Senior advice jobs in Folkestone and hythe, kent

For over 60 years the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has been building a better childhood for all.

Research and Development Officer
Contract: Permanent
Work Pattern: Part Time, 28 hours per week (0.8 FTE)
Salary: £27,526 per annum, with annual salary increments for the first three years
Location: Homebased – however NCB and RiP has offices in Sheffield, Newton Abbot and Belfast that staff can work from should they choose.

The Vacancy

For over 20 years, Research in Practice has been at the forefront of supporting evidence-informed practice in adult social care. We are now looking for a passionate and experienced Research and Development Officer to join our adults’ team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a skilled facilitator with strong experience in adult social care (or a related sector, e.g. housing, homelessness, mental health or criminal justice) who is motivated to make a real impact. While the role requires a solid understanding of research and its application, it is not a primary research post—instead, the focus is on translating evidence into meaningful learning and development opportunities.

You will play a key role in designing and delivering high-quality learning experiences, including programmes, full-day workshops, webinars, and events, working with diverse audiences such as senior leaders and practitioners.

What you’ll be doing

• Designing and delivering engaging learning and development activities for a range of audiences
• Translating complex research, policy, and legal frameworks into accessible, practical learning
• Developing high-quality outputs (e.g. publications, tools, and learning resources)
• Building strong relationships with stakeholders and supporting collaborative projects
• Managing multiple projects effectively in a varied and fast-paced environment

About you

We are looking for someone who brings:

• In-depth knowledge of adult social care, or related sectors such as criminal justice, housing and homelessness, or mental health
• Experience in facilitation and delivering learning, including workshops and webinars
• A strong understanding of research, policy, and practice frameworks
• Skills in knowledge mobilisation, with a passion for co-production and evidence implementation
• Proven experience in relationship management
• Excellent communication skills, including confident public speaking
• The ability to manage competing priorities and work flexibly (including occasional travel and overnight stays)

Research in Practice

Research in Practice is part of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) family. For over 60 years, the NCB has been building a better childhood for all.

Research in Practice works with organisations across the adults and children’s social care, health and criminal justice sectors, supporting them to develop an evidence-informed approach to their work. Our focus is on using evidence from research, practice and lived experience, to provide resources that improve policy and services, in order to achieve positive outcomes for people of all ages.

About NCB

For more than 60 years, the National Children’s Bureau has championed the rights and amplified the voice of children and young people in the UK. We interrogate policy and uncover evidence, blending in lived and learnt experience to shape future legislation and develop more effective ways of supporting children and families.

Bringing people and organisations together is fundamental to how we improve the systems that babies, children, young people and their families rely on to thrive. We push boundaries, even looking beyond childhood itself to consider transitions into adulthood and the impact of childhood issues on an entire lifespan. We are united for better childhoods and brighter futures.

The Benefits

• 30 Days Annual Leave
• Generous Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Flexible Working
• Winter Holiday Closure & Break

Employee Assistance Programme

Closing date: 8am, Friday 10th July 2026
Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications as soon as possible .

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are actively seeking to broaden the diversity of our staff group and warmly welcome applications from candidates underrepresented in the charity sector, including those from Black and Global Majority communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with lived experience of the issues NCB works on.

No agencies please.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

The HR Officer plays a key role in delivering an effective, professional, and compliant HR service across the organisation. Supporting both operational HR processes and employee experience, the post holder will contribute to attracting, developing, and retaining talent in a collaborative and values-driven research environment.

Main responsibilities

HR Operations & Administration Support

• Lead recruitment campaigns in consultation with hiring managers, including drafting job adverts, short-listing and coordinating interviews.
• Manage employee life cycle process, including background checks, onboarding and offboarding.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records in compliance with GDPR and organisational policies.
• Administer HR systems, contracts, and employment documentation.
• Manage relationship with 3rd party suppliers including HR consultancy and DBS check providers.
• Support payroll preparation including monthly absence reporting and ensuring accurate data submission and coordination with Finance/Payroll.
• Support the wider central administrative team as required.

 Employee Relations

• Provide first-line HR advice to managers and staff on policies, procedures, and employment matters.
• Support casework relating to absence, performance, disciplinary, and grievance processes.
• Support managers and the COO with complex people cases, working with the external HR partner as required.
• Promote a positive and inclusive working culture aligned with the organisation’s values.

Learning & Development

• Coordinate training activities and support professional development initiatives for research and support staff.
• Some delivery of internal people-related training
• Assist in identifying skills gaps and contributing to workforce development plans.

Policy & Compliance

• Ensure HR practices comply with employment legislation, charity sector regulations, and best practice.
• Monitor and assist with the development, review, and implementation of HR policies and procedures, including handbook updates.
• Support equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives across the organisation.

HR Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to HR projects such as staff engagement, wellbeing initiatives, and organisational development.
• Support the implementation of HR systems improvements and process efficiencies.
• Collect and analyse HR data to inform decision-making and reporting.

Knowledge, skills and experience 

Essential

1. Experience in an HR administrative or officer-level role.
2. Sound knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
3. CIPD Level 3 or equivalent.
4. Experience of supporting payroll and finance processes.
5. Proven ability to establish and evolve people processes in a growing organisation.
6. Proficiency in HR systems, such as BreatheHR or equivalent, and Microsoft Office applications.
7. Experience of working in organisations with multiple staffing arrangements i.e. direct employees, secondees, contractors etc.
8. Strong organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail.
9. Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
10. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable

1. CIPD Level 5 qualification (or working towards).
2. Experience working in the charity, academic, or research sector.
3. Experience supporting EDI and wellbeing initiatives.
4. Familiarity with public funded and/or project-based staffing environments.
5. Experience supporting or negotiating secondment arrangements, particularly within academic, charity or research environments.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job. 

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 5 July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

 AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for an experienced Communications and Marketing Manager with excellent organisational
skills to develop, implement and manage effective communication strategies for a charity based in the
healthcare sector, with a national and local reach across the UK and Ireland.

You’ll have demonstrable experience in planning and implementing different communications strategies
across a range of marketing channels to help us grow our organisational profile, uphold our vision
and values, while extending our reach across the sector to support growth and awareness among the
community we support.

As part of the daily management of the charity’s communications and marketing needs, you’ll work with colleagues and volunteers to raise awareness maximise awareness of our support model, support the organisation through attendance of national and local events and be part of a team representing the charity at key exhibitions during the year requiring you to be away overnight for up to 3 or 4 nights at a time (depending upon location) – approximately 3-4 times per year. Further information will be available to candidates taken forward for interview.

You will be integral to our communications and marketing approach, collaborating with colleagues who manage our social media and published communications (e.g. member magazine). Above all you are someone who fosters an organisation wide approach working with, mentoring and supporting colleagues to ensure a planned, structured and collaborative approach to our communications and marketing planning.
The ideal candidate must have a proven track record in managing communications, producing effective content and campaigns across a range of channels (print, digital, online) for at least TWO years, ideally bringing additional experience from within the charity sector.

The role is primarily remote and the successful applicant can work from a location of their choice (subject to representing the charity at key meetings, internal meetings and exhibitions throughout the year). The role holder will make optimum use of video conferencing and online collaboration tools to work as part of a wider communications team so the team feels connected and engaged in its approach.

Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video conferencing (such as Zoom) with successful candidates going through to a second round. Second round interviews will be face-to-face interview (with advance notice). Successful candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short working brief and asked to present their campaign ideas at interview together with past examples of their work.

UK travel within the role is expected with the charity reimbursing reasonable travel costs where agreed up front and on behalf of the charity.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, execute and monitor a value-driven, measurable communications and marketing strategy across our print, digital and internal channels in accordance with the direction of the Board
• Demonstrable experience developing, collaborating and managing multi-channel campaigns as part of the overall strategy measuring their effectiveness, adapting to change, where necessary, as part  of the wider communications approach (digital, print)
• Develop engaging, accessible and audience-focused content to build trust and a relationship with  our target audience
• Excellent organisational skills to manage small projects, ensuring timely delivery and execution  supporting risk identification and mitigation
• Upholding brand and culture in everything you do
• Collaborate with colleagues to support organisation and management of charity events
• Oversee the communications and marketing direction of the charity to ensure consistency in approach across all channels
• Build and maintain relationship with journalists and oversee other PR opportunities
• Develop and nurture strategic partnerships with key individuals, stakeholders, and community voices, building strong working relationships that support authentic storytelling and enhance the charity’s impact
• Ensure all content in accessible, inclusive and aligns to our brand and identity
• Budget management with strong planning to meet upcoming deliverables and identifying areas where  financial savings can be made to maximise charity resources
• Produce meaningful management information at key times
  • Monthly senior management reporting
  • Quarterly Board reporting
  • Annual reports (authoring and collaborating from external sources)

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Experience

• At least two years experience in a Communications/Marketing Management role
• Experience in developing and implementing communications and marketing strategies, ideally within the not-for-profit sector, across a wide range of marketing channels
• PR experience and media liaison
• Communications planning and forward thinking
• Brand management
• Team player/Mentor
• Campaign management to raise the organisational profile and advocate for people 
• Working with third party stakeholders to manage exhibition attendance, organise events and more generally any services provided to/purchased by the charity
• Working with and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships including our trustees, staff, volunteers and external medical professionals
• Demonstrable experience of online and digital marketing platforms to promote the charity, raise awareness and support our target audience
• A strong working knowledge of social media platforms, although we have a dedicated social media manager undertaking the role that you will collaborate with
• Familiarity with UK data protection regulation

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge and experience of SEO
• Budgetary management
• Experience in social media moderation
• Experience in creative tools (Canva, Adobe products) and digital marketing platforms
• Podcasts or similar digital content
• Experience of working on sensitive content
• Experience across the not-for-profit sector
• Ambassador management

SKILLS AND QUALITIES

• Creative, proactive and confident in your approach achieving outcomes in a timely manner and within budget
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to build strong working relationships
• Adaptable, flexible and committed to our charitable aims and values
• Strong time management skills

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

To apply, please submit:

1. Your CV (up to 3 pages)
2. A covering letter outlining your suitability to the role (max 500 words)

Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video  conferencing (such as Zoom) discussing previous experience and role fit with successful candidates  going through to a second round. This includes alignment to IA’s values. Please allow up to 1 hour  for this stage.

Second round interviews are expected to be in in-person in a central location - advance notice will  be given and the charity will reimburse reasonable travel expenses, approved in advance. Successful  candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short brief and asked to present their campaign ideas from a charity working example at the interview. This should be available to us at least 48 hours prior to interview to allow us time to review.

Additionally second stage applicants will be asked to provide examples of their own work, at least  48hrs prior to the interview. You should be comfortable sharing past content that you have created  previously which will be treated with the strictest confidence. Please allow up to 1.5 hours for this second stage.

Applications should be submitted via the advertising platform including your CV and covering letter. See attached role profile for recruitment timetable and further details about us/the role, including contact details for an informal chat, if required, before applying. Applicants are encouraged to ensure availability in line with the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification.

While IA recognises the value of AI technology in the current climate, IA reserves the right to  ignore applications where we have reason to believe that they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools.

Please let us know if you require any additional support to attend or undertake an interview or if there is anything we should consider as part of the interview process.

Company Description

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and hospice care across the country, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from. 

Team and role overview 

At Marie Curie, our Case for Support team plays a vital role in the delivery of our strategy and supporting fundraising growth, by creating compelling cases for support and innovative propositions for our highest-value campaigns. Working alongside passionate, purpose-driven professionals, you’ll help us maximize impact and create meaningful connections with our supporters. 

As a Case for Support Lead, you will be instrumental in developing impactful narratives that resonate with our supporters and drive our mission forward. Your work will provide essential, up-to-date information about our clinical services, research and policy work. This will support all fundraising teams to build accurate and inspiring fundraising campaigns. By identifying funding opportunities and crafting tailored cases for support, you’ll ensure that our high-value fundraising teams continue to achieve transformational impact. 

What you will be doing:

• Create compelling case for support narratives about all aspects of Marie Curie’s work, articulating the need, solution, and impact for various audiences. 
• Collaborate with service, policy, and research teams to gain a deep understanding of their work and goals, gathering insights to support funding applications and campaigns. 
• Work closely with high-value income streams, supporting Trusts & Foundations, Philanthropy and Corporate teams by coordinating with internal stakeholders to develop compelling propositions. 
• Provide all fundraising teams with accurate, self-service information, including writing narratives and interpreting data. 
• Delivery of online Discovery Sessions with fundraising teams to improve their understanding of our cause. 

What we are looking for: 

• Proven experience in fundraising, service delivery, cause-led communications, or evaluation work. 
• Creative thinker with an independent, autonomous approach to work. 
• Strong communication skills to inspire others and positively influence opinions, with the ability to gain respect at all levels and drive practical, meaningful change. 
• Skilled at understanding and interpreting complex information and data and articulating it in a compelling way, both in writing and verbally. 
• Excellent people skills with a proven ability to integrate quickly into complex organizations. 
• Financial literacy with experience in interpreting budget information. 

Please see the full job description  

Additional Information

Application & Interview Process 

• As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV and supplementary details. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role. 
• Close date for applications but may close early: 2nd July 2026 
• Interviews due to take place 9th and 13th July2026 

** Important we encourage you to apply early as we may close the job advert sooner after receiving a sufficient number of suitable applications**. 

Salary: £36,900 to £39,900 

Contract:Permanent Full-Time 35 hours per week

Based: Remote based within the United Kingdom, occasional travel may be required travel costs covered 

Benefits you’ll LOVE: 

• Flexible working. We’re happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage. 
• 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays) 
• Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%) 
• Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets 
• Continuous professional development opportunities. 
• Industry-leading training programmes 
• Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes 
• Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits 
• Access to Blue Light Card membership 
• Subsidised Eye Care 

At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone — staff and volunteers alike — supportive, inclusive and rewarding.  We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings.  We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at .

Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you — your experience, perspective and voice.