Learning disability jobs

Job description  

We are looking for people with the values and commitment to increase the independence, self-confidence and access to new opportunities for people with learning disabilities and enduring mental health support needs across our Supported Living Services in Kingston and Richmond. You will be supporting people to live within a support living setting including sleep-ins, to enable them to remain as independent as possible while receiving person centred care.

Who we are  

At Balance we are committed to empowering those we support to build independent, fulfilled and self-confident lives. We work hard to ensure our charitable values are central to the professional experience of those who work for us, with us and who benefit from our services. We operate a range of services in SW London including outreach and small homes-based services in Kingston and Richmond.  

Who you are  

You are someone with experience of or a commitment to developing a person-centred approach in working with people with complex needs and challenges. You will be a collegiate player, and someone able to see beyond the barriers that people with disabilities experience every day. Your values and working practice will align with those of the charity to maximise the independence of those you are working with; to enable their ability to make decisions about the types of service they are in receipt of and to ensure that your approach is both professional and sustainable.  

Key Responsibilities of this role  

Your primary responsibilities will include:  

• To work as part of a diverse and experienced team providing personalised support, advice and advocacy to people living independently or in supported accommodation.  

• To apply a collegiate approach to deliver strengths-based support that maximises independence, knowledge and confidence of those using our services.  

• To provide a key point of reference for information and support to those using the services and professionals and carers dependent on it.  

• To work independently across the boroughs we operate in, with people in their homes or in accessing support and resources across the community.  

Critical Values in the delivery of this role  

• A commitment to building independence and self-confidence amongst your colleagues as well as those you provide services to.  

• Recognition of the skills, knowledge and commitment of those working around you and your contribution to them.  

• A professional, can-do attitude that finds solutions in the darkest corners.  

• A willingness to empower those around you to exercise authority to make mistakes, test things out and lead from the front.  

Benefits in working for us  

The charity ensures the following benefits for all its operational staff:  

• A baseline commitment to pay London living wage for all its front-line staff.  

• A commitment to training and professional development to at least Care Certificate NVQ level 3  

• Inclusion in and contribution to the charity's pension scheme  

• Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days a year plus an additional day off for your birthday  

• Access to a range of discount schemes  

• Access to the charity's employee assistance programme  

• Access to travel card loan and bike to work scheme  

   

Application Instructions  

Please complete a covering letter and CV that indicates how you meet the key criteria in the person specification .

The Advocacy Team Leader is a key operational leadership role responsible for the day-to-day delivery, coordination, and quality assurance of Respond’s specialist ISVA and advocacy services for autistic people and people with learning disabilities affected by sexual violence, trauma, or abuse. 

This role combines operational leadership, case allocation and triage, supervision and quality oversight, alongside holding a small caseload of complex cases. You will help ensure high-quality, trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming advocacy in line with ISVA national minimum standards, safeguarding requirements and contract outcomes. 

The Team Leader plays a central role in embedding trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming practice, supporting safe and reflective decision-making, and representing Respond in key operational and steering forums and working groups. And plays a vital role in building a culture of safe, accountable, and reflective practice and in ensuring advocacy services are delivered with care, consistency, and impact.

An accredited ISVA qualification is essential. 

This advert closes at midnight Thursday 18th February 2026 and interviews will be held Tuesday 24th February 2026.

JOB TITLE: SEND Engagement and Participation Officer
LOCATION: Slough
HOST ORGANISATION: Together As One
RESPONSIBLE TO: Senior Manager – Together As One

Purpose of the Role:
To work across Slough to develop and embed processes that enable the participation of children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in decision-making and service planning, delivery, and evaluation.

This role involves empowering CYP with SEND to make a difference, helping them develop their skills, abilities, and confidence to contribute positively to outcomes for other children and young people. The postholder will work collaboratively with partners across education, health, social care, and the voluntary sector to ensure best practice in participation, and that SEND CYP have a strong voice in shaping local services.

This is a specialist role requiring a senior participation officer with knowledge of reasonable adjustments, safeguarding, service design, and co-production, as well as experience of working with CYP with SEND. Creative, enthusiastic candidates with a desire to learn are encouraged to apply.

The post links directly to Slough’s SEND improvement outcomes, particularly empowering CYP with SEND to influence local policy, service design, and review services to better meet their needs.

Interview Process: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to deliver a presentation or lead a short activity with a small group of young people with SEND as part of the interview process. Interviews are scheduled to take place in the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday 11th February.

Key Tasks

1. Work collaboratively with relevant partners (education, health, social care, voluntary sector, parents/carers) to promote an ethos of inclusive participation.

2. Build and coordinate a network of participation and co-production across Slough to enable CYP with SEND to give their views and contribute meaningfully to service development.

3. Co-produce a range of additional participation opportunities with CYP and partners to ensure their input informs services, policy, and decision-making.

4. Apply a range of participation and engagement methodologies, including face-to-face, digital, and social media, to engage CYP with SEND.

5. Identify and support CYP with SEND to participate, providing appropriate mechanisms and support for diverse communication needs.

6. Collaborate with other ‘Youth Voice’ workers and youth participation initiatives to share best practice and develop training/resources for authentic inclusion.

7. Act as an advocate for SEND CYP’s rights to be heard in decision-making, recruitment, training, and policy development.

8. Promote accessibility and inclusivity, championing diversity across age, gender, gender orientation, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, socio-economic status, and disability.

9. Promote understanding of inclusive participation practices, challenging under-representation and unconscious bias.

10. Establish processes to report findings strategically and via diverse communication channels.

11. Engage in regional or national youth participation projects as required.

12. Demonstrate understanding of inclusion, diversity, and equality in all aspects of work.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

(assessed at application and interview stage)

• Strong understanding of the needs of CYP with SEND, including autism, learning disabilities, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs, demonstrated through professional experience in a variety of settings.

• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn about, different communication needs, including non-verbal communication and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), and the ability to make reasonable adjustments to enable meaningful participation.

• Ability to plan, design, and deliver fun, creative, and inclusive sessions for CYP with SEND that actively engage participants, build confidence and skills, and meet pre-identified objectives.

• Direct experience supporting CYP to engage in social action, youth forums, consultations, campaigns, or other participation initiatives.

• Confidence in applying a range of engagement techniques for both face-to-face and digital settings, including creative use of social media to reach CYP with SEND.

• Demonstrated empathy and understanding when working with CYP, parents, and carers.

• Ability to inspire and build positive relationships with CYP, recognising potential barriers and difficulties they may face in participation.

• Positive attitude towards diversity and inclusion, with experience of embedding equality of opportunity into daily practice.

• Knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, and frameworks relating to CYP and participation (e.g., Children and Families Act 2014, Equality Act 2010, UNCRC, Children Act 1989, safeguarding procedures).

• Experience of producing engaging reports and communications for different audiences, including CYP, parents/carers, commissioners, and partner organisations.

• Flexible and able to manage priorities across a fast-moving workload, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.

• Ability to meet the travelling requirements of the role and availability to work evenings and occasionally weekends.

Desirable Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

(assessed at application and interview stage)

• Knowledge of the role of key services (education, health, and social care) in the lives of CYP with SEND.

• Experience in planning, coordinating, and delivering projects or events with/for CYP, on time and within budget.

• Experience of empowering young people to develop their own projects and articulate their views to decision-makers.

• Experience in planning and facilitating engaging training or group work with young people and/or professionals.

• Experience in service user evaluation programmes or youth consultation initiatives.

• Knowledge of relevant social media channels and creative methods for engaging CYP with SEND.

• Experience of innovative methods to promote participation and co-production with CYP, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.

• Qualifications or experience relating to youth engagement, youth work, social work, teaching, volunteering, or similar professional settings.

• Professional qualification in Youth Work, or working towards one.

Reasonable Adjustments and Accessibility

Together As One is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, including recruitment. We welcome applications from candidates with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the application and interview process.

If you require any support or adjustments, such as accessible formats, additional time, alternative ways to complete assessments, or assistance at the interview, please contact Rob Deeks (details below). We will work with you to ensure the process is accessible and allows you to demonstrate your skills and experience fully.

Stay Up Late is a charity fighting for the right of people with learning disabilities and autistic
people to live full social lives — to go out, stay up late, and have fun. We’re best known for
Gig Buddies, our flagship project built around music, nightlife, and friendship.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role, providing strategic and practical leadership across
income generation and financial management. Fundraising and sustainability are shared
responsibilities at Stay Up Late — this role leads and coordinates that work, helping us focus
on what will have the greatest impact while ensuring strong, proportionate financial
oversight.

You’ll bring senior charity finance experience, a good understanding of income generation,
and a collaborative, values-led approach. You’ll be comfortable working closely with the
Director, trustees, staff, and freelancers in a small organisation where trust and teamwork
matter.

Closing date: 9am, Monday 23 February
Interviews: after 5 March
Start date: flexible
To apply, complete the application form on our website.

We’re committed to equality, inclusion, and doing things differently — applications are
encouraged from people who share our values.

Head of Programmes / Programmes Director, Level Water

What we're building

Level Water exists to solve a problem that shouldn’t exist: too many disabled children are still missing out on high-quality swimming lessons.

We’ve built a delivery model that works. Families trust us. Pools want to work with us. Funders back us. We’re well-funded (80% unrestricted) and responding to growing demand.

Now we’re entering the next stage: scaling what works without losing quality, care, or joy. This role sits right at the heart of that mission - leading not just how our programmes are delivered, but how we define, measure, and grow our impact.

We’re Level Water - a founder-led charity solving unequal access to swimming for children with disabilities. We’re not a typical charity. We own our swim events and run them like a business, creating a sustainable income stream that directly funds our programmes. That model gives us the freedom to move fast, test ideas, and build something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

Because we’re self-sustaining, we can make clear, confident decisions about our programme and impact direction. If you want to help tackle unequal access to sport - and shape how a modern charity designs, delivers, and measures programmes at scale - this is your chance.

The opportunity

This isn’t a “keep programmes running” role.

This is a build, lead, and scale a national delivery model role.

As Head of Programmes, you’ll own how Level Water’s programmes are designed, delivered, improved, and expanded. You’ll take a proven model, design for growth  and help turn it into something category-defining - working at pace, making smart decisions, and setting the standard for what inclusive swimming can look like across the UK.

You’ll work closely with the CEO and senior team, lead our brilliant programme function (a Training and Excellence Manager and Programmes Officer), and bring energy and momentum to a part of the organisation that sits right at the heart of our impact.

If you’re excited by growth, complexity, and building something that really matters, you’ll thrive here.

If you’re looking for a role where you can play it safe, this probably isn’t it.

What you’ll actually own

Programme design, quality & scale

• You’ll own how Level Water’s programmes are designed, delivered, and grown - now and into the future.

• Set the strategic direction for our lesson delivery model, ensuring it scales without losing quality, care, or joy.

• Lead and develop the Programmes team, setting clear priorities, standards, and ways of working.

• Ensure programmes are safe, inclusive, effective, and consistently high-quality as delivery expands.

• Build the systems and processes that make great delivery easier at scale, not harder.

Impact, learning & continuous improvement

• You’ll define how we understand, measure, and improve our impact - and use learning to drive better delivery.

• Ensure we gather meaningful insight from families, swimmers, teachers, and partners.

• Turn data and feedback into clear learning that actively shapes programme decisions.

• Lead Level Water’s approach to impact reporting for funders, partners, Trustees, and the Board, alongside the Senior Leadership Team.

• Set clear success measures and use them to guide prioritisation, iteration, and growth.

Strategic partnerships, funding & sector influence

• You’ll build the relationships and credibility that enable sustainable programme growth and wider change.

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with national pool operators and delivery partners.

• Secure and manage national agreements that unlock scale and improve access.

• Work closely with Fundraising to shape strong, realistic programme content for grants and funding proposals.

• Own the programme side of grant-funded delivery, ensuring work is well planned, delivered to a high standard, and reported with clarity and confidence.

• Represent Level Water externally as a credible, influential voice in inclusive swimming, helping to shift culture and practice across the sector.

Who we’re looking for

We care far more about how you work than where you’ve worked or what sector you come from. You don’t need a background in swimming. You don’t need charity experience. What matters is how you think, how you lead, and the energy you bring.

People who thrive here have:

• Ambition for growth. You’re excited by the moment where something good needs to scale - and you want to help shape what comes next, not just maintain what already exists.

• Ownership and momentum. You take responsibility, spot opportunities, and move things forward. You don’t wait for perfect information or permission before acting.

• The ability to hold strategy and delivery together. You can zoom out to set direction and zoom in to make sure things actually work - and you know when each is needed.

• Confidence leading through change. You’ve helped programmes or services evolve through growth, complexity, or transformation, and you’re comfortable making decisions in imperfect conditions.

• Strong relational leadership. You build trust quickly, bring people with you, and create credibility with partners, teams, and senior stakeholders.

• A solutions-first mindset. When things get complicated (and they will), you stay calm, pragmatic, and focused on what will move things forward.

Bonus points if:

• You’ve worked in a scale-up, start-up, or fast-growing organisation.

• You’ve built or reshaped delivery models, partnerships, or systems as things grew.

• You’re motivated by impact and inclusion, and want your work to genuinely change lives.

If this sounds like you - and you’re excited by the challenge of building something ambitious with real-world impact - we’d love to hear from you.

Why Level Water?

Our values - Bold, Driven, Personal, and Joyful - shape how this role shows up in practice. You’ll be expected to bring ambition, move with purpose, care deeply about people, and help build programmes that feel genuinely joyful to be part of.

Bold.
This isn’t a “run what already exists” role. You’ll challenge assumptions, set direction, and help shape the future of inclusive swimming. We want your judgement, your ideas, and your confidence to make clear calls.

Driven.
We’re growing fast, and programmes sit at the centre of that growth. If you’re ambitious about scale, impact, and building something that lasts, there's a real opportunity here to lead what comes next.

Personal.
We’re founder-led and people-first. You’ll work closely with families, partners, and colleagues, balancing high standards with empathy, clarity, and care.

Joyful.
Swimming should be positive, empowering, and fun - especially for children who’ve too often been excluded. You’ll help ensure our programmes don’t just deliver outcomes, but create experiences that build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of the water.

Practical details:

• Flexible working: remote, hybrid, or (even better) office-based in Tunbridge Wells, your choice.

• You'll attend weekend events throughout the summer.

• Some travel required to pools, partners, and events (including occasional weekends)

• Salary: Head of: £46k-57k (depending on experience)

How to apply

We want to hear from you in whatever way best shows us who you are and how you think.

Get creative. We really want to get a feel for your personality and style. A traditional CV and cover letter? Great. A video introduction? Awesome. Whatever format helps you shine and show us who you are. 

Here's what we'd love to know:

1. What’s the boldest change you’ve delivered that improved outcomes for the people your programme existed to serve - and what did you personally do to make it happen?

Before you apply:

If you've got questions about the role, the team, or whether this might be right for you, please reach out. I'm Lucy Powell, Operations Director at Level Water, and I'd genuinely love to chat. 

Deadline: 

We're reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will close this advert once we've found the right person. So if this excites you, don't wait, but do take the time to show us who you really are. 

We'd rather see your best work than a rushed application. If you need a bit of time to put that together, talk to us.

We're excited to meet you. Let's build something brilliant together.

Location: Birmingham or London (40-60% of your week will be spent in the office)

1st stage interviews: 16th & 17th February

2nd stage interviews: 26th & 27th February

This is your chance to make a real impact behind the scenes of a charity that changes young lives every day. You’ll empower managers to lead with confidence, navigate complex people challenges, and help shape a culture of fairness, inclusion and support across the Trust.

You’ll handle a varied caseload, influence policy, coach leaders, and contribute to our vital EDI agenda, all while working with a passionate, expert People & Learning team. You will also If you thrive on listening empathetically, solving problems, influencing change, and believe in the power of good people practices creating positive outcomes, we’d love to hear from you.

What happens next?  

Please submit a CV, and Cover Letter that includes your experience, transferrable skills and motivation to work for The King's Trust! The Team will be in touch about the next steps shortly after the closing date. 

Why do we need Employee Relations Advisors? 

Last year, we helped more than 40,000 Young People, with three in four young people on our programmes moving into a positive outcome in work, education or training. The young people we help face a range of challenges, such as unemployment, mental health issues or some who have been in trouble with the law. We believe all young people should have the chance to succeed, and that young people are the key to a positive and prosperous future for all of us. We want to continue having a positive impact on young people’s lives and we couldn’t do this without the important work of Employee Relations Advisors! 

Perks for working at The Trust! 

• Great holiday package! 30 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays. Office closure on the days between Christmas and New Year 
• Flexible working! Where operationally possible, our roles require a combination of office days and working from home (please speak to the hiring manager about this particular role)
• You can volunteer for and/or attend events – The King's Trust Awards, Pride, active events etc. 
• In-house learning platform! Develop your skills for your career and your role 
• Benefits platform! Everything from health and financial well-being support to discounts on your favourite restaurants, shops and cinemas. 
• Personal development opportunities through our Networks – KT CAN (Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network), and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). 
• Fantastic Family leave! Receive 13 weeks of full pay and 13 weeks of half pay for maternity and adoption leave. Receive 8 weeks of full pay for paternity leave. 
• Interest-free season ticket loans 
• The Trust will contribute 5% of your salary to the Trust Pension Scheme 
• Generous life assurance cover (4 x annual salary) 

Location: Hybrid/Remote
Department: Training & Development
Salary: £32,580
Hours: 35
Contract Type: Permanent
 
About the Role
 
TRAINING OFFICER
 
We provide training and consultancy to organisations that work directly with care-experienced young people, in order to upskill and develop professionals who are committed to improving outcomes for children in care and care leavers.
 
We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Training Officer to plan, design and deliver training content that makes a real impact. We are seeking an excellent facilitator to deliver this important provision, who is creative, professionally curious and has strong organisational and self-administration skills.
 
The Training Officer will be involved in delivering our standard courses, alongside developing new and innovative pieces of work, including digital, online and in-person training packages. They will also support the delivery, assessment and ongoing development of an accredited learning programme for Personal Advisers in Leaving Care Service Teams.
 
Location
 
Our team currently work remotely from home, with the required attendance of in-person meetings (generally expected once or twice per month). In-person meetings usually take place in our office space in Old Street, London and Become covers the cost of travel within Great Britain for essential in-person meetings.
 
The role of Training Officer also requires regular delivery of training sessions at client venues across England (travel expenses covered).
 
The Old Street office space is available for team members to work from if preferred. For non-London based team members hot-desking options near you can be requested if required.
 
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
 
As an organisation serving children in care and young care leavers, we are keen to receive applications from people with lived experience of care. We are actively seeking to bring diversity of perspectives and experience, and especially welcome applications from those from racially-minoritised communities. We ask all applicants to fill in an Equity and Diversity Monitoring from to better understand the diversity of applicants. This is anonymous and will not be connected with your application.
 
How to apply
 
To apply please complete our application form on our recruitment platform by the application close date and time.
 
In the application stage of our recruitment, we ask candidates to upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form on our recruitment platform. The application form asks for candidates to answer competency-based questions.
 
Your application and answers will be reviewed anonymously to ensure fairness and help remove bias from the application process.
 
To apply for this role, you will need to:

• Provide us with a copy of your CV
• Answer the competency questions in no more than 400 words per question,providing relevant examples to demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience required
• Complete the Equity and Diversity Monitoring Form (this is not compulsory,but the information is very useful to us)

 
If you have any reasonable adjustments to request for this recruitment process (at any stage) please advise us on your application form.
 
Interview Details
 
Interviews will have two parts:

• A session with young people;
• A panel interview with Become staff.
• Interviews may be held virtually using a video calling app (Microsoft Teams or Zoom) or in person in London. If access to technology/internet is difficult for you, please contact us so we can assist in making suitable arrangements.  

 
Interviews will take place:
 
Young people’s panel: 3rd March 2026
Staff panel: 5th March 2026
Become embodies and promotes fairness in our recruitment process. As part of this short-listed candidates invited to interview will be sent the interview questions in advance.
 
Please Note
 
All applicants must have a Right to Work in the UK. Although the role is hybrid, we are unable to offer work visas or sponsorship for any candidates.
 
We’re proud to be a Living Wage Employer. We are committed to #ShowingTheSalary. Our roles are #OpenToAll 
 
Benefits: Real London Living Wage Employer; Generous Annual Leave Scheme; Flexible working; Pension Scheme; Life Insurance Scheme; Health Cash Plan; Access to a Rewards and Benefit Platform; Signatory of Halo Code; Disability Confident Employer; Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7; Fostering Friendly Employer; Support for Team Members with lived experience; Access to Virtual GP
 
REF-226 360

Job Purpose

Are you a strategic HR professional passionate about people, culture, and inclusion? Centre 404 is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to join our Central People and Culture team and support the Director of People in delivering Centre 404’s People Strategy and sector workforce priorities. The role focuses on embedding workforce planning, building management capability, and strengthening cultural development, ensuring the organisation is well placed to meet the challenges of the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy and the new national pay deal.

About Us

Centre 404 is a vibrant north London based charity committed to empowering people with learning disabilities and their families. We champion inclusion, choice, and wellbeing, and we’re proud to be driving sector-leading change in social care.

Key Priorities

• Deliver a management development programme with measurable impact
• Provide workforce analytics to inform strategic decisions and reduce agency spend
• Coach managers to resolve employee relations issues proactively
• Drive improvements in staff engagement, inclusion, and fair treatment
• Lead on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives and quality benchmarking
• Embed co-production principles across HR processes

What We’re Looking For

• CIPD Level 7 (or working towards) or equivalent
• Proven experience in workforce planning, leadership development, and cultural change
• Strong coaching, influencing, and analytical skills
• Commitment to inclusion, safeguarding, and the rights of people with learning disabilities
• Knowledge of CQC/Ofsted frameworks and sector reforms is a plus

 Why Join Us?

At Centre 404, you’ll be part of a values-driven organisation that prioritises people. We offer a collaborative environment, meaningful work, and the opportunity to make a real difference.

Centre 404 is dedicated to staff development and supervision and we will provide a detailed induction and on-going training and support. All offers of employment are subject to a DBS check, proof of eligibility to work in the UK and satisfactory references covering a five year period.

Centre 404 is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Charity ref number 299889

Job Title: People Development Manager (Job Share)

Location: Homeworking with a requirement to occasionally work at Head Office (Vauxhall, London)
Salary: £23,036 per annum, pro rata based on an FTE salary of £57,590 per annum. (Inclusive of London Weighting, which may not be applicable depending on your home location and any agreed permanent homeworking arrangement)

Contract type: Part Time, Fixed Term (1 year)

Hours: 15 hours per week (Wednesday's and Friday's as part of a job share)

We are now seeking a People Development Manager (Job Share) to join our People & Culture team and help us strengthen learning, development, and organisational capability across Refuge.

As People Development Manager, you will play a key role in delivering effective, compliant, and customer-focused People services that help colleagues perform at their best and support Refuge’s strategic objectives.

Working collaboratively with managers and your job-share partner, you will shape and deliver an organisation-wide training and learning offer that meets diverse needs, supports professional growth, and enhances our inclusive culture.

You will lead on the development of our newly implemented learning system, our evaluation framework and monitoring and developing our apprenticeship scheme. Alongside your job share partner and the Deputy Director of People & Culture, you will help develop our new learning strategy.

You will be part of a supportive People & Culture team committed to positive change and continuous improvement. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to shape meaningful development initiatives that help colleagues grow and ensure Refuge remains a great place to work.

Closing Date: 09:00 am 12 February 2026

Interview Date: 19 February 2026 

Job Title: Marketing and Communications Manager (Maternity Cover)

Reporting To: Director of Fundraising

Line Management: This post has no line management responsibilities

Salary: £35,000 - £37,000 (FTE), pro-rata for part time hours

Hours: 28 hours per week, working pattern to be agreed

Contract: 14 months

Location: Currently one day in the office in Kings Cross N1 9LG (Tuesdays)

DBS: This post is subject to an enhanced criminal record check under the arrangements established by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Context of Job

AFK is a national charity creating opportunities for children and young people who are disabled or neurodiverse, to increase their independence, reach their individual potential and remove the barriers they face. Our vision is a world where there are no barriers to independence for children and young people who are disabled or neurodivergent.

As part of this we offer bespoke employment skills training and organise work experience across North London. At a national level, we provide mobility equipment not available on the NHS for disabled children and young people up to the age of 25.

Overall Job Purpose

As part of the Fundraising and Communications Department this role is responsible for creating bold, inspiring new ideas for the charity across digital, marketing and communications, PR, campaigns and internal communications.

You will be passionate about telling stories to inspire action from external supporters and will have responsibility for executing the marketing plan to support events, partnerships, and campaigns. You’ll also collaborate with the Fundraising and Services Teams to identify our target audiences and make suggestions on how to communicate across multiple channels to best drive engagement.

Your creativity and passion will deliver tailored marketing and communications campaigns and you will work closely with colleagues and external agencies/freelancers as required to influence and engage external stakeholders. You will help to bring our brand promise and our mission to life for colleagues, supporters and the young people we support.

This role will provide practical support to produce videos, social media, and materials to help raise funds, increase our profile and support the wider charity.

Working Conditions

The post is 28 hours a week, split flexibly across the working week (working pattern to be agreed). The post holder may be expected to work some evenings and weekends as required by the job.

28 days annual leave pro rated will be given in addition to public holidays.

There is a TOIL policy.

Working Relationships

This role is all about building strong relationships across the organisation to align marketing and communications with our priorities, juggling income generation, service promotion, and leadership communications.

You'll be the central communications hub, turning organisational goals into engaging content that resonates with our audiences.

You'll work closely with the Fundraising team to create compelling campaigns that engage donors and boost income. You'll partner with our Service Delivery teams to capture great impact stories and share what we do with stakeholders. Regular collaboration with the CEO is key for managing organisational messaging, supporting strategic communications, and keeping our brand consistent.

Principal Responsibilities

· Implement the Marketing and Communications strategy and plan, including tracking progress against KPIs

· Undertake a full and routine evaluation of all marcomms activity including preparing reports for colleagues and the leadership team

· Write briefs for external agencies/freelance support as required

· Oversee the maintenance of a comprehensive suite of marketing collateral that meets needs across the organisation, ensuring there is a cost-effective process in place for commissioning new materials

· Support internal communications by maintaining the Sharepoint hub front page

· Produce design and copy for inclusive and accessible marketing content including off and online for fundraising appeals, service delivery programmes and organisational brand messaging

· Maintain the AFK website, built on Wordpress, and manage the external web hosts and developers to ensure updates are successful and the website reflects brand guidelines and AFK’s tone of voice

· Produce a regular e-newsletter and increase subscribers by promoting the e-news across owned channels

· Manage the AFK social media accounts, working closely with the wider organisation to ensure brand alignment across all social channels

· Oversee the appropriate and consistent use of our brand across all communications touch points by ensuring all internal and external stakeholders have the resources and support required to work within the brand guidelines

· This post currently has no direct reports

Dimensions is proud to be one of very few social care organisations that are accredited by the Great Places To Work programme in 2025 – now 6 years in a row!

The HR Officer will provide expert support and advice to operational management in all areas of HR whilst consistently demonstrating HR best practice. The HR Officer will be the initial point of contact for all operational HR related matters. 

Occasional travel to team meetings across the region.

Interviews will take place via Microsoft teams.

About the role 

Your main duties will include: 

• Providing first level advice and guidance on HR Policies and procedures, employment law and employee relations issues with the guidance of the HR Services Manager as required
• Advising and supporting Business Support Managers with disciplinary, grievance, absence management, and performance improvement cases.
• Ensure the provision of appropriate, timely and accurate management information to support strategy development, management decision making and improve the effectiveness of HR Services as and when required.
• Review sickness absence and undertake relevant interventions, including referrals to Occupational Health and advice to Managers on phased return.

About you

The successful applicant will have: 

• Qualified or working towards CIPD
• Experienced in developing metrics and reports with data analysis ability
• Excellent working knowledge of Excel, Word and Outlook
• Experienced in supporting managers with ER cases

The rewards

• Up to 35 days’ annual leave entitlement (including bank holidays)
• Staff discount shopping scheme ‘Rewarding Dimensions’
• We offer a salary advance scheme where you can access up to 50% of the money you've earned before payday. 
• Employee Assistance Programme 
• Pension scheme
• Long Service Awards
• Qualification scheme
• Employee recognition scheme 'Inspiring People' 
• Discounted health and dental cover 
• Life Assurance 
• Bike to Work Scheme 
• Season Ticket Loan

Apply now

• We welcome applications from everyone who has the right to work in the UK, and value diversity in our workforce
• As Disability Confident Leaders , we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy - Dimensions has been awarded this symbol by Jobcentre Plus to recognise our commitment towards the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees
• We now have British Sign Language (BSL) translated videos for all of our recruitment communications.

Mencap – Executive Director, Fundraising

 

Location: Flexible working, with 1-2 days per week in London office (EC1Y).

Salary: £120,000 per annum.

 

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Mencap is seeking an Executive Director, Fundraising to deliver ambitious fundraising goals and drive growth and impact, whilst ensuring that people with a learning disability are at the heart of their fundraising activities.

Mencap’s vision is for the estimated 1.5 million people with a learning disability across the UK to get the best chance in life. This is a pivotal moment to join the charity as they launch their new five-year strategy, Mencap 2030, with this role central to delivering its ambitious vision in which people with a learning disability can live life to the full.

The Executive Director, Fundraising will play a key organisational leadership role - modelling Mencap’s values, contributing to cross‑organisational transformation and championing belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion. With fundraising central to the charity’s future growth, the postholder will drive a strategy designed to increase annual income from an average of £14m to £20m and beyond, building on recent high‑profile partnerships and investment across all fundraising channels.

The role requires an inspiring leader who can galvanise 7,500 colleagues behind a shared fundraising mission and authentically involve people with a learning disability in shaping fundraising approaches. The successful candidate will lead and motivate a high‑performing team, steward major corporate and individual relationships and ensure innovation, strong forecasting and long‑term income growth. As a full member of the Executive team, they will contribute to organisational leadership, governance and strategic decision‑making, working closely with the Chief Executive and Board.

The role requires a values‑led, impact‑driven leader with a strong record of cross‑organisational leadership, a proven ability to deliver ambitious, sustained fundraising growth and experience of aligning fundraising goals with wider organisational strategy. They must also be able to demonstrate values‑based leadership that promotes belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion, and which supports team wellbeing and drives high performance.

The successful candidate will be an exceptional communicator, skilled at building high‑value relationships and engaging wider audiences through excellent stewardship. They will bring forward‑thinking insight into market trends, data‑driven decision‑making and the effective use of technology, including leading CRM implementation to enhance fundraising impact. Mencap is also seeking candidates who will strengthen or champion diversity within the Executive team, with a track record of nurturing inclusive teams and developing diverse talent.

Please download our Candidate Pack for further information [PDF], which includes details on how to apply.

Closing date: Monday 9th February 9.00am.

 

PLEASE NOTE: We will be longlisting applications as soon as we receive them, so please apply early to register your interest. 

The Difference is an education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning. Our vision is to see lost learning falling nationally by 2030 and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, particularly those most vulnerable.

Leading national policy strategy

As Head of Policy you will work closely with the CEO to develop and execute a four-year influencing plan.  Together we’ll aim to shift local and national incentives on inclusion by 2030, which see the national trend of rising suspension and absence begin to fall. 

You will hold relationships with the Department for Education and Ofsted and advise on policy priorities ahead, such as:

• Widening the definition of inclusion beyond special needs, recognising the needs of those young people historically or currently interacting with social services

• Reducing perverse incentives for schools to alter their school roll through admissions and pupil exits

• Expectations for multi-academy trusts in capturing and analysing data on lost learning, including how it disproportionately affects different groups

• Improving local alternative provision eco-systems, to improve outcomes for young people

• National standards for inclusive school practice, at a universal and targeted level

• Professional development standards for school inclusion

Developing implementation expertise in the middle tier

In your first six months, you will advise on the internal development of a new programme for middle tier policy actors: multi-academy trust and local authority leaders.  You will support the Programme team in its design, to plan strategically for the recruitment of trusts and local authorities, and you will plan the research and influencing work which will seek to share their success nationally.

Building the evidence base

In your second six months, you will work with the CEO to build out our research function. Your influencing plan will include how The Difference can learn from the work across our multi-academy trust, local authority and internal AP pioneer partners over the next four years, to develop influential publications. Research work ahead will include publishing sector-facing publications of The Difference’s own research, carried out by our research lead and associates; alongside managing external contractors and internal colleagues to bid for and deliver aligned research disseminating our ideas.

Raising your voice

This is an exciting opportunity for someone committed to inclusive policy change. The Difference has always punched above our weight in national and sector press reach. In post,  you will publish blogs and comment pieces, disseminating our shared ideas.  You will be a prominent voice on inclusion.

The Difference is still a small and growing charity. This means that our work is fast-paced, our roles are broad, and there is a culture of being highly autonomous, reactive and flexible, as the needs of the organisation evolve. If this sounds exciting rather than daunting, then this could be the role and team for you!

The Role
This is an exciting time to join The Difference as we increase our impact, reach more schools, and develop our influencing strategy. As Head of Policy and Public Affairs you will: 
 

Design and execute an impactful influencing plan 

• Design an influencing plan - Identify via horizon scanning opportunities to influence national policy using open policy windows, or by nudging/creating new ones. 

• Execute an influencing plan - Utilise own assets and assets across the organisation, including the Director team, to deliver against the influencing plan.

• Relationship building - Build highly credible and impactful relationships with a variety of stakeholders who hold power. This will include policy makers in national governments, local government officials, politicians, other third sector organisations and think tanks. 

• Leadership - Play a significant role internally and externally in communicating the organisation’s policy position, raising organisational and own brand.

Build policy capacity and credibility across the organisation

• Policy positions and solutions- Use the concepts, work and experience of The Difference’s programmes to develop new, and refine existing, national policy positions to shift incentives. 

• Thought leadership - Be the organisation’s education policy and political expert. 

• Generating income - Use own and team’s expertise and credibility to generate income via speaking engagements and consultancy to support the organisation’s financial sustainability. 

Person Specification

Essential – We are looking for someone with the following knowledge, experience and skills, though you may be stronger in some areas than others:
 

• Deep expertise in education policy, particularly on the topic of lost learning and the various policy and political debates, including areas of controversy, surrounding this policy topic. 

• Strategic thinker with a proven track record in identifying policy windows and designing activities that lead to meaningful national policy change. 

• Excellent relationship builder, who brings with them their own network of influential stakeholders and has a plan for building new relationships. Adept at navigating tricky situations and explaining complex, sometimes difficult, messages.

• Expert convener with a strong knowledge of the education sector, including which schools, trusts and local authorities are influential and experience in bringing a variety of perspectives together to generate consensus. 

• Persuasive and clear writing style for publication, including reports, press, blogs and ghost writing for members of the senior leadership team, often based on consensus positions, and designed to communicate key messages for impact. 

• Confidence and credibility in communicating nuanced messages in a contentious landscape, in writing, verbally and in public (e.g. on panels), to raise the profile of The Difference. 

• Strong project manager who can design systems and processes to keep self, team and other stakeholders on task and on time. Experience of designing programmes of work and monitoring their effectiveness. Flexible project management style that can adapt to a changing environment. Confidence in managing a variety of stakeholders and supporting them to deliver on time. 

Desired – You are more likely to be successful in your application if you have one or more of the following: 

• Familiarity with The Difference’s programmatic work, theory and practice. 

• Lived experience or insight into the school experiences of marginalised young people (e.g. those with experience of the care system, mental ill health, special educational needs, exclusion, and racism).

We know that some people, especially those from marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply unless they meet every listed requirement. If this role excites you and you believe you could make a strong contribution, we warmly encourage you to apply. 

We actively welcome applications from people whose backgrounds are under-represented in the charity sector, including but not limited to: people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the case system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates.

About Us

Learning with Parents supports all families to have positive learning interactions together. We drive inclusive parental engagement by partnering with schools and leading the sector through learning what works.

By partnering with primary schools, we support thousands of families across the UK to enjoy learning together at home. Our child-led videos and hands-on family activities replace traditional homework. Through behavioural insight research, innovative technology and teacher training we ensure that as many families as possible are supported effectively.

We are working to improve parental engagement across the sector, by producing evidence of parents’ impact and generating insights into how schools can best support them. Learnings are disseminated through the Parental Engagement Forum and amplified through the Fair Education Alliance.

About the Role

One of Learning with Parents’ objectives over the next five years is to evidence how best to drive inclusive parental engagement. We are looking for an individual with experience in monitoring and evaluation to join our team. 

The Evaluation Manager will be responsible for evaluating our programmes to capture the impact we have, inform improvements internally and share insights externally. The role will begin with implementing an existing evaluation plan and develop into leading improvements and innovations in our evaluation strategy.  It will involve primary research, such as leading focus groups in schools, as well as analysis of quantitative and qualitative data generated by our platform and surveys of parents and teachers. It will also involve reporting this data and supporting others to do so. The Evaluation Manager will be responsible for maintaining tools and processes around evaluation and ensuring strong internal and external communications of findings. 

This is a role which involves extensive collaboration across different internal teams and with external stakeholders such as schools and funders.

Areas of Responsibility 

Evaluation design and planning 

• Improve, develop and innovate on existing evaluation strategies to better capture our impact and the voices of our stakeholders – school leaders, teachers, parents and children.

• Liaise with project leads to ensure that evaluation is planned into projects from the start.

• Liaise with the Programme Director to ensure evaluations are planned in tandem with strategic thinking about parent voice.

• Liaise with the fundraising team to ensure that reporting commitments to donors are planned into evaluations.

• Provide evaluation support with strategic partnerships.

• Collaborate with an external evaluator if appointed in future.

• Feed into future evaluation strategies. 

Primary research and conducting evaluations

• Analyse and present insights from platform data – both qualitative and quantitative.

• Conduct focus groups in schools and online with groups of parents, teachers or school leaders.

• Conduct individual case study interviews with parents and teachers or support other colleagues to do so. 

• Conduct evaluation activities with primary aged children in school.

• Analyse and write up collected data, including qualitative feedback from surveys, interview and focus group data. 

• With the schools team, manage the logistics for evaluation visits, such as arranging dates with schools and designing recruitment materials.

Processes and internal communication

• Maintain communication processes to ensure everyone is up to date and can access the information they need.

• Ensure project management software is kept up to date with details of evaluation activity. 

• Monitor and regularly report on progress in measuring our evaluation indicators. 

• Work with the Tech team to refine processes for managing data which adhere to UK GDPR and best practice in data management and ensure maximum usability of the data.

Evaluation tools and resources

• Develop or refine existing data collections tools. 

• Explore new opportunities and methodologies for capturing child voice and the voices of parents who may typically be underrepresented in research.

• Act as an inhouse technical resource to support the wider team with monitoring and evaluation-based queries 

• Review and routinely update supporting documents such as consent forms.

• Keep abreast of trends and innovations in the wider evaluation sector, identifying new opportunities and approaches for us to explore

Supporting Programme Evaluations

• Support the leads of individual projects to develop project level evaluation plans as required, ensuring that these are integrated into overarching plans, have a Theory of Change and adhere to ethics and data protection protocols.

• Develop or refine existing data collections tools to meet project needs and support with data collection, analysis and write up as required.

Dissemination

• Ensure that findings and learning from evaluations are consistently and robustly documented.

• Ensure evaluation findings are logged and shared internally to inform future programme design and development. 

• In partnership with the fundraising and communications team, create additional versions of evaluation reports for specific audiences. 

• In partnership with project leads, ensure feedback is shared with all stakeholders.

About You 

A successful Evaluation Manager will be able to work across multiple teams to ensure the quality and cohesion of evaluation work.  They will be committed to support the charity’s growth and impact. 

Our ideal candidate would also be able to provide examples of when they have used the following skills and experience: 

• Experience of research or evaluation, including using a range of data collection tools, analysing either qualitative or quantitative data (or both), report writing and sharing findings in a range of accessible and engaging formats.

• Experience designing evaluations and an understanding of the importance of adhering to ethics and data protection protocols. 

• Experience of managing projects which involve multiple stakeholders. 

• Excellent communication skills, in person and in writing. 

• Excellent attention to detail, whether in data analysis or written communication.

• Confidence working with a range of stakeholders, including children and families, and experience developing and maintaining relationships

• Excellent organisational skills and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Interest in and understanding of educational inequality in the UK.

• A desire to champion and uphold our organisation’s vision, mission and values.

Our ideal candidate might also be able to provide examples of when they have used  some of the following skills and experience, although these are not essential: 

• Experience working in evaluation at another third sector organisation

• Experience working within the UK education system, either in schools or in other organisations working in the space such as charities or suppliers

• Familiarity with the primary school curriculum and current issues in the primary education sector.

• An understanding of the challenges of identifying and engaging families who are typically underrepresented in research.

• An understanding of the challenges of conducting evaluations in a busy school environment, why safeguarding is important in this context and how it may impact the design of evaluations based in schools.

Our Values 

Our Learning with Parents values are key to how we work and inform our strategy, programme, and how we collaborate.

Ambition - We strive do more for the families, schools and organisations we work with

Collaboration - We value the voices of others and achieve more by working together

Exploration - We are curious and seek evidence to inform our work

Innovation - We test, learn, adapt and embrace failure in our pursuit of progress

Integrity - We act responsibly and honestly, and default to transparency

Supportive environment - We work to create an environment which supports growth, belonging and wellbeing for everyone 

Benefits

We have a passionate team and supportive culture. We have supportive policies and offer a number of benefits including:

• Generous annual leave allowance (35 days, including bank holidays)

• Your birthday off and additional holiday reward for every year employed with us (up to five days pro rata)

• Enhanced maternity, paternity and family-related leave policy from day one

• Income protection in case of sickness

• Flexible working times

• Social events

• Environmental (Net Zero) Pension

• Cycle to work scheme

• Benefit Hub, including virtual GP and discount scheme

To Apply 

Submit a CV and answer the following questions through our site by Sunday 15th February:

• Why do you want to work for Learning with Parents? (no more than 300 words)

• Why do you want the role of Evaluation Manager? (no more than 300 words)

• What skills or experience do you have that would make you a good candidate for this role at Learning with Parents? (no more than 500 words)

Your questions will initially be assessed without reference to your personal details or CV so please include all relevant information in your responses. These will be scored by multiple reviewers using a scoring matrix. Please refer to our AI in recruitment policy for guidance.

First round interviews will be online the week commencing 23rd February. Second round interviews will be in person, at our Bristol offices, in the week beginning 2nd March.

We think it is important that our charity reflects the lived experience of our beneficiaries, and we want to be an organisation where employees and supporters from any background can thrive. 

We particularly welcome applications from candidates with lived experience of disability, candidates from Black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, including non-binary (LGBTQ+) candidates, and candidates from disadvantaged communities. These groups are currently underrepresented at Learning with Parents, and we are committed to increasing representation and diversity internally at the charity.

Due to the nature of our work with young people, on acceptance of offers all Learning with Parents employees are subject to a DBS check in accordance with Safeguarding Policies and offers will also be subject to reference checks. 

Please note, travel for data collection from our partner schools across the country will be required. This is likely to be between three to six times a year. Additional travel may be required to share findings with stakeholders, primarily based in London.