Context and Purpose of the Role
After five years of dedicated leadership, GROW’s Managing Director is moving on. We are now seeking an exceptional, values-led leader to guide GROW through the next phase of our 2030 strategy and help realise our ambition to become a movement-shaping force within agroecology.
GROW is entering a pivotal stage of growth. Our focus now is on strengthening team capacity, centring community voice, developing pathways to leadership and employment, deepening hyper-local networks, and contributing more visibly to the agroecology sector.
With strong financial foundations, a committed team, and a long-standing partnership with a progressive secondary school, this is a rare opportunity to lead an organisation uniquely positioned at the intersection of farming, education, and community action.
The Managing Director will provide clear strategic direction and overall leadership, ensuring GROW remains responsibly-governed, financially resilient, and grounded in its agroecological values. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, they will nurture and inspire a multidisciplinary team of 16 employees and freelancers, strengthen key partnerships, and guide the organisation’s continued development and impact.
Job Title: Managing Director
Reports to: Board of Trustees
Salary: £48,000-£53,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week (9am-5pm with 1-hour paid lunch break)
Location: Hybrid. Minimum 3 days a week on site at The Totteridge Academy, Barnet Lane, N20 8AZ (more days on site expected for the first 3-6 months)
Pension: GROW participates in the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) pension scheme and contributes 3%.
Benefits: 30% off all GROW Farm produce, annual training budget, subsidised lunches, and a generous holiday allowance of 28 days plus bank holidays.
Probation period: 6 months
GROW is a site-based organisation, and our farm sits at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for a Managing Director who is as comfortable talking with students, volunteers and visitors as they are shaping strategy and leading the organisation’s future. This is a role for a thoughtful, adaptable and hands-on leader who can hold the big picture while staying closely connected to our farm, outdoor programmes and the communities we work alongside.
Leadership at GROW is practical, relational and rooted in place. One day you might be gathering feedback from our Student Board of Advisors, listening to how our programmes are working for the young people who shape them. The next, you might be at the farm stall chatting with local community members selling jars of GROW’s homemade pickles. The Managing Director helps ensure that these everyday moments remain central to the organisation.
The successful candidate will lead a small, committed team of 16 staff, nurturing a culture that is collaborative, knowledgeable and grounded in our values. They will guide GROW’s strategic direction while staying attentive to the daily rhythms of farm and school life that make it a vibrant place for learning, growing and connection.
Trustees recognise the breadth of this role and are committed to strengthening the organisation’s operational capacity. An early priority for the new Managing Director will be to shape and secure support for an additional capacity-building role that complements their leadership and enables GROW to thrive in the years ahead.
1. Strategy, Governance & Risk
- Provide overall leadership and strategic development of the charity.
- Oversee and report on organisational performance to the Board of Trustees quarterly.
- Ensure charity policies and legal guidelines are up to date, clearly communicated, and embedded in everyday culture.
- Ensure statutory filings (e.g. Charity Commission, Companies House) are accurate and timely.
- Maintain and regularly review the organisational Risk Register and report key risks and mitigations to the Board.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, including charity law, employment law, data protection, health & safety, safeguarding, and environmental regulations.
- Lead on crisis management and serious incident reporting.
- Prepare high-quality written reports for Board and sub-committee meetings.
- Advise Trustees on strategic opportunities, risks, and sector trends. Support Trustee recruitment, induction, and development.
- Enable Trustees to fulfil their governance responsibilities effectively.
- Engage relevant professional expertise where appropriate to support decision making.
2. Operations, Education & Farm
- Ensure operational resilience, deputising and covering critical functions during staff absence.
- Work closely with Education Leads to develop the quality of our educational
- programmes, ensuring they align with agroecological principles.
- Ensure thorough Risk Assessments are completed, communicated, and
- implemented for all activities and programmes.
- Support the income generation strategy for the Farm.
- Support the Farm Manager with infrastructure development, including planning permission applications.
3. Finance & Fundraising
- Act as the main point of contact for the charity’s accountants.
- Develop and oversee organisational budgets, leading annual budget-setting and ongoing monthly, quarterly, and forecast reviews.
- Develop and deliver the annual income generation and fundraising strategy with the Head of Fundraising.
- Oversee effective impact reporting with the Head of Fundraising.
- Develop and implement plans to improve cost-efficiency.
- Support the completion of large and complex fundraising bids.
4. Partnerships
- Act as the main point of contact for GROW’s key partner, The Totteridge Academy (TTA), and the Academy Trust, United Learning, to ensure the partnership is effective and positive.
- Build and develop partnerships with schools, youth services, local authority, community growing networks and organisations to support the long-term development of educational programmes and participant recruitment and local environmental impact.
5. Marketing & Profile
- Oversee the charity’s overall marketing and communications strategy.
- Retain strategic oversight of all core marketing and communications, including the press opportunities, charity’s website, printed materials, and promotional content, ensuring that GROW’s voice, values, and impact are communicated clearly and consistently.
- Build and enhance the charity’s public profile through events, speaking engagements, and external representation.
6. People, HR & Safeguarding
- Manage and support the team to effectively perform their roles and develop within GROW, ensuring staff are fully trained and confident with organisational policies.
- Lead the recruitment and onboarding of all staff in line with Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Safeguarding policies, and Safer Recruitment best practice.
- Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead and ensure compliance with any safeguarding requirements set by partner school, The Totteridge Academy.
- Be rigorously mindful of child safeguarding at all times, embedding safeguarding policies in everyday culture and remain up to date with relevant legislation and training.
- Oversee HR processes including appraisals, performance management, and professional development.
- Develop progressive internal systems, policies, and training that promote a fair, inclusive, and supportive workplace, grounded in our agroecological principles.
- Ensuring the organisation is GDPR compliant and acts as the Data Protection Lead.
7. Values & Culture
- Act as a role model for GROW’s guiding agroecological principles and organisational values in all internal and external relationships.
- Create a supportive, nurturing, high-trust culture in which staff and freelancers can thrive.
- Champion a culture of reflection, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
- Centre community voice in decision making, governance, and organisational strategy
Direct reports:
Farm Manager
TTA Education Lead
Senior Facilitator
Head of Fundraising
Freelance Programme Leads
This job description is not exhaustive; as a small and evolving charity, flexibility is essential and all staff are expected to take a hands-on approach and support wider organisational needs where required.
Person Specification
Essential Personal Qualities
- Strong alignment with GROW’s mission, agroecological principles, and organisational values.
- Ability to lead and nurture a strong, cohesive, and collaborative team intuitively
- and with empathy.
- Resilient and adaptable.
- Calm under pressure.
- Collaborative by nature and solution-focussed in approach.
- Strong commitment to inclusive working practices and social justice.
Essential Experience
- Significant experience working in a Senior Leadership role within a not-for-profit,
- education, and/or environmental sectors.
- Experience of building and maintaining successful partnership work, for example
- with farms, schools, local authorities, funders, and/or community organisations.
- Significant experience of managing and developing staff and freelancers in a
- small team.
- Proven ability to lead organisational strategy and translate it into operational plans.
- Experience working with, and reporting to, a Board or governing body.
- Experience of financial management, including budgets, forecasting, and working with accountants.
- Track record in contributing to fundraising, including securing major bids.
- Strong understanding of governance, compliance, and risk in a regulated environment.
- Experience of safeguarding within an education, youth, or community context.
- Understanding of legal, progressive and inclusive HR systems and policies.
- Ability to develop and oversee marketing and communications that clearly articulate organisational mission, build community engagement and support financial sustainability.
- Demonstrable experience handling and reviewing legal documentation, including contracts, leases, and formal agreements.
Essential Skills & Abilities
- Strategic thinker, able to see and drive forward the “big picture” while managing operational detail.
- Skilled and inclusive people manager, able to motivate, develop, and challenge others.
- Excellent, adaptable and confident communication skills.
- Ability to prioritise and manage a broad and competing workload.
- Effective decision-making and ability to work independently with accountability.
- Strong relationship-builder with credibility across diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to lead teams through change and uncertainty.
- Strong organisational and administrative capability.
- Sound judgement and a high level of discretion when handling confidential or sensitive matters.
Desirable
- Experience or knowledge of agroecological farming.
- Experience working with local councils, schools, academy trusts, and authorities.
- Knowledge of charity and regulatory frameworks.
- Knowledge of the local Barnet area.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME
At GROW we’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace. All qualified and eligible applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, gender identity or expression, race, national origin, religion or belief,
disability, age, sexual orientation or pregnancy and maternity. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities, especially those who are under-represented in the charity and food growing sectors. This includes, but is not limited to, people from the global majority, neurodivergent individuals, and those with a range of lived experiences.
We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and brings a rich mix of perspectives, skills, cultures, and ways of thinking.
The Woodland Trust is looking for an Engaging Communities Officer to join our exciting Sherwood’s Living Legends project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. A development grant has been awarded by Heritage Fund to help the Woodland Trust progress the project over 18-months to apply for a 5-year delivery stage grant. If this application is successful, the project will safeguard the future of ancient and veteran trees in Sherwood Forest and reconnect communities with this iconic landscape. This is a fixed term contract for 18-months, with the potential for an extension.
The Role:
- Lead the community-focused development of Sherwood’s Living Legends, shaping how people connect with the cultural, historical and ecological significance of ancient and veteran trees.
- Co-create imaginative engagement approaches with consultants, using storytelling, heritage and local myth to inspire urban and rural communities.
- Define target audiences and craft compelling key messages that will underpin the project’s delivery-stage communications.
- Promote the project across the Sherwood NCA through social media, local press, PR events and creative outreach activity.
- Ensure engagement plans are inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of diverse communities and participants.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with partners, community groups, landowners and Woodland Trust teams to support joined-up project development.
- Monitor and evaluate engagement activity, gathering insight and data to inform project design and future delivery.
- Represent the project internally and externally, sharing successes and supporting alignment with wider Woodland Trust communications.
The Candidate:
- Experienced in coordinating and delivering varied community events, including consultations tailored to different audiences and locations.
- Confident leading groups outdoors, with experience engaging children, schools and community participants in nature-based activities.
- Skilled in partnership working, able to collaborate with volunteers, community groups and external organisations to achieve shared outcomes.
- Strong communicator with excellent written, verbal and digital skills, including social media content creation and public-facing representation.
- Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, with an understanding of how to design accessible and welcoming engagement.
- Organised and proactive, able to manage multiple workstreams, prioritise effectively and work independently within a dispersed team.
- Competent with IT systems, particularly MS Office and collaborative platforms such as Teams.
- Professional, positive and adaptable, able to represent the Woodland Trust and partners with confidence and clarity.
- The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Basic DBS Check, as part of our pre-employment screening.
Benefits and Wellbeing:
Joining our team means you’ll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:
- Enhanced Employer Pension
- Life Assurance
- Flexible & Hybrid Working Options
- Generous Annual Leave - 25 Days Plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d for part-time)
- Buy and Sell Holiday Scheme
- Enhanced Parental Pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
About Us:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. We want to see a world where trees and woods thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make their difference tackling the nature and climate crisis helping protect, restore and create our vital woods and trees.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
To achieve our vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. All people, no matter their background, identity, ability, or circumstance, should benefit from trees.
People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.
Please contact us to discuss any additional support or adjustments you may need to complete your application.
Application Advice:
For fairness we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, and CVs are redacted until after shortlisting is complete. Make sure that your Personal Statement clearly shows how your skills and knowledge link to the specifications in the job description and you share with us your passion for the role. Even if you don't meet every requirement of the role, we would encourage you to apply.
Acceptable Use - Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications-for example, to help structure or edit written responses. We welcome the use of AI in this way, particularly where it helps improve accessibility, such as for neurodivergent applicants. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools.
Apply Now:
If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We might close the job opening early if we get a lot of applications, so it's a good idea to apply soon. If we do close the advert early, and you have an application in process, we will email you prior to closing to give you time to complete.
Interviews to be held on April 21st 2026.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Assistant Producer
12 Month Fixed Term Contract
£35,242 - £36,959 pa
City of London E1 8QS and we are a hybrid working organisation
Please note this is a hybrid role based on the successful candidate working at least two days a week in our London office. Remote contracts would not be considered for this role.
Purpose of Role
As an Assistant Producer at Comic Relief, you’ll help bring bold stories and creative ideas to life across various platforms and outputs. With a background in celebrity, comedy or branded content, you’ll help captivate audiences and drive engagement, largely focusing on the entertainment portion of our brand, but with opportunities in factual storytelling.
With a hands-on approach and sitting at the heart of our Creative Services team, you’ll transform briefs into reality, producing high impact, engaging content that resonates with our audiences. One week you might be developing a social-first YouTube format or editing social video content, the next, supporting on a livestream, producing corporate partner communications, or helping to plan a photoshoot.
You will combine creativity with smart production processes, sparking original ideas and new approaches to how we work. By championing inclusive storytelling and amplifying diverse voices both in front of and behind the camera, you’ll help ensure Comic Relief stays bold, relevant, and truly reflective of the audiences we serve.
Key responsibilities:
· Creative innovation – strategically respond to briefs with creativity, drawing on expertise, industry and pop culture knowledge to develop bold ideas that resonate with intended audiences, drive engagement and generate income.
· Sell the vision – craft treatments, pitch decks, and creative documents to bring ideas to life and secure buy-in from stakeholders across the organisation.
· Run productions end-to-end – from research and creative ideation to shoot production, post-production, and delivery. Create schedules, manage budgets, and keep projects moving by facilitating key meetings and aligning stakeholders.
· Collaborate creatively – work closely with a diverse range of producers, writers, designers, editors, and other partners (internal and external) to develop and deliver content that meets strategic briefs.
· Support on shoots with confidence – assisting with the set up and management of production days, briefing teams and freelancers, and when necessary, camera operating and directing talent/contributors to capture the best possible content.
· Champion best practice – work with Production Management to ensure productions meet safeguarding, consent, health & safety, risk management, and legal requirements, in partnership with Production Management colleagues.
· Drive efficiency – follow operational processes to make sure resources are used smartly and projects are delivered on time and within budget.
· Champion inclusive creativity – ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of our work, both in front of and behind the lens.
· Stay culture-savvy – keep up to date on trends, platforms, and production best practice, sharing expertise across the team.
Person specification
Essential criteria
· Creative experience – you’ve helped produce entertainment or branded content for established brands, charities, or channels.
· Video production skills – confident ideating and creating engaging, relevant short-form video content from planning through to delivery.
· Shooting experience – used to arranging and contributing on shoots, including camera operating, interviewing, and supporting senior creatives.
· Editing experience – Adobe Premiere editing skills and experience edit-producing, leading video post-production for a range of outlets, particularly social media.
· Social media knowledge – experience across major platforms with an understanding of best practice, and curiosity for new trends and audience habits.
· Production know-how – attention to detail, strong editorial judgement, and ability to follow established processes and workflows.
· Multi-tasking – proven ability to manage multiple projects in dynamic environments, keeping organised and making clear editorial decisions.
· Communication skills – you can express your ideas clearly and confidently to gain stakeholder buy-in on suggested creative approaches.
Desirable criteria
· Fundraising campaign experience – you know the difference between fundraising content and awareness content, and how to approach each.
· Innovation mindset – interest in experimenting with new creative formats, platforms, or technologies.
· Income generation – experience in creating content that has a proven ability to generate income or creates new revenue streams.
· Motion graphics – ability to create own graphic elements, such as animated logos, endboards, lower-thirds, in Adobe After Effects a plus.
· Relationship building – evidence of maintaining strong partnerships with stakeholders, freelancers, and external partners.
Perks and benefits:
· Flexible working hours
· Work from home option
· Life Insurance
· Wellness programs
· Employee Assistance Programme
· Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
· Paid emergency leave
· Sabbatical Opportunities
· Professional development
· Mentoring/coaching
· Paid volunteer days
· Payroll giving
· Salary sacrifice
· Team social events
· Extracurricular clubs
· Cycle to work scheme
· Free fruit
To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.
Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Why work at Comic Relief
There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London,
There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work.
Disability Confident Employer
As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV and application questions.
We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email us via our website to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.