Knowledge and policy manager jobs in Penkridge, staffordshire

We are seeking an exceptional leader to be our next chief executive, leading a respected and influential membership organisation at the heart of a thriving grassroots movement.

You’ll be working to build on the success we’ve seen and strong position and voice we have established for ourselves and our members, as a leading force for inclusive and sustainable transport and communities.

You’ll bring an impressive track record in values-based leadership, a proven ability to engage and inspire grassroots change-makers, strategic partners and policy-makers, and a deep belief in the importance of community-led change towards a sustainable, equitable future.

About us

Community Rail Network is a national not-for-profit organisation, which is in the process of applying for charitable status, supporting a growing ‘community rail’ movement, which helps communities get the most from their railways, promotes sustainable and inclusive travel, coordinates volunteering and place-making, and brings people together.

Community rail is made up of 77 community-based organisations, and around 1,300 station volunteer groups and other community-led initiatives around Britain. Their activities range from creative projects for young people, to advising train operators on service improvements, to building travel confidence among marginalised groups, to biodiversity projects at stations, to promoting greener tourism by rail.

Our enthusiastic team of 24 works from home in dispersed locations, but we come together regularly in person and online. We work collaboratively to support members, provide training, events and resources, run campaigns, and champion community rail and its insights. We believe in helping everyone reach their potential while having a good work-life balance.

About this role, and your main responsibilities

Our current CEO is moving on after nine years in role, leaving the organisation, team and wider movement in a strong and empowered position to deliver on the next phase of our development.

Your opportunity is to lead the organisation, and to deliver on our new five-year strategy setting an ambitious course for the future during a period of major transformation for our railways and the wider transport system. You will ensure that we are:

• clear in our identity and our independence, and seen as thought leaders in our field;
• are supporting our members and stakeholders to meet their changing and diverse needs; and
• ensuring the financial and operational resilience of the organisation in an environment that is undergoing a period of rapid change.

As CEO, you will lead a passionate and experienced senior leadership team with three direct reports, while working closely with and reporting into our Board, key partners and funders, and ensuing an engaging, empowering, tenacious approach across all we do.

Advocacy of community rail and its benefits will be high on your agenda, and you will be working closely across multiple stakeholders including UK and devolved national governments, regional and local authorities as well as forging collaborative partnerships with like-minded organisations.

Maintaining our community-centric ethos, you will need to ensure we're effective in enabling members to unlock greater value from the railways at a grassroots level, while drawing on their insights to affect wider change. With hundreds of member groups and organisations across Britain delivering life-changing, place-enhancing work, you will have a solid foundation to build on, to take community rail forward and expand our impact in the years ahead.

Last, but not least, you will be responsible for ensuring the strong and effective governance of the organisation, modelling our governing principles, values and behaviours, and ensuring that we have robust financial and resource management in place.

Skills, competencies and qualities

1. Exceptional leadership skills, including a proven ability to lead, develop and grow third sector organisations or multi-faceted teams delivering complex activities, projects and campaigns;
2. Excellent communication and external leadership skills: articulate, assertive, with the ability to work diplomatically and persuasively with stakeholders at all levels;
3. Experienced in acting as the public face of an organisation, such as through the media, public speaking and high-level meetings, and using evidence and storytelling to articulate and champion a cause;
4. Politically astute, with knowledge of and commitment to social inclusion, social justice and sustainability, and a sound grasp of the importance of public transport, sustainable travel, and community-led action;
5. A proven ability to influence policy and decision-makers, and to identify influencing opportunities, ideally in relation to community development, sustainability and/or transport, including sharing community insights;
6. A strong track record in income generation and development, building strong funder relationships and delivery partnerships, managing programme or organisational budgets and controlling expenditure;
7. Experience of working with and/or reporting to a board, ideally in a not-for-profit and/or membership context;
8. An empowering, engaging approach to leadership, management and change-making;
9. Resilient, pragmatic and determined, with the ability to work under pressure, seize emergent opportunities, manage risk, and support others dealing with competing priorities.

Other information

The role will involve extensive travel within Britain as part of building your profile and that of the organisation with central and devolved government in Scotland and Wales, and increasingly with the devolved regions of England.

There is flexibility on 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 West Yorkshire) 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 six months. 

Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising up to 30 days, plus Bank Holidays, in line with long service); pension with employer contribution of 7%; and access to Employee Assistance Programme.

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.

We are looking for an inspiring Support Services Manager to lead our supported housing schemes, ensuring high‑quality, person‑centred support for women and children across our services.

If you are passionate about transforming lives, improving service quality and leading dedicated teams — we’d love to hear from you.

About the Role

As Support Services Manager, you will:

Lead and develop high‑quality support services

• Provide operational leadership across supported housing schemes
• Ensure trauma‑informed, person‑centred support plans and risk assessments
• Monitor KPIs, contractual compliance and service performance
• Drive service improvement and co‑production with clients

Manage, motivate and develop staff

• Line manage Support Workers and Volunteers
• Ensure supervision, training and performance management
• Support recruitment and staff development across the region
• Build a strong, motivated and skilled team

Champion safeguarding & risk management

• Act as a safeguarding champion across supported housing
• Ensure robust risk assessments, incident reporting and GDPR‑compliant records
• Support staff to maintain the highest safeguarding standards

Ensure housing & compliance excellence

• Work closely with Estates teams to maintain safe, compliant accommodation
• Support quality improvements across physical properties and service delivery

Build impactful partnerships

• Liaise with local authorities, commissioners, health partners and referral agencies
• Represent Life at case conferences, multi‑agency meetings and contract reviews
• Identify and respond to new referral opportunities

Drive quality, governance & reporting

• Produce performance reports and maintain audit readiness
• Support strategic growth and contribute to the department’s business plan
• Promote Life Charity within local communities and public forums

Manage budgets & resources

• Monitor expenditure and support resource planning
• Support with funding bids and service redesign
• Work with finance teams to ensure clients receive appropriate financial support

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

Essential experience & skills

• Experience managing or delivering support and/or care services
• Understanding of supported housing and estates management
• Strong knowledge of support planning, risk assessment and safeguarding
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels
• Strong organisational, leadership and problem‑solving abilities
• Ability to work independently, handle pressure and prioritise workloads
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Full UK driving licence

Desirable

• Relevant housing qualification (e.g., CIH Level 4)
• Experience working in a charity environment
• Experience in troubleshooting or service improvement roles
• Good strategic awareness

About Life: 

Life is a national pregnancy support charity that helps over 60,000 people a year. Through our services, we help people – whoever they are – to meet pregnancy or pregnancy loss with courage and dignity so they can flourish. 

Our services include:  

• Supported housing and community support   
• Counselling and skilled listening   
• Free pregnancy tests and baby supplies  

Our values :

All our work is underpinned by the following universal human values: 

• Humanity – All people are special and equal 
• Solidarity – We’re with you and for you 
• Community – We’re better together 
• Charity – Doing good for one another 
• Common good – Building a better world 

Information about the role: 

For further information, please see the attached job description. 

Salary: £34,000 per annum

Hours: 35 hours per week over 5 days

Location: Home Based with Extensive Travel across the Midlands and South East England

Benefits:  

At Life we are passionate about providing our employees with a supportive and engaging environment. As well as ongoing development and training, we offer our:  

• Generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time hours) 
• Birthday Leave  (applicable after 1 years service)
• Additional annual leave for long term service  
• Company Pension Scheme  
• Signed member of the Menopause Workplace Pledge 

Safeguarding and Equality: 

Life is committed to protecting all staff, volunteers and service users from harm of any kind. Life expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct.   

We are committed to ensuring diversity and equality within our organisation by encouraging applications from all backgrounds.  

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. Life takes its obligation to protect the rights of children and vulnerable people very seriously; therefore, the successful candidate for this post will be also subject to extensive background checking, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) which is paid for by the Charity.  

Job Purpose: Lead delivery of a national climate action programme (BELIEVE in Climate Action), managing cross-sector partnerships, stakeholder engagement and programme operations. Oversee youth-led initiatives and knowledge exchange, while also supporting university teams to deliver the ParliaMentors programme and strengthen student leadership and civic engagement.

• Salary: £40,204 (Band D, Point 3, including London weighting) / £36,501 (Band D, Point 3, elsewhere in the UK)
• Contract: 4.2 years (this is a fixed term contract, linked to the BELIEVE project, ending in September 2030)
• Location: primarily hybrid/remote, open to candidates anywhere in the UK. The project is based in England, so the role will involve regular travel to locations across England, including London.
• Hours: 1 FTE (0.8 FTE can be considered)
• Reporting to: Senior Programme Manager, Youth & Universities
• Start date: 3rd August 2026

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Programme Manager to lead delivery of Believe in Climate Action (BELIEVE), an ambitious national initiative at the intersection of climate action, youth leadership and community engagement (3 days per week). This role will also support the delivery of the UN Award winning ParliaMentors project, providing mentoring, training and leadership development opportunities to students across the country, and maintaining strong relationships with University partners (2 days per week).

This is a unique opportunity to lead a complex, high-impact programme that connects schools, communities, young people, researchers and policymakers, shaping a more inclusive and effective model of climate action across England. You would be joining a team that has been running impactful projects for 19 years, which centres the voices, needs and potential of young people to bring about change.

The BELIEVE project

BELIEVE in Climate Action (BELIEVE) is an ambitious and innovative national programme led by the Faith & Belief Forum in partnership with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme. Together, we are building a bold new model for climate action, one that connects grassroots communities, young leaders, researchers and policymakers through collaboration, co-learning and shared purpose.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced Project Manager to lead a pioneering, cross-sector initiative that is reshaping how climate action happens in England. BELIEVE operates at the intersection of community engagement, youth leadership and policy influence, requiring strategic oversight, strong partnership management and the ability to navigate complexity across local, regional and national contexts.

BELIEVE is also a platform for sector leadership. It offers the opportunity to influence how climate engagement is understood and delivered, particularly by centring voices often excluded from mainstream climate discourse, including young people and those from diverse faith and belief backgrounds.

About the Faith & Belief Forum

For nearly 30 years, the Faith & Belief Forum has worked to build connected communities, a society that celebrates diversity, and to tackle faith and belief based hate, discrimination, division and polarisation.

We are a dynamic organisation, who puts the voices of our beneficiaries at the forefront. We work in schools to build connection, understanding and empathy, in universities to build confidence, skills and connection in the next generation of interfaith leaders, and in communities to celebrate the role that faith plays in society, and pilot new, innovative approaches to tackling hate and division at the local level.

Our team is diverse, talented, sensitive, and creative. We value building meaningful connection amongst ourselves, and with our partners and stakeholders.  We believe that a central solution to tackling division, polarisation and hate is connection, that is both expertly facilitated and heartfelt. In our projects this takes place through education, dialogue, social action projects, mentoring, training and development, public engagement events, and community led responses to local issues.

Key Responsibilities

Programme leadership & delivery

· Lead the strategic and operational delivery of BELIEVE across its three interlinked workstreams

· Ensure effective planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a multi-year national programme

· Manage programme timelines, budgets, reporting and risk

Stakeholder engagement & partnerships

· Build and maintain strong relationships with cross-sector stakeholders, including schools, community organisations, funders, academic partners and policymakers

· Act as a senior point of contact for programme partners, ensuring alignment, accountability and collaboration

· Convene and facilitate high-level stakeholder spaces, including national workshops and knowledge-exchange forums

Team & youth leadership oversight

· Line manage the BELIEVE project Coordinator, ensuring timely and high quality delivery of workplans, supporting their development and training, managing any performance issues, and helping them to grow and thrive.

· Oversee delivery of the youth leadership strand, including internship programmes and youth-led climate action projects

Strategy, learning & influence

· Design internal evaluation frameworks and processes, in collaboration with University of Cambridge academics

· Translate research, learning and evaluation into programme development, communications and external influence

· Contribute to shaping national conversations on inclusive climate action

· Responsible for delivery, and ensuring programme outputs (reports, toolkits, events, digital platforms) are high-quality and impactful

Manage 2 teams of ParliaMentors students

· Support with delivery of the ParliaMentors programme, including facilitating workshops, having meetings with students, organising the logistics for various events throughout the year

· Mentor and support two teams of students at two universities as they work together to deliver a social action project

· Contributing to communications for the programme on social media, LinkedIn, and newsletters

· Support with delivering trainings for university staff

Person Specification

Essential Experience

· Significant experience managing complex, multi-partner programmes (ideally national or multi-regional)

· Demonstrable expertise in stakeholder engagement at a senior level, including building and maintaining strong partnerships across sectors

· Strong track record of delivering complex programmes on time and within budget

· Confidence and proven experience in line management (this role will line manage 1 Project Coordinator, and oversee an internship programme of up to 8 paid interns per year)

· Strong financial management skills, and experience managing large budgets (this role will be responsible for financial management of the BELIEVE project, and reporting to funders)

· Strong experience and understanding of Safeguarding, in charities and/ or school settings

Skills & Competencies

· Excellent project management skills, experienced in using project management tools

· Excellent relationship management and influencing skills

· Strategic thinking combined with strong operational delivery

· Ability to navigate complexity and work across different sectors and perspectives

· Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

· Experience in climate action, sustainability or environmental programmes

· Understanding of faith, belief and/or intercultural engagement

· Experience working with research partners or translating evidence into practice

· Project management qualification

· CRM development experience

How to Apply

Please submit:

· Your CV (Max 2 pages)

· A cover letter detailing what motivated you to apply for the role, and how you meet the person specification.

Application deadline:

6th May 2026, 9:00 AM

Benefits include:

· Opportunity to work mainly remotely from home, with occasional travel to London and other locations across England required for schools, events, and activities.

· Generous annual leave from 25 days (pro rata) plus UK bank holidays, increasing with length of service and including a birthday day off after three years.

· 2 days paid volunteer leave (pro rata)

· Generous pension scheme to help you save for the future.

· Interfaith and intercultural learning opportunities

· Access to internal learning sessions on topics relevant to our sector

· Team events / away days / annual retreat

· Supportive and inclusive work environment with a focus on staff wellbeing 

Who we encourage to apply

We value sensitivity to the issues at the heart of our work and a strong commitment to The Faith & Belief Forum’s goals. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, as well as from faith or belief communities currently underrepresented in our organisation, including Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian communities. We warmly welcome applicants of all ages and experiences who share our vision and values, and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace, regardless of protected or unprotected characteristics, including but not limited to gender, disability, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.

We recognise that valuable experience can be gained through work, study, volunteering, or community involvement.

Unfortunately, we can only consider applications from individuals who have the unrestricted right to work in the UK, as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship. Applicants must also already be resident and based in the UK at the time of application.

The National Lottery Community Fund is looking for a skilled and proactive Network Manager to become part of their compact IT Infrastructure Team located in Birmingham. This role will report directly to the Head of IT Infrastructure & Security. Hybrid working is available, though occasional travel to various UK sites will be required.

Role Expectations

As a Network Manager, you will play a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing our IT network, ensuring optimal performance, up-to-date security, and reliability.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Be an integral part of the Team and act as the go to person and SME for networking requirements. Work with stakeholders both internally and externally from diverse backgrounds and communities.
• Collaborate closely with Network Managers, Infrastructure Engineers, Security Team and Project Managers to understand and address their requirements.
• Manage and optimise network infrastructure, including on-premise networks, public cloud (Azure) networks, virtual networks and WAN technologies.
• Apply strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to resolve network issues.
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Monitor network performance, identify and resolve bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with service desk staff, providing education and support while resolving network-related tickets.
• Be responsible for end-to-end delivery of the Project tasks.
• Lead networking element of projects to improve production environments.
• Ability to write clear, concise technical documentation such as Network Designs.
• Responsible for ensuring that any designs produced are in line with the current network architecture and infrastructure strategy documentation and are fit for purpose.
•  Provide timely updates and whenever necessary timely escalation of issues to right stakeholders.

 Skills & Requirements

• Configure and manage Firewalls, Routers, Access Points, Switches, SD-WAN and Networking Appliances.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of networking, including TCP/IP protocols, subnetting, VLANs, load balancing, and VPNs.
• Configuring and installing hardware in both office and data centre environments.
• Contribute to design and architecture discussions.
• Mitigate Pen Test and Audit findings.
• Participate in out of hours implementations of change/support as required.
• Accurate estimation of workload and timelines for delivery.
• Support and maintain backup and disaster recovery solutions.
• Compliance to regulatory and mandatory policies.
• Relevant vendor management experience.

 Interview details:

• Interview date: 12/05/2026 – 14/05/2026
• Format: Online

Location: Birmingham -  We have a hybrid approach to working, with a home/office split that suits you, though the role will include travel across the UK as and when required. Work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate.

We will be hosting a briefing session on: 17th April 2026, 2pm. To register or ask any questions please email us.

For an informal discussion about the role, please email us.

How to apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (1000 words) with the following criteria, we will use this to score your application.

Essential Criteria:

• Demonstrable experience in network administration and deployment.
• Experience with Cisco Switches, including configuration, security, and firmware updates.
• Knowledge of Firewalls (Preferentially Cisco Meraki MX and Azure Firewalls).
• Experience with Microsoft Azure cloud services and architectures, networking (NSG, VNet peering, UDR, Private Link/Endpoint, Azure Firewall, load balancer).
• Knowledge of Cisco Meraki SD-WAN (MX Appliances).
• Analyse, troubleshoot, and resolve incidents escalated from service desk support.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points.
• Centralized Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) Cisco ISE.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.  

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.) 

• Location: Birmingham 
• Permanent Contract: 12 month Fixed term (Maternity Cover)
• £30,000-£32,000 per annum 
• Hybrid- 1 office day a week (with additional expectation to be able to travel across Birmingham and the Black Country for ad hoc sessions)

As a Delivery Manager (DM) you will be responsible for the oversight and delivery of the regional Envision programme. This includes managing delivery staff and ensuring quality assurance is in place to achieve the agreed KPIs and outputs.

Working closely with Regional Managers you will ensure schools and business partnerships are in place to enable delivery of the programme and support the delivery team to organise logistics of sessions.

You will also work closely with the Programme and Impact team, including the Director of Programmes and Impact, Impact Manager and Quality Assurance Manager to ensure your team is delivering high-quality impactful sessions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Programme Management: Lead all aspects of the delivery of the Envision programme ensuring ongoing monitoring against milestones and outputs.
• Impact Management: Oversee regional data collection and contribute to regional and national programmes and impact reviews.
• People Management: Support Regional Managers in leading a high-performance regional team.
• Uphold Envision’s values and be a role model for young people and volunteers.

Essential Experience, Knowledge and Competencies:

• Experience of project management - highly organised, with the ability to work with initiative and manage your own time to meet deadlines.
• Experience of managing staff - Coordinating others to ensure they are on track to meet deadlines whilst supporting their development.
• Experience of delivering programmes with young people - including preparing engaging sessions and facilitating sessions with young people.
• Experience of working with stakeholders - Building a strong rapport with stakeholders by setting clear expectations and delivering on these- Understanding the needs of partners and the challenges they face.
• Commitment to Envision’s vision, mission and values and ability to work well in, and contribute to, our organisational culture.

Desirable Experience, Knowledge and Competencies:

• Experience in delivering in education partnerships - Understanding the needs of partners and the challenges they face.
• Understanding of, and/ or lived experience of, the barriers that young people face, that contribute to the education and employment gap.

Envision seeks to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. We encourage applications with lived experience to apply as they are currently under- represented in our organisation. Envision graduates will be guaranteed a first round interview. 

To apply you must please read the full application pack 

Please note:

- Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately we are unable to sponsor visas at this time.

- We will only be contacting candidates who have been shortlisted for interview. Therefore, if we do not contact you, please assume you have been unsuccessful.

- We also regret to inform you that, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we will be unable to provide you with feedback regarding your application.

Deadline: Sunday 10th May, midnight

Research Grants Manager

We’re looking for a Research Grants Manager to join the team.

Applications from individuals who are seeking flexible working options, including reduced hours or job shares are welcomed.

Position: CE401 Research Grants Manager

Location: Home-based, UK nationwide however, occasional travel will be required as part of this role (may include team meetings or other work-related meetings)

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Salary: Circa £47,000 per annum (inner London weighting £3,950 per annum or outer London weighting £2,475 per annum may be applied in accordance to where you live)

Contract: Permanent

Benefits: 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (this will increase with service up to 30 days, full time equivalent) cashback and discount scheme, employee assistance programme, learning and development, pension scheme, Life Assurance, Eye Care vouchers, Long Service Award, Tax-free childcare, Health Cash Plan, Working Pattern Agreement, flexible working opportunities available.

Closing Date: 8 May 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Interview Date: 20 May 2026

The Role

The Research Grants Manager leads the design, delivery and governance of the Association’s research funding portfolio. The role ensures that all Association funded research schemes, including fellowships and project grants, are strategically configured, rigorously governed and effectively delivered in line with the Association’s Research Strategy.

The role will ensure that research funding schemes are aligned with external research developments and designed to maximise long-term impact. The role includes formal accountability for embedding high-quality, inclusive and structured lived experience participation within research funding processes.

The Research Grants Manager is the organisational lead for research funding operations, ensuring the Association maintains a sector-leading, transparent and strategically focused funding programme.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead the design and operational delivery of Association research funding, including fellowships and project grant schemes.
• Accountable for the governance of funding mechanisms, ensuring fairness, compliance with governance standards and integration within existing research management systems.
• Management of expert review and award decision processes, ensuring robust scientific assessment, transparent decision-making and strategic alignment with organisational priorities.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality and inclusive lived experience involvement within research funding processes.
• Provide authoritative insight about Association funded research to communications, fundraising, policy and service development colleagues to assist with media and fundraising opportunities.
• Contribute to effective financial planning and budget monitoring across all funding schemes, including forecasting, risk management and reporting.

About You

You will:

• Be educated to post graduate level in a science, health, social science or related discipline
• Have experience of research management in a life science setting, including management of research funding award cycles

To fulfil the role, you must be a resident of the UK and have the right to work in the UK

Please state any preferences for flexible options in your covering letter.

Finding strength through support

The organisation is the only charity in the UK providing lifelong support for all stroke survivors and their families. Providing tailored support to tens of thousands of stroke survivors each year. This support includes one-to-one and group support, funding vital scientific research into stroke prevention, acute treatment, recovery and long-term care, and campaigning to secure the best care for everyone affected by stroke. 

They are here for stroke survivors and their loved ones, from the moment they enter the new and frightening post-stroke world, supporting them every step of the way as they find their strength and their way back to life.

It’s only thanks to the generosity of supporters and donors that they can provide vital support. 

The Association is driven by an ambition to improve the lives of everyone affected by stroke. This means they’re determined to create an equitable and inclusive workplace that benefits from the difference, and thrives on the diversity, of our people. Guided by an approach to solving inequity in stroke, the team are prioritising listening to, and learning from, lived experience across the charity.

The charity are working to improve the representation of this lived experience at all levels within the Association and are eager to recruit applicants from a variety of communities and backgrounds. We are keen to receive applications from people affected by stroke, people of colour, members of LGBT+ communities, and disabled people because these identities and experiences are underrepresented and would add enormous value to how the organisation work.

A Disability Confident employer, the organisation is making great progress focusing on flexible working, reasonable adjustments and access to work.

You may also have experience in areas such as Research and Grants Manager, Research Manager, Grants Manager, Scientific Research, Health, Social Science, Social Science Research.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client, Not For Profit People. #INDNFP

Do you want to change the world for vulnerable children?

The Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies UK (CVAA) aims to improve adoption policy and practice across the UK for the benefit of children, challenging the adoption system to deliver for children and work in their best interests. Alongside advocating for system change, CVAA works to support our member voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) across the four nations of the UK, stimulating innovation and ensuring they stay at the leading edge of practice. The active engagement of members and the building of collaborative alliances with others who seek positive change for children are essential to the effectiveness of our work.

The Head of Policy is a vital member of the small CVAA team, working closely with the CEO and Board of Trustees to champion the voluntary adoption sector and put children at the heart of everything we do. Due to maternity leave we have an exceptional and unique opportunity for someone who shares our passion to change the world for children, to gain valuable experience working at national level with senior stakeholders to contribute to system change, advocating for the power of adoption to change lives.

You will need strong people skills, experience of developing policy in consultation with stakeholders and using data to transform services and strengthen lobbying work. Most of all you need a cast iron commitment to change the world for vulnerable children.

CVAA works to challenge discrimination and disadvantage and welcomes applications from all communities, particularly those who are underrepresented in our sector, which includes but is not limited to people from Global Majority backgrounds, adoptees, men and those who identify as LGBTQ.

Key information

• Maternity Cover 1 year from July 2026
• Location - remote contract with occasional travel
• £40 – 45K depending on experience
• An enhanced DBS check is required for this role.

Applications

Please send a CV and letter of application, outlining your motivation for applying and the skills you offer, to Satwinder Sandhu (CEO) by 5pm on Friday 8th May 2026.

Both Satwinder (CEO) and Alice (Director of Strategy and Policy) are happy to have an informal chat about the role. Please email to arrange a convenient time to speak.

Initial online interviews via Microsoft Teams will be on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th May, with final in-person interviews scheduled for Thursday 28th May 2026 in London. Please let us know whether you cannot make any of these dates in your application.

Role overview

The Impact and Networks Manager plays a central role in delivering Beyond Equality’s wider impact strategy. This includes coordinating practitioner networks, managing external partnerships, supporting the development of resources and insight, and ensuring that learning from practice informs wider systems, narratives and policy engagement.

The role focuses on turning strategy into action — translating organisational priorities into high-quality, well-coordinated activities that strengthen practice across the sector working with men and boys, contributing to long-term systems change.

A key part of the role is coordinating a national network of organisations working with men and boys.

Core purpose

To coordinate and deliver the organisation’s wider impact activities. The role will:

• Turn strategy into concrete, high-quality activity

• Manage and develop external relationships and partnerships

• Coordinate and grow practitioner networks

• Support knowledge translation and resource development

• Deliver operational support across wider impact workstreams
   

Key responsibilities

1. Operational delivery of the wider impact strategy

• Translate strategic priorities into clear, deliverable work plans (with support from senior leadership)
   

• Coordinate delivery of wider impact activities across workstreams
   

• Track progress, outputs and outcomes of projects and activities against KPIS and M+E frameworks
   

• Identify and scope opportunities for collaboration and strategic engagement
   

2. Partnership and stakeholder management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders across education, youth work, sport, wellbeing and VAWG sectors
   

• Act as a key point of contact for partners, collaborators and network members
   

• Maintain and develop organisational stakeholder databases
   

• Identify and support onboarding of new partners and network members
   

3. Network coordination

• Coordinate a national network of organisations working with men and boys
   

• Schedule, organise and (where appropriate) facilitate network meetings and activities
   

• Act as the primary point of contact for network members
   

• Lead on member communications (updates, invitations, summaries)
   

• Coordinate internal staff contributions to network delivery
   

• Manage logistics for events (digital and in-person)
   

• Monitor and report on network engagement, outcomes and impact
   

4. Practitioner resources and capacity building

• Support the development and dissemination of practitioner-facing resources and toolkits
   

• Coordinate stakeholder input (e.g. practitioners, partners, researchers) into resource development
   

• Work with the Head of Impact to distribute training and learning resources
   

• Maintain and update practitioner-facing resource hubs
   

• Gather and synthesise practitioner feedback to inform continuous improvement
   

5. Policy and sector engagement support

• Track relevant policy developments, consultations and sector initiatives
   

• Monitor campaigns and sector activity, including through network insight
   

• Support coordination of organisational responses to consultations and policy opportunities
   

• Prepare briefing materials for senior staff engaging in policy and sector discussions
   

• Draft consultation responses, briefings and summaries for review
   

• Ensure practice-based insight is shared with relevant external partners
   

6. Insight gathering and feedback loops

• Gather and synthesise insight from practitioner networks and stakeholders
   

• Maintain internal systems for recording and organising insights
   

• Support the development of strong feedback loops between delivery, insight and wider impact work
   

Person specification

Essential experience and skills

• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
   

• Experience building and maintaining relationships with a range of stakeholders, ideally within the charity, social impact and/or public sectors
   

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
   

• Proven ability to translate strategy into practical activities and outputs
   

• Ability to work independently while coordinating with a wider team
   

Desirable experience

• Experience working in one or more of the following areas:
   

  • gender equality or violence against women and girls prevention

  • youth work, education or community settings

  • men and boys’ wellbeing or masculinities work
     

• Experience supporting or contributing to policy engagement or research

• Experience working with or coordinating multi-stakeholder networks
   

• Awareness of the UK social, policy and sector context relating to:
   

  • gender equality

  • VAWG prevention

  • boys’ and men’s wellbeing
     

• Understanding of how practice and systems change interact

Equal opportunities statement

Beyond Equality strives to be an inclusive employer. We want to provide a working environment, and a recruitment and hiring process, that is welcoming, accessible and supportive for everybody - including and especially those who are marginalised in society. With this in mind, we’ve worked to create an application and recruitment process that is as straightforward and transparent as possible. 

We welcome applicants with non-traditional educational backgrounds, and only ask for degree-level qualifications where this is absolutely necessary for a role. If you are not sure whether you are qualified or experienced enough for a role, but you think you meet the person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

We particularly welcome applications from people of colour, LGBTQ+ people, women, new or expectant parents/carers and disabled people. Disabled applicants are guaranteed an interview. Please note that our monitoring form is anonymous and not linked to your application, so you will need to tell us that you are disabled in your application if you wish to be given a guaranteed interview. You do not have to share details of your disability if you don’t want to. It’s absolutely fine if you would rather not disclose this information. 

We aim to share most interview questions and tasks five working days in advance of the interview to give applicants time to prepare, with extra time available for disabled applicants upon request. If there is anything else we can do to make the application and/or interview process more accessible for you, we want to hear about it, and will do our best to meet your requirements - please reach out via the contact email address in the job pack for the role you are applying for and tell us what you need.

We are a diverse organisation and we appreciate the value of lived experience. When our team members want to draw on their own lived experience to inform aspects of their work, we do our best to support them - but we’ll never expect or require you to draw on your own experiences if you don’t want to, or to do extra work on the basis of any aspect of your identity. 

Research Policy and Partnerships Officer

We’re looking for a Research Policy and Partnerships Officer to join the team.

Applications from individuals who are seeking flexible working options, including reduced hours or job shares are welcomed.

Position: CE402 Research Policy and Partnerships Officer

Location: Home-based, UK Nationwide. However, occasional travel will be required as part of this role (may include team meetings or other work related meetings)

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Salary: Circa £35,500 (inner London weighting £3,950 per annum or outer London weighting £2,457 per annum may be applied in accordance to where you live)

Contract: Permanent

Benefits: 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (this will increase with service up to 30 days, full time equivalent) cashback and discount scheme, employee assistance programme, learning and development, pension scheme, Life Assurance, Eye Care vouchers, Long Service Award, Tax-free childcare, Health Cash Plan, Working Pattern Agreement, flexible working opportunities available.

Closing Date: 8 May 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Interview Date: 26 May 2026

The Role

The Research Policy and Partnerships Officer monitors UK research policy and governance developments, synthesises evidence and supports preparation of clear internal briefings, policy statements and consultation responses.

Reporting to the Research Policy and Partnerships Manager, the role helps ensure the Association’s research portfolio and the Research Academy remain well aligned to national frameworks and governance standards, and that lived experience is appropriately reflected in system facing outputs.

The role also supports the Research Policy and Partnerships Manager in building and maintain partnerships with research funders, medical research charities, academic institutions and health system leaders.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Conduct structured horizon scanning across NIHR, UKRI, REF, AMRC guidance and other charity funders to identify opportunities.
• Maintain a stakeholder and policy activity map; coordinate inputs for meetings with key partners, funders/sector bodies.
• Collate and integrate lived experience evidence in policy work (with Involvement colleagues).
• Support partnerships with research funders, medical research charities, academic institutions and health system leaders, coordinating meetings, shared resources and monitoring commitments and agreements

About You

You will:

• Be educated to degree level in a science, health, social science or related discipline
• Have experience of collaborative working with senior internal and external stakeholders, supporting partnership building in research, clinical and/or voluntary sectors

To fulfil the role, you must be a resident of the UK and have the right to work in the UK

Please state any preferences for flexible options in your covering letter.

Finding strength through support

The organisation is the only charity in the UK providing lifelong support for all stroke survivors and their families. Providing tailored support to tens of thousands of stroke survivors each year. This support includes one-to-one and group support, funding vital scientific research into stroke prevention, acute treatment, recovery and long-term care, and campaigning to secure the best care for everyone affected by stroke. 

They are here for stroke survivors and their loved ones, from the moment they enter the new and frightening post-stroke world, supporting them every step of the way as they find their strength and their way back to life.

It’s only thanks to the generosity of supporters and donors that they can provide vital support. 

The Association is driven by an ambition to improve the lives of everyone affected by stroke. This means they’re determined to create an equitable and inclusive workplace that benefits from the difference, and thrives on the diversity, of our people. Guided by an approach to solving inequity in stroke, the team are prioritising listening to, and learning from, lived experience across the charity.

The charity are working to improve the representation of this lived experience at all levels within the Association and are eager to recruit applicants from a variety of communities and backgrounds. We are keen to receive applications from people affected by stroke, people of colour, members of LGBT+ communities, and disabled people because these identities and experiences are underrepresented and would add enormous value to how the organisation work.

A Disability Confident employer, the organisation is making great progress focusing on flexible working, reasonable adjustments and access to work.

You may also have experience in areas such as Research Officer, Research and Policy Officer, Partnerships Officer, Research Policy and Partnerships Officer, Research and Policy, Policy and Partnerships.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client, Not For Profit People. #INDNFP

Our new Finance Manager will oversee all financial operations of the charity, ensuring excellent financial management, compliance, and accurate reporting. The role involves managing all finance functions, including expenses, forecasting, budgeting, reporting and financial analysis. 

Headway North Staffordshire is at an exciting stage, having undergone many changes but now focused on the delivery of new strategic plans. Reporting directly to the CEO, strengthening the leadership team of six, and managing the charity's Bookkeeper, the incoming Finance Manager will replace a current interim manager. This permanent appointment reflects the board's commitment to the senior management team and the finance function.

This is a 21 hour per week post; exact working hours are negotiable / flexible.

Please apply via the charity's website, the closing date is Friday 01 May 2026, interview dates 11th and 12th May, prospective second interview date 18th May.

We are Gingerbread. We’re here to fight for single parents and their families.

We campaign against the injustices that single parents face every single day, and we challenge the stigmas around being a single parent. We provide information to support all single parents so that they have the tools to support their children and themselves. And we provide a support network so that, with Gingerbread, no single parent is ever alone.

Join us today. Together, we can create a world where all single parents and their children don’t just survive but thrive.

Why join Gingerbread?

The work we do has a real impact. We make a difference in the lives of single parents. We do this through collaborative, focused working. We care passionately about the work we do, and we care for each other.

Overview of Job

The Fundraising Manager will play a key role in developing and delivering Gingerbread’s fundraising plans. The role leads our trusts and grants programme, producing strong, well‑evidenced proposals, building positive relationships with funders and ensuring our reporting clearly reflects our impact. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, they will help ensure fundraising is embedded in our work and aligned with Gingerbread’s strategic goals.

For more information about the role, please see the Advert Pack.

About the role

If you're passionate about keeping people safe and making a real difference, this is your chance to use your expertise where it truly matters. As our Health & Safety Compliance Manager, you'll play a vital role in creating safe, supportive spaces across more than 170 Mind shops across England & Wales.

You'll take the lead on shaping our Health & Safety approach, offering expert advice, strengthening our safety culture, and building strong relationships with teams across the country. Every day, you'll help bring our values and behaviours to life while playing a key role in supporting the wider fight for mental health.

If you want a role with purpose - where your skills protect people, improve experiences, and support the wider fight for mental health - this could be the perfect next step.

We're looking for someone who:

• Holds the NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent) and brings solid experience in a Health & Safety management role within a similar environment.
• Can translate complex technical information into clear, accessible guidance for colleagues at all levels.
• Has experience managing risk assessments, statutory compliance and provider/contractor relationships with confidence.
• Thrives working independently, juggling multiple priorities, and building strong partnerships across diverse teams.

Ready to make a difference?

Join Mind Retail. Join the fight for mental health.

Mind Retail reserve the right to close the vacancy to applications earlier, should we receive a high volume of strong candidates. Therefore we encourage an early application.

About our benefits

As Health & Safety Compliance Manager, you'll receive:

• A competitive salary of £39,572 per year
• A company car
• A strong commitment to work-life balance
• 25 days' paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Development workshops & courses, to help build your career
• Comprehensive, personalised induction programmes, tailored to your role when you join us
• A huge variety of additional qualifications & development programmes for anyone looking to grow their skills
• Family friendly policies & enhanced pay
• A competitive pension scheme & life assurance, available to all our employees
• 25% staff discount in all Mind shops
• Access to exclusive discounts at over 160 retailers through our employee savings app
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Interest free season ticket loan

About Mind Retail

Mind Retail are a network of over 170 shops across England and Wales, generating an income of around £25 million per year. We have ambitious plans to grow over the next few years and we're going to be fighting for mental health in a way we never have before. We won't stop until everyone with a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. There's never been a more exciting time to join us.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We value the power of diversity. We embrace the different perspectives that each of us bring. We are creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is appreciated for being authentic and bringing their whole selves to work.

More details

For more information and a full person specification, please check on the Job Description button below.

About the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN)

The Nature Friendly Farming Network is a UK-wide, farmer-led organisation working to restore the balance between farming and nature. 

We support farmers by sharing practical knowledge, resources and case studies that help boost food production, protect wildlife, and build climate resilience.

We influence policy to secure fair rewards for farmers who look after the environment, and we connect thousands of like-minded farmers across the UK through knowledge sharing, events and campaigns.

Membership is free and open to farmers, the public and organisations.
 

About the role

We are looking for a Parliamentary Engagement Officer to strengthen our engagement with policymakers across the UK.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of farming, environment and policy. You will play a key role in ensuring that farmer experience and evidence are reflected in parliamentary discussions, helping to shape conversations that impact the future of farming.

Working directly with the Chief Executive and closely with the policy team, you will monitor parliamentary activity, identify opportunities for engagement, and support timely and well-informed interaction with MPs, peers and their teams. You will also work across the organisation, including with country teams and farmer steering groups, to ensure engagement reflects priorities across all UK nations.

This is a practical, fast-paced role suited to someone who is organised, politically aware, and able to respond quickly to emerging opportunities.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor parliamentary activity across Westminster and the devolved parliaments, identifying relevant debates, questions, committees and opportunities for engagement

• Maintain a forward view on key parliamentary activity and upcoming moments of influence

• Produce and circulate clear, concise briefings on parliamentary activity and recommended areas for engagement

• Draft and support the submission of parliamentary questions, briefings and lines for MPs, peers and their staff

• Build and maintain relationships with MPs, peers, advisers and parliamentary staff across parties

• Support coordinated engagement with political stakeholders, ensuring activity is timely and aligned with organisational priorities

• Work with colleagues and partners to support effective and aligned parliamentary engagement

• Support relationships between farmers and parliamentarians, including organising farm visits and meetings where appropriate

• Translate farmer experience and insights into clear and practical input for parliamentary engagement

• Support the planning and delivery of parliamentary events, meetings and roundtables

• Organise meetings with MPs, peers and advisers, including preparing briefings and follow-up actions

• Maintain accurate records of parliamentary contacts and engagement activity, and support internal reporting

• Contribute to campaign activity and wider organisational work where required

What we are looking for

You will bring:

• A working understanding of how the UK Parliament and devolved legislatures operate, and how to engage effectively with those processes

• Experience engaging with political, policy or stakeholder environments

• Strong writing skills, with the ability to produce clear and concise briefings and summaries

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail

• The ability to manage competing priorities and respond quickly to emerging opportunities

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships

• The ability to translate complex or real-world information into clear, practical input

• Confidence working independently in a remote team environment

• An interest in farming, environmental issues or public policy

Additional information

The NFFN is a politically neutral organisation. This role requires the ability to engage constructively with stakeholders across all political parties and UK nations.

Longmire Recruitment is our dedicated partner for this vacancy

Public Affairs Manager

Location: Home-based with frequent travel to Westminster and occasional travel to the devolved nations

Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week), with some evening work and travel required*

* The RSB currently offers a four-day working week (32 hours), which is non-contractual and reviewed annually

Position:Permanent

The Royal Society of Biology is a single unified voice, representing a diverse membership of individuals, learned societies and other organisations across the biosciences. Our members study, work and research in fields that encompass humans, animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, ecosystems and the molecular mechanisms of life. Our vision is of a world that values biology's contribution to understanding and improving life for all.

This exciting new Public Affairs Manager role will sit within the External Affairs department. It will lead the RSB’s political engagement, and maximise the Society's influence on relevant government policy across the UK.  Working closely with the Policy teams, the Public Affairs Manager will champion the RSB's policy priorities in relation to bioscience research, innovation and education, ensuring that policymakers understand the Society's mission and the needs of its members.  You will also deliver an annual programme of engagement in Westminster on behalf of the wider STEM community, and collaborate with partners on STEM-related activity across the devolved nations.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience in public affairs and parliamentary engagement, ideally within the science, research, health, education or charity sectors.
• An understanding of the UK research and innovation landscape and education system, and knowledge of relevant stakeholders.
• An understanding of evidence-based policymaking and the ability to draft clear briefings on complex scientific or technical issues.
• Experience of building relationships with parliamentarians, civil servants and sector stakeholders.
•  Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into accessible messaging for political audiences.

Longmire Recruitment is our dedicated recruitment partner for this vacancy.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

The RSB is committed to ensuring equal opportunities in the life sciences, and supports diversity throughout lifetimes at school and higher education, in the workplace and training; we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to achieve our mission.

#PublicAffairs