Policy and programme manager jobs

Director UK Resilience

 Location: UK Wide, Flexible (Hybrid)

Salary: £95,000 - £105,000 per annum, dependent on experience
Hours: 35 per week
Contract: Permanent

Are you ready to lead the British Red Cross’s crisis resilience across the UK - helping to prevent suffering, save lives and uphold dignity when it matters most?

This is a rarely advertised, high‑impact leadership opportunity to play a defining role in how the British Red Cross delivers its humanitarian mission across the UK. As Director of UK Resilience, you will lead at the moments when people are most vulnerable - shaping how communities prepare for crises, respond in emergencies, and recover with strength and dignity.

 You will set the strategic direction for a coordinated, UK‑wide approach to emergency response, recovery, preparedness and community education, working in close partnership with government, emergency services, local authorities and the voluntary sector. Your leadership will ensure the British Red Cross is ready to act swiftly and effectively in an increasingly complex and unpredictable crisis landscape.

 Embedded within UK Operations, you will provide national strategic leadership at scale, enabling the organisation to mobilise staff, volunteers and partners rapidly and with confidence. Operating within a complex matrix environment, you will bring together multidisciplinary teams and senior leaders, harnessing the depth of expertise across our workforce and volunteer network to deliver trusted, well‑coordinated humanitarian responses.

 With the reach, credibility and experience of the Red Cross Movement behind you, you will help deliver large‑scale, integrated responses alongside statutory responders - meeting immediate humanitarian need while strengthening long‑term community resilience. Representing the organisation nationally, you will build influential partnerships, support delivery of our 2030 Strategy, and help ensure our crisis response continues to evolve in line with our Fundamental Principles.

 At the heart of this role is a deep commitment to humanity. If you are motivated by purpose, ready to lead at national level, and driven to make a tangible difference in people’s lives when they need it most, this is your opportunity to help lead the Red Cross mission in the UK.

What will a day in the life of a UK Director of UK Resilience involve?

• Providing overall national strategic leadership for the British Red Cross’s UK resilience mission, shaping how we prepare for, respond to and recover from crises across the UK.
• Setting the direction and ensuring delivery of a nationally coherent, evidence‑based UK Resilience offer, aligned to the organisation’s 2030 Strategy and humanitarian mission.
• Leading a large, multidisciplinary directorate across Strategy & Performance, Product, Business Services and Operations, creating clarity of accountability and empowering teams to deliver at scale.
• Acting as the organisation’s professional authority on humanitarian resilience, ensuring British Red Cross expertise informs national policy, standards and practice.
• Building and sustaining strategic partnerships with government (including devolved administrations), statutory responders, civil contingencies partners and the voluntary and community sector.
• Ensuring resilience activity across the UK is effective, consistent, financially sustainable and grounded in operational delivery, with a clear focus on communities most exposed to risk.
• Working closely with operational leaders and volunteer teams to maintain readiness and the ability to scale quickly during crises.

To be a successful UK Director of UK Resilience, what will you need?

• Knowledge of national resilience systems, including preparedness, response and recovery arrangements operating across the UK.
• Senior-level experience of leading or influencing complex, multi-agency and multi-stakeholder environments, with the ability to work effectively across sectors.
• Experience of developing and delivering strategy at national or system level, including translating strategic intent into priorities and outcomes.
• Experience of building and sustaining strategic partnerships with government, emergency responders and voluntary and community sector organisations.
• Experience of operating with senior stakeholders, including producing high-quality strategic documents and Board-level papers.
• Understanding and experience of how risk, vulnerability and impact from crises differ across communities, and how this shapes effective resilience planning and delivery.

We understand that no candidate will meet every requirement. If your experience looks a little different but you feel you can bring value to this role, we would strongly encourage you to apply.

Interested? Apply now!
Please submit your application via the British Red Cross website. You’ll need an up-to-date CV and supporting statement as part of your application.

The closing date for applications is 23.59 on the 5th July 2026.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation and we value different experiences and the perspectives that lived experience brings. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in leadership.

In return for your commitment and expertise, you’ll get:

• Flexible working: Remote and hybrid working, flexitime, compressed hours, and job sharing.
• Holidays: 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) + option to buy 5 extra days.
• Pension scheme: Up to 6% contributory pension.
• Learning & Development: A wide range of career and learning opportunities.
• Discounts: Blue Light Discount Card, Tickets For Good & employee benefits platform.
• Wellbeing Support: Peer Supporters, CiC (EAP) & Headspace App.
• Cycle2Work: Lease a bicycle through the scheme.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident & Carer Confident employer.

We are dedicated to building an inclusive, equitable and wellbeing‑focused culture where everyone feels safe, valued and can thrive. Guided by our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Strategy, we foster belonging, psychological and physical wellbeing, and work to remove barriers to fair opportunities. Grounded in compassion and anti‑racist practice, we listen to diverse voices, value lived experience and create environments where staff and volunteers can succeed.

Together, we are the world’s emergency responders.

We’re currently recruiting two full-time qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) to work directly with young people in our Mental Health Support Team (MHST). For this post you need to have successfully completed the Education Mental Health Practitioner Post Graduate Diploma. We are also looking for people with an open and flexible attitude; excellent engagement skills and a passion for working with children and young people around mental health.

Responsibilities include offering CBT based self-guided mental health interventions to primary and secondary aged children and young people and their families. This involves individual and group-based support as well as supporting schools to implement a whole school approach. The posts have scope and opportunity for developing new initiatives and ways of working to support young people’s mental health across South London.

All posts are based on-site (office/school) and may require flexibility to work across different service areas and interventions. Some evening and/or weekend work may be necessary to meet the needs of young people. 

Please read the full Job Description and Person Specification for this role, attached to the advert. 

Applying for the Posts 

To be considered for the position, the Application Form and the Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form need to be completed and return to the email address on the Applicationby Sunday 5th July 2026.

We understand some candidates may want to use AI tools when applying. Whilst we welcome the use of technology to support clear communication and structure, we also want to learn more about the authentic you, so please ensure that your application reflects your own skills, knowledge and experiences wherever possible. In the spirit of transparency - we also ask that you indicate if you have used AI in your application.

Decisions about who to invite for interview will be based on how well someone demonstrates that they meet the person specification for the specific post, so please make sure you complete the application form fully and accurately, giving evidence of how you meet each point in the person specification and indicating your relevant knowledge, skills and experience. Please note that CVs will not be considered.We are currently not considering applications from Children Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs) for this role.

Email applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt and shortlisted candidates will be contacted as soon as possible after the closing date.