Community development officer volunteer jobs in Paddington, greater london

Prisoners Abroad is a small but powerful organisation supporting people through some of the most isolating and traumatic experiences imaginable. Whether it’s someone surviving a prison sentence overseas, returning to the UK with nothing, or a family facing the distress of having a family member imprisoned abroad, your work here will have a direct and lasting impact.

A fantastic opportunity has opened up to manage and grow a well-established major donor programme, developing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, craft compelling cases for support, and deliver thoughtful stewardship that makes donors feel truly valued and connected. You’ll also have the chance to shape how we grow our pipeline, with support from a team that values creativity, emotional intelligence and collaboration, so plenty of opportunities to get creative and make your mark.

With experience of securing 4–5 figure gifts and a flair for building meaningful relationships, you’ll be a confident communicator with strong writing skills, and you’ll enjoy using insight to create personal donor journeys that inspire generosity.

To apply for this position, please read the job pack which provides lots of information about the charity, the role and how to apply.

The deadline for applications is 10am Tuesday 5th May, however we will be reviewing applications as we receive them, so please apply when you are ready and you may be contacted about your application before the closing date. To ensure inclusivity, all applications received up to the closing date will be considered equally.

If you have any questions about the application or recruitment process, our contact details can be found in the job pack. 

Head of Direct Dialogue
Location: Flexible / Home-based (with regular travel to London and nationwide)
Salary: £65,000
Contract: Permanent

Shelter is leading the movement to defend the right to a safe home, and to win this fight, they are expanding their award-winning income generation team. Shelter is now looking for a strategic and ambitious Head of Direct Dialogue to lead its high-impact face-to-face fundraising programme.

As Head of Direct Dialogue, you will set the vision and strategy for one of Shelter’s most vital acquisition channels. This is a senior leadership role within the Individual Giving team, responsible for managing a £4m investment budget to deliver sustainable, long-term growth across cause-led and lottery products.

Leading a hybrid model of in-house teams and external agencies, you will oversee the end-to-end delivery of campaigns that inspire thousands of new supporters. You will be a highly visible leader, spending time in the field to support non-desk-based teams while ensuring the highest standards of compliance, risk management, and supporter experience. This is an opportunity to innovate, using data-driven insights to optimise supporter journeys and embed direct dialogue expertise within the wider mobilisation plans.

Shelter is looking for a commercial and entrepreneurial leader with extensive experience in large-scale direct dialogue campaigns. You will bring:

• Strategic Expertise: A proven track record of leading complex fundraising programmes across in-house and agency channels.
• Contract Management: Experience managing high-value partnerships (£1.5m+) with the ability to negotiate and drive high performance.
• Analytical Thinking: A data-led approach to budget modelling, forecasting and scenario planning in evolving environments.
• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the Code of Fundraising Practice and Gambling Commission regulations.
• Inclusive Leadership: A commitment to diversity and the ability to foster an equitable, high-performing team culture where people can be their authentic selves.

For further information on the role and how to apply, please download the Candidate Pack.
 

Closing date: Monday 4th May, 9am

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker

Salary: £27,000- £32,000 pro rata

Location: Advance Headoffice Hammersmith & Women’s centres across London, with co- location at HMP Bronzefield

Hours: 21 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term – March 2027

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

About the role:

This is an ideal post for someone with experience and interest in bereavement work, looking to join a forward thinking, new service. This is also a great chance to be working alongside the Healthcare & Education Department within HMP Bronzefield and be part of a prison services team in Advance.

Using a trauma informed approached, the Loss & Bereavement Specialist will conduct a person-centred assessment to understand the extent of the client’s emotional needs and the impact of loss due to imprisonment or contact with the criminal justice system whilst also identifying practical and specialist needs. They will work with women to develop a support plan, ensuring they are equipped with information and knowledge about how to navigate possible changes in circumstances related to her children’s care and offer crisis intervention and support during acute phases of loss/bereavement.

The Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker will liaise with the Prison Healthcare team, OMU, visits team and the Family Support Officer to facilitate interactions between women and their children/family members, particularly considering support is in place after visits and that the women’s emotional needs are met in custody and community via our Women’s centres.

The Specialist Worker will create a link between prison and the community, helping women to navigate support services and to positively re-integrate into their community upon release. The role will combine a casework- based approach, along with a signposting and advice service for the women. They will be based in the community and will provide a drop-in service in HMP Bronzefield to support women who are close to release.

A car may be desirable for this role, though not essential.

About You:

To be successful as the Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker you will need the below experience and skills:

Experience of working with bereaved individuals and providing grief counselling including knowledge of various therapeutic modalities relevant to grief counselling

Comprehensive understanding of the grieving process and experience of working with bereaved and loss as well as knowledge of traumatic and complex grief/loss.

An understanding of violence against women and girls and its links to women in the criminal justice system.

Proven ability and experience as a caseworker delivering trauma responsive interventions which support resettlement and rehabilitation of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system whether in the community or in prisons

Knowledge and understanding of the requirements of managing a caseload including maintaining and updating records, remaining focused on action plan goals, and keeping to deadlines

How to apply:

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.

Closing date for applications: 3rd May 2026
Interviews are taking place w/c 4th May 2026

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)

• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home

• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more

• Pension scheme

• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision

• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

• Employee eye-care scheme

• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles

• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation

• Organisation wide away days

• Thorough induction and training

• Career development pathways

**************************************************************

Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.

Bring financial & business insight to the heart of how we simplify, strengthen and improve how we work

As part of our journey to becoming an effective organisation, we’re building new capability within the Chief Operating Officer’s directorate to help us simplify how we work, improve consistency and strengthen the way decisions are made across Alzheimer’s Society.
Aligned with our Simplify to Amplify ambition, the new Effective Organisation team will shine a light on how we operate today; reducing duplication, improving processes and ensuring we’re using our resources responsibly so we can continue having the greatest impact for people affected by dementia.

A core part of this is understanding the financial reality behind how we work: what drives cost, what supports efficiency, and how we can release capacity to focus on what matters most.

We are now recruiting internally for a Finance & Business Planning Analyst, an essential role that ensures rigorous, accessible financial & business insight powers our organisational effectiveness work. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives on turning complex financial & operational information into clear, meaningful intelligence that strengthens organisational sustainability and impact. We’re looking for someone who is comfortable working in a developing environment, flexible, curious, engaging and able to adapt your focus as priorities become clearer and new insights emerge.

Please note that this role is a 2 year fixed term contract.

About the role

The Finance & Business Planning Analyst sits at the centre of the Effective Organisation function, providing the financial & operational intelligence that helps us understand how the organisation operates today and where improvements can make the greatest difference.
You’ll analyse performance data, cost drivers and resource use to help the team identify opportunities to simplify processes, strengthen consistency and support sustainable, evidence-based change. Your insight will help leaders understand options, trade-offs and long-term implications, and ensure recommendations are always financially grounded, responsible and aligned to the Society’s wider priorities.

Working closely with colleagues in Finance, business management, the OE taskforce and People, you’ll help us build a clear, coherent understanding of how we work, so we can design structures, processes and systems that are efficient, effective and future-ready.

What you’ll do

- Provide expert financial & business analysis to underpin organisational effectiveness work, including performance review, business planning and process evaluation.
- Work with the Organisational Effectiveness team to interpret operational data, understand cost drivers and assess organisational capacity and efficiency.
- Develop clear, accessible reporting that translates complex financial information into meaningful insights for leaders and colleagues.
- Build strong relationships across the Society to understand priorities, challenges and opportunities, using this knowledge to develop financial models and scenario analyses.
- Use financial data to identify efficiencies, inform decision-making and highlight opportunities for value for money.
- Produce high-quality, governed financial analysis that is accurate, timely and aligned to organisational priorities.
- Analyse workflows, resource use and financial impact to support efficiency reviews and future ways-of-working proposals.
- Provide modelling and analytical support for Effective Organisation and wider change initiatives.

About you

You’ll bring financial expertise, an analytical mindset and the confidence to translate complex information into clear, compelling insight that strengthens decision-making.
You’ll have:

- CCAB qualification or part-qualification (ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) or equivalent experience.
- Experience analysing complex financial data and developing financial models and forecasts.
- Excellent communication skills, able to present financial insight for diverse audiences.
- Strong knowledge of budgeting and forecasting processes.
- Ability to work across teams and hierarchies.
- Understanding of the external financial environment, ideally within the third sector.
- Proactive problem-solving, critical thinking and comfort working in changing environments.
- Commitment to inclusion, collaboration, continuous improvement and personal development.
- Business degree or MBA, or equivalent qualification / experience in business administration would be desirable.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Thursday 30th April 2026 and interviews will begin W/C 4th May 2026.

About Alzheimer's Society

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who are from a minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.