National campaigns manager jobs in Bristol

We are recruiting a Suicide Prevention Officer to facilitate the development, sale and delivery of high quality and impactful training and education programmes, upskilling individuals and organisations in how to prevent suicide.

What you will do:

• Facilitate in-person and online training sessions, ensuring interactive and impactful learning experiences.
• Develop and promote PAPYRUS’s training offer, tailoring to stakeholder needs and securing sales.
• Build relationships and partnerships to expand our reach and influence.
• Support the creation of e-learning and digital training resources.
• Prepare stakeholders for, and debrief them after, suicide interventions.
• Stay informed of best practice and national strategy, contribute to campaigns, and represent PAPYRUS in the media and at events.
• Champion safeguarding, health and safety, and equality across all activity.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A degree or professional qualification in a relevant field such as Education, Counselling, Training, Psychology, Community Development or Youth Work.
• A recognised training qualification or willingness to work towards one.
• Experience in delivering and developing training programmes and community-based projects.
• Ability to manage sensitive conversations and facilitate learning in emotionally complex areas.
• Strong relationship-building, presentation and time management skills.
• Professional curiosity, resilience, and a commitment to safeguarding.
• Confidence in working independently and remotely, with ability to travel as required.

Please visit the careers site for the full job description and person specification for the role.

Salary: £31,537 per annum SCP 18 – progressing by increments to £34,434 per annum SCP 23.  An additional £5000 per annum cost of living allowance will be given to post holders living in London.

Hours: 36 hours per week  

Location: Home-based to cover London primarily alongside the wider South and East England Area. 

Contract: Permanent

Benefits: You will receive 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time workers), hybrid and flexible working arrangements, an attractive pension scheme, Simply Health membership, enhanced sick pay and enhanced parental pay. Please visit our website for more details.

Closing date: 2nd March 2026

We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications so, please submit your application as soon as possible.

PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PAPYRUS is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk that interact with the organisation. The organisation recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these vulnerable groups by a commitment to procedures to protect them. The charity expects all staff and volunteers to fully support and promote these commitments.

Working as part of the Helpline team, the Helpline Advisor’s role is to ensure that incoming contacts from our beneficiaries receive high quality, timely support when they need it. The role will be busy and varied, and each shift will involve responding to contacts across Beat’s different support channels including telephone, webchat, email, social media, and facilitating daily online peer support groups. The Helpline Advisor will work closely alongside the Helpline team who are currently all based remotely. This includes Senior Helpline Advisors, Digital Helpline Volunteers, the Deputy Helpline Manager, and the Helpline Manager. Beat are receiving more contacts than ever before, this is an opportunity to make a difference to the lives of each and every person that gets in touch, this includes sufferers, family, friends, supporters and more.

We particularly encourage applications from Welsh speakers for this role; we have received funding from the Welsh government and are looking to improve our service delivery for our Welsh-speaking beneficiaries.

Campaigns and Public Affairs Officer

We’re looking for a Campaigns and Public Affairs Officer to help turn insight, lived experience and evidence into powerful public campaigns that drive change for people affected by bowel cancer. You’ll play a hands-on role in delivering creative, inclusive campaigns that mobilise supporters, grow engagement and help people take meaningful action across the UK. Working closely with colleagues across policy, communications and fundraising, you’ll support the design and delivery of campaign actions, digital activity and events, while also contributing to our wider influencing work with decision-makers. This is a UK-wide role, with an initial focus on devolved nations, ideal for someone who’s passionate about campaigning, motivated by impact and excited to be part of a team pushing for earlier diagnosis and better care.

About Us

We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.  

We currently have around 95 staff based in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to grow our staff team to deliver our ambitious strategy, On a mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer. 

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

Cardiomyopathy UK is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by cardiomyopathy. We provide clinical information, emotional support, and work to influence policy and practice so that everyone affected by cardiomyopathy receives timely diagnosis, high-quality care, and support.

Our established Change Maker volunteer network brings together people with lived experience of cardiomyopathy who share their stories and the expertise it provides to advocate for meaningful policy and practice change. Change Makers contribute in a range of ways, from running awareness raising activities and supporting social media campaigns to engaging with MPs. Their work helps drive improvements in care pathways, raise public understanding of cardiomyopathy and provide valuable input into Cardiomyopathy UK’s policy development.

As the network enters its next phase, we are seeking a skilled and passionate Freelance Senior Advocacy Officer to help take it forward.

Role Purpose

The Freelance Senior Advocacy Officer will lead the growth and development of our Change Maker network, ensuring volunteers are supported, empowered, and equipped to influence change at local, regional, and national levels. In this role, you will work closely with the Policy Manager to design and implement a strategic plan for the network, and provide the training, tools and resources our volunteers need to advocate effectively. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in advocacy, campaigns or volunteer engagement, along with strong project management skills.

As a 0.4 FTE freelance role, responsibilities will be phased and prioritised over the course of the contract. 

Please see the job description and person specification for further details.

Campaigns Lead
Hours: 35 hours per week, permanent, subject to a probationary period
Salary: £34,434 to £36,363 – NJC Scale Points 23 to 25
Based: Working from home, with regular meetings across Greater Manchester; occasional travel to other cities.

BHA is a leading health and social care charity that works to challenge health inequalities and support individuals, families & communities to improve their health & well-being.  We offer a range of unique services delivered at local, regional, and national level in the areas of health promotion, community health education and engaging and involving communities in health and social care decision making.

The Campaigns Lead is responsible for creating and coordinating health campaigns across BHA.The role will support all our projects, and our core team, with their campaign work, collecting meaningful data about the work of BHA, raising the profile of these issues and ensuring that the voices of our service users are heard far and wide.

The successful applicant should bring a proven track record in developing and delivering health awareness campaigns or public health communications. You should have strong experience creating engaging content for digital platforms and social media, and a commitment to working with marginalised communities, particularly Ethnic Minority communities and LGBTQ+ people.

We are looking for someone who can use data and evaluation to measure effectiveness, and who has experience of stakeholder engagement and partnership working in the VCSE sector.The post holder will have the following essential criteria:

• Experience of developing and delivering health awareness campaigns or public health communications
• Experience of creating engaging content for digital platforms and social media
• Experience of working with marginalised communities, particularly Ethnic Minority communities and/or LGBTQ+ people
• Experience of using data and evaluation to measure effectiveness and inform decision-making
• Experience of stakeholder engagement and partnership working in the VCSE sector or similar
• Commitment to BHA's values and ethos
• Willingness to occasionally work unsociable hours, including the occasional overnight stay

Benefits of working with BHA:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays pro rata
• Birthday leave
• Employee Assistant programme (includes income protection)
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Enhanced occupational sick pay
• Flexible working

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact Aydin Djemal to arrange an informal telephone discussion.You can apply by completing the Application Form on our website and submitting it in line with the instructions provided.Your application must detail how you meet the points asked for in the person specification.  

CVs will not be accepted, and applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of appointment. We are not able to offer visa sponsorship.

We carry out right to work checks fairly and without discrimination.Appointment is subject to a Basic DBS check. We only request information we’re legally entitled to and assess it in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and DBS filtering rule.

The closing date for applications is 2 March 2026

Interviews will be held on Interviews w/c 09 March 2026

Reasonable adjustment
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity, and inclusion.  We welcome applications that represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve.  As a disability confident employer, we actively work to remove any barriers. Therefore, if you have a disability and have any particular requirements to enable you to participate in the application process, please email us at any stage.

LGBT Foundation is an impactful, vibrant charity with a wide portfolio of well-established services and rapidly developing new initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people.  The Fundraising & Marketing Team at LGBT Foundation is a small yet collaborative group of professionals. They are dedicated to advancing the visibility and impact of the UK’s leading health and wellbeing charity. The team is responsible for implementing wide-ranging fundraising, communication, and marketing strategies. By leveraging various channels such as email marketing, the organisation’s website, video, social media, OOH advertising and traditional media, the team strives to support the national visibility, brand awareness, impact storytelling and income generation of the charity by attracting, engaging and stewarding a growing supporter base.   LGBT Foundation’s Partnerships & Philanthropy Advisor will work with fundraising & marketing colleagues to deliver against strategic objectives and achieve in-year financial targets, significantly increasing income and support, specifically from corporates, individual giving (donations), legacies and fundraising events. In this role as a Partnerships & Philanthropy Advisor, corporate partnerships (attraction, engagement, and retention) will be a priority, ensuring members see the value in our offer.   

You will also work with the Director of Fundraising & Marketing to shape four individual giving campaigns a year and two legacy awareness campaigns a year. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the Marketing Manager to keep fundraising information on webpages and social channels active, ensuring regular promotion of charity challenges and shaping digital mobilisation efforts which will build the charity’s supporter base, attracting more new donors.   

You will support regular reporting on performance towards financial targets, working closely with colleagues to reconcile income, ensure Salesforce records and reports are up-to-date and that integrations support automated data flows.

We are taking positive action to encourage applications from people of colour (PoC) and other racially minoritised communities, trans*, non-binary, and/or older people (aged 50+), to improve the representation of colleagues from these communities in our staff team.

*Trans is an umbrella & inclusive term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from that which they were assigned at birth; including non-binary people, and those who partially or incompletely identify with their sex assigned at birth.

PMRGCAuk is a small national charity dedicated to supporting people affected by polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). We have a big impact, supporting patients with our small staff team and with the help of a proactive team of volunteers and working closely with leading rheumatologists and researchers to improve diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. As we continue to grow, we are looking for a passionate and dynamic Engagement and Communications Coordinator.

Key focus of the role

PMR and GCA are often unknown by the public and among health professionals and this newly created role is designed to support the charity in raising awareness of the condition, in order to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for those affected.

Key responsibilities

· Be an ambassador for the organisation and for PMR/GCA - making opportunities to raise the profile of both PMRGCAuk and PMR/GCA more broadly

· To work with medical trustees and patrons to develop a network of health professionals who will advocate for good treatment of PMR/GCA

· To work at a national level to promote good practice and lobby government, influencing government policy where possible

· Support the development of a network of volunteer ambassadors who can deliver information talks and awareness-raising activities

· To support the Deputy Director to develop a strong social media presence and support with specific campaigns

· To ensure the website is fit-for-purpose and updated regularly, working with trustees, staff members and volunteers to develop content that is up-to-date and useful to all that visit the website

· To manage the external voice of the charity, including ensuring our information and resources are current and relevant and producing external communications when appropriate.

· To attend professional events and develop strong networks with health professionals and the wider general public

· To support the membership strategy, taking every opportunity to encourage membership uptake, including professional membership

· To support trustees with research, campaigns and awareness raising, including participation on working groups, policy campaigns, lobbying, etc.

 Who We're Looking For:

• A proactive self-starter with experience of communicating with a range of different stakeholders and building networks
• Someone with experience of creating and communicating information in a range of different formats, including public speaking, development of written/video materials and managing the digital presence of an organisation.
• Someone with experience of working in a small voluntary organisation who recognises the needs to be flexible and adaptable
• Someone with knowledge of the UK voluntary sector and a passion for improving health outcomes.
• A strong communicator with excellent writing, project management, and financial skills.
• Someone who is confident with IT systems and has strong digital skills.

Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Salary range £34-36,000 FTE

Fixed term contract – 2 years

Location: Home based with occasional travel to meetings in London

This is a fixed-term contract for a period of two years. The fixed-term nature of the post reflects the charity’s current operational and financial planning cycle. Any extension beyond this date will be at the charity’s discretion based on organisational need and affordability.

Please apply by sending a copy of your CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 sides) outlining why you feel you would be the perfect fit for this role and what you could bring to the organization.

Potential applicants are sometimes put off if they don’t meet 100% of the requirements. We think individual experience, skills and passion make all the difference, so if you meet the majority of the criteria, we’d love to hear from you.

Closing date: 5th March 2026

The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading feminist campaigning charity. Our vision is a feminist future where every woman and girl has the power to make her own choices and thrive.

We are recruiting a Community Builder to strengthen and grow our grassroots feminist movement. This role will support Fawcett’s Local Groups, develop clear and inclusive pathways for people to get involved, and help connect local activism with national campaigns and policy change.

This is a role for someone who believes power should be shared, not hoarded — and who is motivated by building feminist power beyond any single organisation.

About the role

Local Groups are the foundation of Fawcett’s movement. Our Local Groups campaign on local issues affecting women in their locality, and create national campaigns and policy drives based on the lived experience of their local group.

We want to do more to bring these groups together, to strengthen our support of these groups, to pull together the voices and campaigns into national policy priorities, and ensure that every member of a local group feels connected to the national movement.

This is where this new role comes in.

The Community Builder will help people set up new groups, and ensure our groups are well supported, informed, and connected, while also exploring new ways for people to organise together, including thematic and digital communities.

Alongside relationship-building, the role carries responsibility for ensuring community activity is underpinned by clear processes, agreements, and risk management, so that grassroots organising is safe and sustainable.

This is a manager-level role, working with autonomy and initiative, with scope to grow into line management in future.

What you will do

• Support and strengthen Fawcett’s local groups, building trusted relationships with activists and group leaders.
• Create clear, accessible pathways for people to set up new groups, join existing ones, or engage in other forms of feminist activism.
• Connect and embed grassroots insights and lived experience with Fawcett’s national campaigns and policy work.
• Support activists to grow their skills, confidence, and leadership in inclusive and democratic ways.
• Develop and maintain processes, agreements, and protocols that support safe, compliant, and sustainable community organising.
• Explore and assess new models and tools for feminist community-building, including digital approaches.
• Collaborate across campaigns, communications, and membership to strengthen Fawcett’s overall impact.

What we’re looking for

You don’t need to have done this exact job before.

We’re interested in people who bring:

• Experience of grassroots organising, community-building, or supporting volunteer networks (paid or unpaid).
• A strong commitment to intersectional, anti-racist feminist practice.
• An understanding of activism and how to amplify lived experience in national policy and campaigning.
• A collaborative approach to leadership and decision-making.
• Confidence working with ambiguity and helping shape new approaches where no template exists.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build trust across diverse communities.
• Awareness of risk, safeguarding, or compliance considerations in grassroots or volunteer activity.
• Curiosity about digital tools and inclusive ways of organising.

Encouragement to apply

We know that women and people from marginalised backgrounds are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every single criterion listed. If this role excites you and you feel you could do it well, we strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements.

We care about values, potential, and how you approach your work, not just whether your experience matches the role line-by-line.

Inclusion and adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. You do not need to disclose a disability to request adjustments.

Our Time Charity is seeking an experienced Communications and Social Media Officer to strengthen our digital presence and amplify the voices of children affected by parental mental illness.

This role plays a central part in delivering our communications strategy by ensuring our message reaches families, professionals, funders and partners with clarity, creativity and purpose. You will manage our social media channels, develop engaging and accessible content, support campaign rollouts, and contribute to PR and stakeholder communications that challenge stigma and raise national awareness.

Working closely with the Communications Lead and the wider team, you’ll help shape and share stories that reflect lived experience, ensuring children feel seen, understood, and less alone, and that the wider system better understands the impact of parental mental health difficulties.

This role is ideal for someone with experience in communications, social media, or digital marketing within a charity or purpose-driven organisation who enjoys combining strategy with hands-on delivery, translating complex topics into compelling content, and using insights to grow reach and engagement.

To learn more about the role, responsibilities and how to apply, please download the full recruitment pack.

Your outstanding management of the Woodland Heritage Skills project will ensure that the project meets its objectives and in doing so help the charity in achieving its mission.

You will be a core part of how Woodland Heritage is achieving its mission and it will be an incredibly rewarding and varied experience!

Your work with the charity will be as part of a small, dedicated team of staff and a wider group of passionate trustees. Everyone will want you to succeed and will support you along the way.

Woodland Heritage is creating a thriving UK wood culture that benefits our environment, all people and our economy. We do this by championing the good use of home-grown timber from sustainable, productive woodlands for the benefit of present and future generations. Through a combination of demonstration sites, research, education, membership and outreach, we build on the wisdom and skills of the past to weather the challenges of tomorrow. 

About the role

• The role is full time 37.5 hours per week for a fixed term of two years, with planned evening and weekend working as required. 
• We can offer flexible working and hybrid working. You may wish to work at Whitney Sawmills, Herefordshire, for example for a day per week, though this is not required.
• 25 days plus Bank/Public holidays as paid leave
• Salary £35,000 PA FTE
• Your line manager will be the Chief Executive
• Employer contribution from nest pension

 All other terms and conditions will be as per your contract. More details are available via our staff handbook which can be provided to shortlisted candidates. 

This role is part of a £238,442 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create ‘Woodland Heritage Skills’; two years of educational workshops, digital educational assets and collaboration with its members and partners to deliver the charity’s new Open Woods & Workshops initiative.

A tremendous £13,547 of this grant is matched funding from the outdoor furniture B-Corp Gaze Burvill, a corporate member of Woodland Heritage, alongside fellow personal and corporate members of the charity. 

About you

You will have a committment to the vision and values of Woodland Heritage and a desire to bring about positive change in the relationship between people and woodlands. You will have demonstrable experience of managing projects, delivering educational impact and a willingness to learn and to be flexible.

Visit our website to download the job specification and learn how to apply. We'd love to hear from you!

Community Fundraiser – South East (Kent, Surrey or Sussex)​​

​​We are really excited to have welcomed our new Director of Income Generation and Development to Brain Tumour Research this month, a great new start for the new year!​

This is a fantastic time to be joining our ambitious and growing charity and we are keen to share this with likeminded and talented individuals. We currently have an opening for a Community Fundraiser, to be based in the South East region.​

As the Community Fundraiser covering the South East you will play a crucial role in helping the charity meet its strategic plans and objectives, which include campaigning to increase the national investment in brain tumour research to £35 million per year, while fundraising to create a network of seven sustainable Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the UK.  Your role will be to generate and grow our income through community fundraising activities, contributing to a regional team target of more than £1.5 million.

​

• Do you want to make a difference in one of the most innovative and exciting medical research fundraising charities in the UK?
• Do you live in Kent, Surrey or Sussex?
• Do you have at least one years' experience of working in a professional Community Fundraising position?​

​

Have you answered Yes to these questions?

Does this sound like the opportunity to really get 2026 off to an amazing start? ​​

If you have the skills and ambition that we are looking for we welcome your application.  We are really looking forward to welcoming a new member to our team!​

​​​We reserve the right to close the application window early and advise candidates to apply in good time to avoid disappointment.

​

We are looking for people who share our passion for finding a cure for brain tumours and who have the skills and experience to make a difference. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages. We believe that diversity enriches our organisation and helps us achieve our mission. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute to our vision.

​

Salary: £35,000 – £39,000
Contract: 18?month contract
Location: Flexible (home/office/hybrid) – must be available on Marathon weekend (26 April 2026 & 25 April 2027)
Closing date: Monday 9^th February
Benefits: 25 days annual leave bank holidays wellbeing days, pension, flexible benefits, healthcare cash plan, discounts, training & development

We are delighted to be working with the National Autistic Society to recruit a London Marathon Event Manager, a pivotal role leading their biggest and most high?profile fundraising event of the year. This is an incredible opportunity to take ownership of the full 2027 London Marathon campaign—a landmark year with record participation and income expected. If you thrive in fast?paced mass?participation events, love exceptional supporter experience and want to deliver one of the UK’s most iconic charity events, this role offers huge impact, variety and visibility.

As the London Marathon Event Manager, you’ll develop and deliver the full fundraising strategy, manage supporter journeys end?to?end, lead a small team of Event Officers, drive partnerships and logistics, and work cross?functionally with key teams including Marketing, Supporter Care, Corporate Partnerships and Data Services. You will also be the main liaison with London Marathon Events, ensuring seamless partnership working and a standout charity presence throughout the campaign.

To be successful as the London Marathon Event Manager, you will need:

• Experience of working on the London Marathon in a charity setting, with strong budget management and KPI delivery
• Experience and passion for motivating and managing staff, setting clear objectives and supporting development
• Ability to plan and deliver complex event logistics, including risk assessments and volunteer management

If you would like to discuss this role with us please contact us and quote the reference 2839EI.

Ashby Jenkins Recruitment are a specialist charity recruitment agency, we use our extensive sector knowledge and experience to match candidates to the most suitable charity jobs. We are passionate about improving equality across the sector, you can read more about our commitment to diversity here.

We take a relationship-led approach to recruitment in the charity sector and partner with you as the leading charity recruitment agency.
If enough applications are received the charity reserve the right to end the application period sooner.

 

Role outline and purpose

The Head of External Relations leads strategic engagement and influencing activities to ensure hunger and hardship remain a priority for key external audiences, to build the breadth and depth of support needed to help end the need for food banks.  This role engages and influences target stakeholders in government, business, civil society and faith communities to prioritise hunger and hardship in their decisions and actions.

This role is part of Trussell’s Prioritising Hunger and Hardship programme, the goal of which is to keep hunger and hardship at the forefront of conversations and decision making – both amongst the public and key individuals and organisations relevant to our cause.  This role is focused on the successful delivery of the overall programme outcomes, contributing to the fulfilment of our long-term vision of a UK without the need for food banks.

Role responsibilities

· Leading the organisation’s external influencing strategy to shape key conversations, decisions, and activities among target audiences to ensure hunger and hardship remain a national priority.  Working closely with colleagues across the organisation focused on influencing and advocacy with relevant stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, advice sector, local authorities).

· Develop and maintain high-impact senior relationships with key parliamentarians, civil servants, faith leaders, youth organisations, the wider charitable food sector and other partners to build strategic support and unlock change.

· Oversee targeted engagement programmes that deepen collaboration with, and activate, key stakeholders and organisations to build and amplify the long-term wide-ranging support needed to end the need for food banks – including youth and wider civil society organisations, charitable food providers and faith communities.

· Shape and support coalitions that align around shared priorities, build a unified narrative, and strengthen the collective voice of organisations working to support people facing hunger and hardship.

· Act as an external spokesperson representing the organisation in media, at external events and high-level meetings and through written commentary.

· Provide team leadership, direction, support and line management.  This will include regular 1:1s and reviews to ensure object and targets are met.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

· Proven track record of developing and delivering successful influencing strategies, focused on wide-ranging and high-profile external audiences

· Extensive experience in senior stakeholder engagement, coalition building, and influencing with impact across a wide range of partners, including a strong understanding of the UK political landscape and policy processes

· An understanding and appreciation for faith communities, particularly the role churches play in mobilising communities to end the need for food banks

· Knowledge of issues related to hunger and hardship, with an ability to translate complex policy into accessible messaging

Behaviours and competencies:

· Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate and respond to changing political and social environments

· Role model inclusive behaviour, values and leadership including empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially excluded backgrounds

· Comfortable working in a fast-paced and high-performing organisation, combining problem-solving with collaborative interpersonal skills

· Effective communications and influencing skills: diplomatic, builds rapport, accessible and audience-appropriate presentation, and highly persuasive

Key Stakeholders

· Programme Leadership Team, particularly Heads withing Prioritising Hunger and Hardship (Head of Programme, Communications, and Research)

· Key influencing stakeholders within Making Social Security Work, Sustainable Holistic Advice, and Supportive Communities programmes (including Heads of Policy, Advice Advocacy, Community Building, and Community Design)

· Senior Audience messaging specialist (in programme)

· Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland leads

· Assistant Director of Income Generation

· UK parliamentarians and officials

· Senior sector partners

· Senior Church leaders

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Communications to come and join our team providing maternity cover until January 2027 during a period of organisational growth.

Location – This role is mainly working from home with one day a week in our London office (usually a Monday). Occasional travel to our other programme sites (currently Stoke-On-Trent, Redcar, Middlesbrough and Scotland) will also be required.

Salary – Circa £60,000

Employment Type – Fixed term until January 2027, 35 hours per week

Team – Communications team

About you

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following:

· Strong experience in strategic communications, ideally within a start-up, growing, complex or place-based organisation.

· Experience setting up and embedding communications functions, including establishing foundations and building approaches as priorities evolve.

· Significant experience in people leadership, including developing others and building a strong, collaborative working culture.

· Experience influencing senior stakeholders and working with an SLT, including supporting government policy, media, funding and influence related activity.

· Strong content, storytelling and copywriting expertise and the ability to communicate a clear organisational narrative.

About the role

The responsibilities of this role include:

· Overseeing and ensuring the delivery of national and local communications strategies and plans, including national content activity and priority local campaigns and stakeholder engagement.

· Leading the set-up and embedding of new place-based communications functions.

· Leading and overseeing the planning and delivery of Thrive at Five’s 2026 Impact Report, communications relating to evaluations and learning, and our fifth-year anniversary, working closely with evaluation and fundraising colleagues.

· Maintaining and strengthening relationships with key national and local stakeholders in line with our communications strategy and goals.

· Providing professional and operational leadership and coaching to the wider Communications team to ensure they deliver to a high standard.

About us

Thrive at Five is a national charity focused on giving every child the best possible start in life. We know the foundations for life and learning are built in the earliest years, from pregnancy to five. By working alongside families, communities and local partners, we help build stronger, more connected support for parents, so more children get what they need to thrive and reach a good level of development by age five.

Thrive at Five is a relatively young organisation but with an already strong national and political profile, having been called out in Parliament for our ways of working in Stoke-on-Trent and invited to be interviewed at the 2025 Civil Society Summit by the Secretary of State for Education. We have grown rapidly in our first four years, with a growing team of nearly 40 across the country. 2026 will be a year of further growth and milestones for the charity as we celebrate our fifth-year anniversary and expand into our third and fourth regions. This will involve recruiting for a new teams, establishing our programmes and beginning to co-design and implement our work in partnership with communities.

About our benefits

· Pension contributions – We will contribute 3% and you can contribute 5% towards your pension through NEST.

· Hybrid working with one anchor day a week in our central London office near to Victoria train station, coach station and underground.

· 25 annual leave days per year plus bank holidays.

· In addition to your laptop and phone provided by us, you can also receive a £100 contribution towards your home-working set up.

· £100 contribution towards your professional body membership

Please note that as this role is subject to a successful Basic Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). If you have any unspent convictions, but wish to apply for this role, please advise us in your application. The successful candidate will also need to provide satisfactory references and current right to work in the UK.

To apply for this role, please submit your cover letter and CV by following the Apply Now button. Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted as they are received. While the closing date is midnight on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, we may close the vacancy earlier if a suitable candidate is identified.