Directorate support officer jobs in City of london, england

Salary: £48,000 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: UK (minimum 2 days per week in the London office)

Work Pattern: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week with the opportunity for flexible working hours

Reporting To : Associate Director Advocacy & Campaigns

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit an anonymised CV and covering letter (please remove any identifying details such as name, address, or photos) by 23:00 on Monday 25 May via Workable.

In your covering letter, please demonstrate your motivations for applying for the role, how the position aligns with your career plans, and the experience (professional, voluntary, or lived) that makes you a strong fit for the role in line with our values and the criteria outlined in the job description.

We encourage candidates to ensure their responses reflect their own skills, experiences, and personal voice. If AI tools are used, candidates will be asked to explain how and why they used them. Please see our Using AI - Guidance for Job Applicants for further assistance.

INTERVIEW STAGES

The selection process will consist of three stages (dates will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates):

• First-round interview w/c 1 June 2026
• Second-round interview w/c 15 June 2026

Candidates will be asked to prepare a presentation (10 minutes maximum) on a policy and campaigning topic. Candidates should allocate no more than 3 hours to prepare this task.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Mission 44 exists to drive change and build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world. As our work continues to expand, so does our ambition to influence policy, shift power, and drive systemic change by addressing the barriers young people face and advancing evidence-based solutions.

The Senior Manager, Policy & Campaigns will be central to this mission, leading the development of policy positions and research that strengthens Mission 44’s ability to influence decision-makers and shape public discourse.

Mission 44’s impact model brings together strategic investment (through grantmaking) and targeted influence to drive systemic change. The Senior Manager will work closely with grantmaking teams to ensure that insight from funded work is embedded in policy and research, while also feeding learning and evidence back into funding strategies to strengthen decision-making and maximise impact.

The role will lead and manage Mission 44’s policy and research agenda, acting as a key point of contact for partners and building trusted relationships across government, the education and youth sectors, and civil society. The role will lead the development of policy recommendations, commission and translate research into clear, actionable outputs, and collaborate with internal teams and partners to align policy priorities with wider organisational objectives and maximise influence.

The role also plays a critical role in advocacy and external engagement, ensuring Mission 44’s voice is present in key policy moments, supporting strategic campaigns, and connecting research and insight to high-impact opportunities that drive political attention and sustained change at a national and global level.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

POLICY

• Lead the development and delivery of Mission 44’s policy strategy, aligned to organisational priorities and focused on driving systemic change for young people
• Develop clear, evidence-based policy positions and recommendations that influence government, civil society, the education sector and key decision-makers
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with policymakers, advisors, think tanks, academics, and sector leaders to strengthen Mission 44’s influence
• Identify and shape opportunities to influence policy agendas, consultations and legislative processes at national and global levels
• Work cross-functionally to align policy priorities with external engagement and advocacy activity
• Monitor and analyse political and policy developments across relevant landscapes, leading on timely evidence-led responses and providing strategic insight and recommendations
• Track and evaluate the impact of policy and advocacy activity, using insights to refine strategy and approach
• Account manage Mission 44’s external policy and research partners and consultants, ensuring high-quality delivery and value for money

CAMPAIGNS

• Support the design and delivery of integrated advocacy campaigns that connect policy, research and storytelling to drive political attention and action

• Work closely with partners and young people to co-create campaigns, ensuring their voices and experiences shape campaign priorities, policy recommendations and delivery approaches
• Work cross-functionally with communications and partnerships teams to maximise influence
• Identify and leverage key moments, partnerships and platforms to elevate Mission 44’s voice and policy agenda
• Contribute to campaign messaging and narratives that translate policy positions into compelling calls to action for target audiences

RESEARCH

• Commission and oversee high-quality research, ensuring outputs are rigorous, relevant, and actionable
• Translate complex research and data into compelling policy briefs, reports, and insight-driven narratives to support advocacy and influence

• Ensure all policy and research outputs are accessible, inclusive and reflect the lived experiences of young people

ABOUT YOU: SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL 

• Strong experience in policy development with a track record of influencing decision-makers
• Experience shaping or contributing to successful community-led movements, advocacy campaigns or policy change initiatives
• Deep understanding of political and policy-making processes, ideally in education, employment, social justice, or youth-focused areas
• Experience in participatory and youth-centred research approaches, including co-creation with young people and gathering insight through polling, perception studies and stakeholder engagement - alongside more traditional research methods
• Ability to translate complex research and evidence into clear, persuasive policy recommendations and narratives
• Proven experience building and managing senior stakeholder relationships across government, civil society, education, employment and/or youth sectors
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including producing high-quality briefings, reports and consultation responses
• Experience leading projects and managing external partners 
• Strategic thinking skills, with the ability to identify and act on opportunities to influence policy agendas

DESIRABLE

• Experience working in or with government, think tanks, charities or advocacy organisations
• Experience in working with young people to create campaigns or advocacy initiatives
• Knowledge of UK and/or international policy landscapes relevant to Mission 44’s focus areas
• Familiarity with youth engagement approaches and/or incorporating lived experience into policy development
• Experience working with high-profile stakeholders
• Understanding of media and communications as a tool for policy influence

PERSONAL QUALITIES  

• Passionate about creating a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world 
• Highly motivated, proactive, and able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Strong relationship builder
• Collaborative mindset, with the ability to work cross-functionally and bring others with you
• Confident and persuasive, with the ability to engage and influence senior audiences
• Analytical and curious, with a strong attention to detail
• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to manage competing priorities and ambiguity
• Works flexibly and proactively without close supervision

Benefits

• Enjoy 28 days annual leave, plus a day for your birthday
• Use our cycle-to-work scheme and free gym access
• Save for retirement with our generous pension package
• We finish every Friday at noon in August
• Optional health insurance and acccess to an EAP
• Professional development budget of £1k
• Unlimited volunteering leave, as agreed with your manager
• Wellbeing allowance to spend in whatever way works for you
• Competitive parental leave package

Job Title: Finance Business Partner

Location: Homeworking with a requirement to occasionally work at Head Office (Vauxhall, London). The role will also be considered on a fully homeworking basis.

Salary: £47,701.95 per annum plus £3000 London Weighting (which may not be applicable depending on your home location and any agreed permanent homeworking arrangement)

Contract type: Full Time, Fixed Term (until April 2027)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Finance Business Partner on an interim fixed term contract basis during a period of significant change for the charity. 

Refuge is transforming the way it manages its finances, modernising all aspects of financial management across the organisation with the implementation of a new finance system.

We are looking for an experienced Finance Business Partner to cover this Interim Fixed Term Maternity cover contract, you will bring a deep understanding of delivering a modern finance partnering service, ideally in a charity or housing association setting.  As the Finance Business Partner in this very hands-on role, you will manage and carry out all aspects of business partnering, preparation of monthly management information and insights to meet the needs of our colleagues across the organisation.

This is an exciting time to join an organisation which provides crucial services to women and children, helping us build our capabilities and make a significant contribution. This is a fixed term contract role and will allow you to focus on delivering what we need in the short term, whilst putting in the foundations for the next stages of financial transformation.

If you are inspired by our mission and would like to bring your skills and energy to our work, we look forward to receiving your application.

Closing Date: 09:00am 26 May 2026

Interview Date: Week Commencing 8 June 2026

At Samaritans, our vision is that fewer people die by suicide. Every day, our volunteers and staff provide life-saving emotional support to people in distress, and behind that work is a culture built on compassion, inclusion, learning and human connection.

We are looking for an experienced and values-led leader to join us as our new Assistant Director of Organisational Development & Learning within our People and Culture Directorate.

This is a rare opportunity to shape how learning, leadership and organisational capability enable one of the UK and Ireland’s most respected charities to deliver its mission.

You will lead the development of an ambitious organisation-wide learning and organisational development strategy, ensuring our 23,000 volunteers and 300 staff members, have the skills, confidence and support needed to deliver safe, effective and compassionate services.

About the role

Reporting to the Executive Director of People & Culture, you will lead a talented team responsible for organisational development, leadership capability, learning and development, delivery of training through our training school and external learning provision through STEP, our commercial training offer.

Samaritans is on an ambitious journey of change, we are evolving how we work, strengthening collaboration across the organisation to meet growing need for our life-saving listening services.

You could not be joining us at a more pivotal time and the capability of our people has never been more important. Working closely with senior leaders across the organisation, you will:

• Lead the development and delivery of innovative, inclusive and high-quality learning solutions
• Shape and embed leadership capability frameworks that support a positive, accountable and compassionate culture
• Support organisational transformation and change through strong organisational development expertise
• Drive strategic approaches to learning, talent and succession planning
• Partner with leaders to build a high-performing and psychologically safe learning culture
• Ensure our learning approaches reflect best practice, accessibility and equity, diversity and inclusion principles
• Support the development of our geographically dispersed volunteer and staff teams
• Bring external insight, thought leadership and innovation into the organisation

You will also play an active role as part of our Senior Leadership Group and People and Culture Senior Leadership Team, contributing beyond your specialist area to help deliver our wider organisational strategy and mission.

About you

You are an experienced organisational development, learning or people capability leader with a strong track record of delivering strategic cultural and organisational change.

Importantly, you are someone who leads with empathy, curiosity and integrity. You understand that high performance and compassion go hand in hand, and you are passionate about creating environments where people feel supported, empowered and able to grow.

You will bring:

• Significant experience leading organisational development and learning strategy at a senior level
• Expertise in leadership development, capability building and organisational change
• Experience of identifying future capability needs through workforce planning’
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, including experience working with senior leadership teams
• Experience developing inclusive learning cultures and blended learning solutions
• Knowledge of talent and succession planning approaches
• The ability to inspire and lead geographically dispersed teams, including volunteers
• A collaborative and values-driven leadership style

Experience within the charity or not-for-profit sector would be welcomed, though we also encourage applications from candidates outside the sector who share our values and mission.

Why Samaritans?

At Samaritans, people matter deeply. We know that meaningful impact starts with how we support each other.

We are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive and flexible workplace where everyone can thrive. We value diversity of thought, background and lived experience, and we actively encourage applications from people from all communities.

In return, we offer:

• Competitive Salary and Rewards; £73,000 - £75,000 per annum plus Benefits.
• Flexible and hybrid working; Our full time hours are 35 hours per week, but we are committed to flexible working and offer a hybrid approach to working. Due to the nature of our work, some evening and weekend working is required with time off in lieu given.
• Hybrid working: Meeting in person and working collaboratively are things we value. This role is linked to our Ewell (Surrey) office with a blend of home working and option to work out of our London office as required.
• The opportunity to shape learning and organisational capability in a nationally recognised charity
• A supportive and inclusive culture
• Professional development opportunities
• The chance to contribute directly to work that saves lives

Every person at Samaritans plays a role in helping fewer people die by suicide. If you are motivated by purpose, compassion and the opportunity to make a lasting difference, we would love to hear from you.

Full outline in the Job description file here. You can also read more about our change programme (future proofing) here - Our need for change

For further information about Samaritans, including our charity structure, values, employee benefits, and application process, please read our recruitment brochure available here. You can also visit our careers website to access this.

We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from disabled, racialised minority and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.

To Apply

Please complete the application questions including those outlined below, and submit your CV, with a brief supporting statement. Please note the following questions have a 300word limit for answers.

1. Please outline your most relevant experience/role that gives you confidence you

could broadly deliver all that’s outlined in the job description?

1. Tell us about a learning and development strategy you have designed and implemented across an organisation or large workforce.
2. Describe a time when you influenced senior leaders or stakeholders to adopt a new approach to leadership, culture, learning or organisational capability.
3. Please describe a significant organisational development, culture change or transformation programme you have led.

We kindly ask that you don’t rely on AI tools for your application answers, or to generate interview answers. We want to see your own unique ideas and writing skills. We want your application to stand out from the rest and showcase your own strengths.

Applications close at Midnight Sunday 17th May

Interviews

All applicants will receive notification of the outcome of their application, at the appropriate time.

The interview process will be in two stages, allowing enough time to connect with leaders and explore this great opportunity with candidates.

Interviews will be taking place as outlined;

First stage Interviews: 28th May and 1st June

Second stage interviews to be held at our Ewell Office (Epsom, Surrey) on 3rd and 4th June.

Please hold these dates in diaries if applying.