Community service manager jobs in Greater london

Head of Communications & Influencing (Maternity Cover)

Salary: circa £60,000

London / Birmingham - hybrid  (primarily homebased with some travel to London, Birmingham and external meetings)

12month fixed term contract

Closing date: 3rd April 2026

We’re looking for a dynamic Head of Communications & Influencing to lead our high impact PR, media and influencing work during a period of maternity cover.

As our Head of Communications & Influencing, you’ll drive national media coverage for National Debtline and Business Debtline, act as a senior spokesperson, and lead campaigns that shape policy and support people in financial difficulty.

You’ll oversee our communications, public affairs and policy activity line managing a talented team and contributing to organisational strategy.

About us

We’re a national charity working to prevent financial difficulty and remove problem debt from people’s lives. Through our frontline debt advice services, National Debtline and Business Debtline, plus our campaigns, research and policy work, we support hundreds of thousands of people each year.

What you’ll do

This is a wide ranging and influential leadership role where you will:

Lead our external communications strategy

· Shape impactful PR and media campaigns that boost awareness of our services

· Act as a senior media spokesperson, including on TV and radio

· Drive high impact consumer facing media coverage

· Oversee a proactive press office and strengthen relationships with key journalists

Drive our influencing and policy agenda

· Lead our influencing strategy and high profile campaigns

· Oversee policy development and public affairs engagement

· Represent the Trust at senior external meetings, including with politicians, regulators and partners

· Ensure the voices of people in debt sit at the heart of our campaigns

Lead and inspire

· Manage and develop a talented team of communications and policy professionals

· Contribute to our wider organisational strategy as part of the Leadership Group

· Foster a creative, collaborative and forward-thinking department

About you

You’ll bring:

· Significant experience in communications, PR and/or influencing

· An ability to think strategically to develop and deliver effective communications, stakeholder engagement and influencing activity

· A track record of leading impactful campaigns and securing high profile media coverage

· Strong public affairs and policy skills, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders

· Excellent leadership abilities and a passion for developing people

· Confidence acting as a media spokesperson

· A passion for making a difference to people facing debt and financial difficulty

Why this role matters

Financial difficulty can affect anyone. The work you lead will raise awareness of vital national services, influence policy change, and help create a more supportive system for people in, or at risk of, problem debt.

We believe in taking care of our people, and we offer a great range of benefits, including:

· 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays

· A contributory pension scheme

· Flexible hybrid working arrangement

· Generous Life Insurance

· Wellbeing days to support your mental health

· A healthcare cashback scheme

· Access to an Employee Assistance Programme

· Enhanced maternity pay

· Working outside the UK (up to 30 days per 12-month period)

Ready to make a difference?

We’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help us drive real change for people facing financial challenges across the UK.

*Please note that the contract may end earlier (with suitable notice provided) if the substantive post‑holder returns sooner than expected

We are looking for talented individuals and therefore, we value authentic applications and prefer to see your own words and experiences reflected in your application. Please refrain from using AI-generated content, as we want to understand your genuine interest in this role and your own unique perspective.

If you need any adjustments to help you perform at your best during the recruitment process, please feel free to contact us, and we will be happy to discuss them with you.

We reserve the right to close the role early should we receive high numbers of applications. To avoid disappointment, please apply as soon as possible.   

We will only use the data you supply to us in CVs or application forms for recruitment purposes. This data will be held for twelve months. For further information please refer to our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants, available on the vacancies page of our website. 

We take diversity seriously and are committed to making diversity and inclusion a part of everything we do. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve. Our vision, underpinned by our values, be balanced, be supportive, be innovative, is to be a place where everyone feels welcome and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work and to make us an employer of choice. 

We are committed to working in an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We use a blind recruitment system which hides your personal details such as name, address, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, educational institution to ensure all candidates are on a level playing field. Personal details will only be revealed once the application has been shortlisted. 

Director of Influence and Innovation

Full time (35 hours pw) - flexible working considered

£60,000-£65,000 + pension and benefits

Hybrid, North London (NW5), 1-2 days per week in the office

Women in Prison (WIP) supports women affected by the criminal justice system and campaigns to end the harm it causes.

This is a new role which has been created to provide the vision and direction for our programming and systems change work as we embed our 2025-2030 strategy. Our ambition is to offer women in prisons and the community, impactful direct support that is more independent of government demands and funding, and with a new and deeper partnership model.

Our strategy also challenges us to mobilise women, drive women-led influencing and campaigning and co-design programmes with women with experience of the justice system.  We know we must design and deliver programmatic work that incorporates systems change work so that we are not propping up a harmful existing system.  The problem in the criminal justice system is not the women themselves, but the structures and systems that oppress them. Women in Prison is taking bold steps to design and embed new programmes that build evidence that directly challenge those harmful systems.

In this role you will:

Co-design and deliver quality programmes delivering measurable and impactful outcomes for women

Drive stronger influence and visibility with policymakers, funders and partners

Ensure that evidence from programmes is driving successful campaigns and policy changes

Develop your team so they are empowered, motivated and focused on delivering on the strategy and values of Women in Prison

The successful candidate is likely to bring a proven track record in a senior leadership role within in a charity/NGO in programming, policy, or advocacy. You will be a strategic thinker with the ability to connect operational delivery to systemic change, and bring a track record of success  in influencing policy, funding decisions, and/or public opinion.

 

Application is by way of CV with a Supporting Statement that should set out your motivations for applying and how your work experience to date meets the scope of the responsibilities. As a general guide, your Supporting Statement should be around two sides of A4.

 

Closing date: Midnight Sunday 12th April 2026

This role is only open to women, in accordance with the sex-based exemptions of the Equality Act 2010 pursuant to Schedule 9, Part 1.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.  Due to the nature of our work it will be necessary for an enhanced disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service for details of any previous criminal convictions which are not protected under the Act.

For further information and to apply please click the apply button.

Detention Action is a small organisation with a big impact. Since 1993, we have worked to improve the welfare of people in detention centres and tirelessly campaign alongside our beneficiaries to reduce the use of immigration detention. We work on the frontline with people in immigration detention, as well as challenging injustices in asylum, detention and deportation systems in the UK.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is looking to campaign for a just and humane immigration system. The post holder will work across our communications and campaigns activities, helping to develop and achieve our campaigning goals, engaging with stakeholders and providing policy and parliamentary support. They will take a lead role in managing our social media channels and contribute to our press office function.

They will also work closely with our Casework and Fundraising teams.

The postholder will have the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to allow them to lead campaigns and/or supporter and stakeholder engagement.

We are looking for someone who is able to develop compelling campaigns messages for a range of audiences and build strong relationships with our stakeholders. Candidates must have well-developed research and analysis skills, excellent organisational skills and be able to manage our social media accounts. Full details of the essential and desirable criteria for this role are provided in the Candidate Information Pack.

TO APPLY 

Please use the Apply Now button to upload a CV and Cover Letter to the CharityJob portal by 9am BST/UK time on 07 April 2026.

Please read the Candidate Information Pack carefully, including the instructions on how to apply, which explain the requirements for your CV and Cover Letter. We will not accept incomplete applications.

We welcome and encourage applications from people from all backgrounds, including those from minority groups that are underrepresented in the workplace. We strongly encourage those with lived experience of the asylum, deportation and/or immigration detention systems to apply.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

The External Relations (ER) Department mobilizes external audiences to raise the requisite funds, influence policies and achieve practice changes to improve outcomes for our clients, while growing and protecting our global brand. The Global Policy & Advocacy team is a dynamic part of the ER Department that leverages the power of IRC’s ideas to solve the biggest challenges facing IRC’s clients across the “arc of crisis” and influence external stakeholders, in particular governments and multi-lateral institutions, to enact these solutions to ultimately make meaningful change for our clients. From addressing the drivers of conflict to meeting the needs of displaced people, the team partners with innovative thinkers, experts and those with lived experience to identify solutions and bring them to life. We take pride in being solutions-oriented and creative. We are precise in our goals, tactics, and messages. We drive change year over year, knowing that system change takes dedicated focus while maintaining the flexibility to respond to emerging needs across the globe. Finally, we are collaborative, constantly seeking new ideas and perspectives from others in our sector and beyond as we work side by side with programs, strategy, communications and research and innovation teams across the IRC.

IRC UK

IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England.
In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm. 

The Purpose of the Role

Scope and Authority 
 

Authority:
As the Program Advocacy and Engagement Director, you serve as a strategic leader shaping IRC’s global influence across crisis response contexts, guiding advocacy efforts that are integral to advancing IRC’s mission. You are responsible for strengthening our advocacy strategies and practice, providing strategic oversight, coordination and strategy building across national, regional and multilateral advocacy efforts. You will work with regionally based teams and collaborate with senior regional and country leaders, technical experts, and global counterparts to optimize IRC’s advocacy reach, advocate for systems change policies and impacts and ensure coherence. This role will be critical to ensure focus, alignment and strategic oversight to maximize IRC’s advocacy impact at a time of stretched resources and expanding humanitarian need.  

This individual will play a critical role in coordinating and identifying the strategic opportunities to cultivate relationships and influence policies at the highest levels across IRC’s advocacy priorities, implementing creative influence strategies, including targeting non-traditional stakeholders on key crisis work. This individual will ensure the global advocacy team is informed by and responsive to trends at national/regional levels, connecting our Advocacy & Influence work to the experiences and needs of our clients and programs, and providing advocacy guidance, skills development and best practice sharing.  

Key Working Relationships

Internal contacts: Regional CRRD Policy, Advocacy and Communication; Global Advocacy & Influence colleagues; Best Use of Resources Advocacy Specialist; Policy & Solutions team; Technical Excellence leads; Crisis, Response, Recovery and Development teams; Country Programs; Communications; Awards Management; President’s Office, External Relations Department 

External contacts: Legislators; government officials; critical decision makers in multilateral institutions; peer NGOs; local/regional advocacy and/or operational organizations

Key Accountabilities

Advocacy Strategy (45%)
•  Advance IRC influence by leading or supporting the design and execution of integrated advocacy strategies, including power maps, for crisis response issues in line with organizational priorities and in partnership with regional, national and technical leaders and global policy, advocacy and communications teams. 
•  Lead efforts to advocate for system change at the country level, engaging with IRC regional advocates, and Spot and capitalize on external opportunities to advance IRC’s influence objectives including with non-traditional partners. 
•  Work with regional advocates to provide expert strategic guidance and support to country programs and emergency response teams in the development of advocacy strategies. 

Policy and Advocacy Prioritization and Contextualization (25%)
•  Contribute to policy generation and prioritization by providing advocacy insights from program regions and country contexts as well as multilateral institutions, collaborating with policy colleagues to increase the credibility and efficacy of our solutions.  
•  Support the identification of policy and advocacy priorities that meet the three criteria of impact, feasibility and added IRC value. 
•  Work closely with regional and national advocates to understand critical legislation and policy impacting clients and IRC’s programmatic teams in countries where we operate. 

Multilateral Strategy (15%)
•  Build strategic relationships and maintain diplomatic engagement with multilateral institutions such as the UN, leveraging IRC’s presence to influence multilateral policy and funding decisions.  

Senior Leadership Engagement (15%)
•  Identify and shape high-impact external engagements for IRC’s senior leaders, including message development, briefings, and event positioning to elevate IRC’s global thought leadership. 

Steward Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 
•  Steward gender equality, diversity and inclusion both in the culture of IRC, as well as in the policy solutions we develop and the ways we wield influence. 

Teamwork (% N/A)
•  Support a positive team culture by acting openly and collaboratively, supporting colleagues in their work and sharing credit with others where appropriate.

Person Specification

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:
•  Graduate degree or equivalent experience in relevant field such as Public Policy, International Development, Politics, Economics, Law or International Relations **
•  Demonstrable track record of leading advocacy strategies that generated tangible policy change, ideally in more than one context. **
•  Ability to think strategically and creatively, being oriented towards solution development when traditional advocacy means do not suffice and especially in fluid and politically sensitive environments, exercising sound judgment under pressure.**
•  Extensive knowledge of humanitarian aid and refugee issues, particularly around long-term displacement. **
•  Exceptional verbal communication and interpersonal skills: strong presenter, facilitator, public speaker and trainer. Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with experts, high level decision-makers, and colleagues in the humanitarian and development fields. **
•  Excellent writing skills and the ability to translate complex material and data into compelling narratives that resonate with decision-makers and mainstream audiences.
•  Ability to work within short timelines to a high degree of accuracy.
•  Initiative and ability to work independently on fast-moving issues, and juggle competing demands.
•  Experience working in a development or humanitarian context is preferred. 
•  Fluency with IRC’s strategy and advocacy agendas is preferred. 

Experience:
•  Demonstrated experience in leading advocacy strategy development and execution with a focus on creativity and strategic thinking.
•  Extensive  experience working on complex humanitarian and/or development issues particularly at the multilateral or systems-change level, in more than one geographic or political context. International NGO or multilateral/intergovernmental body experience preferred. National legislative or executive branch experience is an asset. 

What if you could launch your finance career at one of the UK's leading charities, gaining hands-on experience across financial planning, analysis and business partnering, all while working towards a professional qualification? As part of our Finance & Assurance team, you'll provide the financial insight that drives smarter decisions and helps maximise our impact for people affected by dementia.

About the opportunity

As a Financial Partnering, Planning and Analysis (FPPA) Assistant, you'll join our Finance & Assurance directorate in a developmental, rotational role. Through structured rotations across financial partnering, financial planning and financial analysis, you'll build a broad foundation of skills and experience that few early-career finance roles can offer.

Day to day, you'll support the delivery of financial reports, forecasts and insight, working alongside Finance Business Partners and analysts. You'll help colleagues across the organisation make sense of financial information, turning numbers into clear, actionable stories that support confident decision-making.

This is an entry-level role designed for recent graduates, those with early career experience, and career changers. We're looking for people who are ambitious to grow. The expectation is that successful candidates will undertake relevant training and professional qualifications (such as AAT, CIMA or ACCA), with protected study time, and progress within the finance function over time.

We're looking for someone who exemplifies our values: Determined to make a difference when and where it matters most, a Trusted Expert who believes in working Better Together and demonstrates true Compassion.

About you

You enjoy working with data, solving problems and picking up new skills. You're organised, proactive and just as comfortable working independently as you are collaborating with others. Most importantly, you're motivated to build a career in finance and genuinely curious about how financial insight drives better decisions and outcomes.

You'll have

- 3 x A Levels or equivalent (a degree, apprenticeship or equivalent experience would be advantageous).
- A strong interest in developing a career in finance.
- Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain information clearly to different audiences.
- Effective organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Confidence working with data, numbers or spreadsheets.
- A proactive mindset and willingness to learn new systems, tools and processes.
- The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across teams.

Desirable:

- Level 2 AAT qualification (or equivalent).
- Some work experience in a finance function.

What you'll focus on

- Supporting the preparation of financial reports, forecasts and analysis for directorates and teams.
- Assisting with budgeting and forecasting cycles, including data collection and validation.
- Analysing financial data to identify trends, insights and areas for improvement.
- Supporting financial modelling and scenario analysis to inform decision-making.
- Translating financial information into clear, accessible formats for non-finance colleagues.
- Maintaining accurate financial records, files and documentation.
- Contributing to clear, engaging finance communications, including guidance, templates and internal materials.
- Contributing to improvements in financial processes and ways of working.

Important Dates

- Advert closes: Sunday 5th April
- Task issued to shortlisted candidates: Wednesday 16th April
- Interview invitations issued by: Wednesday 23rd April
- Interviews take place: Week commencing 27th April

Please note that this post be subject to a satisfactory Basic Criminal Records Check, from either the Disclosure and Barring Service (England & Wales), Disclosure Scotland Check (Scotland) or AccessNI (Northern Ireland). If you require further information regarding Criminal Records Check, then please contact: [email protected].

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 identify as Black, Asian or from another 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 via [email protected] 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.