Victim focus manager jobs

KSAAS (formerly East Kent Rape Crisis Centre) has provided sexual violence services in East Kent since 1981. We offer ongoing practical support and therapeutic services for survivors who have experienced any form of sexual violence, at any time in their lives, across Kent & Medway.

KSAAS holds UKAS accreditation through The Survivors Trust and is Professionally Approved by Rape Crisis England & Wales, demonstrating the consistent, high-quality services we provide.

KSAAS operates specialist Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) services, including joint ISVA and Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) provision for those experiencing sexual violence alongside domestic abuse.

We also offer trauma-focused therapeutic counselling for children, adolescents and adults, accessible through hubs across Kent & Medway.

Our Vision

KSAAS’s vision is a community where everyone is free from all forms of sexual violence. We work within a feminist, equalities and human rights framework, providing help, hope and healing to those impacted by sexual violence and helping to cultivate a safe, non-violent community.

Our Mission

It is our mission to:

• Respond to and promote the needs of those who have experienced sexual violence through a feminist empowerment model of work.
• Reduce the impact of sexual violence by supporting, educating, informing and advocating for all survivors.
• Challenge oppression in all forms.
• Challenge societal attitudes that condone and collude with sexual violence.

Please note that this post is restricted to women under the Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 9, Part 1). Your supporting statement should demonstrate how you meet the candidate profile and should be no more than four A4 pages.

Role details

Salary: £24,133.20 (increasing to £26,133.20 once ISVA accredited).

• Base: Ashford / Canterbury
• Travel to other sites may be required.
• Hours: 35 hours per week (initial 1-year contract). Occasional out-of-hours meetings may be required.
• Benefits: 3% pension contribution; employee discounts scheme; 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays; employee assistance programme; flexible working negotiable.
• Requirements: right to work in the UK; enhanced DBS check (carried out through KSAAS); full UK driving licence and use of own car.
• Responsible to: Head of ISVA Services

Core functions

• Work as a committed member of the Kent Sexual Assault & Abuse Service (KSAAS) team.
• Support KSAAS’s aims, values and working principles, and work in line with KSAAS policies and procedures.
• Take all possible steps to ensure the safety and confidentiality of service users, staff, volunteers and KSAAS management.

Specific duties

• Provide support to children and young people, and their families, through a range of channels as appropriate, including face-to-face, video, text and telephone.
• Travel to schools and community venues to provide support as required by your caseload.
• Contact young people or the parents/carers of allocated child service users in a timely and professional manner.
• Work with children and young people who are survivors of sexual abuse to promote their emotional and physical wellbeing.
• Listen to service users’ needs and use a trauma-informed approach to develop an appropriate support plan.
• Undertake risk and needs assessments and provide ongoing support and advice on risk management.
• Support service users to report (if they choose to), and through each stage of the criminal justice process, explaining procedures and their rights and entitlements, including under the Victims’ Code.
• Support service users to make informed choices about their options.
• Support service users to access the services they need and to which they are entitled.
• Support service users to identify and work towards personal goals.
• Work in line with data protection legislation (including UK GDPR) and confidentiality requirements when working within multi-agency protocols.
• Identify and respond to child and adult safeguarding concerns, following relevant legislation, policies and procedures.
• Advocate and, where appropriate, challenge on behalf of service users.
• Develop and maintain effective communication with key partners including police, CPS, court services, education/schools, mental health and sexual health services, Victim Gateway, the Witness Service and other voluntary sector organisations.
• Highlight the needs of child survivors of sexual abuse and promote the service to partner agencies and local communities.
• Manage a caseload.
• Maintain accurate, timely notes and records for all service users, in line with UK GDPR and organisational requirements.
• Contribute to the development of service policies, protocols, guidelines and strategies within your area of practice, as required.
• Attend and contribute to supervision sessions.
• Work with a clear understanding of the myths and realities of sexual violence and trauma, including longer-term mental health impacts.
• Contribute accurate information, anonymised case studies and quantitative data to help monitor and evaluate service effectiveness.
• Complete ISVA/ChISVA training (if not already completed) and undertake ongoing training as directed throughout the role. 

General responsibilities

• Support the team to inform and educate the public, media, schools and other statutory agencies through networking, talks, training and presentations.
• Work flexibly to help KSAAS offer the best possible service to service users.
• Attend team and service meetings as required and collaborate with colleagues to achieve team and organisational objectives.
• Attend relevant training, conferences and workshops in line with identified professional objectives.

Performance will be monitored through regular line-management supervision and reviewed at the annual appraisal.

Due to the nature of work at KSAAS, tasks and responsibilities can be unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work flexibly when required, including undertaking additional duties not specifically covered in this job description. These duties will normally be in response to unforeseen circumstances or changes in work and will be compatible with the post holder’s usual role.

Please note that you will be required to undertake a DBS check and may also be required to complete additional security checks to work in some settings.

A full driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Good standard of education (graduate level or equivalent experience)

• ISVA trained, or willing to attend training

• Child-related qualification

• Trauma-informed training

• Safeguarding training

• ISVA training

• Domestic abuse training

• Sexual abuse training

Experience

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of sexual violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual coercion

• Experience of working with a range of statutory, non-statutory and voluntary agencies

• Experience of working with vulnerable adults or children

• Experience of working within the violence against women and girls’ sector

Knowledge & Understanding

• Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding issues, legislation and best practice

• Ability to maintain professional notes and records of interactions and interventions with service users

• Understanding of the effects of abuse on children

• Proficient IT skills (Windows, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, email and internet)

• Understanding of professional confidentiality and its boundaries in relation to service delivery, legal, ethical and safeguarding issues

• Specialist knowledge of the immediate and longer-term impacts of sexual violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual coercion

• Understanding of the need for accurate monitoring

• Knowledge of the Victims’ Code of Practice

Skills

• Able to prioritise own workload and manage competing demands

• Ability to use line management and supervision effectively

• Good communication skills (verbal, non-verbal and written)

• Ability to keep the service user at the centre of all processes

• Understanding of inequality and commitment to anti-oppressive practice

• Willingness to be creative in approach when working with children and young people

• Ability to work on own initiative, in partnership, and as part of a team

• Experience of proactive advocacy, representing the voices and needs of service users

Other

• Required to work flexibly to meet service users’ needs

• Expected to travel to meet service user needs; a driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential

How to Apply

To apply, please email a detailed CV along with a supporting statement explaining your suitability for the role, to the Head of ISVA Services, Caroline Carter.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 20 May 2026.

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 

Chief Executive Officer – Resolve West

Resolve West is recruiting a Chief Executive Officer to lead our respected charity supporting people and communities to resolve conflict and repair harm.

This part‑time role offers strategic leadership at a pivotal moment, following the retirement of our long‑standing CEO. Working with a committed Board, staff team and volunteers, the CEO will strengthen financial sustainability, partnerships and organisational culture.

Key details

• Part‑time: 24–28 hours
• Location: Bristol / Hybrid
• Salary: from £45,000 FTE (pro rata)
• Closing date: 15 May 2026