Graduate development officer jobs in Belfast

1. Overview

Cerebral Palsy Sport (CP Sport) is recruiting three Regional Programme Delivery Officers to support the delivery of the “Together We Can” Young Ambassador Programme across England.

This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with young people with cerebral palsy (CP), supporting them to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and lead social action within their communities.

These roles will be central to delivering a national programme across eight regional hubs, working closely with young people, partners, and communities to create meaningful and lasting impact.

2. Contract Details

Salary: £30,000 per annum

Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week) – part-time considered

Contract: Fixed-term until March 31st 2027 (with potential for extension, subject to funding)

Location: Home-based with regular travel across your region

Regions: North / Midlands / South

3. Role Purpose

You will be responsible for delivering the Young Ambassador Programme within your region, supporting young people aged 10–20 with CP to take part in training, social action, and community-based activity.

You will work closely with Young Ambassadors to:

· Develop their confidence and leadership

· Support them to plan and deliver activities

· Build partnerships across schools, sport, and health sectors

4. Key Responsibilities

Programme Delivery

· Lead delivery of the Young Ambassador Programme within your region

· Support the recruitment, onboarding, and engagement of Young Ambassadors

· Deliver or facilitate training sessions and group activities

· Support young people to co-design and deliver social action projects

Supporting Young Ambassadors

· Provide ongoing support, guidance, and encouragement

· Create a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment

· Support young people to develop confidence and leadership skills

Activity and Events

Support delivery of:

· School visits

· Community engagement activities

· Regional multisport events

· Awareness campaigns (including World CP Day)

These activities form a core part of the programme’s impact and youth-led delivery model.

Partnerships and Engagement

Build relationships with:

· Schools and education providers

· Health and medical professionals

· Sports clubs and community organisations

Support partners to engage with the programme and Young Ambassadors

Planning and Coordination

· Plan and coordinate regional delivery in line with programme timelines

· Manage logistics for sessions and events

· Maintain regular communication with the national team

Monitoring and Reporting

· Track attendance, activity, and engagement

· Collect feedback and evidence from delivery

· Contribute to programme reporting, including the 6-month progress report

Safeguarding and Compliance

· Ensure all delivery follows safeguarding policies and procedures

· Complete risk assessments for activities

· Maintain safe and inclusive delivery environments

5. Personal Specification

Essential

· Experience working with young people in community, youth, or sport settings

· Strong communication and relationship-building skills

· Ability to plan and deliver activities or programmes

· Organised and able to manage multiple priorities

· Ability to work independently and as part of a team

· Commitment to inclusion and supporting young people

Desirable

· Experience working with disabled young people or inclusive programmes

· Understanding of cerebral palsy or disability inclusion

· Experience working with schools, health professionals, or community partners

· Experience delivering training or workshops

6. Working Pattern

You will receive:

· Full induction and programme training

· Ongoing support from CP Sport’s national team

· Regular check-ins and supervision

· Opportunities for professional development

7. Safeguarding

CP Sport is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

All staff will be required to:

· Complete safeguarding training

· Undergo an enhanced DBS check

· Follow all safeguarding policies and procedures

8. Recruitment Process 

We are looking for candidates who can start as soon as possible.

· Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

· Interviews will be scheduled as suitable candidates are identified

We encourage early applications.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) (Registered Charity Number 1213337) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records.

There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

The Engagement and Involvement Lead will engage with young people, families, schools and other interest-holders in the process of designing, delivering and ensuring the best outputs from the Adolescent Health Study, and is critical for the success of the project.  We are at the early stages of laying the foundations for this and in this new role we are seeking an experienced and passionate individual to co-ordinate and lead AHS’s cross-UK participant and public involvement and engagement activities.

This is a role that requires high levels of confidence, autonomy, enthusiasm and skill. The postholder will be responsible for delivering the project’s new Engagement and Involvement Strategy, including:  coordinating a Young Persons’ Advisory Group for AHS; developing and delivering AHS public engagement and involvement activities; outsourcing and supervising engagement and involvement activities that are better provided by external partners; scoping and advising on which routes for involvement and engagement activities are best suited to different tasks. 

Main responsibilities

 Planning & strategy delivery

•  Ensuring the study delivers the values and approaches set out in the AHS engagement and involvement strategy
•  Planning, delivering and reporting on an ongoing, regular and important programme of engagement events and activities
•  Reviewing/revising/adding to existing policies, processes and procedures to support effective working together with people and communities (such as reimbursement, compensation, making reasonable adjustments)
•  Developing and implementing appropriate evaluation, monitoring and reporting of Community Engagement & Involvement
• Keeping up to date with good practice & sector advances and sharing these with the AHS team.

Practical engagement and involvement

• Developing methods to enhance engagement and involvement, and helping to build positive relationships with young people and stakeholder groups, including charities, third sector & advocacy groups
• Overseeing day-to-day planning & delivery of a high-quality engagement and involvement programme.  To include, for example:
  • Managing and supporting Youth Advisors
  • Running a standing Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG)
  • Organising & delivering other ad hoc engagement activities as necessary
• Securing external partners where necessary, and managing contracts and delivery of their work across the UK
• Ensuring that any external parties (e.g. organisations, freelancers, consultants) supporting AHS’s involvement and engagement work have clear roles, responsibilities & goals
• Working with the Head of Communications to develop and manage provision of relevant information to members of the public, teachers, young people & researchers
• Keep clear records of involvement and engagement activities, ensuring results are used to inform the study and the wider research community.

Team support

• Checking for and capitalising on possible opportunities for engagement and involvement to be embedded in the work of the wider team
• Ensuring appropriate induction, training, mentoring and support is organised for the research team and communities involved
• Sharing examples of emerging good practice and impact across the research team.
• Line managing an Engagement and Involvement Officer

Wider

• Contributing to shared learning and future sustainability as part of wider communities of practice
• Acting as a key point of contact for community members and partners involved in the research
• Representing and presenting the AHS study’s engagement and involvement work to the wider research community at a senior level, including in national engagement & involvement networks as necessary.

Knowledge, skills and experience

 Essential criteria

Engagement and involvement

•  Experience developing and delivering engagement and involvement activities with young people and other relevant interest-holders (such as parents, families, teachers and schools)
•  A proven track record or professional background in working with young people – such as in youth work, counselling, mentoring, education, or a related setting
• Understanding and experience of good practice in youth engagement and involvement,  including the principles and implementation of safeguarding, data protection, and inclusive practice
• Awareness of culturally sensitive approaches and methods to be inclusive of all relevant perspectives, including  marginalised and vulnerable groups
• Ability to design and deliver workshops, focus groups or meetings that encourage open dialogue and collaboration
• Demonstrated commitment to youth participation and the meaningful inclusion of young people’s perspectives.

Other essential criteria

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• Experience of successful project management and ability to deliver, working independently.
• Ability to manage a budget and report on financial activity accurately
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, with experience of working alongside and influencing senior level professionals
• Research literacy, with a clear understanding of large UK-wide research initiatives and the various competing demands and pressures the study will face
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - able to communicate effectively and confidently with a range of stakeholders and to summarise and report key information clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing
• Confident using online tools (e.g. MS Teams, Zoom), and collaborative platforms (e.g. SharePoint, Microsoft 365)

Desirable criteria

• Relevant qualification in engagement and involvement
• Post-graduate degree or equivalent experience
• Understanding of key concepts and challenges in young people’s health and wellbeing and the transition to adulthood
• Familiarity with health research and data governance frameworks
• Understanding and knowledge of key potential partners across the UK for delivering youth engagement in the sector.
• Experience using digital engagement and facilitation tools for online workshops (e.g. Miro, Mural, Mentimeter, Canva, PowerPoint)

Dimensions

• This has been designed as a full-time role, although part-time work could be considered for the right candidate.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

This post is subject to receipt of satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check and right to work in the UK (visa sponsorship is not available).

Please apply via CharityJob, making sure to answer the screening questions in full.

The closing date for this position is midnight on Sunday 31st May. 

 Interviews are currently expected to be held Wednesday 1st/Thursday 2nd July.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Beyond these protected characteristics, we acknowledge the importance of socio-economic background, childcare and caring responsibilities, educational background, neurodiversity, and any other factors that shape an individual’s identity and opportunities. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to contribute fully.

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration. 

An exciting opportunity to help turn a new national initiative into reality as it moves from planning into delivery. Over the next year, we will launch a new national Foundation Degree while building the foundations of a wider programme of work. In the initial phase, this role will focus on working locally with partners and participants in one or more locations to support recruitment, onboarding and preparation for launch, while also contributing to the wider programme build-out alongside a national team. As delivery begins, the role will transition into ongoing programme management across a cluster of delivery centres, leading high-quality delivery, participant experience and programme quality, and helping to build strong, sustainable centres over time.