Operation Director Jobs in Lambeth, Greater London
About the Youth Endowment Fund
We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a £200m endowment and a mission that matters. We exist to prevent children becoming involved in violence. We do this by funding great initiatives, leading cutting-edge research and working for change - scaling up and spreading the practices that make a difference.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) has a critical role in ensuring we succeed in this work. You have a key leadership role in overseeing the overall health of the Fund in partnership with the Executive Director. The role oversees our finances, people management and – for the right candidate –much of our grant-making and project management.
Key responsibilities
You’ll lead on key organisational governance processes and ensure the Fund makes wise decisions, by:
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Being a leading member of our Directors’ team, overseeing all elements of the Fund’s work.
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Ensuring that the Fund operates as efficiently and effectively as possible by prioritising the right activities and matching resources to deliver on our mission.
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Ensuring we have the right long, medium and short-term financial plans in place and that we maintain close control over our financial decisions and spend.
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Informing our Board and our Risk and Audit Committee on our financial performance and risk.
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Ensuring the Fund’s investments are well managed through supporting the Endowment Investment Committee (this does not require investment experience).
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Managing our Grants and Evaluation Committee (this decides which evaluations we should fund) and ensuring it operates effectively.
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Ensuring that any ambiguities in the organisation are identified and removed.
You make sure that the Fund has the people, tools and resources in place to excel. This will require us to:
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Hire, develop and inspire the very best people: Managing our Head of People, you will ensure that we hire the best possible staff, compensate them appropriately, provide necessary and effective training, maintain a strong focus on staff well-being, manage and develop staff effectively and address poor performance when required.
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Provide staff with the tools they need to perform: Managing our Head of Grant Operations, you will ensure that we have the tools we need to deliver, including management information, databases, systems and processes and office facilities.
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Track performance: Track performance against our goals efficiently and effectively, championing a system of accountability and action to review, identify and empower the right people to act on delivering according to the plan.
Working with colleagues, you’ll ensure we award grants, manage grantees and oversee evaluations efficiently and effectively. This will require us to:
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Make excellent decisions about our grants: Working with – and potentially managing1 - the Assistant Director for Programmes, Impact and Partnerships, you will help to ensure that our processes for assessing funding applications achieve our organisational priorities for evidence generation. This requires you to understand what partners are trying to do, whether it’s likely to work, whether it will help us build an accessible and trusted body of knowledge, and whether we can build on it to make long-term change happen.
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Evaluate our programmes: Working with - and potentially managing - the Assistant Director of Evaluation, you will help to ensure that we select and partner with high-quality evaluators to understand how well different activities work.
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Ensuring the team maintains effective monitoring processes: Working with your team, you will develop the necessary skills, processes and decision-making processes to identify when things aren’t going to plan and respond accordingly.
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Build strong relationships with your external partners: You and your team will build strong, trusting relationships with the projects the YEF funds and the evaluators that we work with. Your team will be known for being attentive yet assertive and measured and efficient in the reporting information we expect. You will become well connected in the sectors that we are working in.
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Identify opportunities to scale up projects: You will be proactive in identifying projects that would benefit from capacity development support or that may be ready to scale up their work, collaborating with Impetus to deliver on this.
In support of these goals you will also
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Lead and build a team that is so much more than the sum of its parts: Working with your direct reports you will build a culture that brings the very best of the different skill sets and approaches in your team. You will lead this team, providing exceptional direction, culture and clarity.
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Make it easy to be effective when working in your team: You will bring clarity, lean processes, clear accountabilities, timely decision-making and effective systems so that people working in your team comment on how easy it is to get things done.
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See your primary team as the Directors team: As a core member of the Directors team, you will be part of making the most important decisions about the short-term and long-term strategy of the Fund. You will build and model the culture and values that we need to make a real difference. You will leave ego at home and look to make the rest of this team a great success.
Person specification
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You are excellent at leading on finance in an organisation: You find it easy and straightforward to develop and oversee, large organisational budgets and ensure timely preparation of management accounts. You’re excellent at financial forecasting and understand how to make judgements and recommendations based on future scenario planning. You have experience reporting to Boards on financial performance and health, and leading on organisational external audits.
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You are strategic about finance: You’ve got real skill in distilling complex financial information into simple, easy to understand reports and presentations that enable good decision-making. You see your knowledge of finance as a way to serve Director-level colleagues with overall decision-making. You also understand how to navigate competing priorities and how to calculate and articulate risk and reward, knowing few decisions are straightforward.
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You get teams to use data well: You understand that accurate data and excellent management information tools enable good decision-making. You understand how management information databases (like Salesforce) work and would be able to maintain and build a culture of recording data and maintaining data quality within big teams. Ideally, you have experience working directly with Salesforce.
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You get things done and are brilliant at improving things: In previous jobs, you have held significant responsibility for ensuring challenging projects are delivered on time. You like finding ways to make things operate better for everyone. You are excellent at designing and putting in place effective systems and processes.
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You are a low ego and effective leader: You have a track record of building and leading effective teams. You are thoughtful about how to get a team working well and people tend to warm to you and respect you. You are not afraid of managing someone brighter and better than you or of addressing poor performance. You leave ego at home. You work very well in a team. You like taking responsibility for things. You can balance the task, the individual and the team.
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You are interested and experienced in both staff development and financial planning: You are equally at home thinking about the processes and approach we need to recruit and develop great staff as you are thinking about how we control our expenditure and report our finances.
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You learn fast but remain humble: You are quick at getting your head around things. It wouldn't faze you to have responsibility for organising things that are new to you as long as you have an expert to ask advice from. You like learning and developing. You know how much you don't know as well as what you do.
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You are interested and thoughtful about grant-making and evaluation: You may not be an expert in grant-making, but you have experience of how charities think and approach applications for money. You have enough cynicism to know how these things can go wrong, but not so much that you can’t make them go right. You may not be an expert in evaluation, but you care about finding out what works.
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You are an excellent strategic thinker: People say that you are good at seeing the big picture as well as the detail. You have experience of wrestling into place a strategy for a project or organisation. You would be able to describe the strategy of the work you are leading at the moment. You are able to see things from different points of view.
While it’s not a criteria, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.
All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.
Additional benefits include
£1,000 professional development budget annually, 28 days plus Bank Holidays, four half days for volunteering activities.
If you’re interested
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this job" button by 5pm, Friday 31st May 2024.
We will plan to host the first round of interviews the week commencing the 3rd June 2024.
You’ll be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.
Your data
Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.
The people we are looking for do not discriminate and we believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Inter Mediate is one of the world’s leading independent conflict resolution organisations. Operating out of London, it works in conflict zones around the world to support peace negotiations and advise on strategies to stop and prevent wars. This is an exciting opportunity to join its small, expert projects team as a Project Development Officer, supporting Inter Mediate’s Project Directors to advance peace negotiations with a special focus on conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
Role summary
The Project Development Officer (PDO) will work within the Inter Mediate Projects Team under the guidance of the Projects Directors and coordination with the Deputy CEO, Operations Team and CEO, to:
- Support and implement Inter Mediate’s existing projects portfolio supporting peace talks and other high-level peace initiatives.
- Build and manage relationships with senior stakeholders in conflict and peace processes, mainly in Africa and the Middle East
- Identify and develop entry points for new projects.
- Monitor and analyse political developments across areas relevant to Inter Mediate’s work.
- Research lessons from past peace efforts relevant to Inter Mediate’s current work.
- Support the Operations Team and Project Directors to prepare project proposals and budgets, narrative and financial reporting, and collect evidence of project impact.
Specific responsibilities:
- Contribute to strategies to deliver Inter Mediate projects and institutional priorities.
- Support the Project Directors to cultivate and maintain relationships with key interlocutors and relevant experts in the field.
- Undertake travel, including to conflict settings.
- Draft high quality policy memos, speeches and concept notes for senior audiences.
- Provide logistical support for project delivery, including managing travel of project teams, interlocutors and consultants.
- Monitor media, think tanks and other analysis centres on conflict dynamics, and produce briefings and analytic papers for the CEO ahead of travel or engagement with key interlocutors.
- Oversee production of research papers on peacemaking lessons, based on demand from interlocutors.
- Scope for potential new projects and develop new project feasibility studies.
- Support the Project Directors and Operations Team in donor management and project accountability, including contributing to preparation of project proposals and budgets, and reporting in line with donor requirements.
- Compile project progress reports for senior management/trustees’ meetings.
- Represent IM in external contexts where necessary.
- Undertake other tasks in support of IM’s work overall as required.
Experience, qualifications and skills:
Successful candidates would need to demonstrate:
- A masters degree in politics, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, international affairs, public policy or an equivalent subject. Relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu.
- Three years of work experience in conflict resolution or peace process support for a governmental, non-governmental or inter-governmental organisation, or an equivalent field such as diplomacy, humanitarian access, political risk advisory services, conflict journalism or conflict analysis. Experience relevant to West Africa and Middle East preferred.
- Excellent written English, and evidence of ability to produce high-quality written work to deadline.
- A strong understanding of political and conflict dynamics – particularly Africa and the Middle East - and the ability to produce well-structured and concise analysis
- Ability to operate successfully in high pressure, sensitive political environments and support high-level individuals
- Experience of work and travel in conflict-affected areas, and willingness to travel independently, with support from the Project Directors.
- Evidence of strong cross-cultural interpersonal skills.
- Flexibility and adaptability to support the smooth running of a small team, and willingness to take an “all hands on deck” approach when required.
- Fluency in French (required), Arabic (preferred) or other languages
Inter Mediate particularly welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Working at Inter Mediate
A normal working week consists of 35 hours. Our office operates between 8am and 6.30pm with core hours from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Inter Mediate operates a hybrid working model, with at least 2 set days per week in the office in London.
Benefits include: 25 days holiday, pension contribution and private health insurance (following successful completion of the 6-month probationary period).
To Apply by 1st Jun 2024 :
Send a one page cover letter explaining why you would be a good candidate for this position, a CV and and a writing sample (no longer than three pages).
IM is unable to currently sponsor working visas. All applicants must have the right of employment within the UK. Inter Mediate welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Only full applications will be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Here at Battersea, we are looking for someone to join our Finance & Corporate Services Team to provide comprehensive and proactive executive assistance to the Director and departmental functions across the Directorate.
The successful candidate would be responsible for providing effective EA support, convening and supporting committees and regular meetings across the directorate, supporting on strategic workstreams across the Directorate, and providing a range of administrative and co-ordination support to the Heads of the Finance & Corporate Services Teams including support for team projects.
We are looking for someone who has experience in a similar role with a demonstrable track record of inbox and diary management, administrative support to a Director across multiple functions, with a proven ability to manage the day-to-day operations of a busy office, prioritising a high-volume workload effectively and exercising a high degree of judgment, tact, and discretion at times working to deadlines.
What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:
- 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
- Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes
- Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
- Generous pension contributions – up to 10% employer contribution
- Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
- Annual interest-free season ticket loans
We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.
Our hybrid working model:
We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.
Diversity and inclusion:
At Battersea, we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse workforce and inclusive culture in all aspects of our organisation. We aim to ensure that this pledge, reinforced by our values, is embedded in our day-to-day working practices and our work together.
By hearing from and valuing different experiences, perspectives, and contributions, we know we can provide the best expert care for every dog and cat who needs us. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those from diverse ethnic communities and people with disabilities, who we know are currently underrepresented in our workforce.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.
More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.
Closing date: 24th May 2024
Interview date(s): w/c 27th May 2024
For full details, please download our recruitment pack.
To apply for the role, please click the button below. All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
MLC are proud to be partnered with Oak Housing in their search for a Finance Director.
Oak Housing is a For-Profit Registered Provider offering a range of affordable housing solutions to Local Authorities and NHS Trusts in London and the South East. Since being acquired in 2019 by a consortium of real estate professionals and the current management team and organisation has grown from 200 to almost 1000 units and have ambitious plans to triple in size over the next 3 years. Working closely with strategic partners and funds, one of their biggest growth areas recently has been in providing key-worker accommodation, specifically with the NHS.
The Finance Director will sit alongside the Operations Director and report into the CEO. The role is responsible for overseeing all financial activities for the organisation, whilst offering critical strategic direction. The internal finance function is growing, and the organisation needs more strategic involvement at the director level. As the organisation and the role develop, there is scope for this role to grow and develop further and the team reporting into this role will expand in the short to medium term.
Main responsibilities of the role:
- To support the CEO in managing the rigors from day-to-day budget setting / monitoring and cashflows to fund reporting and Board briefings.
- Carry out a review of the present situation, incorporating systems, processes, deficiencies and risk areas.
- Manage, nurture and develop a finance team, implementing sound financial controls and a can-do culture to empower decision making.
- Work with the operations director to prepare the organisation for the regulatory scrutiny that will come as the organisation passes the 1000-unit mark.
- Deliver board-level strategic insight, shaping the future of the organisation and driving growth.
- Flex up and down between a ‘doing’ role and a board-level role involved in decision making about the strategic direction of the organisation.
This role will suit someone who thrives on responsibility and wants to influence a whole organisation without being constrained by pre-existing structures. If you are someone who loves a challenge, is entrepreneurial, wants to think outside the box and be a disruptor, this could be the role for you! Oak is also open to someone stepping up from a Head Of role in a larger organisation into this as a first director position.
To be considered for this role, the successful candidate will:
- Be a fully qualified accountant, ideally with experience in housing or working within a regulated sector.
- Show the flexibility to move from high-level strategic decision making to rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in to solve problems.
- Have managed teams previously and be able to demonstrate a track record of success.
Please contact Jamie Elliott at MLC Partners for an informal discussion about the role.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Why Access Social Care Exists
Everyday millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us, we will all need social care at some point.
We all have a right to hold public bodies to account. But most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 77% drop in community care legal aid cases since 2010 means we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist. The rule of law is broken.
What we do
Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it.
With a 98% success rate, our network of lawyers and barristers ensure fair access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded, and we all get the support we need.
About the role
This is an exciting time to join our organisation. We have a new strategy and are growing quickly including across our senior leadership team. We have nearly tripled in size and income since we started operating in April 2020 and we anticipate that this strong growth will continue for the duration of our next strategic period. Access Social Care are an organisation of thirty-six people, and this is a new role in the People team coming at a period of growth to drive a thriving charity and help shape its future.
This is a fast-paced role whose emphasis is on policy / process / systems improvement as well as advising colleagues and managers across the organisation regarding all aspects of the employee lifecycle. You will work with people at all levels of the organisation supporting the People Director on strategy work streams as the organisation continues to grow and evolve.
Responsibilities
- Responsible for all day-to-day HR processes within the employee lifecycle to ensure staff are supported appropriately and legislative responsibilities are fulfilled
- Work alongside the People Director to map or review processes across the employee lifecycle, identify blockers and seek to implement solutions that create efficiency and clarity
- Advise on employee relations and discuss complex or sensitive cases with the People Director to decide the best course of action, ensuring that cases are resolved in a timely manner or be a trusted advisor to our managers with their people challenges
- Coordinate the delivery of projects, process and policy improvements as defined and prioritised within the People Plan, leading on workstreams as outlined by the People Director
- Support the People Director in sourcing training and learning solutions, and evaluating training
- Provide practical upskilling and training to managers and employees in HR practices and policy
- Coordinate recruitment efforts at Access Social Care, ensuring compliance with employment laws and providing guidance to managers. Manage the recruitment cycle and administration process from job ads to onboarding
- Support staff engagement activities across Access Social Care in conjunction with the People Director. These may include but are not limited to the following initiatives: staff survey coordination, and wellbeing events
- To be a super user and actively promote the use of the HRIS system (Bright HR) and ensure that electronic staffing records are updated and maintained accurately in accordance with GDPR
- Dealing with cyclical and ad-hoc data reporting and requests for information including data analysis
- Contribute to effective payroll administration ensuing information is shared with the Finance Officer in a timely manner, and collaborating with the People Director to address and rectify any issues and process improvements
- Work within the parameters of GDPR, ensuring data and information is protected and handled correctly
- Support the People Director as required in any duties which you could be reasonably expected to perform in line with this job description
Please see full Job Description for personal specification.
How to apply
We hope that having read this far; you still want to apply!
Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:
- An up-to-date CV
- A completed diversity monitoring form - found within the Job pack.
- A supporting statement of no more than three pages, addressing: The essential requirements of the person specification
If you want support applying, please contact us directly.
Timeline for the recruitment process
Closing date: 23.59pm on Tuesday 14th May 2024
Interview and assessments on Thursday 23rd May 2024 and Friday 24th May 2024
Please ensure you keep these dates free.
At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams.
With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.
Internews seeks an experienced Project Director for a four-year European Commission (EC)-funded project to advance the global response to increasing the resilience of at-risk independent media. The Project Director will lead and manage a consortium of four international NGO and academic implementing partners, overseeing and coordinating the design and implementation of a diverse portfolio of activities in multiple countries worldwide, as well as project monitoring and evaluation and a robust learning agenda. Strong skills in project financial management and communications are required.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
· Lead the Inception Phase of the project, working closely with consortium members, the EC, and other awardees to finalize target country selection, select research initiatives, draft the project workplan and monitoring and evaluation plan, and determine country-based activities.
· Serve as Internews’ primary point of contact with the European Commission, establishing and managing strong partnerships and dialogue with EC representatives in Brussels as well as country-level delegations.
· Effectively manage the project consortium, ensuring transparent communication processes and protocols.
· Pro-actively coordinate activity design and management with Internews Regional and Thematic Directors who manage Internews programming in key geographic regions and technical areas.
· Provide strategic, operational and representational assistance to ensure that activities are meeting their goals and targets, recommending program adjustments when necessary to keep the project on track;
· Regularly travel to London and Brussels, as well as target countries, for project and donor management purposes;
· Cultivate and strengthen relationships with local partner organizations and ensure that implementation is responsive to the needs of partners and beneficiaries;
· Track and report project progress and activities monthly against work plans;
· Oversee program monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation and to measure activity impact;
· Working with the Monitoring and Evaluations specialist and team, ensure a robust learning agenda and deliver a learning symposium at project’s end with the consortium and EC.
· Maintain a thorough knowledge of key issues affecting independent media (print, broadcast, digital), and a general understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing independent media globally;
· Ensure the project is in compliance with all grant and cooperative agreement rules, requirements and regulations as well as with Internews internal policies and procedures;
· Serve as the primary budget authority over the project, responsible for ensuring all costs charged to the project are allowable, reasonable and correctly allocated;
· Accept fiduciary responsibility for all funds advanced for the purpose of the project;
· Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Manage and oversee all project staff.Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
QUALIFICATIONS
· At least 10 years of experience in media and program development, including senior-level management of personnel and financial administration;
· Donor grant management experience with EU funding and wider donor experience is essential;
· Professional experience in the media sector is an asset; experience managing assistance programs supporting media and/or civil society required.
· Experience as a manager or trainer with professional capacity-building programs for journalists and media outlets an asset.
· Demonstrated knowledge and experience in some or all of the following areas:traditional, digital, and social media; media and internet law and policy; information disorders/ disinformation; and/or sustainability models for media;
· Excellent soft skills, including diplomacy, interpersonal and communication skills, with a problem-solving attitude and as a self-starter who works both independently and as a collaborative team player;
· Willingness to travel regularly to London and Brussels, as well as target country visits;
· Additional language skills are a plus;
· University degree or equivalent experience.
Vacancy Timeframe:
Deadline for applications: 09 May 2024
Candidates must submit a succinct cover letter of no more than 2 pages explaining how they satisfy the requirements of the role, and a CV highlighting relevant experience. Successful candidate will also be asked to provide three professional referees, one of whom must be from their most recent employer.
The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of their position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.
This position will be located in the United Kingdom and therefore a successful applicant must both be present in the UK for the duration of the assignment and be able to demonstrate their Right to Work in the UK in order to commence employment.
We are working with an independent research institute who are recruiting for a Executive Assistant to the Director and COO. The Director, has responsibility for research within the institute, and also is a senior professor. The COO, oversees the charitable and administrative structures of both the institute.
Although the primary focus of the role is support for the Director and COO, the role will contribute to the wider institute, particularly event and meeting support. It will be a varied role which will suit someone with previous experience of administration or personal assistant work in the area of science of healthcare.
As EA you will
- Act as gatekeeper between internal/external stakeholders.
- Manage all aspects of the Director's quarterly trustees including collating, editing and proofreading ready for submission to the Board.
- Schedule management on behalf of the Director and COO.
- Produce high quality reports, summaries, presentations and organisation charts.
- Provide secretariat support for monthly Leadership meetings and quarterly trustee meetings.
- Provide meeting briefings and summaries for the Director/COO.
To be successful in the role you will
- Have discretion, diplomacy and trustworthiness.
- Be flexible and adaptable.
- Good oral and written communication skills.
- The ability to be proactive and take the initiative.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
Chief Operating Officer
We have an exciting opportunity for a Chief Operating Officer to join the team in this hybrid-working role.
Salary: £65,000 - £75,000 per annum
Location: Central London, WC2A 3PE/Hybrid
Hours: Full time
Contract: Permanent
The closing date for applications is the 24th May, and interviews with Eastside People will take place the week after. Interviews with BAUS will take place in early June.
About the Role
Our team currently consists of 8 dedicated staff members and is led by our CEO, Anne Bishop. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a new role for BAUS. It will be a key part of our Senior Leadership Team, playing a vital part in the development and implementation of our strategy and deputising for the Chief Executive.
The COO role provides the essential financial stability and operational facilities to enable future growth through leadership and management of finance, maintaining and developing our IT infrastructure, and ensuring effective governance and regulatory compliance.
Key responsibilities include:
· Supporting the CEO on the development of BAUS’s annual strategic planning and leading the accompanying operational plan
· Oversight of financial management and administration, with support from an outsourced bookkeeper and finance team
· Ensuring BAUS’s IT and digital infrastructure is well maintained, cyber compliant and fit for purpose
· Ensuring effective governance and regulatory compliance
About You
We are looking for:
· Experience of leading a finance function in a charity, as part of a leadership team
· Track record of delivering on a range of other corporate support/operational services such as IT and Governance in addition to financial responsibilities
· Relevant professional qualification desirable e.g. part qualified/fully qualified management account or chartered governance institute (CGI)
As an Association, we understand that equality, diversity and inclusion are very important as we strive for excellence. Our members come from every walk of life and, therefore, to represent them effectively, so should we.
About Us
BAUS is a registered charity and a professional membership association dedicated to ensuring the highest standards in the practice of urology for the benefit of patients. We support our circa 2000 members, ranging from medical students to consultants & associated urological specialists by developing guidance for clinical practice, providing education and fostering research.
How to apply
Eastside People is supporting BAUS in the recruitment of this role.
Please use the cover letter (max 2 pages) as an opportunity to add to the information you have shared in your CV, and ensure that you cover the following:
· Why are you interested in the COO role, and why BAUS?
· How can you contribute to BAUS in this new role? Please highlight relevant experience and demonstrate how your skills match the specific requirements of the role as set out in the job description and person specification.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability, and potential. Please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustments so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
You may also have experience in other areas such as COO, Chief Operation Officer, Operation, Director of Operations, Operations Executive, CEO, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Exec, Executive, Charity.
PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you enthusiastic about delivering high quality tenders that win business; ensuring those who need a voice are heard and have equitable choices about their life?
Do you want to work in a team where you will be supported to be ambitious about the quality, drive and impact of the work you lead on and where you will support others to do the same?
Do you have an eye for detail, a passion for passion for smooth process and thrive on the buzz from juggling many bids under tight deadlines?
Then come and join us here at VoiceAbility.
About the role
We're looking for a highly motivated and skilled Bid Manager who can actively craft commercial tender submissions and work with the team to ensure we submit high-quality, winning bids within UK government procurement rules.
You will sit in the Business and Strategy directorate and lead bid-writing across the organisation, line-managing a team of Bid Writers and working closely with other colleagues across Business Development, Marketing and Operations.
This position is a full-time, 35 hours a week, permanent contract with a starting salary between £44,500 - £50,000 per annum depending on skills and experience. We are open to a conversation about flexible working or job sharing. Whilst the role is home-based, some travel for team meetings will be required.
About us
VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We deliver a wide range of service contracts funded by local authorities, health trusts and other voluntary and private sector organisations.
We’ve been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care, and wellbeing for over 40 years. We make sure people are heard when it matters most. For more information on what Advocacy is and the services offered then please visit our website.
How will you make a difference?
Through your bid management expertise you will proactively manage the workload of the bid-team, balancing known pipeline opportunities and the unknown tenders issued, ensuring capacity to bid on rewins and make the most of the new business opportunities.
You will assiduously manage the end-to-end bid process and will support and empower the Bid Writers to take ownership of proposals and ensure they co-ordinate input from key stakeholders across the organisation.
About you
You are enthusiastic and confident to take a leading role in driving forward VoiceAbility to maximise our opportunities and support our business strategy.
You will have a disciplined and well organised approach to bid management as well as exceptional attention to detail.
You will be able manage multiple bids and processes at the same time whilst ensuring you get the best out of your team in a high-pressure and time sensitive working environment.
Our values resonate; you want to work somewhere where the empowerment of each other and our clients is central to our work. You value teamwork and collaboration and demonstrate transparency and accountability in your work.
Benefits
· 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
· 5% employer pension & 3% employee contribution
· Salary sacrifice pension scheme
· Separate Life Assurance Cover
· Staff discount scheme including retail discounts, entertainment, holidays etc
· Discounted Gym Membership; Employee Assistance programme.
· Supportive working environment fostering a good work/life balance.
· Support with continuous professional development.
Equality and Diversity
VoiceAbility believes in fostering an inclusive workplace which welcomes, values and celebrates the diversity of its staff and partners, treats all on a basis of equality and encourages all to meet their maximum potential.
VoiceAbility are a Disability Confident employer, any applicant that identifies themselves as having a disability and can demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. If you need to apply in a different way, please contact HR for further options.
How to apply
To apply for this role please sign up for a recruitment account by clicking the apply button on this page. Follow the instructions to create your account, upload your CV, and complete our short application form.
Important Dates:
Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 20th May; however, VoiceAbility reserve the right to interview suitable candidates as applications are received and therefore withdraw the vacancy before this date.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
One of the UK’s largest and highest profile groups of schools is looking to recruit a new Head of Operational Finance - to work from their head office in East Croydon (3 days per week in office). This is a fantastic opportunity to have a real impact with an organisation whose purpose is to make life fairer for children in and around London. Focusing on the most challenging schools and turn them into exceptional places of learning where everyone – staff and students – thrive.
Job Purpose
To manage the internal financial operational processes and reporting for the Federation, ensuring timeliness, accuracy and completeness. To provide financial support and advice to Head Office departments and schools, including the Federation Senior Leadership Team. To provide support to the Financial Controller and Director of Finance as required.
The Federation is going through an exciting period of change and this role represents an excellent opportunity to be part of driving improvements within a large organisation, as part of a compact and high-performing central finance function.
Main Areas of Responsibility
- Oversee all income processing for the schools and federation.
- Oversee all payroll processing for the schools and federation,
- Manage the BACS and manual payment process
- Review central processing for best practice.
- Oversee Balance sheet reconciliation for the schools and federation monthly
- Maintain the finance handbook and other published guidance
- Work with FC and Systems team to implement month end timetable
- Develop and implement a training for Finance Officer’s, Management Accountant’s and Accounts Payable team
- Work with the Financial Controller on producing and reviewing consolidated monthly accounts
- Work with partnership team to incorporate proposed adjustments to Month end and Year end accounts in line with the timetable.
- Prepare all consolidated submissions to the Department for Education
- Prepare year end papers and supporting schedules for head office activities
- Liaise with the Internal Audit team and External auditors
- Assist with various ESFA submissions and audits
- Oversea Reconciliation and review of monthly inter-academy recharges
- Review of monthly journals (e.g. prepayments, deferred income, academy recharges)
- Identify and evaluate opportunities for improving value for money
- Work closely with other departments and Hubs within the central federation such as procurement to ensure that we have clear and smooth processes between departments
- Ad hoc tasks as required by the DF and FC
We are looking for a motivated, creative, and organised Engagement and Communications Officer to join our team. This role is a unique opportunity for someone with a passion for building a fairer legal system through impactful events, engaging member outreach, and powerful communications. Working alongside the Director of Development and the Head of Communications, this role will work across teams to maintain and strengthen engagement through events, communications and corporate outreach. You will play an integral role in communicating our work as widely as possible and improving and increasing engagement with our supporters, including our members, donors and corporate partners.
The Engagement and Communications Officer will work to maximise income and support for JUSTICE through events (approximately 45% of the role), communications (approximately 30% of the role) and membership (approximately 25% of the role). They will report to the Director of Development and Head of Communications.
We want someone who can learn and grow in this role so if you don’t have every skill listed but are organised, motivated, and interested in our work then we want to hear from you.
The JUSTICE team currently work in a hybrid manner. Staff members have access to office space in London, however, attendance is currently optional. Our staff enjoy flexible working conditions, 27 days annual leave, plus the week between Christmas and the New Year, 8% employer pension contribution and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
The application form and candidate pack are below. The candidate pack includes more information about this role including the person specification, the organisation and more details on how to apply.
The deadline for applications is 11pm on Sunday 19 May 2024. Please mark your email with ‘Engagement and Communications Officer’ in the subject line.
Interviews will be held on Monday 3 June 2024. Candidates will be required to complete a test as part of the interview process.
JUSTICE is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, but particularly welcome applications from individuals from marginalised groups, those with lived experience of the justice system, as well as those underrepresented in the legal professional including women, people of colour, trans and non-binary people, and disabled people.
Please note that we will not respond to any enquiries from recruitment agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
London’s Air Ambulance Charity continues to develop a supportive and enabling environment that gets the best out of our people. We promote a culture of progression and professional advancement offering a range of learning and development opportunities. In addition we offer flexible working options, wellbeing packages and family friendly employment policies.
It’s an exciting time at the Charity – we have over 125,000 supporters who support our work through regular giving and lottery, and we actively recruit around 40,000 new Lottery players and Regular Givers each year.
This role supports the development, management and optimisation of our Lottery and Regular Giving programmes through Face to Face fundraising. You’ll be working with our fantastic face to face fundraisers cultivating our relationships with our external agency partners as well as supporting training, day-to-day management and monitoring of third-party fundraisers.
If you’re passionate about inspiring and motivating others, have experience of managing projects or campaigns and enjoy working with a broad range of stakeholders and agency partners, as well as delivering training programmes then this is the role for you!
Apply today or contact us for more information.
We pride ourselves on our dedication to being an employer that values diversity, we firmly believe that each team member can provide a unique perspective and valuable contribution to the lives of the people we serve, applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
The role of the Head of Fundraising and Partnerships is to work alongside the Director of Operations in developing the day-to-day sustainable income strategy to fund the New Wine Trust's day-to-day operations.
Partnerships
· You will be responsible for developing our relationship with key ministry partners. This includes negotiating contracts with sponsors, partners, and delivery partners. It will include but not be limited to:
o Developing Event Sponsorship and Exhibitor offerings at New Wine Events
o Growing Annual Partnerships with key partners
Fundraising
· In partnership with the Director of Operations, National Leadership and Trustees, you will also be responsible for creating and delivering a New Wine Fundraising Strategy. This will include:
o Working alongside the Marketing and Communications team to develop supporter engagement communications.
o Developing plans that feed into the New Wine Fundraising strategy to increase engagement from high net-worth individuals and cultivate new high-value donors.
o To manage the major donor income and expenditure budgets, ensuring all activity meets income targets.
o Championing the use of our CRM for supporter engagement.
o Reviewing, writing and submitting proposals for grant applications.
o Overseeing the delivery of the charity’s fundraising events.
Business Development
· Identifying new revenue generation opportunities, such as
o New Wine Online
o New Wine Resources (Books, Music and Merch Sales)
o Cafes and Concessions at Events
The above list of job deliverables is open and partial, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Person Specification:
Required skills and qualifications:
· Demonstrates emotional intelligence.
· Responsible self-starter who is highly organised and takes initiative.
· Excellent interpersonal skills.
· Excellent written and verbal communication.
· High level of discretion and wisdom.
· An inherent desire to achieve exceptional results.
· Ability to perform and prioritise multiple tasks with excellent attention to detail.
· Flexible team player, willing to adapt to changes and unafraid of challenges.
· Strong time-management skills and an ability to coordinate multiple projects and deadlines.
· Knowledge and experience in using Microsoft 365 and social media.
· Commitment to the mission and values of New Wine.
· Commitment to the values of Holy, Healthy and Humble Leaders.
Preferred skills and qualifications
· Experience in overseeing budgets and expenses.
· Experience in people management.
· Previous experience within the New Wine network and the events industry.
· Knowledge and experience of ChurchSuite and Hubspot.
Role Particulars
Working Pattern: Full time working hours, including weekly in-person team meetings in London: monthly all-staff meetings on Tuesdays twice a month, and weekly on Wednesdays twice a month. The nature of this role means that some travel and working away from home will be required, as agreed in advance. Specifically, the Head of Fundraising and Partnerships must be available for the annual leadership conference and some or all of the New Wine annual summer festival (on-site or remote support).
Places of work: This role is eligible for hybrid and flexible working, with a minimum of 1 day in the London office a week.
Supervision: The post holder will receive regular supervision from their line manager.
Role review: There is a three-month probationary period for this role. The post holder will then receive a quarterly rolling review of performance, the role, job description, terms and package.
This post is subject to an occupational requirement that the holder be a practising Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.
This job description is intended to summarise the primary responsibilities and qualifications for this position. The job description is intended to include only some duties an individual in this position might be asked to perform or all qualifications that may be required now or in the future. New Wine reserves the right to revise the duties outlined in this job description at its discretion.
Application process
Closing date: 11th May 2024.
Particulars: Please apply with a CV and cover letter.
If the right candidate has been found before this time, applications will be closed.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
PA to Executive Director of International Programmes
Contract: 13 Months Fixed-term contract, Full Time, Maternity cover
Salary: £39,358 - £41,325 with excellent benefits
Location: London, UK
Hybrid Working: A minimum of 40% of working time is spent face to face, either in London office, or as a result of external engagement or travel for WaterAid. WaterAid is located at Canary Wharf, London and this will be your location and contract base.
About WaterAid:
Join WaterAid as PA to Executive Director of International Programmes to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good. We need passionate, creative and dedicated people. In return, you will be encouraged and empowered to be yourself at your very best. Together, we will make a bigger difference.
About the Team:
The International Programmes Department is made up of four regions: West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and South Asia; and three support teams: Programme Support and Knowledge team, the Programme Funding and Partnerships Team and the Programme Operations Team; the International Programmes Department delivers our work effectively across Africa and South Asia focusing on quality programming; accountability and effectiveness; research, learning and documentation.
About the Role:
The purpose of this role is to provide proactive and professional support to the Executive Director of International Programmes, with some general administrative support to the Programme Operations Director and the International Programmes Senior Management Team.
The role will be split 80/20 with a majority focus on executive support for the Executive Director, ensuring they are well organised and briefed and supported to maximise her capacity to lead WaterAid effectively. The minority focus will be on general administrative support to the Programme Operations Director and to the International Programmes Senior Management Team. The role will also be instrumental in running operations in the department, including supporting the organisation with key high profile programme events, line managing the administrator to ensure the department is working effectively and efficiently within itself and the wider organisation.
In this role, you'll:
A) Provide professional, timely and proactive support to the Executive Director of International Programmes, including:
- Diary and meeting support
- Support internal processes, communications and prioritisation Support internal communications with the directorate and wider organisation so these are timely, strategic and engaging;
- General administrative support
B) Operations for the department
- Oversee departmental operations to ensure compliance with wider WaterAid processes as well as championing, innovating, or streamlining the department's process and procedure.
- Maintain effective filing systems ensuring archive material is safe and can be retrieved in line with Data Protection Regulations.
- Organise and lead logistical planning for any departmental events that take place in either the UK or Country Programme locations, as necessary.
- Work as part of a wider team of PAs and Administrators across the organisation, ensuring mutual support and good communication between teams.
About You:
- Proven successful track record of being a Senior Administrator or Personal Assistant in a global organisation, including exceptional diary management;
- Effective time-management, organisation and prioritisation skills, including ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and to keep track of high volumes of information within a busy environment;
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), including ability to assimilate information quickly and produce accurate minutes, clear PowerPoint presentations and written briefings;
- Integrity and the ability to act with discretion and respect confidentiality.
- Digitally literate with excellent IT skills, particularly for setting up virtual meetings and effectively using Microsoft Office tools, with extensive experience of using PowerPoint and creating simple and compelling presentations;
- Numerical accuracy and experience of managing and processing invoices and expenses. Ability to co-ordinate / track project budget.
- Team player who is motivated by the desire to support others to be effective and efficient in their work, proactive, with confidence to take initiative and solve problems;
- Willingness to travel in the UK and internationally, if required, for the proper performance and delivery of the role;
Closing date: Applications will close at 23:59 on 12th May 2024. Availability for test and interview is required the week commencing 27th May 2024 and 3rd June 2024.
How to Apply: To see the full job pack, please click 'Apply'. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter into one document in either Word Document or PDF format.
Pre-employment screening: To apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK. All our vacancies require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to comply with our Safer Recruitment policy.
Our Commitment
Our People Promise:
We will work with passion and focus to ensure safe and sustainable water, toilets and hygiene are available to everyone, everywhere. WaterAid is a place of purpose - where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to put the wellbeing of our people first, to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.
Equal opportunities:
We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.
Safeguarding:
We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.
The Task Ahead: Finance Manager
As The Difference moves from its early start-up phase into the delivery of our 2025-30 strategy, our programmes and sector-influencing work are expanding to reach more schools and to deepen our impact. Alongside this growth, our team - and the operational function which supports them - is also growing.
As Finance Manager, you will be a key member of the Finance & Operations team. You will hold end-to-end responsibility for the finance function, from reconciliations to budgeting. You will decide where and how our existing processes could be improved, as well as developing new systems that will underpin our work as a larger and more established charity. You will be supported by the Director of People, Finance & Operations, as well as our external auditors.
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 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!
Areas of Responsibility
The Difference is looking for a Finance Manager to lead our finance function in the following ways:
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Oversee our internal bookkeeping, payment, and accounting processes, and improve these systems ongoingly.
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Lead on budgeting and forecasting across the organisation, supporting teams to predict income and expenditure and make sound financial decisions.
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Lead on the production of management accounting information, including internal monthly management accounts, quarterly reports for Trustees, and financial reports for investors.
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Lead on The Difference’s audit process, with external auditors.
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Work with the Development & Impact Manager to update fundraising pipelines, and ensure the availability of high quality income projections for Trustees.
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Support accurate budgeting and reporting for grant funding, including tracking spend of restricted funds.
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Support business planning by working with teams to model potential future work - e.g. costs of expansion of an existing programme; modelling potential new programmes.
Person Specification
Essential – We are looking for the following skills, aptitude and experience; though you may be stronger in some areas than others:
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Values – Your experience evidences shared values with The Difference (see below) and a personal commitment to our mission to improve life outcomes for vulnerable people.
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Finance experience, operational and strategic – Experience across all areas of finance, from accurate invoicing, payments and record-keeping, through to setting and managing budgets, financial modelling and forecasting, and working with external accountants or auditors.
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Finance process development – Experience of developing finance systems; the ability to recognise how processes could be continuously improved, and enact this improvement.
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Leadership of self and others – Confident in identifying skills or information gaps within your team, and drawing on the expertise of others to address these gaps. Able to show how you've continually grown your own skills and those of your team members so that together you can efficiently cover workload and plan ahead.
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Proactive problem-solving – Ability to thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment and to problem-solve: from rolling sleeves up and diving into detail to working collaboratively to build capacity.
Desired – You are more likely to be successful in your application if you have one or more of the following additional experiences:
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Accounting qualification and experience - Some form of accounting qualification and post-qualification experience.
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Early-stage charity/social enterprise experience – You may have specific experience growing charities or businesses for social good at the early or start-up phase.
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Experience of charity finances – You may have worked for or supported other charities, and have experience of working with philanthropic grants, charity accounting, and governance.
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Insight into schools – You may have experience working in the education sector, whether that’s through working for a business or charities that partnered with schools, or through working in a school yourself.
Why Work for The Difference?
Schooling isn’t working for the children who need it most. Every week in England 109 children – equivalent to three full classrooms – are permanently excluded. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Since the pandemic, school suspensions have risen significantly, as has persistent absenteeism. 1 in 5 children are missing more than 10% of their time in school. Children who are excluded or persistently absent are much more likely to already be experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. They are more likely to live in poverty, have additional learning needs, suffer mental health challenges, or experience a lack of safety outside school. Certain ethnicities are also disproportionately affected, notably Gypsy Roma Traveller and black Caribbean children.
Exclusion and high rates of absence can have a dramatic effect on life chances. These young people are more likely to drop out of education or employment, become vulnerable to long-term mental ill health, or be at risk of criminal exploitation. The Difference believes that children and young people deserve better and that the education system has to change.
Our Organisation
The Difference is a young education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning. By 2030, we want rates of exclusion and absence to be falling nationally and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, including those who may be vulnerable. The Difference was born out of a year of research into school exclusions with think-tank IPPR. This research identified a lack of inclusion expertise in schools and proposed a new leadership development programme to fill this gap. In 2018, Difference founder Kiran hired the team who took this idea from concept to reality, beginning work with our first schools.
The Difference is now a 22-strong team delivering multiple school leadership programmes, alongside a growing research and policy arm. The team is supported by our Youth Advisory Board, made up of young people who have experienced exclusion and who provide their expertise and insights on how school inclusion work should be done. This work is needed more than ever. Effects of COVID-19, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, have substantially increased levels of vulnerability. Schools serving excluded pupils face under-funding. The Difference has had excellent early impact but there is work ahead to capture this, share learning with schools and policy-makers, and grow our capacity to lower exclusions across England.
Our Values
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High Expectations - We are ambitious for excellence from young people, colleagues and ourselves. We don’t believe in writing off someone’s potential because of their identity or experience of crisis.
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Strong Relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions, and know that this requires deliberate relational practice. We see colleagues and partners as people first and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks, gain more feedback and have greater impact.
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Internalised Locus of Control - We work hard to reframe difficult situations to discover what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agency in our work/
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Pragmatism - We believe leadership means recognising current limitations and striving for improvements within and beyond them. We develop consensus and chart new ways forward, challenging false and extreme positions like “zero exclusions” or “no excuses”.
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Scientific approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast and often is key to finding the best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make adjustments and choose new directions.
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Not Squeamish about Structural Inequality - We believe patterns of inequality can and should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about these inequalities, and both the individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to overcome awkwardness in talking about this; and begin by acknowledging our own biases and blind spots.
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Asset-based - We work hard to avoid deficit thinking and aim to start with what’s strong, not what’s wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly young people and families – as victims but instead to recognise their agency.
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Wise selves - To both enjoy work and do their best, we want to make decisions and work with others in our “wise” - or regulated - selves. We also want to bring our compassionate self to those we work with, externally and internally, to support one another through challenging times.
How To Apply
To apply, please complete all sections of the application form by midnight on Sunday 19th May.
First round interviews will be held during the week beginning 27th May, over video call. Please indicate if you would not be available to attend an interview during this week.
If successful in this stage, second round interviews (including a task to be completed the same day) will take place on the week beginning 3rd June, at our office in Bethnal Green.
We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the charity sector such as people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the care system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates.
As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names and any protected characteristics redacted.
Recommended Reading
If you’d like to understand more about The Difference and what we are trying to achieve, we would recommend the following:
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The research which underpins our organisation.
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Our latest Impact Report, sharing our work in 2023
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.