Communication director volunteer jobs in Edinburgh

External Affairs and Strategy Specialist

Location:  Home Based, Expectation of travel
Working Hours: 37
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £38,960.00 - £48,960

Flexibility in terms of hours and possible part time hours to be considered.

Please note: The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band. 

About Waythrough 

Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England. 

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.

Make a real difference in your community 

Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change. 

About the Role

As the External Affairs and Strategy Specialist, you will help shape Waythrough’s external influence, ensuring the organisation understands and responds to an increasingly complex political, policy and social environment. Working closely with senior leaders, you will support strategic decision-making, build key partnerships and drive campaigns and policy projects that create positive change for the people we support.

This is a home-based role with some travel required, including attendance at our joint All Party Parliamentary Group (five or six times per year), and service visits, team away days and wider meetings as required. . You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, particularly the Communications team, to ensure our external voice is informed, impactful and rooted in lived experience.

Key Duties

• Monitor and interpret political, policy and sector developments, identifying emerging risks, opportunities and trends.
• Build strong relationships across Waythrough to identify subject matter experts and ensure external positions are informed by operational and lived experience.
• Lead and coordinate elements of national campaigns, maintaining momentum and working collaboratively with Communications colleagues to maximise impact.
• Brief senior leaders on external affairs issues and provide high-quality research, papers and recommendations to support organisational decision-making.
• Represent Waythrough at parliamentary groups, policy alliances, external forums and partnership meetings.
• Develop policy submissions, consultation responses, speeches, presentations and campaign materials.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders, including parliamentarians, sector bodies and partner organisations.
• Ensure the voices of the people we support remain central to all advocacy, policy and campaign activity.

About You

You are a confident and proactive relationship builder who thrives in a complex and fast-moving environment. Working as part of a small team, and with support and coaching from the Director, you'll be comfortable seeking out expertise across the organisation, collaborating with a wide range of colleagues and influencing senior stakeholders.

You have excellent communication skills, a strong understanding of politics and policy, and the confidence to work closely with directors and executive leaders. You can balance multiple priorities while maintaining focus on what matters most, and you are motivated by ensuring that campaigns, policy positions and external messages are genuinely informed by the experiences and voices of the people we support. Above all, you'll bring initiative, curiosity and a willingness to get stuck in and make things happen.

What We Offer

We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package:

• 27 days’ annual leave, rising to 32 after 1 year (plus bank holidays)

• Pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, matched up to 6.5%

• Life assurance (3× annual salary)

• Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay

• Birthday leave and the option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave

• Professional fee reimbursement for relevant qualifications

• 24/7 online GP access and Employee Assistance Programme

• Recognition and long service awards via our Way to Go and Aspirations portals

• £500 Recommend a Friend bonus

• Cycle to Work scheme and Credit Union membership

• Discounts via Blue Light Card, Charity Discounts, Extras and Tickets for Good

• Free will writing service and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year.

Inclusion and accessibility 

Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support. 

We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme  - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation.

Role Overview

As part of the CfA funding, we have an exciting opportunity for a Finance Officer to join GSF. This is a part-time role, based remotely within the UK.

This role will be central to ensuring that all financial aspects of the Communities for Afghans programme are delivered to the highest standards of accuracy, compliance, and transparency. You will oversee budget management, financial reporting, grant payment processes, and fraud prevention measures, ensuring that every pound is spent in line with government and contractual requirements.

You will work closely with other team members, Sponsor Groups, and funders to ensure financial processes are efficient, clear, and fully compliant. This is an opportunity to make a real impact by ensuring that funding reaches Afghan families quickly and appropriately, enabling them to settle into safe homes and begin building their new lives in the UK.

About the Role

As Finance Officer, you will:

· Manage programme budgets, spending, and grant tracking to ensure every aspect of funding is compliant with grant conditions.

· Act as the primary point of contact for Sponsor Groups and internal staff on finance-related queries.

· Maintain meticulous financial records for audit purposes and ensure timely and accurate reporting to funders.

· Implement strong controls and authorisation processes to ensure financial probity.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The role will involve the following, but is not exhaustive:

Financial Management & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with government grant conditions and all funder requirements.

• Manage the Communities for Afghans programme budget and track expenditure.

• Contract management and compliance monitoring for all funding contracts.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records for audit purposes.

• Arrange deposits for accommodation when required.

Payments & Authorisation

• Design and maintain a clear payment authorisation flow.

• Process payments and invoices efficiently and accurately.

• Require proof of spend / evidence packs from Sponsor Groups using standard templates.

• Process payments to Sponsor Groups only after authorisation.

Monitoring & Fraud Prevention

• Work with the Sponsor Group Relationship Manager and Sponsor Groups to ensure grant funds are used correctly, providing guidance on compliant spending and supporting them to submit evidence packs using standard templates.

• Carry out periodic spot checks and reconciliations of Sponsor Group expenditure to confirm accuracy and transparency.

• Implement fraud controls, such as dual sign-off and audit trails, to safeguard programme funds.

• Provide independent assurance of correct grant usage within six months after the end of the financial year, helping to identify and address any issues proactively.

• Report any significant compliance concerns to the Operations Director and contribute to improving financial processes where needed.

Sponsor Group Support

• Ensure guidance and templates are clear, accessible, and consistent with funder requirements.

The Woodland Trust is looking for an Outreach Manager to join our South West team. The Outreach Manager leads the Trust’s outreach work in Southwest England, providing expert advice on woodland creation, management and restoration to landowners, organisations and stakeholders across the region, in support if the Woodland Trust’s conservation aims. They lead, inspire and manage the South West Outreach Team, ensuring advice is appropriate, effective and focused for delivering impact and strategic goals.

A company vehicle will be provided for this role. Please note that out Company Vehicle Policy is also under review as part of our Job Families and Contract Review project, so the eligibility criteria therein are subject to change in due course.

The Role:

• Lead and support Regional Leads and the Regional Director to deliver strategic priorities aligned with the Woodland Trust’s vision, values and objectives.
• Provide effective leadership and day-to-day management of the South West Outreach team, ensuring delivery is prioritised, on time and within budget.
• Build, manage and strengthen strategic partnerships with landowners, stakeholders, volunteers, delivery partners and suppliers to maximise regional impact.
• Promote and deliver the Trust’s landowner offers through compelling proposals and business cases, influencing action and securing engagement.
• Act as an ambassador for the Woodland Trust, representing outreach work internally and externally, including with media and key partners.
• Provide strategic leadership for temperate rainforest recovery, driving regional priorities, collaboration and long-term ecosystem restoration planning.
• Work closely with fundraising teams to secure and maximise funding opportunities, develop partnerships and support high-value agreements.
• Oversee regional resources, including budget management, reporting, communications, and the development of case studies to showcase impact and best practice.
• This is a homebased role, requiring regular travel to locations within the South West landscape and wider England, sometimes to remote locations. You would be expected to live within reasonable travelling distance of your area of responsibility. Occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays will be required.

The Candidate:

• Capable of leading, motivating and developing high-performing teams, with a strong understanding of health & safety requirements.
• Understanding of the forestry or environmental land-based sector, with a track record of delivering impactful outcomes.
• Expertise in managing landscape-scale programmes and complex, multi-partner projects to successful delivery.
• Strong networking and influencing skills, with the ability to build relationships and drive outcomes with key stakeholders and partners.
• Capability of shaping and implementing strategic plans, managing large budgets and reporting on performance and outputs.
• Excellent communication skills, with confidence to engage professionally and positively across a wide range of audiences and situations.
• Ability to manage and prioritise a demanding workload, ensuring efficient delivery, value for money and maximum impact.
• Strong technical knowledge, including woodland creation and restoration, temperate rainforest recovery, forestry incentives and landowner drivers, supported by a relevant qualification (HND/Degree or equivalent) and a full driving licence.

Benefits and Wellbeing:

Joining our team means you’ll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:

• Enhanced Employer Pension
• Life Assurance
• Flexible & Hybrid Working Options
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 Days Plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d for part-time)
• Buy and Sell Holiday Scheme
• Enhanced Parental Pay
• Employee Assistance Programme

About Us:

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity.  We want to see a world where trees and woods thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make their difference tackling the nature and climate crisis helping protect, restore and create our vital woods and trees.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

To achieve our vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. All people, no matter their background, identity, ability, or circumstance, should benefit from trees. 

People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.

Please contact us to discuss any additional support or adjustments you may need to complete your application.

Application Advice:

For fairness we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, and we do not ask for your CV at application.

Make sure that your Personal Statement clearly shows how your skills and knowledge link to the specifications in the job description and you share with us your passion for the role. 

Acceptable Use - Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications-for example, to help structure or edit written responses. We welcome the use of AI in this way, particularly where it helps improve accessibility, such as for neurodivergent applicants. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools. 

Apply Now:

If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We might close the job opening early if we get a lot of applications, so it's a good idea to apply soon. If we do close the advert early, and you have an application in process, we will email you prior to closing to give you time to complete.

Interviews will take place on August 14th 2026.

Do you want to make a real difference to the lives of people affected by kidney disease?

We’re looking for an experienced manager who wants to be part of work that genuinely transforms lives.

About Kidney Care UK

There are 7.2 million people with some form of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the UK, equivalent to 1 in 10 people. There are one million people in the UK who have CKD but are not aware of it.

Since 1975, Kidney Care UK has been at the forefront of supporting people with kidney disease. From our early days when we campaigned to introduce donor cards in the UK, we have worked hard to support and represent the interests of everyone affected by kidney disease.

About the Patient Support Service

The Patient Support Service provides practical, emotional and financial support for anyone affected by chronic kidney disease. Whatever the need presented, we empower people living with CKD and their families and carers to understand their options and make informed choices to positively navigate their experience of CKD. We’ll walk alongside them for as long as they need us to.

About the role

We are looking for a passionate and inspirational individual to lead our Patient Support service across Scotland & Northern Ireland. You and your team will reach kidney patients at their point of need and ensure they are supported or signposted to the services that will improve their wellbeing and maximise outcomes in line with the objectives of the service as directed by the Programme Manager/Head of Service. 

Alongside our other Regional Managers, you will be the national face of Kidney Care UK patient support services, raising awareness of the service and the Charity and building strong relationships with the kidney patients, renal units, Kidney Patient Associations (KPAs), health professionals and other kidney stakeholder groups in your regions. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a team of five Patient Support Officer’s to deliver an accessible, valued and effective service across your designated region. Responsibility for the training, development and wellbeing of the regional team. 
• Lead the delivery of Kidney Care UK service and funder required outcomes into service delivery aligned with the Kidney Care Patient Support service strategy.
• Through in-person attendance at stakeholder events and meetings, build strong relationships with key decision makers and influencers in health and care commissioning and delivery in your region.
• Develop and maintain effective monitoring and measurement to demonstrate the outputs and effectiveness of the service and its impact on patient experience and outcomes. 
• Using data and insight, report internally and externally with updates on regional issues, needs and challenges to inform service development.
• Manage the budget designated for your region, keeping accurate records of expenditure and reporting.
• Act as an organisational Designated Safeguarding Person in accordance with policy and procedures.

​About you

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• Understanding of the workings of NHS patient care pathways.
• Experience of delivering patient support services in a kidney or related health condition environment.
• Understanding of kidney disease and the needs of people with kidney disease, their families and their carers.
• The ability to influence, inspire and effectively manage a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to listen, with experience in building credibility with senior external stakeholders and managing relationships with diplomacy.

Experience of working within an NHS charity or large health related fundraising environment is highly desirable,as is understanding of relevant UK benefits legislation and entitlements.

Please note: You must live within one of the regions (Scotland or Northern Ireland) and have the ability to travel within those regions independently and on a regular basis. There may also be some travel across the UK.

What we offer

Working at Kidney Care UK is incredibly rewarding and you will see the life-changing impact that the charity has on kidney patients and their families:

• Flexi-time – we are flexible about start and finish times, and flexible about your location.
• Annual and Christmas leave – we offer 25 days annual leave for full time employees plus bank holidays. We also close for three days between Christmas and New Year, and you don’t need to take this from your annual leave allowance.
• Pension – you’ll be eligible for and auto-enrolled into a pension scheme where your employer will contribute 8% of your salary.
• Health cashback plan – ability to claim back a wide variety of routine medical treatments.
• Employee Assistance Programme – access to a wide variety of support including counselling, health resources and advice.
• Cycle2Work scheme
• Learning and development – you’ll be able to access the full benefits of our membership of Fundraising Everywhere, Charity Comms and NVCO.

Apply today
If you feel the role is for you we’d love to hear from you.

Press Apply, where you will be asked to upload a recent CV which includes a cover letter. In your cover letter please demonstrate in no more than 2 sides of A4 how you meet the person specification within the job description.

CVs submitted without a cover letter will automatically be rejected.

Closing Date: 3rd August (9am)

Provisional Interview Dates:

Ist stage interviews: 7th or 10th August 

2nd stage interviews 18th August

Please note we will be reviewing applications as they come in and may choose to close the advert early.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Salary: £60,000 (full time equivalent)

Hours: Full or part-time working, we are open to flexible working arrangements and applications from candidates seeking 30+ hours per week. Salary will be calculated on a pro rata basis for part time hours.

Location: The role is home-based, with regular travel across the South East, alongside occasional national travel.

Job Type: 12 months fixed term contract (Subject to the organisation's future strategic priorities and financial position, there may be the opportunity for the role to become permanent)

Chiltern Music Therapy is seeking an Interim Chief Executive Officer for a 12-month appointment to lead an ambitious programme of organisational transformation and sustainable growth. Working closely with our Board and team, you will strengthen our financial sustainability, develop new opportunities for growth and leave the organisation well positioned for its next permanent Chief Executive. 

Hello, we’re Chiltern.

We are a social enterprise providing music therapy, community music services and training across England. Each year, we support more than 2,000 children, young people and adults across health, education, social care and community settings.

For many years, we have been exploring and developing a more self-managing and distributed approach to organisational life — one rooted in trust, autonomy, shared responsibility and reflective practice. This has helped us build a highly engaged and thoughtful team, alongside services that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

We are entering an exciting period of change, with a clear ambition to strengthen our commercial sustainability, increase our reach, grow our income and ensure our operating model is fit for the future. This interim appointment is a key part of that journey, bringing focused leadership to help us deliver meaningful organisational change while remaining true to our collaborative culture and values. 

About the role

This is a delivery-focused interim leadership role with a clear mandate to accelerate organisational transformation and sustainable growth over the next 12 months. 

The role combines strategic leadership of the organisation with hands-on responsibility for strengthening financial sustainability, business development, organisational alignment and ensuring the organisation is well positioned for long-term success.

We are looking for a CEO who is excited by creating opportunities. Someone who enjoys building relationships, spotting potential and turning ideas into sustainable partnerships that increase both our impact and our income. A central part of this role is generating new business for Chiltern by developing strategic partnerships, securing larger-scale opportunities and helping us grow in ways that remain true to our values and culture. 

The role requires someone who can comfortably hold both the bigger picture and the operational reality — someone who enjoys being connected to the organisation, understanding how things are working in practice and helping create the conditions for people and services to thrive.

We are looking for a leader who is relational, commercially aware and emotionally intelligent; someone who can navigate complexity with clarity and steadiness, and who is comfortable working within a collaborative and distributed leadership culture rather than a traditional hierarchy.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who can operate effectively in a self-organising, values-led, evolving system.

We are interested in hearing from people with senior leadership experience within complex, people-focused organisations.

You may come from health, education, social care, the charity sector, social enterprise, or another relevant service environment. What matters most is your ability to step into organisations during periods of change and quickly build trust, momentum, and clarity.

The successful candidate will leave a lasting legacy by strengthening the organisation's sustainability, capability, and readiness for its next phase of development. 

You'll work within a collaborative and, values-led organisation, but you'll also be expected to provide clear direction, make confident decisions, prioritise effectively, and deliver measurable progress over a 12-month period. 

You will likely bring:

• Experience leading organisational transformation or significant change

• A track record of driving sustainable growth and income generation

• Strong commercial and financial leadership

• Ability to quickly build credibility with Boards, staff and external partners

• Experience delivering measurable organisational improvement

• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills

• Confidence making decisions in complex environments

Experience of self-managing, employee-owned or distributed leadership environments would be welcomed, although this is not essential.

We’ve outlined the essential and desirable experience, knowledge and attributes for this role in the full candidate pack.

We know that strong candidates do not always meet every requirement. If this role resonates with you, we would encourage you to consider applying.

Recruitment process

We aim to make our recruitment process thoughtful, proportionate and human. You will be asked to complete an application form, answering some questions to demonstrate your skills and how you meet the requirements of the role.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview/ strategic leadership conversation with Board members and will be asked to deliver a presentation.

The application deadline is Sunday 26th July at midnight, with interviews/strategic leadership conversations taking place at Irwin Mitchell, London, EC4Y 0AY on Wednesday 12th August.

A full candidate pack is available here, including further information about the role and our organisational approach. 

How to apply

Please complete the application form on our website and email a summary of your relevant experience (maximum 2 pages, traditional CV optional).

Get in touch

If you have any questions about the role, would like to discuss accessibility or reasonable adjustments, please contact us.