Great north run volunteer jobs in Newcastle
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About us
Community rail is a unique and growing grassroots movement made up of community rail partnerships, station volunteer groups and other community-led initiatives across Britain.
Together, these organisations and volunteers deliver a wide range of initiatives, from engaging young people and building confidence in rail travel, to improving accessibility, enhancing stations, supporting biodiversity projects and creating community spaces that bring people together.
Community Rail Network is the national membership and umbrella body for the community rail movement across England, Scotland and Wales. We empower, support and champion community-led partnerships and groups, helping them create social, environmental and economic value through their work.
Our team of 22 colleagues is based across Britain, working mainly from home while coming together regularly online and in person. We are a collaborative, values-led organisation, passionate about making a difference through community rail.
We believe in nurturing talent, supporting professional development and creating an environment where everyone can reach their potential while maintaining a healthy work–life balance.
About this role and your main responsibilities
We are looking for a compassionate, collaborative and creative leader to head up our work with members. Everyone on the team is here for our members, but you will lead the way in ensuring everything we do is driven by what members need, now and in the future, to help them develop, grow and thrive. You’ll also help ensure our members have a great experience whenever they are accessing our support and services.
As a member of the senior leadership team, you’ll actively contribute towards its collective work in driving organisational performance and success, including growing investment in our work so we can make an even bigger difference for our members and the communities they serve.
Please see the attached introduction from our Chief Executive and role profile for further information about the position, including its principal responsibilities and the experience, skills and attributes we are looking for.
Other information
The role will involve regular travel across England, Scotland and Wales to raise the organisation’s profile and engage with members, partners and key stakeholders.
There is flexibility on your location given the requirement to travel and that your office will be home-based. You will need to travel to in-person quarterly team meetings (usually in London or the north of England) and to Board meetings which alternate between online and London.
It is expected that travel will be by public transport and easy access to the rail network is therefore required to ensure journeys can be made sustainably.
This is a full-time position, 37 hours per week. We use a flexi-time system with core hours 10am-3pm, and are committed to being a flexible, supportive and understanding employer. This is a permanent position with a probationary period of three months.
Successful applicants will need to provide proof that they have the right to work in the UK and provide two references.
Community Rail Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and Black, Asian and other minoritised groups, who meet with the skills and competencies for this role. We will provide reasonable adjustments for interviews as required.
Apply via CharityJob by Monday 7 September 2026, 12:30pm. Upload your CV and paste your personal statement into the cover letter section. Your statement should explain how you meet the experience criteria in the person specification and be no more than 1,000 words. You do not need to address the skills/abilities section at this stage; this will be assessed at interview. Please include a daytime telephone number, email address and current notice period in your CV.
Interviews will be held in Derby on 17 September. If a second round is required, it will take place online on 22 or 23 September. Interview invitations will be issued by telephone by 11 September. Unfortunately, we cannot provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Championing the community rail movement | Connecting people and their railways | Creating inclusive, empowered, sustainable and healthy communities
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.
Living Wage Foundation
The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011.
Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most.
Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty. As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.
Purpose
At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.
Main Responsibilities
We are looking for a highly motivated and organised individual to coordinate our accreditation scheme. The role will work with our network of employers, and support new organisations through the accreditation process.
The Programme Officer will support our work across the South East and support our managers to grow and deepen engagement with Living Wage Employers through our associated schemes. You will help to ensure our resources and publicity materials are well written and up-to-date, and to coordinate events to grow our employer network.
Working as the Programme Officer for Citizens UK, reporting to a Programme Manager, your main responsibilities will include:
Contribute towards the achievement of CUK and LWF’s strategic objectives
Understand how the role contributes to LWF’s purpose and the core mission of CUK
Reliably implement CUK’s and LWF’s policies, procedures, and values in own work
Work with CUK community organisers and leaders to promote civic engagement with and ownership of the Living Wage campaign
Feed into the LWF strategy and objectives development
Living Wage Accreditation
-
Support key contacts at potential LW Employers through the accreditation process, from dealing with initial enquiries to guiding them through the employer journey, to checking and processing their accreditation
-
Develop rewarding relationships with key employers, industry, and campaign partners within our networks to build interest in the Living Wage and deliver a high-quality experience to our accredited employers
-
With support from the wider team, develop plans and strategies to grow the number of accreditations in specific regions or industries
-
Collate and disseminate Living Wage criteria and policy issues through both internal and external facing guidance, whilst reviewing and monitoring its suitability
-
Support the development and implementation of projects to promote and grow Living Wage accreditations and develop the quality of service offered
Build and manage projects and achieve work targets effectively
Successfully progress projects and tasks incl. tracking performance and expenditure
Deliver agreed areas of the LWF’s work plan and leading on agenda items to report into team meetings.
Support the growth and development of new and existing Living Wage schemes incl. Recognised Service Providers, LW Funders, LW Places, Living Hours, Global Living Wage and Living Work Consultancy
Deliver personal work targets on time and to standard:
-
Respond to telephone and web-based enquiries by providing advice and support to employers and supporters
-
Provide administrative support for all aspects of the accreditation journey, incl. processing accreditations, recognitions, and renewals
-
Maintain LWF data on systems, incl. Salesforce employer database
-
Support the maintenance of our systems to ensure efficient processes and develop reporting mechanisms for effective monitoring and evaluation of our impact and progress against plans
-
Coordinate and administrate Steering, Advisory or Leadership Groups as required, incl. coordinating agendas, sending out timely papers, taking minutes and following up on actions
Learning &expertise
Keep abreast of new developments in the accreditation space
Apply new learning to work and respond effectively to feedback
Work collaboratively with the LWF and franchise teams to share learnings and experience and ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders
Develop and manage external relationships
Effectively develop and support a range of external relationships
Respond effectively to queries or requests from stakeholders
Engage with a diverse range of external stakeholders to support and develop projects as required
Communications
Communicate effectively within the LWF; ensuring that messages are reliably passed to those who need to know
Represent the LWF coherently in writing and verbally
Events and Communications
-
Plan and organise events to celebrate and grow our network of LW Employers, incl. playing an active role in the delivery of LW Week and assisting colleagues with event logistics
-
Represent and speak on behalf of the LWF at internal and external meetings and events
-
Develop or feed into employer resources incl. marketing materials, blogs, reports, templates, and guides
Develop and manage internal relationships
Work effectively with colleagues across Citizens UK
Work collaboratively within the LWF team and actively participate in the team to ensure we meet the expectations of our network and stakeholders
Generate income and resources
Contribute to plans and proposals to grow sources of income/resource.
Take personal responsibility for the careful stewardship of LWF’s resources
Personal Specification
(D) Desirable, (E) Essential
Experience
-
Comprehensive experience in an administrative role (E)
-
Experience of building positive relationships (E)
-
Experience of learning, managing and updating Salesforce or similar databases (D)
Key skills and knowledge
-
Excellent time management skills with the ability to juggle a wide range of competing demands (E)
-
Understanding of database and systems management (E)
-
Ability to take in and interpret information and present in a succinct manner(E)
-
Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written, combined with the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders, both online and in-person (E)
-
Ability to act on own initiative to introduce and develop new systems as appropriate (E)
-
Strong attention to detail (E)
-
Strong IT skills to include MS Office and database software (E)
-
Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK (D)
Personal qualities & values
-
A strong commitment to social justice and alignment with the Living Wage Foundation’s mission and Citizens UK’s values (E).
-
A proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E)
About the application process
We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.
For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.
Interviews will be in person in the South of England region, week commencing 5th October – in person most likely at Head Office in Whitechapel.
We’re the movement at the heart of fairer, better work. Fair pay, secure hours & enough to live on in retirement.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.
Living Wage Foundation
The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011.
Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most.
Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty. As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.
Purpose
At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.
Main Responsibilities
We are looking for highly motivated and organised individual to coordinate our accreditation scheme. The role will work with our network of employers, and support new organisations through the accreditation process.
The Programme Officer will lead our work across the South West and support our managers to grow and deepen engagement with Living Wage Employers through our associated schemes. You will help to ensure our resources and publicity materials are well written and up-to-date, and to coordinate events to grow our employer network.
Working as the Programme Officer for Citizens UK, reporting to a Programme Manager, your main responsibilities will include:
Contribute towards the achievement of CUK and LWF’s strategic objectives
Understand how the role contributes to LWF’s purpose and the core mission of CUK
Reliably implement CUK’s and LWF’s policies, procedures, and values in own work
Work with CUK community organisers and leaders to promote civic engagement with and ownership of the Living Wage campaign
Feed into the LWF strategy and objectives development
Living Wage Accreditation
-
Support key contacts at potential LW Employers through the accreditation process, from dealing with initial enquiries to guiding them through the employer journey, to checking and processing their accreditation
-
Develop rewarding relationships with key employers, industry, and campaign partners within our networks to build interest in the Living Wage and deliver a high-quality experience to our accredited employers
-
With support from the wider team, develop plans and strategies to grow the number of accreditations in specific regions or industries
-
Collate and disseminate Living Wage criteria and policy issues through both internal and external facing guidance, whilst reviewing and monitoring its suitability
-
Support the development and implementation of projects to promote and grow Living Wage accreditations and develop the quality of service offered
Build and manage projects and achieve work targets effectively
Successfully progress projects and tasks incl. tracking performance and expenditure
Deliver agreed areas of the LWF’s work plan and leading on agenda items to report into team meetings.
Support the growth and development of new and existing Living Wage schemes incl. Recognised Service Providers, LW Funders, LW Places, Living Hours, Global Living Wage and Living Work Consultancy
Deliver personal work targets on time and to standard:
-
Respond to telephone and web-based enquiries by providing advice and support to employers and supporters
-
Provide administrative support for all aspects of the accreditation journey, incl. processing accreditations, recognitions, and renewals
-
Maintain LWF data on systems, incl. Salesforce employer database
-
Support the maintenance of our systems to ensure efficient processes and develop reporting mechanisms for effective monitoring and evaluation of our impact and progress against plans
-
Coordinate and administrate Steering, Advisory or Leadership Groups as required, incl. coordinating agendas, sending out timely papers, taking minutes and following up on actions
Learning & expertise
Keep abreast of new developments in the accreditation space
Apply new learning to work and respond effectively to feedback
Work collaboratively with the LWF and franchise teams to share learnings and experience and ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders
Develop and manage external relationships
Effectively develop and support a range of external relationships
Respond effectively to queries or requests from stakeholders
Engage with a diverse range of external stakeholders to support and develop projects as required
Communications
Communicate effectively within the LWF; ensuring that messages are reliably passed to those who need to know
Represent the LWF coherently in writing and verbally
Events and Communications
-
Plan and organise events to celebrate and grow our network of LW Employers, incl. playing an active role in the delivery of LW Week and assisting colleagues with event logistics
-
Represent and speak on behalf of the LWF at internal and external meetings and events
-
Develop or feed into employer resources incl. marketing materials, blogs, reports, templates, and guides
Develop and manage internal relationships
Work effectively with colleagues across Citizens UK
Work collaboratively within the LWF team and actively participate in the team to ensure we meet the expectations of our network and stakeholders
Generate income and resources
Contribute to plans and proposals to grow sources of income/resource.
Take personal responsibility for the careful stewardship of LWF’s resources
Personal Specification
(D) Desirable, (E) Essential
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in any subject (D)
Subject of relevance to community work or community organising (D)
Experience
-
Comprehensive experience in an administrative role (E)
-
Experience of building positive relationships (E)
-
Experience of managing and updating Salesforce or similar databases (D)
-
Experience of delivering a range of high quality communications materials, including websites, reports, newsletters (D)
Key skills and knowledge
-
Excellent time management skills with the ability to juggle a wide range of competing demands (E)
-
Understanding of database and systems management (E)
-
Ability to take in and interpret information and present in a succinct manner(E)
-
Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written, combined with the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders, both online and in-person (E)
-
Ability to act on own initiative to introduce and develop new systems as appropriate (E)
-
Strong attention to detail (E)
-
Strong IT skills to include MS Office and database software (E)
-
Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK (D)
Personal qualities & values
-
A proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E)
-
A strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign and principles of Citizens UK (E)
About the application process
We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.
For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.
Interviews will be in person in the South West region, week commencing 28th September 2026.
We’re the movement at the heart of fairer, better work. Fair pay, secure hours & enough to live on in retirement.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.