Lead programme manager jobs
Job Purpose
Within the National Influencing & Networks team, the Digital Communications Officer is responsible for delivering core communications functions. The postholder will work directly with the Director of National Influencing and Networks to plan communications activity in line with organisational objectives, and to deliver planned, regular and ad-hoc outputs. They will also work closely with the Area Engagement and Partnerships Team. It is desirable for the postholder to bring innovative video editing and production expertise, along with strong digital content creation skills, to enhance Clinks’ communications reach and impact.
Duties and key responsibilities
· Contribute to the continued development of communications outputs of relevance to the voluntary sector working in criminal justice
· Deliver Clinks’ communications functions to ensure our work and the voluntary sector is promoted in an accurate and timely manner.
· Contribute to Clinks’ communications outputs through oversight of the organisational communications planner, supporting the development of timelines and executing as appropriate
· Responsible for publication and design of organisational policy reports, e-bulletins, newsletters, blog posts, ad-hoc publications and other relevant digital outputs
· Responsible for the collation and distribution of Clinks’ Light Lunch on a weekly basis as well as newsflashes, women’s network updates and art alliance updates
· Provide communications and digital expertise to all Clinks staff, including planning of social media, publications or key deliverables including Clinks’ annual State of the sector research
· Work closely with the Membership and Digital Development Officer to ensure coordination of Clinks’ digital output, and supporting the Clinks digital era by contributing to project managed task groups from a communications perspective
· Work with Clinks’ partners on the delivery of local communications outputs
· Lead on Clinks’ regular programme of reporting and benchmarking, with relevance to communications metrics, triaging responsibility within the organisation, and escalating as appropriate, as well as liaising with third parties as needed
· Track and evaluate the impact of Clinks’ communications and digital outputs and advise colleagues accordingly
· Responsible, with the Membership and Digital Development Officer, for keeping information on the website up to date.
· Ensure the implementation of Clinks’ Content Creation Strategy and social media strategy, and contribute to development of wider organisational digital strategy
· Continuously review comms process’ and outputs to ensure a continued high standard to Clinks overall delivery
· Support fundraising activity and bid applications to help secure income for development work.
Additional responsibilities
· Contribute to team activity, including the communication of policy positions rooted in evidence, expertise and experience
· Ensure high standards across all Clinks communications products
· Support the development and operation of the various groups, networks and structures facilitated by Clinks
· Represent Clinks at external meetings and events
· Work with colleagues to maintain and develop Clinks’ database of stakeholders to support the distribution of published materials and other communications.
General responsibilities
· Represent and be an ambassador for Clinks
· Work to support the mission, ethos and values of Clinks
· Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as they may arise, develop or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position
· Support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace
· Work collaboratively with others in all aspects of our work.
This job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time to time as the needs of the organisation require.
Person specification
Education and experience
- 2-3 years’ experience in a communications-related role
- Experience in innovative video editing, production, and digital content creation is highly desirable.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
· An understanding of issues related to:
- The role of the voluntary sector in addressing social exclusion and inequalities
- The criminal justice system, in particular prisons and probation.
· The ability to engage audiences, persuade, and encourage understanding and participation in written and/or other communications, with a focus on social media output.
· Ability to manage multiple workstreams and competing priorities
· A collaborative approach to working with colleagues
· Strong IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office, and an ability to support online platforms, including Drupal and Simple News, as well as proficiency in web development
· An eye for design, with the ability to liaise with external designers and to use design software, for example InDesign to create documents and manipulate document templates and Canva to produce assets.
· Clear, concise and engaging written and online communication skills
· A scrupulous approach to proofreading and a high level of skill in written English.
· Good knowledge of social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Bluesky, how to create and schedule engaging content for social media, and how to track engagement
· Monitor feed, share content and engage with Clinks’ members via social media
Personal attributes and other requirements
· Working well in a team with a flexible approach to work
· Ability to manage multiple and sometimes competing priorities
· Personal resilience and ability to stay focused in a rapidly changing environment
· Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities, including for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system
· Ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work
· Commitment to upholding the rights of people facing disadvantage and discrimination in the criminal justice system.
Thank you!
About Us
Harris Academy Battersea is a mixed state secondary school serving a truly comprehensive community in the heart of London. We are an Ofsted ‘Outstanding' school with a track record of delivering fantastic outcomes year on year for our students. In 2023, Ofsted visited the academy and judged us as remaining ‘outstanding', commenting on our “highly ambitious curriculum”, the “exceptionally high quality of education” provided and noted that “behaviour in the school is very strong”. Nevertheless, we are extremely ambitious for our school and as we seek to continue to grow and develop, we are looking for more brilliant people to join us.
Our Academy is centred on the values of Knowledge, Integrity and Resilience and these underpin the way we work for both students and staff. Our staff are inclusive, diverse and committed to our mission: we develop aspirational young people to thrive in a changing world.
HABS offers a broad, academic and challenging curriculum founded on six key curriculum aims:
- To develop deep, long-lasting knowledge
- To develop students into accomplished readers, writers and orators
- To provide experiences within and beyond the classroom that enrich learning and ensure students can make informed choices about their futures
- To equip students to challenge injustice in all its forms
- To enable students to understand how they learn
- To support students to reflect on their choices and values to improve themselves and their community
These aims underpin all elements of our curriculum, and we see our core academic curriculum and wider personal development curriculum as intrinsically linked. All staff at the Academy contribute to the personal development of our students through their roles as tutors and through their contributions to the wider life of the academy.
A thriving school can only function with fantastic staff, and our vision is to make teaching at HABS both enjoyable and sustainable. The wellbeing of staff underpins every decision we make, and we seek to ensure that every member of staff can enjoy a work-life-balance enabling them to bring their best to work each day.
At HABS, professional growth and development is central to our mission. Our professional development motto is ‘improve, not prove' and leaders are relentlessly focussed on supporting staff in getting even better through a wide range of internal and external training opportunities.
As a part of the Harris Federation, all staff in the Academy benefit from being part of our network of more than fifty primary and secondary academies across London. Vibrant networks of subject experts meet regularly and teachers can access bespoke support from our central teams of consultants.
For more information about what we do and who we are, we encourage you to visit our website here as well as our careers page here and explore!
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Summary
We are currently looking to appoint a Home Academy Liaison Officer (HALO) to oversee educational welfare across the academy.
At Harris Academy Battsersea, you will join a dedicated team of staff supporting our excellent students. If you are looking for an opportunity to grow, inspire and develop, this may be the role for you.
The actual salary for this role will be £29,641-£30,516 (39 weeks per year, 37.5 hours per week)
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Main Areas of Responsibility
Your responsibilities will include:
- Overseeing Educational Welfare across the academy.
- Managing a caseload of ‘at risk’ students, where attendance falls below 85% and implement strategies to improve attendance
- Monitoring and improving the attendance of most vulnerable students
- Ensuring compliance with statutory duties, including reporting persistent and severe absenteeism
- Conducting home visits to engage families and address barriers to school attendance
- Maintaining accurate attendance records and preparing reports
- Representing the academy at external meetings e.g. Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings, LAC Reviews
- Communicating effectively with all external agencies including possible alternative providers
- Ensuring effective communication/consultation as appropriate with the parents of students
- Leading on legal interventions for non-attendance where necessary
- Co-ordinating appropriate and tailored alternative provision for students unable to thrive in mainstream education
- Supporting the school’s inclusion strategy
- Maintaining the alternative provision tracker and monitoring student progress
- Building and maintaining partnerships with external providers, agencies, and support networks
- Ensuring safeguarding and health and safety standards in alternative provision settings
- Acting as a liaison between the academy, external providers, students, and families to ensure seamless support and transition to alternative placemen
- Ensuring compliance with local and national policies related to alternative provision. as well as safeguarding protocols
- Regularly reviewing alternative provision placements and providing feedback to stakeholders.
- Maintaining confidential records of support
- Preparing of reports and maintaining records relating to student referrals and subsequent counselling or support
- Providing support to the attendance team
- Providing administrative support to coordinate internal seclusion
Qualifications & Experience
We would like to hear from you have:
- Qualifications to degree level or equivalent
- Knowledge of behaviour for learning policies
- Knowledge of the range of barriers to learning that students face
- Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures
- Basic knowledge of first aid (e.g. emergency first aid course)
- At least three years’ experience of working in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity
- Experience of dealing successfully with a range of issues influencing poor attendance
- Experience of working with staff to ensure excellent standards of attendance and punctuality
- Experience of working with families
- Experience of working with challenging students and parents, and finding ways in which we can meet their needs more successfully
For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.
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Professional Development & Benefits
Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.
In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about on our website.
Safeguarding Notice
The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.
Equal Opportunities
The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.
We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.
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Next Steps
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.
Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.
Thank you!
Assistant Benefits Advisor
Salary £24,000 FTE (rising to £27,000 per year FTE after 1 year and completion of training)
17.5 - 21 hours per week, 6.6 weeks holiday
Remote working with occasional travel for events and meetings in West Sussex
Are you passionate about working with SEND families?
Do you have the transferable skills and qualities to train as a benefits advisor?
We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join a rapidly growing caring charity with the benefits of flexible family friendly working (from home), generous holiday, pension scheme, travel expenses, laptop and phone provided.
Reaching Families was established in 2008 to empower, inform and support parent-carers and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in West Sussex. We achieve this through the delivery of our services providing information, training and peer support.
Our Benefits Advice Service provides support to parents of children and young people with SEND in West Sussex applying for Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independent Payments (PIP). Offering 1-2-1 advice sessions on the above benefits, support with claim checking of draft applications, information resources on benefits and other sources of financial support, and training workshops on DLA, PIP and Universal Credit.
We are looking to recruit a skilled and motivated Assistant Benefits Advisor to join our team
The post holder will be responsible for supporting our Benefits Advisor with the delivery of information, advice and guidance on Carers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to parent-carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in West Sussex. This is a training role with the view to promotion to Benefits Advisor following completion of training.
Person Specification (essential):
• Understanding of challenges facing parents and carers of children with SEND
• Passionate about improving the life chances of children with SEND and their parents/carers, and families
• A highly motivated self-starter with a flexible approach to working life
• A creative and strategic thinker
• Committed to professional and personal development and lifelong learning
• Ability to work independently and manage a diverse and demanding workload
• Comfortable working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Experience of using MS Office including SharePoint
• A good all-round education including GCSE’s (or equivalent) or NVQ level 2
See attached job description for details and full criteria
We welcome applications from all members of the community and value diversity in the organisation. Please contact us if you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the application or interview process due to any disability or health requirements.
Closing date for applications is 12th January 2026
Interviews to be held in Littlehampton on 21st/22nd January 2026
To apply please complete the attached application form and share why you feel you fit the role and person specification (see attached documents)
Registered Charity
11 - 20
To empower, inform and support parent-carers and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in West Sussex
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.