Courses and community engagement officer jobs

Group Head of Finance
Eltham College Family of Schools | South East London
Salary circa £75,000 + excellent benefits

A rare opportunity to join one of London’s leading independent school groups at a genuinely exciting point of transformation and growth.

The Eltham College Family of Schools — comprising Eltham College Senior School, Eltham College Junior School and Blackheath Prep — is a high-performing, values-led organisation with an outstanding reputation for academic excellence and a rich co-curricular offering. Named London Independent School of the Year 2024 by The Sunday Times, the group continues to thrive despite wider sector challenges.

This is a pivotal appointment.

The newly created Group Head of Finance role offers the chance to step into a business that is not only successful, but evolving — with significant change underway across systems, structure and ways of working. For a commercially minded and hands-on finance leader, this is an opportunity to truly get your teeth stuck into something meaningful.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Bursar and working closely with the Executive Team, you will act as the senior finance professional across the group, providing both strategic leadership and operational oversight.

Crucially, you will join at a time of real momentum:

• A new finance system is being implemented across the group, requiring leadership to embed, optimise and enhance reporting capability
• The finance function is undergoing restructure, offering the opportunity to shape team design, capability and future direction
• There is a clear mandate to modernise processes, strengthen controls and drive efficiencies
• Senior stakeholders are engaged and open to fresh thinking and improvement

This is not a role where you simply maintain — this is a role where you build.

You will lead financial planning, reporting and governance across all three schools, supporting key strategic decisions including investment, estates development and long-term financial sustainability. Alongside this, you will remain close to the detail, ensuring operational excellence across the finance function.

The environment

Set across a stunning 70-acre campus in south-east London, Eltham College combines heritage with ambition. The group benefits from strong financial foundations, high demand, and a clear vision for continued success.

It is a collaborative and values-driven environment, underpinned by a commitment to education, development and community. Staff benefit from excellent facilities, strong leadership, and a culture that genuinely invests in people.

The person

We are looking for a qualified accountant with strong technical grounding and proven experience operating in a senior finance role.

You will bring:

• Experience of leading finance within a complex, multi-entity or multi-site environment
• A track record of improving systems, processes and controls
• The ability to lead through change and bring teams with you
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the credibility to influence at senior level
• A proactive, hands-on approach with the ability to balance strategy and delivery

Experience within education or the independent school sector would be beneficial, but is not essential.

Why join?

This is an opportunity to join a thriving organisation that is not standing still — but actively investing in its future.

You will play a key role in shaping a modern, high-performing finance function, with the autonomy and support to make a real impact. For someone motivated by change, improvement and leadership, this role offers both challenge and reward in equal measure.

If interested do get in touch with Rosemary Pini from Allen Lane who is partnering with Eltham College with this vacancy.

About Us

The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum (WSPCF) is an independent organisation for the parent carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). We support parent carers by providing information, signposting, and training that equips them in their lifelong caring role and empowers them to participate in shaping services for their children and young people.

About the job

This is a great opportunity for a proactive and passionate person who is committed to collaborating with education, health and care partners, to strengthen co production and drive service and system change in West Sussex. You will be an excellent, persuasive communicator and have had demonstrable success at partnership working. You will be confident in strategic leadership, skilled at amplifying parent carer voice and knowledgeable and organised in managing a wide brief which includes overseeing delivery. You will lead a dedicated team motivated by improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and be supported by Amaze who host and provide back-office support to WSPCF. This is a part time, flexible, hybrid role where lived experience really matters.

Our benefits

Some of the benefits of working for WSPCF, hosted by Amaze • Hybrid working out of WSPCF’s Pulborough office, with some homeworking • + 5% pension, pro-rata 26 days a year, + extra 3 days at Christmas + Public Holidays • Flexible, family and carer-friendly working • Support for staff health and wellbeing including an employee assistance programme • Commitment to learning and development • Access to charity worker discounts scheme • See full benefits policy

Skills and experience required

• Parent carer of a child or young person aged 0-25 years old, living in West Sussex with a special educational need or disability (SEND) • Strong understanding of the SEND landscape, including the needs and experiences of parent carers and children/young people with SEND • Experience of overseeing delivery of multiple projects or workstreams • Experience using monitoring, evaluation and feedback to shape priorities, demonstrate outcomes and assess impact • Experience in strategic leadership • Experience of partnership working with senior leaders across local authorities, health, education, VCSE sectors • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills • Strong organisational skills • Confidence in IT and financial oversight • Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to empowering parent carers • Ability to lead staff and volunteers, including providing supervision and support • Creative, innovative and reflective approach to problem solving

To support your application, please visit the Amaze website and read: West Sussex Parent Carer Forum Strategic Lead Job Description, Staff benefits policy, Terms and conditions. Please visit the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum website to read more about them.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 6th May 2026 and the provisional dates for interviews is w/c 18th May 2026. You are warmly encouraged to contact us for an information discussion about the role.

Fine Cell Work is a charity transforming the lives of people in prison and post-release through training in high quality, creative, commercial needlework. Handmade products are sold to public and to designers, artists, and heritage organisations, many of whom commission bespoke pieces. Customer demand for these products continues to grow. 

Our frontline services are delivered by a team of talented and dedicated volunteers across the country, making possible the transformational work that we do. Volunteers bring a wide range of experience, skills, and expertise. We offer a range of volunteering opportunities from teaching in prison to production and commissions support, to events, sales, and pop-up shops.

Core Job Purpose: 

Fine Cell Work is seeking a highly organised and people-focused Volunteer Coordinator to provide administrative support for a community of 100+ volunteers nationally. Based at our head office in Battersea, this role is central to ensuring a positive, efficient, and engaging volunteer experience - from recruitment and onboarding through to retention and ongoing support - and makes possible the realisation of our organisational mission.

Whilst acting as the first point of contact for general enquires about volunteering opportunities across the organisation, including with workshop, events, commissions, and production teams, the Volunteer Coordinator will act as the primary point of contact for volunteers working in prison, handling queries, maintaining up to date records, and triaging concerns to the appropriate members of the team.

This position requires strong administrative skills, excellent communication, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a supportive and professional approach. 

Principal Accountabilities for the Core Job: 

Volunteer Recruitment & Onboarding 

• Coordinate end-to-end volunteer recruitment processes for all volunteer roles, including advertising, screening applications, and scheduling interviews 
• Manage all correspondence with prospective prison volunteers, ensuring a welcoming and professional experience 
• With the Senior Programmes and Impact Officer, support the creation of a regularly updated volunteer information pack and ensure all new prison volunteers receive it at least 7 days prior to their FCW volunteer training 
• Coordinate and timetable onboarding processes for prison volunteers, including induction administration, prison vetting, training sessions, and the distribution of materials 
• Maintain accurate records of all applicants and volunteers (across all roles) 

Volunteer Administration 

• Maintain and update all volunteer contact details
• Process all volunteer expenses
• Using Volunteero, track volunteer participation, hours, and engagement levels 
• Ensure all required documentation (e.g. references and vetting information for prison volunteers) is collected and securely stored 
• Using Volunteero, support scheduling and coordination of volunteer shifts in prison and across other activities including reflective practice; training; event attendance etc.

Volunteer Support & Retention 

• Act as the primary point of contact for Fine Cell Work volunteers working in prison, responding to queries in a timely and supportive manner 
• Build strong relationships with volunteers across all teams
• Coordinate regular check-ins, feedback collection, and recognition initiatives for volunteers across all teams e.g. for Volunteer Week 
• Lead on the coordination of the annual Fine Cell Work Volunteer Lunch 

Triage & Internal Coordination 

• Receive and assess volunteer questions, concerns, and feedback, via phone, email and Volunteero reports, determining the appropriate course of action
• Handle, escalate, or direct issues to relevant team members (e.g. Senior Programmes and Impact Officer / prison contacts / Production team / events or the Director of Programmes) as needed
• Any other ad hoc administrative or organisational tasks as required

The following knowledge and skills have been identified for the role: 

Essential knowledge, skills and experience:

• Experience in volunteer coordination, administration, or a similar people-focused role 
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism 
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to triage and prioritise effectively 
• Proficiency in standard office software and database systems 
• Proactive and solution-oriented 

Personal attributes: 

• Collaborative, empathetic and approachable, with a genuine interest in supporting volunteers 
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written 
• Friendly and approachable
• Detail oriented 
• Authoritative, calm, flexible and adaptable 
• Able to work with an experienced and established team
• Commitment to aims and ethos of Fine Cell Work 

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare: All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions. 

Help launch a new initiative housing the homeless through the local church

Hope into Action is a national Christian charity enabling local churches to provide homes and support for people experiencing homelessness.

We are launching a new Hope into Action franchise in Milton Keynes, and are looking for a Location Lead to help establish and grow the project from the ground up.

Working with churches, volunteers, and the Hope into Action national team, you will help create homes where people can rebuild their lives within a supportive Christian community.

About the role

As Location Lead, you will provide local leadership and coordination for the Milton Keynes project.

At launch the project will involve one house supporting up to three tenants, working in partnership with our first partner church, New Life Church Milton Keynes.

You will help:

• Build partnerships with churches across Milton Keynes
• Support and encourage church volunteers
• Ensure safeguarding and governance standards are maintained
• Develop relationships with local agencies, supporters, and investors
• Lay the foundations for future houses and growth

You will work closely with Hope into Action UK advisors, who provide established policies, safeguarding frameworks, systems, and ongoing support.

This means you are not building a housing project from scratch - you are helping implement and grow an established national model locally.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Is motivated by their Christian faith and compassion for those experiencing homelessness
• Enjoys building relationships and connecting people around a shared vision
• Is organised, proactive, and comfortable coordinating people and systems
• Can work collaboratively with churches, volunteers, and community partners
• Has initiative and enjoys helping something new take shape

Experience in leadership, community work, housing, or charity management would be helpful, but we are equally interested in people with the right values, attitude, and relational skills.

A pioneering opportunity

This is an opportunity to help establish a project that could grow to support many more people across Milton Keynes in the years ahead.

As the project grows and additional houses are opened, hours and responsibilities are expected to increase accordingly.

For the right candidate this role could be combined with the Church & Tenant Empowerment Worker role (total hours to be agreed) which can be found on our website here..

To apply, please send your completed application form by 5pm, Friday 22nd May 2026

About us

Our mission is to make life better for carers. Across the UK today, 5.8 million people are carers, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill. We provide information and advice on caring, help carers connect with each other, campaign with carers for lasting change, and use innovation to improve services. 

About the role

This is an exciting new post; with oversight of Carers Wales information and advice service, training and learning offer, and Employers for Carers support.  Find out more about Employers for Carers Wales on our website. 

As part of a small and busy team, the post holder will be required from time to time to support with delivery of these services, as well as playing a key role in their strategic development.

About you

We are looking for someone with a background in service delivery; with experience of providing information and advice, and designing and delivering training and learning. 

The ideal post holder will be equally comfortable planning strategically and rolling up their sleeves to deliver. This means we need someone who is a great communicator with excellent leadership skills who can also turn their hand to managing budgets and client accounts, helping us to plan the future development of our services offer.  

You’ll be fluent in Welsh including in written correspondence with a solid understanding of carers and the issues and challenges they face. 

Diversity and inclusion

Carers UK is committed to becoming a diverse and truly inclusive organisation; fostering an environment and working culture that celebrates and promotes diversity and inclusion.  We strive to create a workplace where our colleagues and volunteers can truly be themselves and feel like they belong and constantly seek to ensure all voices are heard.
To embrace this culture of diversity, our employee and volunteer recruitment should reflect our stakeholders and the society that we serve and support, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, disabilities or religious practices. We value individual diversity and are actively building diverse teams here at Carers UK and value our colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.

As a membership charity for carers, we particularly seek employees and volunteers with a real understanding of the issues faced by carers. Reasonable adjustments can be made to the process and role, dependent on the needs of the applicant.

We are proud to be an Employers for Carers member. We have signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge and achieved the Disability Confident Employer accreditation. We aim to offer interviews to those who have a disability covered under the definition outlined in the Equality Act 2010 and who meet the minimum criteria for the role. The minimum criteria can be found under the Essential section of the Person Specification of the recruitment pack. Please let us know if your application is being made under the Disability Confident Scheme.  You are not required to share the nature of your disability or long term health condition. You will need to state in your email application that you are making your application under the Disability Confident Scheme as you consider yourself to be disabled, or as having a disability. If you meet the minimum criteria then you will be offered an interview.

At Carers UK we want our application process to be as accessible as possible. If you need any adjustments to apply, please email the recruitment team to discuss.

The closing date for applications is Friday 15 May 2026 at 5pm.

Carers UK anonymises all applications prior to shortlisting.

Carers UK reserves the right to appoint at any stage, should an outstanding candidate emerge.

Carers UK are actively interviewing as we receive applications.

Carers UK may carry out online and social media checks before a formal offer is made.