Programme lead jobs

About ELBA

ELBA is a leading social regeneration charity in east London. Our mission is to develop employee volunteering and employment initiatives to decrease poverty, improve social mobility and increase equality for communities in east London and beyond. We facilitate corporate support from over 100 organisations into our community, education and employment programmes.

With over 35 years of experience enabling successful partnerships between businesses and communities, ELBA engages over 16,000 corporate employees in volunteer programmes annually that support employment, education and community initiatives. In 2024 the Community Works programme supported over 250 charities and social enterprises through engaging employee volunteers in practical and skills-based volunteering opportunities.

Purpose of the job

The Education Programme at ELBA seeks to raise aspirations of young people, develop their business awareness, and support their employability competencies. Our work involves supporting secondary schools, colleges and universities, predominately through events bringing volunteers together from our corporate partners with local students to support the development of their employability skills and to raise aspirations. Working closely with ELBA’s corporate partners, the team engage students in various opportunities supporting Gatsby Benchmarks 5 & 6.

The role

This role will involve managing relationships with secondary schools, colleges, universities and ELBA corporate partner companies, providing vital support to coordinate and run events of varying scales throughout the academic year. This also includes supporting Mentoring Works, a programme that has been running since 1996 and connects Year 10 and Sixth Form/college students to volunteer business mentors working in the City and Canary Wharf. Taking the relationship lead for a number of our education institutions and corporate partners, the successful candidate will manage these relationships and ensure successful outcomes.

Job Description

Relationship Management

• Develop and manage strong relationships with education partners, this can include recruiting students for Mentoring Works and planning a calendar of events with Career Departments.
• Manage event requests from both education and corporate partners
• Run cross school projects throughout the year with multiple schools taking part
• Support the account management process of corporate partners by attending meetings with the wider account management team
• As a success indicator, consistently secure and maintain high satisfaction ratings from education and corporate partners, ensuring a positive experience for all stakeholders and volunteers.

Delivery

• Deliver projects and activities for educational institutions in line with the priorities and opportunities identified.
• Create and develop materials and resources, share best practice and design new programmes in line with changing priorities.
• Lead on development and delivery of group activities to support the Mentoring Works programme and feedback sessions with students
• Work proactively with CSR departments and other contacts within ELBA corporate partners to promote and enable delivery of projects/activities.
• Promote safety and wellbeing of students at all times and to follow ELBA’s safeguarding policies and have full regard of the policies of the schools and colleges engaged in ELBA programmes
• As a success indicator, ensure the execution of project milestones by consistently meeting or exceeding delivery timelines and stakeholder requirements.

Communication, reporting and evaluation

• All ELBA employees are required to use Salesforce as a record of activity. Training will be provided. Update Salesforce with all activity in line with agreed timescales, share updates with partners on activity.
• Support the Comms team as required
• Implement agreed evaluation and impact measurement tools for each project/activity
• Regularly write case studies, newsletter stories to showcase the impact of the education programme
• As a success indicator, produce comprehensive annual impact reports for partner schools, colleges, and universities, translating activity data into actionable insights that demonstrate programme value and success.

General

• Represent and act as an ELBA ambassador at meetings, social events and functions when required
• Attend ELBA team meetings, collaborate with other ELBA colleagues on projects where appropriate and contribute to the development of ELBA as an organisation
• Adhere to relevant policies including equal opportunities and health and safety

About MSI

MSI Reproductive Choices is one of the world’s leading providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare. We believe that everyone should have the right to choose. From contraception to safe abortion and life-saving post-abortion care, we are committed to delivering compassionate, affordable, high-quality services for all.

Today, our organisation has almost 9,000 team members working in 36 countries across the world. Our success lies in the fact that MSI teams are locally led, entrepreneurial and results-driven, and are passionate about delivering high quality, client-centred care in their own communities. As a social business, we focus on sustainable delivery, efficiency, and funding models that are built to last, so that the women and girls we serve today will have a choice in the future too.

We know that access to reproductive choice is life changing. For some, it can mean the ability to complete an education or start a career. For others, it means being able to look after the family they already have. For everyone, it means the freedom to decide their own future, creating a fairer, more equal world.

About the Role

The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is an independent philanthropic organisation, working with a range of partners to transform the lives of children and adolescents. CIFF’s portfolio focuses on child health and development, climate change, sexual and reproductive health and rights, girl capital and child protection. CIFF has been partnering with MSI since 2015 to boost sexual and reproductive health and rights globally.  The Challenge Fund Programme (2024-2028) is a $100m programme with global and bilateral investments from CIFF to advance sexual and reproductive health services and increase modern contraceptive prevalence in six countries across West and Central Africa.

MSI seeks a Global Programmes and Philanthropy (GPP) Adviser to support the implementation of the CIFF Challenge Fund Programme. Working in the Challenge Fund programme team and directly reporting to Head of Challenge Fund, the GPP Adviser will provide programme management and administrative support to the Head of and two Programme Managers across the Challenge Fund Programme to ensure timely and quality delivery of deliverables against donor reporting obligations  and close budget monitoring. In addition, this role will play a key role in the coordination of overarching internal ways of working, including the organisation of external donor engagement meetings and events. This is an exciting role that requires excellent financial and data analysis skills, strong communication skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent ability to work across teams to deliver results, and great attention to detail.

This role is part of the broader team supporting CIFF investments, headed by an Associate Director. The team oversees the technical design and execution of CIFF investments and is responsible for safeguarding and advancing MSI’s relationship with CIFF as a key contributor to achieving MSI’s mission. The team provides organizational leadership to ensure that MSI’s strategy, policy, systems, and capacities are responsive to donor priorities and investments and that CIFF programming advances the MSI2030 strategy.

About You

For us, it’s vital that every MSI team member believes in and is committed to our organisational mission, vision and values.

This means that we will only accept applications from candidates who are unequivocally pro-choice.

Our values act as guiding principles, providing us with a clear direction. They set the tone for how we approach our work, interact with others and align ourselves as ‘One MSI’. It’s important that our team members truly resonate with our values and demonstrate them consistently, in all that they do.

We recruit talented, dynamic individuals with diverse backgrounds who share our mission and are focused on delivering measurable results. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone can participate and contribute meaningfully. We value open-mindedness, curiosity, resilience, and a solutions-oriented mindset, alongside a commitment to promoting equality and safeguarding the welfare of both team members and clients.

We seek exceptional communicators who are self-motivated, solutions-driven, and aligned with MSI’s mission and entrepreneurial mindset. You should be dedicated to driving social change in an environment focused on sustainable impact, both locally and globally, and comfortable working with diverse teams in an ambiguous setting.

To perform this role, you’ll need the following skills:

• Strong project management and organisational skills and the ability to multi-task, problem solve and prioritise to manage multiple and competing demands from internal and external stakeholders
• Be data-literate with an attention for details. Able to analyse and interpret datasets and spot trends.
• Excellent communication and multimedia skills, plus strong interpersonal skills
• Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and Powerpoint, as well as other applications (Adobe etc)
• Knowledge of existing and emerging online platforms and tools for meetings and workshop facilitation 
• A demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, perform under pressure and reputation for consistently delivering results to a high standard
• Knowledge of reproductive health care and rights
• Fluent English and French.

To perform this role, you’ll need the following experience:

• Demonstrable experience in a grant management role, ideally in an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) or well acknowledged non-governmental organisation (NGO) (essential)
• Experience working with a range of internal and external stakeholders across organisations and across countries (essential)
• Experience of managing restricted foundations/government/institutional donor-funded projects (desirable), including project monitoring and reporting to the donor, proactive risk management and escalation (desirable)

Formal education/qualification

• Degree in related subject (e.g. social sciences, international development or related field) or equivalent on-the-job experience in a grant management role

For the full job description, please see our website.

Location: London, UK (minimum of 2 days per week in the office) or any country programme where MSI operates in.

Full-time: 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday.

Contract type: 12-month fixed term contract.

Salary: £32,400 - £42,750 per annum. The salary will be strictly banded within the local national context.

Salary band: BG 7

Closing date: 2nd April (midnight BST). Interviews may take place before this date for exceptional candidates.

For internal employees applying from an MSI country programme, the role will be positioned within the existing salary structure of the country. Local terms and conditions of the country will apply. 

Good relationships shape our health and happiness, yet we are taught so little about them. LMK (Let Me Know) is on a mission to change that. We are a young and thriving charity providing education about healthy and unhealthy behaviours so that young people have the knowledge and skills to avoid abuse and thrive in their relationships. We work in schools, community organisations and workplaces across London. 

LMK’s Head of Programmes leads, develops and delivers LMKs high quality education programmes for young people and the trusted adults around them, ensuring our programmes are responsive to the changing experiences of young people and the feedback from our programme evaluation. Leading a passionate and talented team of employees and freelance youth workers, this role is an important ambassadorial role for LMK, bringing gravitas and insight from your experience of education provision to evidence LMK’s impact to fellow education professionals, youth workers, funders and the media. Working with the CEO, and our Youth Advisory Board, this role helps shape the strategic direction for LMK. 

We’re especially keen to hear from candidates who have:

• Strong understanding of RSHE / relationship education

• Senior leadership experience

• Experience in designing and delivering youth-focused education programmes

• Safeguarding expertise (DSL experience highly desirable)

• The ability to inspire, lead and support a diverse team.

Working from home, but with regular travel around London, so must be based in or near London.

Recruitment Timeline
Vacancy closing date: Sunday, March 22, 2026, 11:30 pm
First round interview date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Please see job description for more details.

About the role

We are excited to be recruiting a Programme Manager to join The Scholars Programme team. This role will be central in ensuring high quality programme management and oversee effective stakeholder stewardship across multiple geographical areas.

Programme Managers work closely with each other, reporting to the Head of Programme Management, to ensure excellent programme delivery across the UK. Each Programme Manager will manage a team of Programme Officers, who each manage a cluster of school-PhD tutor relationships. Programme Managers oversee all aspects of programme delivery by Programme Officers, ensuring key performance indicators are met. They will coach and support their team to deal with complex and sensitive issues from schools and PhD Tutors, becoming directly involved as a point of escalation. Programme Managers will be responsible for school retention targets and will identify opportunities to promote The Scholars Programme. They will directly deliver aspects of our provision including PhD tutor training, university events and tutor assessment centres. Programme Managers also lead collaborative work with other teams, providing strategic insight and oversight of joint processes to ensure information is disseminated and key actions are taken by the Programme Management team.

The role requires a driven and dynamic team player, with experience of success in programme management. They will be positive and pro-active in finding solutions, with a commitment to delivering excellent standards. They will champion the charity’s values and embody them in interactions with colleagues and partners.

While this role can be based in our London or Leeds offices, or be fully remote, it will involve some travel to deliver programme events at our different university partners and to attend in-person team days.

About you

The role will best suit someone who:

• Has knowledge and experience of the school and university sectors, including the university access agenda
• Has knowledge of educational interventions, including impact management
• Has proven experience in leading the delivery of a project or programme across a locality, is a qualified teacher (QTS or above) or has academic research experience
• Has experience of line management and/or leading and delivering through others
• Has a demonstrable passion for furthering The Brilliant Club’s mission
• Adheres to information security policies included in the charities ISO 27001 manual and completes information security training

SWS Taskforce and UK Programme Co-ordinator

Are you an experienced administration and customer service professional looking to apply your organisational and customer service skills to an impact-driven programme, committed to safeguarding seasonal workers’ rights and supporting an ethical and sustainable UK horticultural sector?

Then this could be the position for you.

We are looking for an experienced administrator to provide programme co-ordination support as a key member of the Seasonal Worker Scheme (SWS) Taskforce Secretariat team in Stronger Together to ensure that Taskforce governance and programme activities are appropriately coordinated and excellent customer service is provided.

In this varied role you’ll be involved in supporting the organisation of webinars and face-to-face events, providing secretariat support to governance meetings – including minute taking – you’ll ensure programme impact data is accurately captured and reported, and distribute a range of internal and external communications for the Taskforce.

You’ll also provide effective and efficient administrative support to Stronger Together’s other UK programmes on specific projects and operational processes.

You will be UK-based with eligibility to work in the UK. You’ll work from home and join a friendly, supportive, and committed global team, and contribute towards creating systemic change.

Who we are:

Stronger Together is an impact driven, not for profit organisation that provides businesses with practical training, resources, business services and collaborative programmes. We work across three continents and within multiple sectors with many organisations to achieve our wider vision of a world where all workers are recruited responsibly and have fair work, free from exploitation.

The Seasonal Worker Scheme (SWS) Taskforce brings together over 50 industry trade bodies, retailers, growers, recruiters and non-profits to ‘work collaboratively to develop and implement tangible actions to help safeguard and ensure access to workers’ rights in the UK Seasonal Worker Scheme and wider UK horticulture.

What we can offer you:

• A full-time maternity cover contract, fixed term until end April 2027
• Competitive salary (salary band £28,575 – £35,719) gross annually for full-time and enhanced employee benefits
• Being part of an innovative and exciting not for profit organisation
• A friendly global team which is passionate about and committed to fair work, responsible recruitment and systemic change
• Flexible and family-friendly working arrangements
• UK-home-based, with regular in person and online meetings and social team gatherings.

How to apply:

Please use the link above to visit our website. 

Timeline:

• Application deadline: 23:59 GMT –  Monday 6th April 2026
• Shortlisting: W/c 6th April 2026
• First interviews: W/c 13th April 2026

Are you a highly organised project leader with a track record of developing rigorous and impactful processes? Do you want to lead the delivery of the nationally-recognised accreditation transforming mental health in higher education? This could be the role for you.

We’re looking for a methodical and strategic Programme Manager (Award) to manage the end-to-end delivery of University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) Award and act as key spokesperson for the programme. 

You’ll play a vital role in ensuring that the Award upholds its standards and values, and continues to develop and scale, supporting positive change for staff and students at universities across the UK.

About the role

• Lead the delivery of the nationally-recognised accreditation for mental health in higher education: the University Mental Health Charter Award.
• The UMHC Award recognises universities that promote the mental health and wellbeing of their university communities and supports them to continually improve. 
• You will own the end-to-end management of a complex, high-profile and impactful programme, balancing administrative excellence and strategic development.

Key responsibilities

• Drive the Award lifecycle, from onboarding universities, coordinating our network of assessors and managing the Award panel.
• Scale and continually improve the Award process, ensuring it remains rigorous, impactful and values-led.
• Act as key spokesperson and point of contact for universities and other stakeholders.
• Responsible for budget, risk and line management. 

What we’re looking for

• Proven track record of managing complex projects.
• Experience developing, maintaining and improving robust systems and processes.
• A rigorous approach to accuracy and quality control.
• Comfortable holding difficult conversations with stakeholders at all levels.
• A commitment to co-production, equality, anti-racism and an interest in mental health.

Find out more about the essential criteria for this role by downloading our Recruitment Pack from the documents section.

What you will gain

• The chance to contribute to a high-impact national programme supporting better mental health for university communities across the UK.
• Experience in a varied role with opportunities to learn and develop.
• A supportive and collaborative workplace culture that values wellbeing.
• Flexibility in how and where you work. 

How to apply
If this sounds like a good fit, we’d love to hear from you!

1. Click “Redirect to recruiter”, then scroll to the 'Vacancies and volunteering' section of our 'Join our team' page to access the job listing.
2. Download the recruitment pack in the document section at the bottom of this page, where you’ll find more information about the role including responsibilities and person specifications. 
3. Download and complete our application form - instead of collecting CVs, we use an application form to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all. 
   1. Please refrain from including any identifying details in your application answers.
4. Upload your completed application form as a word document. 
   1. Please note that once you start your application on our portal, you will have 24 hours to upload your completed form. Before clicking 'Apply' and beginning the application process, make sure your form is fully completed and ready to upload.
5. Complete the Equality Monitoring Form.

Student Minds is committed to building an inclusive team and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and walks of life.

Our Second Home (OSH) is the UK’s youth movement for people with refugee backgrounds. We support young people to build community, become leaders, and flourish into adulthood in the place they call home.

Each year, hundreds of young people from dozens of countries and living in London & Bristol take part in our residential programmes, leadership training and youth hubs. Our residentials are often the first step – immersive, relationship-rich spaces where young people connect, reflect and begin to see themselves as leaders. From there, many move into leadership training and take on volunteer roles within the movement.

Our work is youth-led and rooted in lived experience. We are now implementing our 2025–2028 strategy, focused on strengthening quality, embedding learning and ensuring our growth is sustainable and safe.

The Head of Programmes is a senior leadership role, reporting to the CEO and managing two senior colleagues. You will hold responsibility for the quality, coherence and safeguarding of all programme activity.

Responsibilities (abridged - see attached job description)

Programme Leadership & Strategy in Practice

• Lead implementation of OSH’s 2025–2028 programme strategy.

• Oversee the design, quality and coherence of residentials, leadership training and hubs.

• Take operational responsibility for residential delivery, including participant referrals, recruitment of staff and freelancers, programme content and educational standards.

• Attend and lead approximately five residential programmes per year.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen youth engagement and leadership pathways as the organisation scales.

• Ensure programme data is accurately recorded and used to improve delivery.

Team Leadership

• Line manage the Communities Manager and Leadership & Volunteering Manager.

• Provide structured supervision, clear objectives and professional development support.

• Ensure strong coordination between hubs, residentials and leadership pathways.

• Build a culture of accountability, reflection and continuous improvement.

Safeguarding & Welfare

• Act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and serve as DSL at events as required.

• Ensure safeguarding practice is robust, consistent and embedded across all activities.

• Respond to safeguarding and behavioural issues appropriately and oversee safe recruitment processes.

Partnerships, Budget & Oversight

• Maintain referral partnerships and represent OSH externally where appropriate.

• Hold programme budgets within agreed limits and ensure financial discipline.

• Embed monitoring, evaluation and reflective practice across the programme team.

Experience & Competencies (abridged - see attached job description)

Essential

• At least 5 years’ experience in youth or youth-centred programming, including residential or intensive settings.

• Experience designing and delivering leadership development or informal education programmes.

• Strong facilitation and training skills.

• Demonstrable experience managing staff and developing teams.

• Strong understanding of safeguarding practice and willingness to act as Deputy DSL.

• Experience working with young people from refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds, or strong understanding of the issues affecting them.

• Ability to balance strategic oversight with hands-on delivery in a part-time senior leadership role.

• Strong organisational skills and commitment to inclusive, youth-led practice.

Desirable

• Level 3 Safeguarding training.

• Experience managing programme budgets.

• Experience contributing to organisational strategy or scaling programme models.

• Familiarity with Google Workspace, Beacon CRM, MyConcern or similar systems.

• Lived experience of migration or displacement.

RNCSF enables hundreds of vulnerable children each year to access the care, stability and education that prepares them for success in life--join our small and dedicated team to run the SpringForward programme for care-experienced post-18 success through university preparation and employment opportunities leveraging resources from the UK's top independent schools.

​The Biochemical Society are seeking a Training Manager, on an 18-month Fixed Term contract to support the Biochemical Society Training programmes.

Training Manager role is an exciting opportunity to lead and deliver on agreed strategy across our current and future programme of training events, activities and resources, and plays a key role in taking the Society’s training programme forwards, focusing on the delivery and development of existing training programmes, the creation and implementation of exclusive members-only training opportunities to enhance our membership offering, and for devising and implementing new training courses by working with volunteers to develop appropriate content.

Reporting to the Director of Events and Training, this role will set up and lead all stages of delivering new training, from conception to delivery, working with subject matter experts to explore new ideas to provide surplus-generating training for existing and new training programmes by gathering insight from members, other organisations and wider markets to understand training needs and inform the design of programmes.

Suitable candidates will have experience delivering income generating science-based training programmes, using Learning Management Systems and have excellent interpersonal skills, working on complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.

For more information about the organisation, please visit our website.

Here is some information on our Benefits package.

Closing date: 27th March 2026

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that this role is home-based and as such interviews will be virtual.

“We are interested in every candidate who is eligible to work in the United Kingdom. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.”

Please send a CV and covering letter. It is important that you DO NOT include your Personal Information i.e. name and contact details in your CV or Cover Letter. This is because the Society is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies to support staff from different backgrounds.

The Society takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

Please note that due to limited resources it is not possible for the Society to acknowledge receipt of applications. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

An exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated team supporting young people to build resilience and thrive.At an exciting time of growth for our charity, we are looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated leader to manage programmes and daily operations at our farm near Skipton, nestled in the sweeping countryside south of the Yorkshire Dales.You will play a key role in ensuring our young people have a meaningful, inclusive, and memorable experience with Jamie’s Farm, feeling the positive impact long after their visit. 

What is Jamie’s Farm?Jamie’s Farm is a charity that supports young people by combining therapeutic work, farming, and purposeful activities to help them thrive. Through residential visits to our working farms, we provide a nurturing environment where young people can reflect, build confidence, and develop the resilience they need to overcome personal challenges. 

More about the role:As Head of Farm, you will help deliver our transition from Day visits to Residential visits at our Skipton farm, working alongside and managing a team to deliver an impactful programme. Your responsibilities will include leading up to four visits per month, ensuring the smooth delivery of residential visits, representing Jamie’s Farm with partner organisations, funders, volunteers and other stakeholders; and fostering a culture of empowerment and collaboration within the team. You will help achieve key performance goals including high visitor retention and staff satisfaction rates, while also leading professional development and team-building activities for your team. 

You will participate in all aspects of farm life - leading walks, guiding young people through meaningful output-based jobs like gardening or log chopping, and creating meaningful connections during shared meals and evening programmes. You will also contribute to broader Jamie’s Farm strategy as a key member of the Leadership team. 

About you:  We are looking for an experienced and passionate leader who embodies Jamie’s Farm core values of positivity, passion, generosity, collaboration, and professionalism. You will have experience in relational leadership and practice with young people. Prior management experience is preferred, showing your ability to support and motivate teams effectively. You will bring exceptional communication, teamwork, and organisational skills to the role. 

You will excel at developing meaningful relationships with diverse individuals and organisations, using positivity and empathy to inspire and motivate others. Your dedication to helping young people thrive, especially those in challenging circumstances, will drive the success of your team and the programme. 

Please see the full job description, desired experience and employee benefits by exploring our recruitment pack below.Don’t meet every single requirement? We’d still love to hear from you – your unique skills and experience could be just what we’re looking for. 

In many countries, emerging leaders (18-40 years old) feel as if the policy agenda is not responding to the needs of their generation. Yet, their input is essential for sustainable economic, social and political growth.

Dialogue Action developed the Next Gen Dialogues (NGD) as a response to this challenge and opportunity. Active in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia, the NGD works with emerging leaders and policymakers to find opportunities for cooperation and across regional, social and political divides. It provides a platform, and network through which to support emerging leaders to contribute to policymaking, cooperate with their peers to address shared concerns, and strengthen their ability to shape their future.

We are looking for a candidate who:

• Is excited to be support a new generation of leaders realise positive change.

• Enjoys networking and building relationships with diverse stakeholders, including governments, policymakers, diplomats, and funding partners.

• Works proactively and independently, demonstrating initiative and sound judgment.

• Brings experience in the not-for-profit sector, with confidence in organising events and delivering programmes effectively.

• Understands donor compliance, monitoring and evaluation, and the importance of delivering measurable impact and value for money.

• Is passionate about development and shares DA’s commitment to inclusivity, approaching development work with cultural sensitivity and respect for dignity.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 5–7 years of relevant experience in programme delivery within NGO, humanitarian, development, sustainability, or impact-focused contexts.

• Demonstrated programme management experience, including project design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and narrative and financial reporting.

• Proven experience in community engagement, dialogue facilitation, and participatory processes.

• Experience developing project concepts, writing funding proposals, and securing and managing donor relationships.

• Financial management experience, including preparing and overseeing annual project budgets of at least £200,000.

• Line management experience, including performance management and staff development.

• Strong contextual knowledge of the SWANA region.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Skills & Competencies

• The role is UK-based, and applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

• Willingness to travel regularly to participating countries in the NGD (subject to the security situation in each).

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Ability to operate effectively in politically sensitive and complex environments.

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities under pressure.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Teams, Outlook); interest or experience in AI tools is an advantage.

• Arabic highly desirable.

While this is a fixed term contract, we intend this to be the beginning of a long-term partnership.

If you would like more information or are interested in applying, please read more about the role and how to apply on our website.

Salary:                                 £62,651 per annum

Contract Type:                     Fixed Term Contract – Paternity Cover (up to 10 months)

Closing date:                     12 April 2026 at 11pm

Interview date:                  4 – 15 May 2026

About CARE

CARE International is a global humanitarian organisation leading the fight to end poverty in the world’s most challenging situations. Women and girls are at the centre of our work, because we cannot overcome poverty and inequality until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We know that when a crisis erupts, women are often the first to pick up the pieces, so we work alongside women, so they have the power to make change where it’s needed most. Founded in 1945, CARE currently works in over 100 countries and last year alone reached 53.4 million people through nearly 1,500 projects.

Why work for CARE International UK?

CARE International UK is currently developing its new 4-year Strategy working within the CARE International Vision 2030, which will launch in July 2026. The strategy will build on our focus on women’s leadership in crisis, and expand on our strengths in anticipatory action and women’s access to economic opportunities. This includes investing in CIUK’s Early Action Fund, which sits within the Programme Management Team and works with country offices to support communities to prepare for and respond to climate and conflict-related emergencies. The Programme Management Team is at the centre of driving the impact we want to achieve through our new strategy, and continuing to work towards our goal of giving more power, resources and space to local organisations and communities, in particular to women-led organisations and women activists, so they can lead the decisions, debates and programmes that affect their lives.

The Head of Programme Management is a key organisational leadership role and will be part of the CIUK Extended Leadership Team working with other heads of team and the senior leadership team to help run the organisation effectively and deliver the 4-year strategy. CIUK’s restricted income from donors is significant and is CIUK’s largest income stream; as such the Head of PMT has a high level of responsibility for stewardship and effective management of the ongoing programme portfolio. Our largest programmes are complex multi-partner consortia in fragile contexts with budgets of up to £60m. The role-holder also has a crucial role to play in identifying learning from our programmes and sharing these across CARE and the sector.

About you

You will have demonstrated experience working with a range of donors, including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with deep knowledge of how the FCDO operates, how they are structured and contract programmes, as well as their current priorities. You will also have experience delivering programmes with corporate partners, and trusts and foundations. You will have the ability to build strong relationships and have demonstrated ability to negotiate complex contracts with donors and influence donor positions. You will have a strong programme management and risk management background that allows you to understand and work across multiple projects and contexts, and manage risk at the portfolio level, dealing effectively with new risks and issues as they emerge.

As a leader of a large team, you will have strong people leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate strategy into action, motivate colleagues and demonstrate to team members how their role links to organisational strategy and objectives. Your leadership style will be aligned with CIUK’s feminist leadership principles and values. You will need to have experience of working in donor-funded organisations, understand cost recovery models, and have experience working to deliver large-scale programming in development and/or humanitarian contexts.  A good understanding of the current debates in the sector on local leadership and a commitment to the principles set out in the pledge for change are essential.

About the role

The Head of Programme Management leads a large team to oversee all of CIUK’s active humanitarian and development projects funded by UK donors. The team leads CIUK’s relationships with Country Offices and Regions and develops close partnerships to help us achieve long-term and effective programming across the humanitarian and development arena. The team also builds strong relationships with institutional donors and works with the Partnerships and Philanthropy team to deliver corporate-funded programmes. The Head of Programme Management is responsible for ensuring strong grant management and donor compliance including programme financial management. The team ensures that CARE provides and is recognised by donors for offering excellent value for money and real impact for its programme participants. The team also leads CIUK’s approach to delivering smart development and humanitarian programmes with an increasing focus on equitable partnership approaches. 

The role covers four main areas of responsibility:

Representation and relationship management

Holding relationships with a set of senior stakeholders including FCDO Senior Responsible Owners, other donor counterparts, CARE Country Directors, Programme Directors and Regional Directors. Negotiating contract terms with donors and troubleshooting delivery issues with country offices. Positioning CARE’s work to external stakeholders, including personally representing CIUK in external forums and with donors.

Organisational and team leadership, strategy and planning:

Set and drive the programme management team’s annual plans and contribution to the organisation’s strategic priorities. Be accountable to delivering on team KPIs and organisational KPIs that link to PMT’s work. Play a key role in the leadership of the Programme and Policy department. Provide strong line management to direct reports and demonstrate a strong personal commitment to CIUK’s equity, diversity and inclusion goals and feminist leadership principles.

Financial and compliance management

Provide close and effective management of multi-million pound budgets. Reforecast accurately throughout the year, identifying and working with country offices to rectify implementation issues. Manage risks and issues at portfolio level, raising high and critical risks for attention by senior leadership and board as necessary. Ensure donor compliance is followed.

Programme quality, monitoring evaluation and learning

Ensure that CIUK closely monitors project implementation, relevance of programme outputs and outcomes and ensures programmes meet relevant technical standards and up to date best practice. Programmes fulfil requirements on programme quality and adhere to do no harm standards, the Core Humanitarian Standard, and ensure that CARE’s safeguarding standards are met throughout the life of the programme. Proactively share knowledge from CIUK’s programmes across the confederation and externally.

Right to Work in the UK

All applicants must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of appointment. Proof of right to work will be required as part of the recruitment process. For more information, please visit the UK Government's guidance on right to work. Where you do not have current right to work in the UK, then this will be discussed with you as part of the recruitment process. Please note that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship and further information (should you require sponsorship to work in the UK) on eligibility can be found here.

Safeguarding 

CARE International UK has a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse to, sexual harassment of or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners. CARE International UK expects all staff to share this commitment through our Safeguarding Policy (link here) and our Code of Conduct (link here). They are responsible for ensuring they understand and work within the remit of these policies throughout their time at CARE International UK.

Safeguarding our beneficiaries is our top priority in everything we do, including recruitment. All offers of employment at CARE International UK are subject to: 

· Satisfactory references. CARE International UK participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (link here).  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from successful applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. 

· Appropriate criminal record checks (including a Bridger check, link here).

By submitting an application, the applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

Equality and Diversity

We are committed to Equality and value Diversity. We are a Disability Confident Employer and particularly welcome applications from disabled people. We guarantee interviews to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role (see person specification). If you require the candidate brief or need to submit your application in an alternative format, because of a disability, please do get in touch by sending an email to HR.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We particularly welcome applications from people of underrepresented backgrounds, including those from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

Martingale Postgraduate Foundation (Martingale) exists to fund and support the next generation of talented researchers. We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence, and our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate research.

Martingale’s flagship programme is the Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship, which supports students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue and excel in postgraduate degrees, by providing:

• A fully-funded Living Wage Scholarship to pursue a one-year Masters degree or a four-year PhD.
• All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend for living costs.
• Tailored support to apply for Martingale courses at our partner universities.
• Access to Martingale programmes, including leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
• Membership of a pioneering community of talented researchers.

In the three years since Martingale launched, we are now supporting over 100 Scholars to undertake postgraduate degrees across our ten partner universities and have committed over £7.7m in Scholarships. We are continuing to expand our offer, bringing on new partners each year.

We are seeking an experienced, strategic and collaborative Head of Programmes to join our Senior Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in shaping our fast-growing Martingale Scholarship Programme.

As Head of Programmes, you will join our senior management team, overseeing the growing programmes team. Working closely with the CEO, you will oversee all aspects of Martingale’s Scholarship Programme from application to alumni, ensuring that the programme maintains a strong reputation for being both supportive and prestigious.

You will set the strategic direction of Martingale’s Scholarship Programme, working closely with the CEO on a day-to-day basis to ensure that as we expand across STEM the programme remains of a high quality and meeting Martingale’s mission. You will ensure that Martingale’s programmes are impactful, data informed and meet the needs of the scholars we are supporting. You will also be responsible for managing relationships with various external stakeholders including universities, funders and evaluation partners.

We are looking for a strong strategic leader with extensive programme experience including line management, partnership management and external relations. You will bring excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail, a proactive mindset, and a strong alignment with Martingale’s mission. We welcome applicants from a range of career paths who are excited to be part of a growing, fast-paced charity delivering meaningful impact.

Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures who provide operational and strategic support. The Head of Programmes will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.

About Purposeful Ventures

Our vision is for a fairer society where all young people thrive. We work with social entrepreneurs, organisations and philanthropists that share our vision. Through our work with these partners, young people are given opportunities in education and beyond, helping them reach their true potential.

Purposeful Ventures offers philanthropists and funders bespoke advice, using an evidence-based approach to help them to identify high-impact opportunities to fund. We then partner with visionary individuals and mission-driven organisations with strong theories of change. We help them turn great ideas into sustainable and successful ventures by offering fully individualised and very hands-on support, access to funding and a ‘high-challenge, high-support’ home. We do the minimum necessary and whatever it takes to succeed.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership of the Scholarship Programme

• Provide strategic oversight of the end-to-end Martingale Scholarship lifecycle, from selection and admissions through to scholar progression and alumni outcomes.
• Develop and deliver a multi-year operational strategy for Martingale’s Development Programme (MDP), ensuring scalability, academic excellence, and alignment with organisational growth plans.
• Continuously refine the scholar journey to ensure it is sector-leading, prestigious, and tailored to the needs of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Build deep expertise in postgraduate education, research culture, and enabling access to inform programme evolution and innovation.

Admissions & Selection Strategy

• Lead the design, governance, and continuous improvement of a rigorous, fair, and high-quality admissions and assessment process across subject areas.
• Oversee shortlisting, interview frameworks, assessment centres, and final scholarship recommendations to the Selection Committee.
• Ensure alignment between Martingale’s selection processes and university partner requirements.
• Maintain oversight of scholar allocation, including place management, deferrals, intermissions, withdrawals, and reallocations.

Scholar Experience & Case Management

• Ensure effective advocacy for Scholars including maximising progression and retention across cohorts.
• Oversee complex scholar casework, including deferrals, intermissions, safeguarding concerns, funding queries, disciplinary action and university liaison.
• Ensure consistent, professional, and high-touch support across the scholar lifecycle.
• Strengthen cohort cohesion and long-term alumni engagement.

Safeguarding & Compliance

• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Martingale, ensuring safeguarding policy implementation and record keeping in line with best practice in relation to vulnerable adults.
• Oversee data protection compliance relating to scholar and applicant data, in partnership with the organisation’s Data Protection Officer.
• Ensure programme delivery complies with charity, funding, and regulatory requirements.

Budget, Contracting & Financial Oversight

• Hold responsibility for programme budgets, ensuring effective resource allocation, cost control, and value for money.
• Oversee scholarship programme financial management, and work with Head of Strategy and Operations on onwards grants including deferrals, funding adjustments, and invoicing.
• Work with the Head of Strategy and Operations on university contracting, scholarship agreements, and financial reconciliation with partners.
• Ensure timely and accurate invoicing and reporting processes across programme operations.

University & Sector Partnerships (Programme-Focused)

• Lead programme-level relationships with university partners, including Heads of Departments, Graduate Tutors, CDT leads, and admissions teams.
• Ensure universities meet partnership commitments and that Scholars are appropriately supported institutionally.
• Contribute to partnership negotiations where programme design or operational delivery is concerned.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen university research culture and scholar support mechanisms.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Impact

• Lead development and oversight of Martingale’s Theory of Change and evaluation framework, working with our external independent evaluators.
• Develop robust systems to track scholar progression, outcomes, and programme effectiveness.
• Provide high-quality reporting to the CEO, Board, funders, and partners, evidencing impact and continuous improvement.

New Programme Development & Innovation

• Work with the CEO to design new subject expansions, pilots, or initiatives aligned to Martingale’s mission.
• Assess operational, financial, and reputational implications of programme growth.
• Develop business cases, delivery models, and implementation plans for expansion.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Provide senior leadership to the Programmes team, including line management of programme staff.
• Build a high-performing, mission-driven team with clear accountability and ownership.
• Develop succession planning and team capability as Martingale scales.
• Model Martingale’s values of excellence, professionalism, and thoughtful support.

Organisational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Senior Management Team, contributing to organisational strategy and governance.
• Represent Martingale externally in academic, sector, and policy contexts where appropriate.
• Support Board and Committee reporting related to programme performance and scholar outcomes.

Key Requirements:

Essential Criteria

• Right to work in the UK

Experience and skills

Essential

• Significant experience leading and delivering high-quality programmes, ideally in higher education, research, scholarships, or a mission-driven organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management experience, with evidence of working effectively with universities, academics, funders, or equivalent partners.
• Proven line management experience, with the ability to develop and lead a high-performing team.
• Experience managing complex operational delivery, including planning, timelines, and coordinating multiple moving parts.
• Strong experience handling sensitive casework and providing professional support to individuals.
• Budget management experience, including planning and overseeing programme delivery costs.
• Excellent written communication skills, including producing clear reports and briefings for senior audiences.
• Commitment to safeguarding, wellbeing and compliance, with willingness to act as safeguarding lead.

Desirable

• Experience working directly with postgraduate research, PhD programmes, or doctoral training environments.
• Experience designing or overseeing selection and assessment processes (e.g. interviews, admissions, recruitment pipelines).
• Experience managing programme evaluation frameworks, including Theory of Change and external evaluators.
• Familiarity with contracting, invoicing, and operational finance processes.
• Knowledge of UK higher education systems and research culture.
• Experience working in a start-up, scale-up, or fast-growing charity.

Personal Characteristics

• Highly organised, proactive, and able to prioritise effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: able to build rapport and trusting relationships, able to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
• Strong judgement, discretion and professionalism, including ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• A commitment to Martingale’s mission to support postgraduate students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Comfortable working in a rapidly growing and changing organisation with a degree of ambiguity – confident to create processes and ways forward where they might not yet exist.
• Creative and innovative: willing to think outside the box to maximise reach.
• Resourceful, able to act on initiative, hardworking, detail-oriented, and systematic.

Role: Senior Delivery Manager

Directorate:            Standards

Team:                      Workforce Development

Manager:                Director of Standards

Direct reports: Education Network Manager, High Skills Performance Coach and Curriculum Lead (two colleagues)

Role purpose

The Senior Delivery Manager plays a key role in leading high-quality operational delivery across WorldSkills UK’s workforce development products and services. The postholder will be responsible for contract, project and performance management, ensuring all programmes are delivered efficiently, consistently and to a high standard. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, this role leads operational systems, processes and delivery management to support effective provision for further and higher education and the skills system, raising standards of teaching, learning and assessment.

Key tasks and responsibilities

The postholder will be accountable for ensuring that workforce development programmes and services are delivered efficiently, compliantly and to a high standard, with strong operational oversight and continuous improvement.

Contract and project management

· Lead contract and relationship management with key grant funders, ensuring compliance with funding agreements and timely resolution of delivery issues.

· Ensure timely and accurate reporting, including regular performance updates and financial summaries, to support effective oversight and decision making.

· Maintain strong operational governance by identifying, managing and mitigating risks, and escalating issues appropriately.

· Oversee evaluation activity, ensuring evidence and insights to inform continuous improvement and future programme development.

Operational management

· Oversee data management processes to ensure accurate collection, monitoring and reporting of operational and performance data.

· Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of systems and tools that underpin programme delivery (e.g. CRM, dashboards, workflow).

· Design, refine and maintain operational processes that support high‑quality, efficient delivery and a positive customer experience across all workforce development activities.

Delivery management

· Lead the planning, implementation and delivery of workforce development products and services to ensure they meet agreed project objectives, quality standards and stakeholder requirements.

· Plan and oversee high‑impact events and training delivery, managing the full end‑to‑end customer journey from promotion and delegate engagement, through booking and delivery, to post‑event evaluation. Ensure all activity is scheduled and sequenced effectively around the academic year.

· Manage and support the team of trainers and coaches to deliver high‑quality, consistent and impactful training and engagement activity.

· Coordinate internal and external resources to ensure smooth, timely and cost‑effective delivery of programmes and services.

General

In addition to the key tasks and responsibilities set out above, employees at this level are expected to:

· Manage, support and motivate allocated staff to successfully deliver agreed activities and tasks.

· Produce specification requirements in line with procurement processes for outsourced activity.

· Contribute to organisational risk and issues management processes.

· Support delivery of WorldSkills UK’s strategic priorities and annual business plan.

· Ensure resources (staff, suppliers, partners, volunteers) are managed efficiently and effectively.

· Contribute to a performance‑driven culture with robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

· Demonstrate WorldSkills UK’s values in all aspects of the role, contributing to a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture.

· Promote and comply with WorldSkills UK’s policies, including safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion.

· Carry out any other duty as may be reasonably assigned that is consistent with the nature of the role and its level of responsibility. Any significant changes will be made in consultation with the post holder taking account of their experience, skills and capability.

Person specification

Key: [E] Essential / [D] Desirable.

Qualifications and experience:

· Experience of operational, project or programme management within education, skills or workforce development [E].

· Experience managing complex projects and multiple stakeholders in publicly funded or grant‑funded environments [E].

· Experience of event management or oversight of outsourced delivery [D].

Knowledge and skills:

· Strong programme and budget management skills [E].

· Ability to lead operational change initiatives and embed new systems and processes [E].

· Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and translate insights into action [E].

· Excellent risk management, problem‑solving and decision‑making skills [E].

· Ability to influence and motivate colleagues and partners, including those working remotely [E].

· Ability to build strong and effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders [E].

Personal qualities and attributes:

· Demonstrates professionalism, reliability and sound judgement [E].

· Organised and methodical, with a structured approach to planning and delivery [E].

· Able to work independently, using sound judgement and initiative, while collaborating effectively with others [E].

· Able to identify practical solutions and improve ways of working [E].

· ideas Adapts positively to changing priorities and ways of working [E].

· Works collaboratively with colleagues and partners to achieve shared goals [E].

· Able to motivate and support others to deliver high quality work [E].

Special circumstances:

· Able to work occasionally outside normal hours where required [E].

· Able to travel within the United Kingdom, where required [E].

· Able to undertake occasional overnight stays where required [E].

Summary of terms and conditions

· Permanent.

· The salary for this role is £50,000.

· WorldSkills UK offers a maximum employer’s contribution to your pension of 6% of your basic salary, on the condition that you make an employee contribution to your pension of at least 3%. You may choose to contribute a higher percentage of your salary to your pension, subject to statutory limits.

· Group Death in Service (Life insurance) 3 x annual salary.

· Health Care Cash plan.

· Normal place of work is Third Floor, 52-54 St John Street, London EC1M 4HF. This role is office based (as above) with flexible hybrid working. It is expected the postholder will attend the office at least once or twice a week (a minimum of four days per month).

· Full time working hours are a minimum of 35 hours per week, normal working hours are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday although we pride ourselves on having a flexible approach to our working practices and service delivery and are happy to discuss flexible working options, with suitable candidates.

· 25 days’ annual leave [which will increase by one additional day for each completed year of service up to a maximum of 30 days] plus public and bank holidays.

· The post is subject to six months’ probationary period with two weeks’ notice during the probationary period and one month thereafter.

· The offer of appointment will be subject to satisfactory references.

· Salaries are paid monthly by direct transfer on or about 21st of the month.

How to apply

WorldSkills UK is committed to making appointments on merit by fair and open processes and use a blind recruitment approach. Please ensure that you submit your application in Word (curriculum vitae and cover letter) to help us in this process.

We recognise that no candidate is likely to meet every criterion in full. If your experience is not an exact match but you believe you can bring relevant skills and experience to the role, we encourage you to apply.

Applications should be by email and must include:

· Curriculum vitae outlining your full career history. Please remove identifying information such as your name, contact details, date of birth, nationality, photographs and links to personal profiles to support our anonymised recruitment process. This includes your name, email address, date of birth, nationality, languages spoken other than English, photographs, and links to personal profiles (e.g. LinkedIn). Applications that contain identifying information in the CV may not be considered.

· Supporting statement outlining your suitability for the role, addressing the points listed in the role description and person specification. Throughout the recruitment process we will be looking for clear examples and evidence of your experience, knowledge and skills.

· Separate document containing your name, contact details (email and phone number) and confirmation of your right to work in the UK.

For the full information on how to apply, read the job pack attached to the advert. 

Interview process and timeline

It is intended that the interview process will have two stages:

· Stage 1 – online via MS Teams. The interviews will be held on Tuesday 7 April 2026.

· Stage 2 – in person. Candidates progressing to the second stage will be invited to attend an in-person interview at our office: Third Floor, 52–54 St John Street, London EC1M 4HF. This stage of the interview process will take place on Wednesday 15 April 2026. Candidates will be asked to complete an interview task as part of this stage of the process, details of which will be provided to those invited to the interview.

Reasonable adjustments will be offered to all candidates during the recruitment process. For further information please contact our Senior HR Manager, Andreea Ojog.

Application deadline

The deadline for applications is Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 17:00. Please note that late or incomplete applications will not be considered.