and digital delivery using a variety of digital platforms.
• Demonstrate a robust understanding of grief, loss, trauma, child development, and the psychological and social impact of bereavement on children, young people, and adults, including families.
• Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the organisation’s evidence-based tiered service model.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of current education frameworks and the wellbeing priorities for schools and colleges.
• Participate, and where appropriate, lead on consultations with individual education settings to formulate an assessment of their individual training needs.
• Use outcome measures and/or feedback tools to monitor progress, evaluate the impact of delivery, and reflect on own practice.
• Adhere to legislation and statutory guidance related to Safeguarding Children and Young People and Safeguarding Adults at all times.
• Participate actively in clinical supervision and reflective practice to ensure safe, ethical, and effective delivery.
• Contribute to the development and sharing of knowledge within the team by supporting training, mentoring, and peer learning opportunities.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Assess training needs of education settings through consultation, feedback and sector research to inform targeted content development with the support of the Education Manager.
• Evaluate participants’ feedback systematically to review the quality, relevance and impact of training’ identify areas for improvement and gaps in provision.
• Exercise sound judgement when responding to sensitive disclosures or emotionally charged discussions during training, ensuring appropriate support and signposting.
• Apply analytical thinking to review emerging issues in bereavement education – such as curriculum integration – to guide future training design.
• Recognise and manage situations that involve ambiguity, uncertainty, or emotional intensity, drawing on supervision and established frameworks for professional support.
• Apply a trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate lens to training development and delivery, ensuring sensitivity to cultural, social, and contextual factors influencing grief.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and meaningful data recording and reporting to inform service evaluation, and organisational performance monitoring.

Planning and organisational skills

• Prepare thoroughly for assigned training sessions, ensuring all materials, technology and resources are ready in advance.
• Deliver training sessions to time and quality standards, managing transitions between content, activities and Q&A smoothly.
• Deliver a suite of education training packages online and/or face-to-face as required, adapting content to meet specific delegate needs as needed.
• Contribute to the design and maintenance of robust systems and workflows that support the smooth flow of processes from enquiry to evaluation.
• Research new areas of bereavement education need and contribute ideas for the development of new programmes and resources.
• Collaborate with colleagues to maintain and refine the evaluation and feedback framework, drawing on insights to drive continuous improvement and suggesting improvements to the training offer.
• Manage time effectively across multiple projects and priorities, working flexibly to delivery high quality outcomes within deadlines.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date documentation in accordance with confidentiality, data protection, and statutory requirements.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and reflective capacity, using supervision and peer support to sustain personal wellbeing and professional effectiveness.
• Provide cover and support for team members when needed.

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Child Bereavement UK; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities.
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager.
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required.
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager.
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.

Person Specification

Education/Professional Qualification

Essential

• Relevant professional qualification in working in education, training or learning
• Evidence of ongoing professional development and commitment to continuous learning
• Training in bereavement, grief and trauma informed practice

Desirable

• Relevant professional qualification in working with children and young people

Skills and Experience

Essential

• At least three years’ recent experience (in the past six years) of delivering training to professionals
• At least three years’ recent experience of working with children, young people and families in a health, social care, youth, community or education setting
• Experience of planning and designing training programmes
• Experience of liaising with and working alongside organisations that support children and young people
• Experience of working with vulnerable communities
• Experience of delivering training using a digital platform
• Demonstrable experience of safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and an ability to practise in a way that promotes this
• Experience of working collaboratively with multi-agency professionals

Desirable

• Experience of working within a bereavement, palliative care of mental health setting
• Experienced in using outcome measures to evaluate practice

Knowledge and Understanding

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of bereavement, grief, loss, trauma, and their psychological and developmental impact on children, young people, parents and families
• Knowledge of current research, theories, national frameworks, and NICE guidance related to bereavement and children’s mental health
• Empathetic, compassionate, and youth driven approach
• Proven ability to design, deliver and adapt bereavement training effectively through digital platforms, maintaining engagement, safety and impact
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage sensitively with stakeholders while maintaining professional boundaries at all times
• Consulting mindset with the ability to quickly assimilate information and to translate this into potential solutions and ways of working
• Awareness of safeguarding legislation, policies, and procedures
• Understanding of information governance, confidentiality, and data protection requirements
• Understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion within practice
• Emotional maturity, stability and resilience with a strong commitment to self-care and the ability to seek support and guidance when difficulties arise in the course of work

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 27th May 2026 at midnight

First Stage Screening Interviews

You may be asked to attend a 10-minute Screening Interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the vacancy, to assess your suitability for the role. During the interview, you will be asked two skills-based questions.

Second Stage Interviews

If you are progressed to a second stage interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour formal interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. It is our policy to share the role-specific interview questions with applicants ahead of the interview, to aid their preparation. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Youth Team Forum Discussion

For roles in our Bereavement Services Team, we will invite those applicants selected for interview along to a discussion forum with members of our Youth Team. This session is held remotely and lasts approximately 20 minutes. The discussion topic will be shared with you in advance of the session.

Role Purpose

The Partnerships Development Lead will be responsible for proactively generating significant income from five and six figure corporate partnerships.

You will manage the new business pipeline, identify new opportunities with prospective corporate partners and develop lasting relationships with them. You will develop compelling applications and creative partnerships proposals securing new and exciting partnerships for Child Bereavement UK.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead corporate new business development to drive the growth of corporate partnerships.
• Develop, manage and steward a portfolio of partners by building strong relationships to maximise multiyear giving and growth.
• Work alongside the Head of Corporate Partnerships and Commercial to support the development and implementation of a new Partnerships strategy covering development of a prospect pipeline, building a culture of peer referrals, annual targets and key account plans.
• Research and identify new corporate prospects who have the potential to make a significant difference to the lives of grieving children. You will develop and implement cultivation strategies to turn prospects into supporters.
• Prepare and present highly customised, compelling funding proposals to prospective corporate prospects.
• Make effective and targeted new business calls, including warm and self-generated leads.
• Work closely with the Corporate Partnerships Account Manager to deliver a thorough on boarding process ad handover for new accounts.
• Identify key decision makers and use strong consultative and negotiation skills to articulate the benefits of a partnership with Child Bereavement UK.
• Maintain an awareness of corporate giving trends, news, events and legislation in the UK and pick up on opportunities or topical issues that will enhance the charity.
• Develop new corporate partnership products to cultivate new donors, and work alongside the Director of Income Generation and Head of Corporate Partnerships on the introduction of a new Development Board.
• Work closely with the Regional Fundraising Managers to spot new opportunities.

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Child Bereavement UK; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities.
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager.
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required.
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager.
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of working in corporate fundraising, including being confident in pitching and writing proposals for a corporate partner audience.
• Experience of prospecting and new business development.
• Experience of securing 5-6 figure partnerships from corporates.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Highly professional, flexible and committed to achieve and exceed KPIs.
• Exceptional communication skills both written and verbal.
• Strong influencing skills.
• A self-starter with strong team working skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise work, handle conflicting demands and meet tight deadlines.
• A creative thinker and quick to respond to opportunities
• Strong presentation skills

Desirable

• Understanding of child bereavement.
• Experience of using Salesforce CRM System.

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 27th May 2026 at midnight

First Stage Screening Interviews

You may be asked to attend a 10-minute Screening Interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the vacancy, to assess your suitability for the role. During the interview, you will be asked two skills-based questions.

Second Stage Interviews

If you are progressed to a second stage interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour formal interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. It is our policy to share the role-specific interview questions with applicants ahead of the interview, to aid their preparation. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Role Purpose

The Adult Bereavement Counsellor provides therapeutic support to adults- particularly parents and carers- who are experiencing acute or complex grief following the death of a child.

The post holder will provide comprehensive psychosocial assessments and deliver therapeutic interventions working therapeutically using a range of counselling methods, approaches, and techniques, consistent with Level 3 of the NICE psychological intervention framework (2004).

They will also deliver crisis interventions where appropriate to ensure emotional safety and stability. In addition, the role includes designing and implementing a variety of therapeutic interventions across individual, couple, and group contexts, drawing on different models as required.

Main Responsibilities

Communication and Relationships

• Communicate effectively and sensitively within the organisation and with external professionals, including health and mental health services such as CMHTs and GPs.
• Convey complex and emotionally sensitive information to adults with clarity, empathy, and professionalism.
• Manage interactions with individuals or groups who may be distressed or emotionally impacted by information shared.
• Develop and maintain strong, positive working relationships with colleagues and peers to promote effective teamwork and collaboration.
• Model organisational values and behaviours, demonstrating respect, compassion, and integrity in all communication and relationships.

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Undertake detailed psychosocial assessments and risk evaluations for parents and carers bereaved of a child, determining the most appropriate interventions and levels of support.
• Deliver individual and, where appropriate, couple or group counselling sessions using evidence-based approaches to address complex grief, trauma, and adjustment to loss.
• Ensure all practice meets professional standards and complies with relevant codes of conduct and national guidance.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current research, evidence-based practice, and developments in bereavement and trauma-informed care.
• Provide crisis interventions when required, ensuring emotional containment, safety and referral to appropriate support.
• Support service users to develop coping skills, resilience, meaning making, and strategies to manage distress and ongoing adjustment.
• Integrate trauma-informed principles, recognising the emotional and physiological impact of bereavement and its intersection with other mental health concerns.
• Engage in continuous professional development and maintain an active professional portfolio in line with professional body requirements.
• Demonstrate knowledge and compliance with organisational policies, procedures, and safeguarding legislation, including Safeguarding Children and Adults and the Mental Capacity Act.
• Provide guidance, supervision, and support to volunteers individually or in groups as required.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Apply sound professional judgment and analytical skills to assess needs, plan interventions, and evaluate outcomes in accordance with best-practice frameworks.
• Participate actively in team meetings to plan, review, and evaluate care strategies and approaches.
• Ensure the accurate and timely recording of data and information to support monitoring, evaluation, and service development.
• Contribute to the collection, analysis and reporting of outcome measures to support quality assurance, demonstrate impact, inform practice and interventions, and inform continuous improvement.

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Child Bereavement UK; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities.
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager.

Person Specification

Education/Professional Qualification

Essential

• MA/MSc or Postgraduate Degree (minimum Level 4 or equivalent) in Counselling, Psychotherapy, Arts Therapy
• Registration with a professional body (ie. HCPC, UKCP, BACP, BAAT, etc)
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Certificate/diploma in supervision
• Dual qualification (social work and counselling/psychotherapy)
• BACP accreditation or eligible for BACP accreditation

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Able to make clear psychosocial assessments and managing complex emotional and mental health needs, risk, and safeguarding
• Awareness of the intersection between loss, mental health, relationships and identity
• Strong assessment, formulation and planning skills within a therapeutic context
• Substantial post qualification experience in counselling or psychotherapy
• Experience of working therapeutically with adults (pre and post bereavement)
• Experience of using outcome measures, feedback tools and data to evaluate effectiveness and impact of interventions

Knowledge and Understanding

• A strong understanding and knowledge of relevant psychological theories, therapeutic interventions, and models of grief work
• In-depth understanding of the impact of bereavement, trauma, and loss especially after the death of a child
• Knowledge of child development, attachment, and resilience frameworks
• Sound awareness of risk assessment, safeguarding legislation and information sharing processes
• Knowledge of evidence-based models of counselling and therapeutic interventions including creative and systemic approaches
• Proven ability to design, deliver and adapt psychosocial assessments and therapeutic counselling interventions effectively through digital platforms, maintaining therapeutic alliance, safety and impact when working remotely with adults.
• Knowledge of safeguarding legislations and impact on practice
• Inclusive in approach, sensitive to diverse experiences of grief and cultural expressions of loss
• Awareness of the importance of service evaluation, outcome measurement, and reflective practice in demonstrating impact and improving quality
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required.
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager.
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 27th May 2026 at midnight

First Stage Screening Interviews

You may be asked to attend a 10-minute Screening Interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the vacancy, to assess your suitability for the role. During the interview, you will be asked two skills-based questions.

Second Stage Interviews

If you are progressed to a second stage interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour formal interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. It is our policy to share the role-specific interview questions with applicants ahead of the interview, to aid their preparation. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Youth Team Forum Discussion

For roles in our Bereavement Services Team, we will invite those applicants selected for interview along to a discussion forum with members of our Youth Team. This session is held remotely and lasts approximately 20 minutes. The discussion topic will be shared with you in advance of the session.

Senior Service Designer  

 
Location: remote. This role can be based at any of Barnardo's national offices. Regular local and national travel will be required. 
 

Help us design services that transform childhoods  

At Barnardo's, we believe every child deserves a safe, happy and hopeful future. For over 150 years, we've been innovating to improve the lives of children, young people and families across the UK. Today, we run more than 800 services and are committed to making them excellent, inclusive and designed with the children, young people and families who use them. 

As a senior member of the Service Design team, you will play a vital role in applying service design methods to deliver measurable improvements in service quality, efficiency, value and outcomes for children, young people and families. 

We are continuing to strengthen how we design and improve services across Barnardo's, working across a complex and evolving portfolio that spans children's services, digital delivery and business development. 

This role offers the opportunity to shape not only individual services, but how service design is used to support decision-making, prioritisation and innovation across the organisation. 

This is a hands-on role as well as a strategic one – you'll be actively designing, prototyping and iterating services as well as shaping direction and decision-making. 

As a Senior Service Designer, you will: 

• Work across a portfolio of projects, balancing priorities and adapting to changing organisational needs 

• Contribute to service development and proposals, working with business development colleagues to shape service models 

• Influence decision-making and prioritisation, using evidence and insight to guide direction 

• Identify opportunities to improve services in ways that deliver better outcomes, greater efficiency and value for money 

• Lead the end-to-end design of services in complex environments, shaping user-centred, evidence-based solutions that respond to organisational priorities, and creating service maps, blueprints, prototypes and other design artefacts to bring ideas to life 

• Test and iterate service concepts in response to feedback and learning, refining solutions to improve outcomes 

• Ensure services are coherent and integrated across online and offline channels 

• Work across functions including business development, digital, finance, operations, research and policy to engage stakeholders and support organisational change 

• Mentor and support colleagues – developing confidence and skills, with the potential to provide line management support to junior designers where appropriate 

• Develop practice and contribute to standards, frameworks and reusable design patterns 

• Share learning internally and externally, contributing to professional communities of practice and helping raise the profile of service design at Barnardo's 

This is a varied, hands-on and project-focused role that allows for autonomy, creativity and real impact. You'll be part of a warm, committed team that shares learning, supports wellbeing, and is united in a clear mission: designing for better outcomes for children and families. 

You'll work with a high degree of autonomy, navigating complexity and ambiguity, delivering tangible improvements to services and contributing to a growing and evolving design practice. 

What We're Looking For 

We're looking for a Senior Service Designer who can: 

• Work autonomously to lead the design of complex services 

• Manage competing priorities effectively across projects, balancing time, focus and trade-offs 

• Influence stakeholders and support organisational change beyond immediate project teams, communicating design decisions and complex ideas clearly to a range of audiences 

• Understand how services operate within wider organisational systems, and use this to inform decision-making and support effective change 

• Confidently use a range of evidence, including user research, service data and performance insights, to inform decisions and guide direction 

• Conduct in-depth user research to generate actionable insights and guide decision-making 

• Create and iterate prototypes and other design artefacts 

• Integrate offline and online service delivery into coherent end-to-end services 

• Design and facilitate collaborative workshops with a range of stakeholders and partners 

• Evaluate and evidence the impact of service design work

Previous experience in children's services, health, education or related public/third sector contexts is desirable – but if you bring transferable skills, we want to hear from you. 

What You'll Get in Return 

• 26 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays 

• Access to the Barnardo's pension scheme 

• Flexible working and hybrid/remote options 

• Wellbeing initiatives and Employee Assistance Programme 

• Regular supervision and career development opportunities 

• The opportunity to shape how service design is used across a national organisation 

• The chance to work on services that support children, young people and families across the UK.

Inclusion and Belonging 

We are committed to building a diverse workforce. We particularly welcome applications from disabled candidates, LGBTQ+ people, people from racially minoritised communities, and those with care experience. If there's anything we can do to support you through the application process, please let us know. 

 Ready to Apply?

Together, we can change childhoods and change lives.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description.

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.

Role Purpose

As Head of Creative & Content, you will shape and champion the creative vision of Child Bereavement UK. You’ll lead the development of a bold, purposeful content and creative strategy that brings our mission to life, ensuring every story, campaign and asset is high-quality, evidence-based, accessible and emotionally resonant across all channels.

You’ll set the creative direction and ensure everything we produce is consistently compelling, inclusive and impactful, delivering outstanding user experiences that truly connect with our audiences.

This role leads the full content lifecycle, from strategic planning and innovative production to governance and evaluation. You’ll drive creativity that supports income generation, strengthens service delivery and grows brand awareness, making sure our content doesn’t just inform, but inspires action and change.

Main Responsibilities

1. Leadership, Team Management & Administration

• Work alongside the Director of Marketing & Communications to lead the Marketing & Communications team, ensuring there is a clear direction of travel, an understanding of purpose and exemplary culture embedded to drive future success.
• Provide clear leadership and direct line management to the Brand Lead and Content Creator.
• Build a high-performing content function with strong planning, evaluation and cross-functional collaboration.
• Support and mentor a network of volunteer content creators.
• Champion innovation, best practice and a user-centred approach to content.
• Proactively formulate appropriate, strategic and creative responses and pitch new ideas for campaigns and activities.
• Oversee the content strategy for all level 1 output, and seasonal appeals and campaigns.
• Effectively manage expenditure across all content workstreams in line with agreed expenditure budgets.
• Ensure that the recording of permissions and consents is adhered to in line with our policies and procedures and in accordance with GDPR.
• Deputise for the Director of Marketing & Communications when required.

2. Creative and Content Strategy & Governance

• Set, implement and continuously evolve the organisation-wide content strategy, ensuring alignment with strategic aims and audience needs.
• Oversee content systems, processes, policies and tools to ensure consistency, quality, accessibility and compliance.
• Develop a sensitive and safe lived-experience content strategy, ensuring safeguarding standards are met and contributors are appropriately supported in partnership with service teams.
• Identify and pursue content collaboration opportunities to enhance reach, impact and brand visibility.
• Manage the content budget and ensure effective prioritisation and resourcing.

3. Content Creation, Management & Delivery

• Lead delivery of high-quality cross-channel content, including copy, editorial, design and audio-visual assets.
• Develop and provide creative direction for content-led campaigns.
• Grow and manage a library of level 1 and evergreen content.
• Identify new and emerging content opportunities appropriate content opportunities using market insight and analytics to continuously develop Child Bereavement UK’s content position.
• Create, assign, commission and manage a diverse range of evergreen and project specific multimedia content including but not limited to video, audio, design and copy.
• Maintain a robust content production schedule to support organisational priorities.
• Quality-assure and ensure all content meets visual identity, user experience, accessibility, safeguarding and GDPR requirements.
• Support colleagues with interviewing service-users, professionals, staff and supporters and producing high-quality case studies for use across channels including the Impact Report, website, publications, social media and fundraising materials.
• Support and guide colleagues with basic content production duties as needed.

4. Brand & Information standards

• Provide line management and leadership to the Brand Lead to oversee brand (design, editorial and audio-visual) standards across all key external communications.
• Support the Brand Lead to identify and steward brand opportunities and collaborations.

5. Insight, Evaluation & Reporting

• Lead ongoing insight and research activities to assess content effectiveness and identify gaps or opportunities.
• Monitor and analyse content reach, performance and effectiveness producing regular reports for senior leadership.
• Adopt test-and-learn approaches (e.g., A/B testing and insight sharing) to drive continuous improvement.

6. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with the Directors of Marketing & Communications, Services & Service Transformation, and Income Generation to deliver strategic content needs.
• Partner with bereavement services, income generation and participation teams to identify and maximise high-value content opportunities.
• Collaborate with brand and marketing colleagues to deliver projects aligned to the marketing strategy and comms plans.
• Liaise with creative agencies, media partners and freelance suppliers.
• Foster strong cross-charity relationships to ensure coherent messaging and shared learning.

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Child Bereavement UK; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities.
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager.
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required.
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager.
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.

Person Specification

Essential

Experience & Knowledge

• Proven experience developing and delivering an organisation-wide content strategy.
• Experience leading a content or editorial function in a complex organisation (charity, health, social care or similar desirable).
• Proficient in graphic design and video editing skills (e.g. Canva, Adobe, CapCut).
• Strong track record for producing and overseeing high-quality written, digital, graphic and audiovisual content.
• Experience commissioning and managing agencies, freelancers and creative partners.
• Demonstrable experience creating or stewarding sensitive or lived-experience content, including safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and GDPR compliance.
• Experience of embedding and adhering to content governance and policy.
• Experience managing a team of content specialists and/or volunteers.
• Experience working collaboratively across multiple directorates and with subject matter experts.
• Experience using insight, analytics, testing and research to evaluate content performance and inform decision-making.
• Strong project management experience, managing multiple concurrent content projects and deadlines.
• Strong understanding of accessibility, UX principles, brand management and content governance.

Skills

• Excellent copywriting, editing and storytelling skills across multiple formats and for diverse audiences.
• Skilled in producing high-quality video and audio content, including hands-on skills in filming, recording and editing.
• Ability to translate complex or clinical information into clear, engaging content. Ability to set strategic direction and translate it into actionable plans and workflows.
• Strong ability to prioritise, allocate resources and manage competing demands.
• Ability to balance creative ambition with commercial or organisational objectives.
• Skilled in coaching, mentoring and motivating individuals and teams.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to interpret data, identify insights and make evidence-based recommendations.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to editorial quality.

Attributes & Values

• Compassion, emotional intelligence and ability to work respectfully with bereaved children, young people and families.
• Collaborative, approachable, and able to build trust across teams.
• Creative, innovative and proactive, with a solutions-focused, self-starter mindset.
• Highly organised, resilient and able to work independently in a remote environment.
• Strong commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and ethical storytelling, including amplifying lived experience safely and respectfully.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training and development opportunities.
• Willingness to be flexible work to meet organisational need.
• Ability to undertake periodic UK travel and represent the charity at meetings and events.

Desirable

• Experience working within the charity/third sector, particularly in bereavement, mental health or social care.
• Understanding of bereavement and the needs of bereaved children, young people and parents.
• Previous experience in a Head of Content or similar leadership role.
• Experience of leading in-house and external creative teams.
• Background in storytelling, editorial or publishing environments.
• Experience of delivering large-scale content programmes across multiple channels.
• Familiarity with CRM systems such as Salesforce.
• Experience managing or supporting lived-experience contributors, ambassadors or volunteers.
• Knowledge of digital marketing principles (e.g., SEO, user journeys, content optimisation.
• Active engagement with creative or content industry networks

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 27th May 2026 at midnight

First Stage Screening Interviews – on-going

You may be asked to attend a 10-minute Screening Interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the vacancy, to assess your suitability for the role. During the interview, you will be asked two skills-based questions.

Second Stage Interviews – Friday 5th June

If you are progressed to a second stage interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour formal interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. It is our policy to share the role-specific interview questions with applicants ahead of the interview, to aid their preparation. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Role Purpose

Responsible for helping to ensure the effective delivery of the Regional Fundraising strategy in relation to generating sustainable income from third parties and campaigns. You will primarily focus on recruiting support from community groups and associations, businesses and individuals across the South as well as supporting the growth and diversity of the challenge events portfolio.

You will plan, market, deliver and grow your portfolio ensuring all objectives, financial and non-financial are achieved, with an active focus on cost-effective ideas, growth and contingency plans.

Working closely with our service delivery teams across the UK to develop fundraising lead networks, building a robust and community driven income pipeline. You will build powerful, local relationships across your region, and ensure every supporter has an exceptional fundraising experience.

Main Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of a fundraising plan to maximise income generation across the designated area, in line with the overall fundraising strategy.
• Build knowledge of Child Bereavement UK supporters in the area and develop a community of supporters who have a tangible relationship with our work.
• Build relationships with individual supporters, community organisations, faith groups, schools and education facilities, regional corporates and challenge event participants.
• Contribute to the development of annual income and expenditure budgets, monitoring results and contributing to regular reforecasts, mitigation and contingency planning to ensure budget is achieved.
• Attract new support and nurture and develop existing support by providing excellent stewardship to maximise supporter journey, value and retention and in-turn income.
• Work alongside the Head of Regional Fundraising and Challenge Event team to develop and promote successful and engaging off-the-shelf fundraising initiatives, campaigns, and challenge events to engage and encourage potential supporters, using research to spot trends and popular initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with the Challenge Event team and Communications team to develop and implement marketing and social media plans for all events/activities.
• Analyse the potential risks and benefits of fundraising events/activities considering risk, time/cost ratios, and overall ROI, to focus effort accordingly.
• Ensure all associated activities are compliant with charity law, regulatory requirements, and best practice, including Data Protection Act and GDPR.
• Develop and follow processes and systems to ensure the effective management of all relevant information, including maintaining and assuming responsibility for accurate information on the charity’s Sales Force database and the community section of the website.
• Work with the Head of Regional Fundraising to recruit Fundraising Committees across the region.
• Support with the recruitment of Community Ambassadors.

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Child Bereavement UK; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities.
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager.
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required.
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager.
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Child Bereavement UK policy.

Person Specification

Essential

• Ability to self-motivate and organise yourself to manage multiple priorities, to set and meet deadlines in order to keep projects moving forwards.
• Experience in at least one of: fundraising, sales, partnerships, business development, or community engagement.
• Confidence and experience in public speaking, both offline and online, and demonstratable ability to represent a cause to a wide range of audiences.
• Outstanding relationship-building skills and an ability to manage stakeholder relationships effectively and creatively.
• Experience of working to targets and managing budgets.
• A positive, proactive approach to problem-solving and collaboration.
• Confidence working independently and as part of a team.

Desirable

• Experience in community fundraising or charity income generation
• Experience of delivering a regional-focused role in the same geographic area
• Experience of managing and supporting volunteers.
• Familiarity with CRM systems and data management 

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 27th May 2026 at midnight

First Stage Screening Interviews

You may be asked to attend a 10-minute Screening Interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the vacancy, to assess your suitability for the role. During the interview, you will be asked two skills-based questions.

Second Stage Interviews

If you are progressed to a second stage interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour formal interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. It is our policy to share the role-specific interview questions with applicants ahead of the interview, to aid their preparation. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Legacy Marketing Manager.

Salary: £48,000 - £51,300 per annum dependant on experience.

Location: Remote.

Monthly travel to London will be required.

Contract: Permanent – 35 hours per week.

Benefits:   

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave. 

• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities. 

• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages. 

• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover. 

• Staff discounts and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailer's discounts. 

Why Action for Children?   

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It is the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.  

Join our Fundraising Team!

We’re looking for an experienced Legacy Marketing Manager with proven expertise across all aspects of legacy marketing to lead and grow our legacy programme, ensuring long‑term sustainable income for the organisation. You’ll be responsible for developing and delivering strategic legacy marketing plans that drive both acquisition and stewardship, combining strong internal relationship‑building with insight‑led marketing to maximise impact.

How you'll help to create brighter futures  

• Developing Action for Children’s short term and long-term planning of marketing legacy strategies to maximise the potential of legacy income.

• Directly manage a team of professional fundraisers.

• Effectively manage the legacy acquisition and retention campaigns. 

• Drive robust and insight-led supporter-centred journeys to maximise engagement.

• Lead the Legacy Marketing team to successfully achieve set targets and KPIs.

• Produce regular and consistent financial and activity reports for Management and other Senior Managers.

• Build effective and efficient relationships with prospective supporters, legacy pledgers, staff, and solicitors.

Let's talk about you  

• Must have Legacy Marketing experience (including digital) and demonstratable application to drive revenues in a complex organisation collaborating with many stakeholders. 

• Charity legislation, best practice guidelines and other regulatory requirements to charitable fundraising activity, or the intellectual capacity to acquire it.

• Demonstrable understanding of the importance of brand to legacy success – and how to apply through a marketing role.

• Intellectual capacity to understand and appreciate the motivations of donors, supporters, and volunteers.

• Apply principles of good customer care and the accountabilities of a charity to its donors, supporters, and volunteers.

• Proven experience and success of managing & developing fundraisers and or marketing experts to drive income performance. 

Please see the Job Description for the full list of accountabilities and requirements.  

Closing Date: Friday 15th May 2026.

Interviews will be week commencing 1st June 2026 via MS Teams.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. 

Diversity, equality, and inclusion 

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. 

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. 

Want to know more about Action for Children? 

Find us on  Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better. 

Policy and Public Affairs Manager (England)

Reporting to: Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Line Management: 1 Policy and Public Affairs Officer England

Location of work: Remote but role holder will ideally be London-based to be able to frequently commute for meetings/ events at Westminster. The role may involve also some infrequent travel across the UK.

Contract type: Full-time, 35 hours per week, although flexible/ compressed hours will be considered. The role will require occasional evening and weekend work.

Contract Length: Permanent

Salary: £42,000

BACKGROUND

Magic Breakfast is the UK’s leading school breakfast charity and makes a difference to over 350,000 children and young people every day by offering breakfasts and expert advice to tackle child morning hunger in schools across England and Scotland.

This is an exciting time for Magic Breakfast as the benefits of school breakfast provision are increasingly recognised by policymakers, educators and the public. The Policy and Public Affairs (PPA) Team is central to this work. And through our new organisational strategy, Nourishing Futures, the work of the PPA Team is growing to meet our advocacy ambition to expand school breakfast provision and deliver our vision which would see every child in the UK nourished, empowered and thriving.

JOB PURPOSE

The role of the Policy and Public Affairs Manager is a high-impact role, central to designing and delivering Magic Breakfast’s national policy and public affairs strategy in England. The role holder will lead the development of evidence-based policy positions and work collaboratively to drive forward strategic, integrated and impactful advocacy campaigns to successfully influence decision-makers, policy change, and funding frameworks aligned with our key objectives. Specifically, you will also lead the design and implementation of our new workstream to expand school breakfast provision to secondary schools and early years settings, alongside our work to ensure the effective implementation of the Free Breakfast Club Programme.

More broadly, you will keep abreast of political developments relevant to Magic Breakfast - proactively identifying opportunities to respond, influence and shape the debate across the school food system and provide strategic, analytical and timely advice to the Senior Leadership Team.

Using your excellent communication skills, you will be able to translate complex policy into tailored and effective communications, policy briefings, positions and submissions, and will play a lead role in confidently engaging external stakeholders including UK Government Ministers, Parliamentarians, special advisers, officials and sector partners.

We are looking for someone who enjoys collaboration, who shares our passion for driving systematic change, and who can use their experience to navigate, respond to, and influence the fast-moving political environment to deliver lasting and meaningful change. You’ll be part of a collaborative and ambitious organisation, working at the intersection of policy, practice and impact – putting children and young people at the heart of everything we do and helping to ensure every child starts their day nourished, empowered and ready to thrive.

KEY RESPONSOBILITIES

• Lead the policy development process in consultation with cross-organisational teams and external organisations to develop clear, evidence-based policy recommendations and positions.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with UK Government Ministers, Parliamentarians, Special Advisers, officials and sector organisations, including conducting stakeholder mapping and power analysis to identify key routes to influence.

• Design, lead and implement integrated advocacy campaigns to deliver maximum impact in collaboration with cross-organisational teams.

• Work closely with colleagues to share expertise and intelligence, inform and shape research areas, support campaign activities aligned with advocacy objectives, and respond proactively to live developments across the organisation.

• Line manage and support the development of the Public Affairs Officer.

• Strong ability to translate complex policy into clear, persuasive communications tailored to specific audiences to deliver maximum impact.

Please read the full job description attached below. 

WHAT WE OFFER

At Magic Breakfast we value our employees and work hard to develop offer a supportive, respectful culture which enables everyone to thrive.

Please see our job pack below

Please see our website

APPLICATION PROCCESS

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, HR @ magicbreakfast .com

Shortlisting: w/c 25th and 26th May

Interview 1: w/c 1st and 2nd June

Interview 2: w/c 8th and 11th June

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Prospect Development Manager.

Salary: up to a maximum of £38,100 per annum, depending on experience, plus Inner London allowance of £3,333. (Inner London allowance is not applicable if working remotely in the UK).

Location: London Hybrid or Remote Working.

Contract: Permanent, 35 hours per week.

Benefits:   

• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for 5 years continuous service 

• We offer a wellbeing day, buy and sell leave facility and flexibility with working pattern.

• Regular supervision support with a structured and supportive induction. 

• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages. 

• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover. 

• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailer's discounts. 

Why Action for Children?   

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It is the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.  

A bit about the role 

We are looking for a Prospect Development Manager to lead the Prospect Development Function. The successful candidate will work with Philanthropy & Trusts, Events, Corporate and Regional fundraising teams to drive forward activity in four key areas: prospect research and identification; prospect management; due diligence; and data management. The postholder will primarily support high value fundraising teams to develop robust supporter pipelines, looking for key areas of growth and opportunities to maximise supporter lifetime value to the organisation. 

How you'll help to create brighter futures, by:

• Working with Fundraising Heads and Leads to develop prospecting strategies for the identification of new high value prospects.

• Line management responsibility to deliver prospecting and pipeline activities to a high standard.

• Identifying new prospects via data mining, press scanning, peer networks, and prospecting projects to develop and maintain a pipeline of prospects for fundraising teams.  

• Managing a prospect management system on Raiser's Edge to track and manage the movement of Philanthropy prospects.

• Leading prospect portfolio reviews for the Philanthropy & Trusts team to assess the health of the pipeline.

• Working with the Leadership Teams to manage the process involved with the Charity's Donation Acceptance and Refusal Policy from end to end. 

• Acting as data champion for the Philanthropy, Events, Corporate and Regional Fundraising Teams.

Let's talk about you 

• Experience of prospect research including identifying and prioritising prospects, network mapping, ethical screening and developing gift capacity ratings. 

• Excellent standard of written communication with the ability to produce accurate and concise briefings.

• Experience of using and interrogating relational databases, ideally Raiser's Edge.

• Ability to interpret large volumes of data, synthesise information, present findings objectively and make recommendations. 

• Excellent inter-personal and relationship-building skills.

• A thorough understanding of the implications of the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR for prospect research and data management. 

Please see the Job Description for the full list of accountabilities and requirements.  

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. 

There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration. 

Diversity, equality, and inclusion 

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. 

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. 

Want to know more about Action for Children? 

Find us on , Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better. 

Closing Date: Monday 25th May 2026.

Interviews will be week commencing 1st June 2026 by MS Teams.

About Us:

Stephen’s Children UK is a Christian charity dedicated to providing financial support to the existing and well developed Stephen’s Children ministries in Egypt’s garbage slums outside of Cairo.

These programs are staffed by over 1,500 dedicated and compassionate individuals ready to make a difference. Over 20% of Stephen’s Children staff members grew up in these same impoverished communities. They come back with the hope to break the cycle of poverty for others, instilling a culture of hope by nurturing hearts, training minds, and teaching our families the strength of God’s love, though the provision of schools, healthcare, home visits, summer camps and much more.

As part of our ongoing growth and efforts to expand our reach in the UK, we are looking for a dynamic, passionate, and experienced Charity Fundraiser with strong social media and digital marketing skills.

Role Overview:

As a Charity Fundraiser with Social Media and Digital Marketing experience, you will play a pivotal role in raising awareness and funds for our cause. You will leverage your expertise in fundraising, social media strategy, and digital marketing to develop and execute innovative campaigns that inspire individuals and organisations to engage and contribute. This is an exciting opportunity to make a tangible impact through creative and strategic digital campaigns.

We are in early discussions with a potential Patron which would significantly boost our profile, and we are in particular looking to develop partnerships with large corporate donors in line with their CSR obligations.

You will be reporting to the UK Trustees.

Key Responsibilities:

Although mostly working autonomously, you will be working with, and representing SCUK on the international Marketing and Communications Advisory Group to ensure a cohesive approach (the Communications and fund raising teams from the various Stephen’s Children entities in other nations): 

• Fundraising Strategy & Campaigns:
  • Develop and implement fundraising strategies that align with the charity’s mission and goals.
  • Manage and grow fundraising campaigns across multiple platforms, including social media, email, and digital channels, as well as occasionally organising and attending fund raising events.
  • Identify and engage potential donors, sponsors, and corporate CSR partners to grow the charity’s financial support base.
  • Organize and manage online and occasional in person fundraising events, appeals, and virtual initiatives.
• Social Media & Digital Marketing:
  • Create and manage engaging content across various social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, etc.) to promote fundraising efforts, events, and the charity's mission.
  • Develop and execute digital marketing campaigns, including email marketing, paid ads, and influencer collaborations.
  • Build a strong online community of supporters and engage with followers through comments, messages, and interactive posts.
  • Ensure consistent messaging and branding across all digital channels.
• Donor Relationship Management:
  • Maintain and nurture relationships with current and prospective donors through regular communication, updates, and stewardship.
  • Coordinate and distribute newsletters [?] and reports for donors, showcasing the impact of their contributions.
• Content Creation & Storytelling:
  • Collaborate with the global content team to create compelling communications to a UK audience that showcase the charity’s impact and inspire action.
  • Write fundraising appeals, success stories, and content that resonates with various audiences.
• Analytics & Reporting:
  • Use digital analytics tools to measure the success of campaigns and track fundraising progress.
  • Provide regular reports on social media performance, campaign effectiveness, and donor engagement.

Key Requirements:

• Proven experience in fundraising, particularly within the charity sector or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and grow online communities and donor bases.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing, with a focus on social media and online campaigns.
• Excellent communication and writing skills, with the ability to craft compelling content for different digital platforms.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills to effectively communicate when speaking in person to supporters and potential supporters, including Trust and Corporate grant applications.
• Creative mindset with the ability to think outside the box to drive engagement and fundraising results.
• Proficiency in social media management tools and digital advertising platforms.
• Familiarity with fundraising platforms (e.g., JustGiving, GoFundMe, Virgin Giving etc) and donor management tools (e.g. Raiser’s Edge etc.)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to track, measure, and report on campaign performance.

• Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns at once.
• Passionate about the charity’s mission and Christian values, and committed to making a difference.
• Availability to visit the work in Cairo at least once per year (funded by the Charity).

• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative international team.
• Knowledge of GDPR and data protection regulations as they pertain to online fundraising and social media.

Desirable Skills:

• Previous experience working with corporate donors, Trusts or high-net-worth individuals.
• Knowledge of current fundraising trends and best practices.
• A network of contacts in the fundraising or charity sector.
• Previous experience in organizing virtual or hybrid fundraising events.
• Understanding of the UK charity landscape and fundraising regulations.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a passionate and dedicated organisation making a real difference in people’s lives.
• Work with international counterparts in a dynamic, creative environment where your ideas and contributions will be valued.
• Flexible working hours, mostly remote.

If you are an innovative, results-driven fundraiser with a passion for social media and digital marketing, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and help us create a brighter future for those in need!

How to Apply:

Please send your CV and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience to the email shown. 

Please ensure your cover letter highlights your fundraising experience and examples of successful digital marketing campaigns and corporate sponsorship initiatives that you have led or contributed to.

Together for Short Lives is looking for a driven and creative Business Development Manager to develop and secure high‑value corporate partnerships that will help transform the lives of children living with serious illness and their families. You’ll lead our business development strategy, build a strong pipeline of opportunities, and develop lasting relationships with prospective and existing supporters.

If you’re collaborative, tenacious and passionate about making a real impact in children’s palliative care, we’d love to hear from you.

Together for Short Lives is the leading UK-wide charity for children living with serious illness, their families and the services that provide them with palliative care.

Every child deserves many moments of happiness together with their loved ones. But it's hard for them to thrive when services don't fully meet their needs, leaving parents and siblings feeling isolated and alone.

That’s why we’re here. To make sure that every family can thrive as they navigate their child's life, death, bereavement and beyond.

Together we support families to live their lives, through the ups and downs, offering practical, emotional and financial help.

Together we unite our sector by prioritising and sharing crucial research, leading guidance and standards, connecting professionals and raising vital funds for children’s hospice and palliative care services.

Together we campaign to make sure that children with serious illness and their families get the care and support they need, when and where they need it.

Supporting, uniting, campaigning, together.
We are Together for Short Lives.

Purpose of role

The Business Development Manager will lead our efforts to secure high-profile, high-value partnerships with corporate organisations  that will generate vital income for children's palliative care. Securing new partnerships and growing our income requires exceptional collaboration skills; a driven, tenacious and resourceful nature; innovation and creativity; and a passionate determination to make a difference to the lives of children and families across the UK.

The main objectives are as follows:

1. Secure new corporate partnerships raising funds to support Together for Short Lives’ direct work, and our National Fundraising Scheme (raising funds on behalf of the UK’s children’s hospices).
2. Develop and deliver a business development strategy, including  prospect research, managing  a robust pipeline of opportunities, and developing a diverse range of business development products. 
3. Manage and develop relationships with a portfolio of individual contacts and organisations, including prospective and existing supporters.

Follow the link to our website to apply and find out more about the role.