Head of media and communications jobs in Cambridge
This is a home-based role, working Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Applications are welcome from candidates based outside Belfast, provided they are resident in Northern Ireland and able to commute to the Belfast office if required.
The External Affairs Manager plays a pivotal role in empowering people with sight loss to live the life they choose. This position leads the development of policy and campaigns within the country, aligning with Guide Dogs’ strategic objectives. Working collaboratively with the central policy, public affairs, and campaigns team, as well as the country leadership team, the role builds strategic partnerships with government bodies, local authorities, societies, and other key organisations. This ensures Guide Dogs remains informed and influential on all policy initiatives affecting the organisation and its stakeholders.
The post holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day leadership, management and oversight of a team.
The post-holder is responsible for shaping policy positions, drafting responses to consultations from councils, combined authorities, and devolved governments, and driving impactful campaigns at a regional level. A key focus is increasing the involvement of blind and partially sighted people in advocacy and campaigning.
Additionally, the role leads the implementation of Guide Dogs’ regional marketing and communications strategy across the Devolved Nations. This includes raising brand awareness, engaging diverse audiences—service users, families, volunteers, donors, and the public—and delivering integrated communications plans that strengthen Guide Dogs’ presence and impact.
Key Responsibilities
Policy Development
- Lead the creation of country-specific policy and position papers, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy.
- Prepare responses to consultation papers from devolved administrations, local government, and regional bodies.
- Represent Guide Dogs on committees, working groups, and forums, staying informed on policy issues impacting the organisation and its service users.
Public Affairs
- Build and influence relationships with key stakeholders, including elected representatives and senior officials.
- Represent Guide Dogs at Government Scrutiny Committees and cross-party groups.
- Act as the primary liaison with local government and statutory agencies.
Campaigns & Influence
- Strategically lead and coordinate campaigns at a country level, ensuring alignment with devolved policy priorities.
- Develop and deliver campaigns addressing local needs of the visually impaired community.
- Foster partnerships within the Third Sector to build consensus and amplify Guide Dogs’ strategic aims.
Leadership & People Management
- Provide strong leadership to local staff and volunteers, promoting best practice and knowledge-sharing.
- Oversee recruitment, performance management, and compliance with safeguarding policies.
- Ensure high levels of engagement through effective communication and leadership.
Financial Accountability
- Support fundraising initiatives and monitor operational budgets to ensure efficiency and compliance.
Diversity & Inclusion
- Champion Guide Dogs’ diversity agenda, ensuring services are inclusive and accessible.
- Work with external partners to create a more inclusive environment for people with sight loss.
How to apply
Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.
If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, or require any accessibility support to apply, our friendly recruitment team is ready and waiting to help.
As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.
If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.
Safeguarding
Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.
At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.
Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.
For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Role
At Cruse, we have recently launched our new strategy, setting out our charity’s plans to grow our income and build on our expertise and unique position in the sector. We provide expert bereavement and grief information and support, and our charity has been supporting people for over 65 years. We support adults, children and young people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, through our national services, over 80 local branches and online information about grief and bereavement. You will lead and develop Cruse’s digital individual giving activity, creating engaging campaigns and supporter journeys that drive sustainable income and strengthen donor relationships.
How to apply
Your application must consist of a CV and covering letter, which outlines your suitability for the role with reference to the Job Description and Person Specification and should be no longer than two pages.
The closing date for applications is Friday 13 March 2026, with interviews taking place on the week commencing 23 March 2026.
Please be advised that if you do not hear from us by Monday 23 March, unfortunately on this occasion you have not been shortlisted.
Cruse welcomes and encourages applications from all protected groups as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Appointment will be made on merit.
Criminal Record Checks
All staff are required to complete a Criminal Record check. Staff working directly with clients will be required to complete an enhanced check. We comply with the relevant codes of practice and they can be viewed online:
- Applicants in England and Wales: DBS Code of Practice
- Applicants in Northern Ireland: AccessNI Code of Practice
Previous convictions will not prevent full consideration of your application to work with Cruse. Our Recruitment of Ex-offenders’ Policy & Handling Criminal Record Check Data Policy are available on request by email.
We comply with all relevant data protection legislation and process your data fairly.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Policy and Campaigns Manager leads ADUK in championing reforms that pave the way for better access for all disabled people partnered with a highly trained assistance dog. Through dynamic campaigns and impactful initiatives, this role is pivotal to how ADUK amplifies the voices of those whose lives are transformed by these life changing dogs, ensuring that their rights are protected for years to come.
Key Responsibilities
- In partnership with the Executive Director (ED), continue to develop a compelling case for taking a standards-based approach to the training and welfare of assistance dogs.
- Gather, analyse and apply robust evidence to strengthen ADUK’s credibility, influence and voice on key policy and campaigning issues.
- Work with the ED to identify and progress opportunities for ADUK and its members to engage with policymakers, regulators and other decision-makers, and to support positive policy change.
- Develop and deliver written and in-person reports and briefings for different audiences, including politicians, policy officials, and other decision-makers.
- Collaborate with the ED and Head of Education and Allyship to develop relationships with key stakeholders.
- Lead, manage and convene the ADUK Advisory Panel, ensuring it operates effectively and informs ADUK’s policy and campaigning work.
- Monitor legislation and policy developments relevant to assistance dogs and dog welfare and communicate these as appropriate to members.
- Support the ED with the delivery of ADUK’s policy function, including the preparation of policy statements, briefing papers, media responses, and submissions to consultations and inquiries.
- Provide informed policy advice to the ED on priority issues affecting ADUK and its members.
- Represent ADUK externally, articulating its policy positions at meetings, events and forums, where appropriate.
- Take responsibility for projects, with the support of the Executive Director where appropriate, including joint work with partner organisations.
- Organise meetings, policy roundtables, expert workshops, policy training and other events.
- Provide information and support to service providers on assistance dog policies to promote access rights for disabled people with assistance dogs.
Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes:
Essential – applicants will:
- Have experience working in a policy, public affairs/campaigning role, with a solid understanding of how the policy development process works and how to influence national policy.
- Experience in convening and facilitating advisory groups, panels or stakeholder forums to support organisational decision-making.
- Experience in planning and delivering events, workshops or meetings that support policy, stakeholder engagement or organisational aims
- Have the ability to analyse and interpret information from a range of sources.
- Have strong interpersonal skills including being able to develop positive and effective working relationships with a diverse range of people and organisations.
- Have the ability to act on your own initiative and develop new work.
- Be comfortable maintaining existing policy positions and relationships.
- Have experience in communicating complex ideas or processes to a range of diverse audiences.
- Have excellent writing and verbal communication skills and experience in producing briefings, consultation responses and other communications on behalf of an organisation and for a wide range of audiences.
- Represent ADUK with credibility and authority in all external communications
Applicants should be aligned with ADUK’s values of championing a standards-based approach to the training and welfare of assistance dogs.
See recruitment pack for full job and person spec.
Registered Charity
6 - 10
To champion high standards of welfare and training for assistance dogs, and to work for a society where their owners have no barriers.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About the Role
As a passionate professional in the identification, development and management of a wide range of relationships in support of our programme partnership, you will ensure the Career Ready programme in Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire continues to thrive, which includes securing charitable donations from supporting partners. You will work closely with our Programme & Partnerships Manager for Glasgow, in support of our work growing there.
This role requires experience of partnership and account management and the scale and ambition of our social mobility work means you will need to be well organised, confident and able to positively influence a wide range of people including headteachers, teachers, CEOs and HRDs.
You will identify and approach opportunities that are well researched and pursue with unswerving perseverance. It’s also a great chance to develop personally.
Programme & Partnership Managers lead the delivery of our programme locally. In this role, you’ll grow, develop, and maintain the employer and education partnerships that make the Career Ready programme work — including our Local Advisory Boards, Local Authorities, school coordinators, the Developing the Young Workforce Regional Group, and the employers and volunteers who provide mentoring with the accompanying paid internship, deliver engaging masterclasses, and support events.
Once you’re confident in what, why, when, and how of our work, you will:
1. Lead, grow, and strengthen the Career Ready partnerships in Renfrewshire & West
Dunbartonshire.
You’ll ensure an excellent programme experience for all stakeholders and secure employer engagement for approximately 60+ students each year (with growth expected) who take part in our 18-month programme. This includes ensuring
sufficient mentors with the accompanying paid internship, high-quality masterclasses and purposeful events.
2. Support programme delivery, stakeholder engagement and the generation of new programme and funding partnerships across Renfrewshire & West Dunbartonshire.
You’ll work closely with the Career Ready Glasgow & West Areas Local Advisory Board, the Programme & Partnerships Manager for Glasgow, the Head of Programme & Operations, the Scotland Partnerships Manager, Partnerships Lead, and your fellow Programme & Partnerships Managers — all committed to delivering quality, impact, and sustainability. You’ll also collaborate with the Scotland Operations Team to
ensure accurate data, strong processes, and effective management information for the area.
Find out more
You can find out more about the role, and working at Career Ready, in our candidate pack.
- £36,000 - £39,870 DOE (pro rata for part time)
- A working from home allowance of £300 pa is provided (pro rata for part time)
- Annual leave: 27 days holiday plus bank/public holidays. In addition, Career Ready is closed between Christmas and New Year. Career Ready also allows flexible use of some Bank & Public Holidays
- 6% of salary contribution to a private pension subject to an employee contribution of 3%
- Access to both our Reward Gateway Portal and an Employee Assistance Programme
- Business expenses including mileage allowance for car usage
How to apply
Please visit our website for full details of how to apply.
Timetable
- Closing date: 5 pm, Monday 16 March 2026 (early applications are encouraged)
- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an initial screening conversation prior to interview
- Interviews will take place from w/c 30 March 2026
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Do you share our dream of a UK where poverty is a thing of the past?
Founded in 2019, the Poverty Truth Network believes this can only happen when those most impacted by poverty are at the heart of the movement to end it. Our specific contribution brings together people experiencing poverty with those with responsibilities for alleviating it.
We are now recruiting for an Administrative Coordinator to join our team.
This is a key enabling role within a small, relational and values-led organisation. The Administrative Coordinator will provide coordinating and administrative support across the Network, helping ensure smooth systems, high-quality financial administrative and shared working practices across a dispersed team.
You will be a highly organised and dependable administrator, with experience supporting finance and digital systems, and a clear commitment to social justice and relational ways of working.
Key tasks include:
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Coordinating meetings, events and trustee processes
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Providing hands-on finance administration, including bookkeeping using Xero
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Supporting digital systems, CRM and data stewardship
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Maintaining accurate records and shared documentation
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Contributing to consistent, relational and accountable ways of working across the Network
This role involves working from home with some travel.
We welcome applications from people with the necessary skills and experience from all walks of life, particularly those from communities underrepresented in the charity sector.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter (maximum 2 sides of A4) explaining how your skills and experience match this role. Please include the names and contact details of two referees (at least one of whom knows you in a professional capacity).
The application deadline is 23:30 on Wednesday 25th March.
Interviews will be held online on 1st and 2nd April.
Applications will only be considered from applicants who already have the right to work within the United Kingdom.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.