Director of Community Services
£80,000 pa plus excellent benefits
Remote working
Permanent, 35 hours per week
This is a key senior leadership role, responsible for shaping and leading RNID’s community services so that we change lives one by one. The Director of Community Services will lead our flagship RNID Near You services and Contact RNID, with responsibility for business development, operational delivery, service quality, safeguarding, volunteer management and continuous improvement.
As Director of Community Services you will:
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Provide strategic leadership for RNID’s community services, setting a clear direction, maintaining strong delivery discipline and maximising impact for our service-users.
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Set and maintain high standards for service quality and assurance, ensuring consistent practice, effective compliance arrangements and a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
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Grow RNID’s community services by maximising opportunities to establish new RNID Near You services and maintaining a strong future services roadmap.
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Strengthen safeguarding across RNID, ensuring systems and processes are proportionate, robust and effective in protecting service users, staff and volunteers.
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Lead volunteer management across RNID, ensuring services have the volunteer capacity they need and that volunteers are well trained, supported and recognised.
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Drive continuous improvement and further modernisation of services, ensuring they meet community needs. Improve the efficiency of services, helping RNID reach more people.
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Foster a culture of strong performance management across all services, using insight into demand, quality, risk and impact to support effective decision-making and delivery.
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Build and strengthen partnerships, particularly with NHS trusts, commissioners and other funders, to grow and improve services.
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Play an active role in collective leadership and decision-making as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, modelling values-led, inclusive leadership and creating a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement.
You are ready to work for a home-working organisation and have good IT skills, particularly with Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Excel, Word.
We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Together, we will end the discrimination faced by our communities, help people hear better now and fund world-class research to restore hearing and silence tinnitus. We work with our communities and partners across industry, government, charity, education and more to change life for the better.
RNID has a proud history and big ambitions. We’re focused on making the greatest impact possible across the whole of the UK. We champion the latest technology and the opportunities it brings. We also know the value of a friendly face in local communities to support people where they need it most.
We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate our diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from BAME backgrounds or who are deaf or hard of hearing. With almost 20% of our employees having a disability we proudly hold Disability Confident Leader status and guarantee an interview for disabled applicants meeting the minimum essential criteria.
Closing date: 12 July 2026
Interview dates as below:
- Stakeholder sessions: 20th & 21st July 2026
- Final panel interviews: 27th & 28th July 2026
Supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Location: Home based within commuting distance of either Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast
Salary: £32,750 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week
Interview date will be scheduled as and when applications are received. Please apply promptly as the vacancy will close once we have appointed a successful candidate.
This is a full time fixed-term position for one year (with possible extension subject to funding).
Who we are looking for
Breakthrough T1D is the UK’s leading type 1 diabetes charity, dedicated to funding research, advocating for change, and supporting the T1D community. A year into our exciting rebrand from JDRF to Breakthrough T1D, we’re looking for a Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer – Devolved Nations to help us build on this momentum.
The role of the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer - Devolved Nations is vital to achieving our UK-wide advocacy mission: to reduce health inequalities in type 1 diabetes, to widen access to type 1 diabetes treatments and technologies and to ensure that people with type 1 get access to emerging new treatments and future cures in the devolved nations.
You will lead on projects with key stakeholders and high-level Parliamentarians, such as our access to treatments and early detection work, as well as people with type 1 diabetes, policy makers and researchers. You will help to deliver Breakthrough T1D’s influencing plans, improving access to and choice of type 1 diabetes treatments and technology in the devolved nations.
Experience required
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Experience of working successfully with politicians, their offices, Government departments, and other public affairs stakeholders to influence policy and to influence public/stakeholder discourse across the devolved nations
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Experience of leading public affairs delivery in at least one (preferably all) of the devolved nations
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Experience in analysing Government policy in-depth and creating policy briefings
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Experience of drafting briefings, reports and policy submissions
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Experience of communicating across a range of parliamentary and professional stakeholders at all levels
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Demonstrable knowledge, interest and experience of working in a public affairs and policy-based environment
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Experience of organising stakeholder events
About Breakthrough T1D
Breakthrough T1D is the world’s leading charitable research funder into type 1 diabetes, improving lives until we find the cure. We are dedicated to our 400,000 strong type 1 community in the UK and work closely with our international affiliates across the world, including the US, Canada and Australia.
You will find a vibrant atmosphere and spirited team at Breakthrough T1D, always striving to make a difference to people living with type 1.
Employee benefits
As an employer we offer:
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Hybrid working arrangements
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Flexible working and will consider compressed hours
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Generous annual leave entitlement – 25 days per year plus bank holidays for full-time staff with leave increasing after three and five years’ service
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Health cash plan that allows you to claim for some treatments such as dental, optical and physiotherapy treatment
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Season ticket and cycle loan
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Pension scheme
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Family-friendly policies – maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave at enhanced rates
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Personalised training to suit your career aspirations and professional development
Breakthrough T1D is an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation or age.
Improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to treat, prevent, and, ultimately, cure T1D and its complications