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Reports toDirector of External Relations
Hours37.5 hours per week
Salary£56,959.05 - £63,886.54
ContractFixed Term Contract - 12 Months
LocationRemote (with occasional travel across UK)
BenefitsA generous package including 25 days holiday per year plus public holidays, employee pension scheme with 4% employer contribution, Cycle2Work scheme, 365 days a year Employee Assistance Programme
About SafeLives
We are SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone, for good.
We work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse. We want what you would want for your best friend. We listen to survivors, putting their voices at the heart of our thinking. We look at the whole picture for each individual and family to get the right help at the right time to make families everywhere safe and well. And we challenge perpetrators to change, asking ‘why doesn’t he stop?’ rather than ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ This applies whatever the gender of the victim or perpetrator and whatever the nature of their relationship.
Last year alone, we delivered more than 700 sessions to over 15,000 learners across the UK in policing, health, housing, justice, education and the specialist sector. And we have reached 90,000 adult and 100,000 child survivors through programmes designed and delivered with partners.
In the last 9 years, close to 7,000 perpetrators have been challenged and supported to change through flagship interventions developed by our Drive Partnership and the programme continues to expand year on year.
Together we can end domestic abuse. Forever. For everyone.
Description
You will provide strong and steady leadership for SafeLives’ communications, marketing and public affairs work over the next year, communicating our Whole Picture Strategy, finding what works and helping it happen to end domestic abuse for everyone for good.
You will shape and deliver strategic communications and influencing work to reach decision-makers, strengthen public trust, and support our mission to drive real change in the UK’s domestic abuse response.
You will be able bring to together robust data, the voice of survivors, and the view of practice experts to position SafeLives at the centre of the conversation with professionals, key policy and decision makers and influencers as a credible and trusted voice.
You’ll lead a cross-functional team of comms, marketing and public affairs colleagues to:
- Strengthen core messaging and consistency around our Whole Picture strategy and the WP Framework, to support delivery and impact
- maintain our communications and marketing and our brand
- provide oversight of our influencing through policy and public affairs, working with senior colleagues where escalation is required
- support income generation through targeted marketing, and support for fundraising
- ensure we are sharing evidence, data and research in support of our strategy
You will connect reactive work with long-term strategic priorities, ensuring our external engagement supports our strategic priorities, policy goals, and income generation ambitions. And you will lead high-quality responses to breaking news and emerging issues, providing clear strategic advice to the Senior Leadership Team and acting as a trusted lead on reputational risk.
You will ensure SafeLives is visible, authoritative and survivor-centred in public and policy conversations, with timely responses, briefings and support, ensuring our communications and influencing are clear, consistent and drive impact.
You will work with our training, practice, and fundraising teams to drive our business development and income generation, as well as helping us to understand all our audiences and better meet their needs.
And as part of the Operational Management Team (OMT), you’ll work closely with colleagues to ensure an inclusive and supportive organisational culture, role modelling our values.
Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required.
Responsibilities
1. Leadership
·Provide calm, structured and values-led leadership across the Comms, Marketing and Public Affairs team.
·Ensure reliable systems, processes and workflows for communications, marketing and public affairs.
·Set expectations, priorities and working rhythms that bring stability and clarity to the team.
·Promote a supportive, inclusive and collaborative culture with clear communication channels.
2. Core Narrative, Messaging and Evidence Sharing
·Lead the development of SafeLives’ core messages, ensuring they are used consistently across all teams, and the development of our influencing asks.
·Translate SafeLives’ research, data and evidence into accessible, impactful content for external audiences, including practitioners, policy and decision makers.
·Ensure all outputs are survivor‑centred, values‑aligned and evidence‑led
·Develop our brand to reflect our approach to equity, equality, diversity and inclusion and in line with our values - human, rigorous, brave and inclusive.
·Oversee production of communications, marketing and policy materials that help to amplify our Whole Picture strategy and our related priorities.
3. Communications and Media Leadership
·Lead SafeLives’ overall communications strategy and activity.
·Oversee media relations, with strong focus on clear messaging and reputational resilience.
·Implement rapid-response and crisis‑comms protocols with clear escalation to Directors.
·Lead the development and management of our website, digital channels and content strategy.
·Ensure SafeLives is timely, authoritative and survivor‑centred in its external interventions.
4. Marketing and Audience Engagement
·Lead marketing strategy to support:
·Statutory and voluntary income generation
·Training uptake
·Consultancy and practice development
·Fundraising and supporter engagement
·Strengthen audience insight, segmentation and targeting.
·Oversee campaigns that bring SafeLives’ strategy and evidence to life and drive measurable action.
·Ensure that communication and marketing resources are used effectively to support business development.
5. Public Affairs and Policy
·Provide strategic alignment between SafeLives’ core messaging and evidence sharing and our influencing work
·Ensure public affairs activities and outputs (briefings, consultations, correspondence) are clear, accurate and consistent with SafeLives’ communications approach.
·Maintain awareness of political and policy developments relevant to SafeLives’ mission, advising Directors on risks and opportunities for influencing, working with colleagues across the organisation to develop policy.
·Senior level engagement will be led by Directors, as needed, with this role and the public affairs team leading stakeholder engagement and supporting preparation, messaging and follow‑up.
6. Planning, Governance and Performance
·Lead forward planning for all communications, marketing and public affairs activity.
·Set realistic, measurable KPIs that support the delivery of our comms and influencing strategy and our income generation.
·Embed continuous improvement processes and ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection.
·Oversee budgets for communications, marketing and public affairs, ensuring value for money and resource prioritisation.
7. Authentic Voice
·Ensure that the voices, experiences and priorities of survivors remain at the heart of all external communications.
·Support colleagues and Pioneers who use lived experience in SafeLives’ work in a trauma‑informed and respectful way.
Person Specification
Experience
·Strategic communications, including influencing, brand/profile raising, media relations and reputation management in complex, high profile environments (E)
·Media relations, including securing high quality coverage and rapid-response experience (E)
·Developing and delivering effective communications and marketing cmapaigns, including support for fundraising and income generation (E)
·Digital communications across owned, earned and paid media (E)
·Experience using data, research and evidence to inform communications, influencing and storytelling (E)
·Understanding of public affairs or policy environments within the social sector (D/E)
·Leadership and people development, ideally across multi-disciplinary teams (E)
·Influencing professional and policy audiences through clear, impactful communications, information and guidance (E)
·Working with people affected by domestic abuse to support storytelling and influence change (D)
Skills
·Confident in providing strategic communications advice aligned with organisational strategy and policy priorities (E)
·Exceptional written, oral and influencing skills, including excellent writing and editing ability (E)
·Strong political and media awareness
·Excellent judgement under pressure, making sound, values‑led decisions at pace (E)
·Ability to turn complex and fast‑moving information into clear messaging for different audiences, particularly professional and policy maker audiences (E)
·Strong issue and risk management in sensitive public contexts (E)
·Excellent digital and social media skills (E)
·Strong analytical skills to design and deliver campaigns (E)
·Numerate, with experience preparing and managing budgets (E)
·Strong planning, prioritisation and ability to meet multiple deadlines (E)
·Able to identify problems early and propose solutions (E)
·Commitment to equity, equality, diversity and inclusion (E)
·Commitment to ending domestic abuse (E)
Competencies
Leadership, organisational and strategic awareness
·Inspires trust and confidence in others
·Commitment to SafeLives’ values – Human, Rigorous, Inclusive and Brave - underpins all actions and decisions
·Remains calm, decisive and collaborative in fast-moving situations, while maintaining message clarity, survivor focus and organisational credibility
·Demonstrates an understanding of how your own role contributes to achieving SafeLives’ goals
·Is responsive to change which helps achieve goals
·Pursues tasks/goals with energy, drive and need for completion
Teamwork & collaboration
·Fosters an inclusive working environment so that others can contribute effectively
·Supports colleagues in demanding situations, recognises the importance of well-being in self and others, accepts help and support from other team members
·Listens to the views of others and shows flexibility in working with collective decisions
People management and decision making
·Ability to lead and manage effective teams and create an inventive, responsible and generous team culture
·Strong focus on quality, performance and impact
·Coaches staff to reach their full potential
·Makes effective decisions on a timely basis
·Judgement and problem solving is based on identifying outcomes and victim focus
Communications and relationship management
·Communicate with energy and direction
·Ability to build strong and effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
·Promote and contribute to cross team working
·Speaks and writes clearly and effectively and in a timely manner, tailoring communication to suit the audience
·Maintains confidentiality
Delivering quality
·Self-starter with the ability to use initiative and judgement to identify problems and propose solutions
·Excellent organisational skills including the ability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines
·Takes responsibility for own workload, acts on own initiative, seeks feedback from others, evaluates own performance and then acts upon it
·Tries out new ideas and ways of working and identifies and shares learning
Influence
·Inspires confidence and trust– demonstrating high standards of integrity, honesty and fairness
·Actively engages the knowledge, ideas and contributions of others
·Uses appropriate techniques to influence others
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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.
Job DescriptionAs Deputy Head of Fundraising, you’ll play a key leadership role in delivering our regional fundraising plans and contributing to Marie Curie’s wider UK fundraising strategy. Working closely with the Head(s) of Fundraising, you’ll help translate strategy into action driving income growth, strengthening supporter relationships, and leading high-performing, geographically dispersed teams.
This is a varied and influential role that blends strategic thinking with hands-on delivery. You’ll work collaboratively across fundraising disciplines and with colleagues in marketing, communications, policy and caring services to ensure activity is joined-up, audience-focused and impactful.
In this role, you will:
- Work alongside the Head(s) of Fundraising (Region) to deliver integrated regional fundraising plans aligned to Marie Curie’s UK fundraising strategy
- Drive income growth by identifying, developing and maximising fundraising opportunities across multiple disciplines
- Lead and support geographically dispersed teams to deliver against agreed plans, targets and priorities
- Monitor income performance, budgets and KPIs, taking action to optimise opportunities and mitigate risk
- Champion an audience-focused, place-based approach to fundraising, ensuring activity is joined-up and supporter-led
- Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across fundraising, marketing, communications, policy and caring services
- Strengthen supporter stewardship and ensure high standards of supporter care across the region
- Act as a visible ambassador for Marie Curie, representing fundraising internally and externally with supporters, partners and stakeholders
- Support talent development, coaching and succession planning within the fundraising team
- Ensure effective fundraising operations, compliance, governance and use of data and systems
Skills Needed
- Proven experience leading, coaching and developing teams, ideally across multiple locations
- Ability to inspire high performance, lead through influence and build shared ownership of plans
- Strong commercial mindset with experience of income growth, budgeting, forecasting and ROI
- Confidence working with performance data, KPIs and financial reporting
- Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across teams and disciplines
- Credibility and confidence engaging with senior stakeholders, supporters and external partners
Please see full job description
Application & Interview Process
- As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.
- Close date for applications: Wednesday 20th May 2026
Salary: £36,900 - £41,000 DOE
Contract: Full time, Perm
Based: Homebased role based in Bristol due to regular travel in the community
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.
Associate Director
Do you have senior-level experience in advocacy/influencing; service delivery or community engagement and development?
We’re looking for an exceptional systems leader to drive the work across the East of England and ensure people affected by stroke have the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Position: S11367 Associate Director – East of England
Location: Home-based, East of England. However, travel and overnight stays within the UK will be required as part of this role.
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: Circa £64,700 per annum (Inner London weighting £3,950 per annum or Outer London weighting £2,457per annum may be applied in accordance to where you live)
Contract: Permanent
Benefits: 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (this will increase with service up to 30 days, full time equivalent) cashback and discount scheme, employee assistance programme, learning and development, pension scheme, Life Assurance, Eye Care vouchers, Long Service Award, Tax-free childcare, Health Cash Plan, Working Pattern Agreement, flexible working opportunities available.
Closing Date: 31 May 2026
First interview Date (online): 9 June 2026
Second interview Date and discussion with team (face to face, London): 17 June 2026
The Role
You’ll lead the Association’s work in East of England, focusing on what matters most to stroke survivors and ensuring this work has real, measurable impact. In this influential role, you’ll build strong relationships across health and social care, Local Government, and the wider stroke community. Influencing local policy and practice, and overseeing the effective delivery of high-quality stroke support.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Lead the Association’s strategic direction and impact in the East of England, ensuring people affected by stroke receive high quality support.
- Build and manage relationships with key health, social care and political stakeholders, acting as a credible and respected systems leader.
- Increase the reach and impact of the locality delivered services to ensure all new stroke survivors in the East of England receive the support they need.
- Lead and develop the East of England team, addressing capacity needs and building volunteer capability to meet local priorities.
- Strengthen partnerships across the stroke community to improve access to support and tackle health inequalities.
- Lead engagement in local policy and pathway development, influencing improvements at health board level.
About You
You’ll have:
- Senior-level experience in advocacy/influencing; service delivery or community engagement and development.
- Senior level experience influencing policy change, ideally in health and social care, at a regional or national level.
- Substantial experience of holding senior-level relationships with partner organisations, ideally in health and social care / the NHS using strong negotiation skills and political judgement.
- Proven experience of leading high performing teams and large geographically distributed teams of paid staff and volunteers, with a strong track record of growing and developing staff and teams.
- Inspiring leadership approach, balancing strategic and operational demands with sound judgement, and strong knowledge of influencing and systems leadership.
The East of England comprises of the areas within the NHS Integrated Care Boards of: Central East (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes), Norfolk and Suffolk and NHS Essex.
This role requires extensive travel across a large geographical locality. Candidates must be able to demonstrate how they can meet this requirement of the role. To fulfil the role, you must be a resident of the UK and have the right to work in the UK.
Applications
As part of the process you will be asked to submit your CV and a covering letter demonstrating how you meet the person specification set out in the Role Profile and what you bring to the role in terms of your skills and experience.
Please state any preferences for flexible options in your application. Applications from individuals who are seeking flexible working options, including reduced hours or job shares are welcomed.
You will be able to view the role profile when you apply.
Finding strength through support
The organisation is the only charity in the UK providing lifelong support for all stroke survivors and their families. Providing tailored support to tens of thousands of stroke survivors each year. This support includes one-to-one and group support, funding vital scientific research into stroke prevention, acute treatment, recovery and long-term care, and campaigning to secure the best care for everyone affected by stroke.
They are here for stroke survivors and their loved ones, from the moment they enter the new and frightening post-stroke world, supporting them every step of the way as they find their strength and their way back to life.
It’s only thanks to the generosity of supporters and donors that they can provide vital support.
The Association is driven by an ambition to improve the lives of everyone affected by stroke. This means they’re determined to create an equitable and inclusive workplace that benefits from the difference, and thrives on the diversity, of our people. Guided by an approach to solving inequity in stroke, the team are prioritising listening to, and learning from, lived experience across the charity.
The charity are working to improve the representation of this lived experience at all levels within the Association and are eager to recruit applicants from a variety of communities and backgrounds. We are keen to receive applications from people affected by stroke, people of colour, members of LGBT+ communities, and disabled people because these identities and experiences are underrepresented and would add enormous value to how the organisation work.
A Disability Confident employer, the organisation is making great progress focusing on flexible working, reasonable adjustments and access to work. The charity has a variety of staff network groups and are committed to continuously improving diversity and inclusion efforts. If you have questions, or access needs, we’re happy to discuss any support and adjustments we can make throughout the recruitment process so that you’re able to contribute your best in a way that meets your needs.
You may also have experience in areas such as Advocacy, Influencing, Service Delivery, Community Engagement, Community Development, Policy, Health and Social Care, Health. #INDNFP
Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People.
