Operations associate jobs in Manchester

The time commitment will be approximately 20 panel sessions per year, with a payment rate of £500 per panel, plus reasonable expenses incurred. Attendance at 2 training sessions per year is required and travel expenses will be covered. Panel sessions are held online.

PACT is one of the UK’s leading independent adoption charities, placing children with secure and loving families and supporting them with specialist therapeutic support.

Our external Adoption Panel Members play a vital role at PACT by carefully considering applications from those wishing to become adoptive parents. We are currently seeking an independent Adoption Panel Chair, to lead our online panel in making fair, informed recommendation outcomes to a high quality standard.

You will bring an understanding of the adoption process, gained from professional or personal experience, and will be competently skilled in chairing complex meetings. You’ll be capable of facilitating active participation and ensure the panel operates within a clear regulatory and policy framework.

With an awareness of the richness of different kinds of families and their potential for meeting children/s needs, we would love to hear from you if you can bring different experiences, knowledge and perspectives to our panel member group. 

We are actively working to ensure that equality and inclusion is embedded in everything that we do. It is central to our work with vulnerable children and families, and championed by our community. However, we know there is more we can do. We want to do all we can for our service users, and we want everyone at PACT to feel a sense of belonging. To support this aim, we are working proactively to develop a panel member group that it is representative of our diverse service users (both current and prospective), volunteer community and our wider eco-system. We also know the value of having panel members who champion inclusive values and bring a wide variety of perspectives to our organisation. We welcome people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and experience to apply for this role.

If you would like to arrange an informal discussion about the role, please visit our website to find contact details for our Panel Advisor.

If you believe you can contribute to the skills and diversity of our panel as Independent Adoption Panel Chair, then visit our website to apply today to join a dedicated team who are part of something truly meaningful. We look forward to hearing from you!

Early applications are encouraged as we may review and appoint on an earlier basis if a successful candidate is secured.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Fri 30 January 2026

Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 18 February 2026

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Independent Adoption Panel, Adoption Panel Member, Adoption Panel Representative, Adoption Panel Chair, Adoption Panel Vice Chair, etc.

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at PACT. We have robust measures and best practices in place to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we take pride in maintaining outstanding safeguarding standards.

Anyone joining our team is subject to PACT’s safer recruitment pre-appointment enquiries, including a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). The role description provides information on what our safer recruitment enquiries include and the level of DBS required to work in the role.

All opportunities with PACT are based in the UK.

This is an exciting opportunity to manage a volunteer programme for a specialist helpline and digital service for survivors of sexual violence. You will have oversight of our passionate team of volunteers including their recruitment, training and supervisison, as well as coordinating our anonymous helpline, live chat and email service which can be essential support for people who have experienced sexual violence.

This role will be ideal for you if you are organised, approachable, able to motivate others, have experience providing trauma-informed support, have knowledge of and experience in safeguarding, and are passionate about supporting survivors of sexual violence or abuse.

Please read the attached job description and person specification to learn more.

Based At TRC’s offices in Trafford, some homeworking is optional (1 day a week)

Key information

Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full time)

Start date: ASAP (we are happy to work with notice periods)

Duration: Permanent

Salary: £30,025 per annum if based in London. £27,375 per annum if based in Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle or Nottingham, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.

Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 16th January 2026

About upReach 

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about our work, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report. 

ROLE SUMMARY

The Mentoring Coordinator will contribute to upReach's mission, by helping to manage the day to day running of our professional mentoring programmes (Professional Mentoring and Ask an Expert). Professional Mentoring sees students on the upReach programme matched with a professional for a six month period, while Ask an Expert allows students to directly contact professionals for one-off conversations.

GRADUATE SCHEME SUMMARY

The Mentoring Coordinator role is part of upReach’s Future Charity Leaders Programme (FCLP). The FCLP provides you with a unique opportunity to:

• Work directly on the upReach mentoring programmes, supporting young people and professionals to form successful mentoring relationships (4 days per week), while also;

• Gaining exposure to various aspects of charity management through 6-month rotations (1 day per week).

• Receiving training in Leadership throughout, and have the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship in Leadership and Management after 18 months on the programme (in place of rotations). 

The FCLP is designed either for high-calibre graduates from any university, academic subject and background - or for those with experience in the corporate world who are looking for a career change and experience in the charity sector. 

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Please note that it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit and core responsibilities. 

The Mentoring Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that upReach’s mentoring programmes (Professional Mentoring/Ask an Expert) operate smoothly and effectively, and will report to the Volunteering Programme Manager. You will work alongside the Programmes and Partnerships teams to ensure that matches are successful, and that both mentors and mentees have a positive experience of mentoring at upReach.

1) Supporting the smooth running of mentoring programmes:

• Deliver day to day operational tasks, including making mentor and mentee matches and responding to professional/student queries received via the Mentoring inbox and the mentoring platform;

• Act as the primary point of contact for mentors/professional volunteers and students using the upReach mentoring platforms, and take action to resolve any issues raised;

• Proactively monitor the success of all mentoring relationships/interactions using mentoring platform data, identifying any concerns and taking action to resolve them;

• Develop and deliver training sessions and resources with the support of the Volunteering Programme Manager to ensure that mentors, professionals and mentees have a high-quality experience.

2) Supporting Partnerships and Programmes teams:

• Work with the Programmes team to encourage Associates to register for and participate in the mentoring programmes;

• Work in collaboration with the Programmes and Partnerships teams to help ensure that all mentoring outputs are delivered effectively and on time, and support them with reporting back to partners;

• Act as the point of contact for employer partners whose primary activity is mentoring, and provide updates on impact measurement for these partners.

3) Rotations in different areas of charity management  

• As part of the FCLP programme, work on rotational projects designed to give you a greater exposure and understanding of the different areas of charity management;

• You will have a six month rotation in each of the following areas during your first 18 months on the programme: (1) Fundraising, Partnerships and Comms, (2) Operations and Strategy (3) Project and Product Management;

• Each week you will work on projects related to your current rotation (7.5 hours per week). These projects will be agreed with your Rotation Manager, in line with the learning objectives for each rotation.

4) Leadership training and development

• Participate in training every six weeks on different soft skills within Leadership through an external training provider during your initial 18 months on the programme. This training will take place through a mixture of online and face to face sessions. Training sessions will include:

  • Communication

  • Understanding different working styles

  • Conflict Management

  • Emotional Intelligence

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate for Mentoring Coordinator should display these skills: 

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal;

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a varied workload, manage competing demands and deliver to tight deadlines;

• Good problem-solving skills;

• Self-motivation and an ability to work in a small team as well as independently;

• Ability to engage and communicate confidently with stakeholders, such as beneficiaries, upReach partners and all levels of employees across the organisation. 

To be successful, it is anticipated that you would have experience in:

• Communicating with a variety of stakeholders, through written and verbal communication;

• Managing and prioritising a varied workload.

Team Culture & Benefits: 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.

• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 

• Birthday leave and Volunteering leave

• Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members. 

• 3% Pension Contribution, which increased to 5% after 5 years of working with us. 

• Cycle-to-work scheme.

• Monthly socials and annual wellbeing days

• Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training. 

• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.

• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 

  • Disability and Inclusion Network

  • Diverse Roots Network 

  • Green Network 

  • LGBTQ+ Network

  • Mindfulness Network

  • Parents and Carers Network

  • (Im)Migrants Network 

Ready to apply?

We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible.

Applications close on Friday 16th January at 12:00 noon.

Equal Opportunities

At upReach, we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We celebrate and value the diverse perspectives that people from all backgrounds bring to our team. We are passionate about creating a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of communities across the UK. Thus, we encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities, those who are care-experienced, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those who are LGBTQIA+.