Partnership fundraising manager jobs in Durham, county durham
Applicants must be located within 2 hours travelling distance of Cambridge City.
The Charity and Our Vision.
For over 15 years, Scotty's Little Soldiers has been supporting children and young people who have been bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. We are about to embark on an exciting journey which will see the charity evolve to support anyone affected by a military-connected bereavement and ultimately empower a community of more than 25,000 bereaved individuals and their families by 2035.
Founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, the charity currently offers a unique blend of emotional, practical, and educational support to over 750 young people.
We are proud of our vibrant, non-traditional culture, which puts the needs of bereaved children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We embrace innovative approaches, are committed to creating smiles and believe in the power of community, resilience, and connection.
Role Mission.
To ensure Scotty’s delivers high-quality, consistent, and scalable support to those affected by military-connected bereavement, by leading all aspects of service delivery.
You’ll own the structure, systems, standards, and team needed to deliver support across all four Family Programmes (SMILES, SUPPORT, STRIDES, and the planned START programme) and help ensure our support reaches the growing number of families who need us.
The key responsibilities of this role are:
Programme Operations & Service Infrastructure
- Overall accountability for the service provided to the bereaved military community.
- Leading, and working closely with, the Head of each delivery Programme to ensure all activities are impactful and meeting the needs of our community.
- Mapping and maintaining the full beneficiary journey across all programmes and cohorts (CYP and adult).
- Developing our first adult focused services and building them in line with the charity’s long-term vision to be supporting more than 25k bereaved people by 2035.
- Being the link between our service delivery and both internal and external technology partners to ensure our systems match, and meet the needs of, our processes.
- Alongside our Operations Team, lead the scoping of a full future CRM (Salesforce) rebuild and related beneficiary tech interfaces such as websites, future app development etc.
- Oversee the design of a 2026 ‘light’ CRM phase to support individual adult service delivery.
- Ensure that lived experience remains at the heart of our services.
- Accountability for Safeguarding within the organisation.
Team Leadership
- Support Programme Leads (e.g. Heads of START, SMILES, SUPPORT), providing direction and support as well as ensuring clarity of ownership and goals.
- Create a strong, empowering culture within the service (Families) team, aligned with The Scotty’s Way and shared leadership philosophy.
- Work with our Head of People to oversee service recruitment and onboarding.
Quality, Measurement & Improvement
- Define and embed service-level Success Measures (KPIs) across all activities ensuring we know what success looks like for all our activities.
- Collaborate with the Head of Research & Impact to ensure data collection is usable and meaningful.
External Partnerships & Collaborations
- Proactively develop senior-level partnerships with other military and bereavement charities, Armed Forces support organisations, and relevant service providers and stakeholders.
- Explore and propose strategic collaborations where they strengthen the support we offer to families.
- Ensure the new START (single point of contact) Programme becomes an active network-builder in the space.
- Represent Scotty’s externally at events, conferences, meetings etc within the sector.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Act as a key link to Outreach and Fundraising — providing insight and service stories to fuel content.
- Work with the Ops team to align delivery processes with systems, IT, and compliance.
- Support bid development and reporting for funders by sharing service insight and outcomes.
The 30-day goals for this role are:
- Build a deep understanding of Scotty’s mission, our audience, the services we provide, and strategic direction.
- Spending time with the Families Team and understanding everyone’s role within the charity.
- Understands the ‘as-is’ current situation for the charity’s service delivery.
- Start to document gaps, delivery inconsistencies, opportunities, risks etc.
- Understand the landscape we operate in, particularly the military and bereavement charitable environment.
- Fully align with the operating rhythm of the charity, leading team meetings, holding 1:1s, ownership of relevant OKRs, etc.
The 60-day goals for this role are:
- Has met with counterparts at key partner organisations.
- Has highlighted key organisations not currently partnered with to meet.
- Created a stakeholder holder engagement map for our service delivery.
- Visually mapped existing beneficiary journeys across our four Programmes.
- Began work (with Ops) on requirements for initial-phase CRM for adult services.
- Fully aligned plans and goals with existing Programme Heads, incoming Head of START Programme, and incoming Head of Research & Impact.
- Held one in-person session with Families team.
The 90-day goals for this role are:
- Visually mapped year one of adult services plus any proposed changes to existing services to create a final 2026/27 service ‘to-be’.
- Planned the launch of our new START navigating entitlements casework Programme
- Development underway of ‘Light’ CRM to launch adult services having supplied detailed brief.
- Taken full accountability for the success of our Family Programmes and associated impact.
- Attended 2-3 sector group meetings representing Scotty’s solo.
- Developed a stakeholder holder engagement plan with Head of PR & Comms.
About You
Must-Have
Senior experience in service delivery, operations, or programme leadership
Strong skills in team leadership and service system design
Ability to turn strategy into operational structure and rhythm
Confident working cross-functionally and building external partnerships
Nice-to-Have
Experience working with or supporting Armed Forces families
Familiarity with CRM system scoping and procurement
Experience launching new services or scaling delivery teams
Background in bereavement or mental health support
Additional Information
· The role may require occasional evening or weekend work
· Enhanced DBS check required
· Travel will be required to events and team training days
The Scotty’s Way
At Scotty’s, our personal performance is only 50% of what success looks like. Our culture is equally important. When you join our team, you sign up to The Scotty’s Way, rooted in our four core values:
1. Families Come First
2. Everyone a Supporter, Every Supporter a VIP
3. Love What You Do
4. Remember, Every Day
Our values are further supported by our four non-negotiable behaviours of Show Respect, Speak Up, Take Ownership and Actively Collaborate. We are looking for an individual who embodies these values and behaviours.
When Applying:
Please submit your CV, along with a covering letter detailing your experience and what excites you about this role. Please ensure you clearly annotate which role you are applying for in the email title. Closing date: Friday 16th January. Due to resource and time constraints, we are unfortunately unable to provide feedback for every application received and will only contact candidates shortlisted for interview.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team, we are an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with respect and given equal opportunities for employment and advancement.
We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.
We encourage all qualified individuals to apply for employment within our charity, and we provide a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Cyber Helpline is a fast-growing, innovative charity that supports individuals impacted by cybercrime, digital fraud and online harm. As we enter our next stage of growth, we are seeking a senior operational leader to transform, scale and strengthen our Helpline service.
The Head of Helpline and Service Delivery will provide strategic and operational leadership across all aspects of service delivery - people, processes, quality, tooling and innovation. This role is accountable for the overall performance, resilience and impact of the Helpline, ensuring we offer exceptional trauma-informed and victim/survivor-centred support across channels.
This is an executive role requiring someone who can operate strategically while staying close to operational realities. You will lead managers, staff and volunteers, drive cultural and structural change, support growth of service models, deliver high-quality outcomes and ensure the Helpline is equipped to meet demand.
This opportunity is exciting for an experienced service-delivery leader to build a mission-driven Helpline at scale.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Service Direction
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Develop and deliver a multi-year operational strategy for the Helpline aligned with organisational goals.
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Shape the future service model, including workforce planning, channel strategy, automation and technology.
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Provide executive-level leadership and insight to the CEO, Executive Team and Trustees.
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Represent The Cyber Helpline externally with partners, regulators, law enforcement, funders and the wider sector.
Service Performance
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Lead the day-to-day and long-term operation of the Helpline, ensuring stability, quality, responsiveness and continuous improvement.
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Own and deliver KPIs, SLAs, performance dashboards and quality standards.
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Ensure effective processes, incident response, risk management and signposting and referral pathways.
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Oversee the helpdesk, telephony, triage, case management processes and other service initiatives.
People, Culture and Capability
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Lead the team members across functions such as supervisors, case support, QA and training
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Build a high-performing workforce of staff and volunteers, ensuring strong recruitment, onboarding, development, supervision and succession planning.
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Foster a supportive, trauma-informed and collaborative culture with clear expectations and accountability.
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Set and embed structures, role clarity, operational guidelines and communication frameworks across the Helpline.
Quality, Compliance and Risk
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Own the QA framework alongside the Case Support Team, ensuring consistent, accurate and compassionate support to victims and survivors.
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Work in partnership with the Head of Safeguarding to ensure compliance with safeguarding policy and strong practice across the team.
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Oversee high-risk escalations, operational risk identification and mitigation.
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Ensure compliance with internal policies, such as data protection and cybersecurity.
Service Development
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Lead service improvement initiatives, including redesigning processes, upgrading systems and embedding new technologies.
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Collaborate with data, product and technology teams to enhance automation, workflows and case-handling efficiency.
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Ensure the service evolves in response to threat trends, victim needs, and organisational strategy.
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Drive innovation in digital service delivery and multi-channel support.
Partnerships, Impact and Growth
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Work with stakeholders such as police, funders, commissioners, corporates and international partners to strengthen and expand our model.
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Support fundraising and business development opportunities by providing operational insight, impact reporting and case studies.
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Contribute to the expansion of the Helpline model into new geographies.
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Act as a senior ambassador for the service and organisation.
Internal Leadership and Collaboration
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Partner with operations, finance, safeguarding, comms and data teams to ensure integrated and effective organisational delivery.
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Contribute to organisational strategy, planning cycles, and Executive Team decision making.
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Lead or support cross-organisational projects where operational expertise is required.
Requirements
Candidates must be 18 years old or older and resident in the UK with the right to work in the UK. Successful candidates will need to have their background and criminal records checked, as they are likely to have access to sensitive personal data.
Essential
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Significant leadership experience in a senior operational role within a helpline, support service, contact centre, victim support environment or other complex service-delivery setting.
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Proven ability to scale a service, introduce new operational models and lead organisational change.
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Experience managing multi-layered teams (including volunteers), ideally across remote environments.
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Strong understanding of QA, safeguarding principles, operational risk, and compliance.
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Demonstrated ability to set KPIs, manage performance, analyse data and make evidence-informed decisions.
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Exceptional people leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills
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Experience improving processes, implementing new systems or delivering service innovation.
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High emotional intelligence with a calm, pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
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Alignment with The Cyber Helpline’s mission and a commitment to victim-centred support.
Desirable
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Understanding of cybercrime, cybersecurity, online harms or digital victimisation.
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Experience working in a charity or volunteer-powered environment.
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Experience delivering training, public speaking or representing an organisation externally.
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Experience with helpdesk systems, CRM, or telephony/triage systems
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Knowledge of trauma-informed practice.
What we offer
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Enhanced annual leave - generous leave package with an extra day off to celebrate your birthday.
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Pension scheme - 8% employer contribution to your workplace pension scheme
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Employee discounts - thousands of discounts on travel, shopping, wellbeing, entertainment and more.
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Remote working cost budget - an annual allowance to cover eligible remote working costs
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Flexible, remote-first working - we are a remote-first organisation, you’ll have the freedom to work from home (or away - subject to approval), supported by a flexible working culture.
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Cybersecurity at home - we offer free cybersecurity tools, including endpoint protection and VPNs to protect your personal devices.
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Professional development - access to ad-hoc training based on your role and professional growth interests
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Enhanced leave - including sick pay, paternity/maternity, compassionate and bereavement leave. We operate with flexibility during periods of illness, family need or unexpected events.
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Cybersecurity community - Join a supportive network of over 150 cybersecurity professionals in the UK and USA.
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Time off for learning - request time off to pursue training or development opportunities
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Applicants must be located within 2 hours travelling distance of Cambridge City.
The Charity and Our Vision.
For over 15 years, Scotty's Little Soldiers has been supporting children and young people who have been bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. We are about to embark on an exciting journey which will see the charity evolve to support anyone affected by a military-connected bereavement and ultimately empower a community of more than 25,000 bereaved individuals and their families by 2035.
Founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, the charity currently offers a unique blend of emotional, practical, and educational support to over 750 young people.
We are proud of our vibrant, non-traditional culture, which puts the needs of bereaved children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We embrace innovative approaches, are committed to creating smiles and believe in the power of community, resilience, and connection.
Role Mission.
To lead the creation and delivery of Scotty’s new navigating entitlements casework (START) Programme, a single point of contact service designed to support anyone affected by military-connected bereavement.
This is a hands-on, pioneering role. You’ll help shape the infrastructure, recruit and lead a small squad of caseworkers, and ensure that everyone in the bereaved military community receives compassionate, personalised, and well-coordinated support.
The key responsibilities of this role are:
Service Design & Delivery
- Working closely with the Head of Service, lead the operational planning and phased rollout of the START Programme
- Develop and refine service model, workflows, triage criteria, and beneficiary journeys
- Own the SPOC offer, ensuring clear onboarding, needs assessments, support plans, and follow-up
- Ensure the service is trauma-informed, inclusive, and responsive to beneficiary feedback
- Manage your own caseload alongside Programme Head responsibilities.
Team Leadership & Development
- Help recruit and then directly support 1 initial caseworker (with potential to grow team in 2027 depending on demand)
- Provide coaching, oversight, and reflective practice opportunities for squad members
- Create a strong squad culture that reflects The Scotty’s Way and encourages personal growth
- Lead START Programme Daily Huddles
Collaboration & Partnership
- Build strong referral pathways with external organisations (military & non-military charities, NHS, social care)
- Become the charity’s expert on navigating entitlements for the bereaved community.
- Work collaboratively with other Programme leads to ensure consistency, shared learning & efficient internal referrals
- Support the Head of Service in forming partnerships that enhance START’s offer
Monitoring & Evaluation
- Track and report on beneficiary engagement, support outcomes, and follow-up actions
- Use insights, working with the Head of Research & Impact, to adapt and improve the service over time
- Ensure CRM records are complete, accurate, and used to inform delivery decisions
Contribution to Charity-Wide Goals
- Feed into cross-functional projects including Outreach, Fundraising, and Strategy
- Act as a representative of Scotty’s at sector events or external meetings where appropriate
- Support content development by sharing anonymised stories, insights, and themes
The 30-day goals for this role are:
- Built a deep understanding of Scotty’s mission, our audience, the services we provide, and strategic direction.
- Worked closely with the Head of SUPPORT to understand the history of Scotty’s helping families navigate entitlements, including reviewing current and recent cases.
- Began to map the key stakeholders, partners and organisations (including statutory, charitable and others) for casework in the START Programme.
The 60-day goals for this role are:
- Scoped and met with key stakeholders.
- Worked with Head of Service to map the new casework (START) programme and beneficiary journeys.
- Worked with the Head of Service and the Head of Impact to ensure that processes are in place to monitor the outcomes and impact of the new START Programme.
- With the Head of Service, supported the design of a light CRM for initial use in START casework.
- Drafted all other necessary processes and procedures for casework including safeguarding, triage, wait time limits etc.
- Drafted a training plan for new START caseworkers.
The 90-day goals for this role are:
- Launched the new START Programme.
- Built strong partner networks for any needed referrals or information gathering to support casework.
- Created a road map of future Programme releases (e.g. new services within the programme, themes, cohort specific activities etc).
About You:
Must-Have
Experience in service delivery, casework, or personalised support services
Ability to lead a new programme from concept to delivery
Strong team leadership and relationship-building skills
Excellent organisational and communication skills
Nice-to-Have
Familiarity with military family life or bereavement support
Background in adult mental health, social care or wellbeing services
Experience in service co-design with users or lived experience groups
Safeguarding knowledge or training
Additional Information
· The role may require occasional evening or weekend work
· Enhanced DBS check required
· Travel will be required to events and team training days
The Scotty’s Way
At Scotty’s, our personal performance is only 50% of what success looks like. Our culture is equally important. When you join our team, you sign up to The Scotty’s Way, rooted in our four core values:
1. Families Come First
2. Everyone a Supporter, Every Supporter a VIP
3. Love What You Do
4. Remember, Every Day
Our values are further supported by our four non-negotiable behaviours of Show Respect, Speak Up, Take Ownership and Actively Collaborate. We are looking for an individual who embodies these values and behaviours.
When Applying:
Please submit your CV, along with a covering letter detailing your experience and what excites you about this role. Please ensure you clearly annotate which role you are applying for in the email title.
Closing date: Friday 16th January. Due to resource and time constraints, we are unfortunately unable to provide feedback for every application received and will only contact candidates shortlisted for interview.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team, we are an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with respect and given equal opportunities for employment and advancement.
We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.
We encourage all qualified individuals to apply for employment within our charity, and we provide a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We’re looking for an organised and person centred leader who can join our leadership team to support the quality, growth and sustainability of Stomping Grounds North East CIO.
The Deputy CEO will support the CEO by planning, overseeing, monitoring, reporting and taking appropriate action to deliver the service, business and financial strategies ofStomping Grounds North East CIO, with a focus on developing people, business and safeguarding and ensuring management capability across the organisation. It is key that the successful candidate can work at least some of the school holidays.
Reports to: CEO
Hours of work :35 hours per week (1 FTE)
Remuneration: TBD
Main responsibilities
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To ensure projects and delivery adheres to the Company’s vision, mission and values.
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To oversee the development and implementation of new projects and sessions to meet the Company’s aims and objectives. Specifically, to ensure that:
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Appropriate risk assessments are undertaken and documented in line with Stomping Grounds Risk Assessment procedure
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Appropriate communications to and involvement of communities, parents and schools are delivered effectively
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High quality Forest School provision is delivered, in line with the Stomping Grounds NE vision
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To proactively manage the financial performance of projects and the business overall, including overseeing the planning and delivery of fundraising and donations
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To oversee, monitor and report on all aspects of business governance including health and safety, safeguarding and employee wellbeing.
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To work with line managers to develop their managerial capabilities and performance, with a focus on team development. As part of this, to ensure that:
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Regular meetings of the team leaders are organised to share information on business performance, plans and issues and to create action plans as appropriate
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Appropriate observations are conducted, documented and shared
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PDRs are completed in line with company policy
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To ensure training is up to date and relevant
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To ensure that company policies are up to date and relevant and are reviewed as required
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To be proactive and maintain requirements for governing bodies, associations and memberships
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To develop and support the implementation of effective evaluation and impact monitoring processes, including annual reporting of the impact of Stomping Grounds work.
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To attend meetings of the Board of Trustees and report progress against the business plan
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To carry out other duties compatible with the role purpose as reasonably required or as directed by the CEO.
Person Specification
Essential
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Proven exceptional leadership skills
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Experience of leading and developing a diverse staff team
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Excellent communication skills
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Excellent organisational skills
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Extensive project management experience
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Excellent understanding of neurodivergence
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Excellent business management skills
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Flexibility to work during school holidays
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Ability to travel to our multi region sites including but not restricted to: Prudhoe, Haltwhistle, Chopwell, Leadgate, Benwell and Gateshead Riverside Park
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Commitment to Stomping Grounds Mission and Values
Desirable
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Experience with Ofsted
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Experience of working in the charity sector
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Experience of working with children and young people, particularly those with neurodivergence and/or who are not currently thriving in mainstream schools
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Experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead
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Experience of leading teams through change and growth
We abide by Safer Recruitment guidelines and therefore we only accept application forms.
https://www.stomping-grounds.org/about-us/mission-and-values
The Local Storytelling Exchange (the Exchange) exists to change the conversation about the ‘green transition’ in the UK. We tell the human stories of how everyday people, communities, and places are building fairer, greener futures, especially where narratives around climate action are more contested. Our place-based storytellers use community insights, journalistic expertise, and creative storytelling to shift narratives and humanise the transition.
About the role
We are looking for a Digital Innovation Lead to position us at the cutting-edge of digital, locally based storytelling about the climate transition.
Part of this role will be overseeing our approach to social media. But more than that, the successful candidate will bring their know-how and entrepreneurial flair to help us reimagine our digital storytelling on the climate transition.
From TikTok to hyper-local Facebook groups, from AI-powered analysis to multimedia experimentation, you will help the Exchange build a digital game that’s contemporary, sector-leading, ethical and true to both our mission and our USP as locally rooted, authentic, people-led storytellers.
In depth technical expertise (for example, in the mechanics of video creation) is not essential. Knowing where to get it, how to use it - and what great looks like for an organisation like us - is.
The Digital Innovation Lead will deploy audience and platform insight, social listening, and restless creativity. They will ensure our digital storytelling has scale, reach and narrative-shaping impact in its own right, and as a complement and added dimension to our existing, sector-leading print, broadcast and online journalism.
We want someone who can work collaboratively to challenge our assumptions and try new things, while holding on to what makes the Exchange’s storytelling special: our authenticity and people-first approach.
Key responsibilities
- Shape and deliver a digital innovation strategy that harnesses the Exchange’s USP and place-based focus to impactfully engage audiences, share stories, and measurably influence local narratives.
- Working with the Executive Director and Head of Programmes, secure partnerships and funding to put the strategy into practice – ranging from partnering with local influencers and campaign groups, to national media platforms, data platforms, or creative tech collaborators, and more.
- Lead experimentation with emerging tools – including AI, community insights, social listening tools, multimedia storytelling and audience analytics
- Design systems for (digital) social listening and audience intelligence that build on our existing USP as a place-based, storyteller-led organisation.
- Build a roster of associate content creators so we can generate excellent content, quickly.
- Build digital confidence and capacity across the organisation and key external partners, mentoring colleagues and associates to use digital tools creatively and ethically.
- Ensure the Exchange uses technology ethically and responsibly in line with the Exchange’s mission.
- Balance working at pace under own initiative, with working collaboratively and supportively within a small, hybrid organisation.
About you
You are likely to be a creative digital communications and/or engagement specialist who combines vision and innovative spark with the determination to build networks, projects and partnerships to turn ideas into real world impact. You can bridge big picture strategic thinking and tracking the latest ideas, with practical application to prototype, test and learn fast.
You will have a strong instinct for what makes for brilliant content that has impact at scale, and how to get it seen. You will be audience, mission and impact-led, innovating around how best to reach people across platforms and wider engagement. You will have a strategic mind, up-to-the-minute understanding of today’s information and digital environment, and a rich network of intelligence and contacts. You'll understand how digital content can complement ‘traditional’ journalism and be excited to combine these approaches in new ways as part of shaping local narratives across the country.
Whatever your background, you’ll be excited to join a journalism, narrative shaping and storytelling organisation with a strong reputation for “traditional” media impact, which is evolving that to also excel in the digital world. You will be fascinated by how digital storytelling can be used brilliantly, within current and emerging information system and technological frontiers, to be a positive counterforce to misinformation and culture wars around climate action.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
For the full recruitment pack and application form, please visit our website. We can only accept applications via our website portal.
ABOUT CAUDWELL YOUTH
Not all young people have the same opportunities in life.
Caudwell Youth exists to level the playing field for young people at risk.
We support at-risk young people who are care experienced, have mental health challenges, or are at risk of exploitation or offending.
WHAT WE DO
Caudwell Youth shapes young people’s futures by providing person-centred support to at risk 11 to 24-year-olds through volunteer-led mentoring for up to 18-months, alongside a targeted intervention programme.
Our mentoring service is designed to ensure every young person feels safe, heard and supported. Each young person gains a trusted adult (a trained volunteer) who meets with them once a week to support them as they take steps towards a more positive future.
This year, we have supported more than 400 young people.
Our vision is to help every young person at-risk in the UK. We give young people the time, trust and support they need to shape a positive future, no matter their starting point.
ABOUT THE ROLE
To support the Deputy CEO in ensuring the effective delivery and growth of Caudwell Youth’s services.
To oversee the management of operational programmes, ensuring high-quality, person-centred support for young people. To contribute to business development, leading expansion via statutory grants and contracts.
On appointment, you are expected to have significant knowledge and professional experience of your area of specialism and the ability to quickly take on significant responsibility very quickly.
KEY DUTIES
Strategic and External Leadership:
- Lead the effective delivery and development of Caudwell Youth’s programmes, in line with our strategic plan.
- Build and maintain relationships with funders, and strategic partners, with support from the Deputy CEO.
- Identify and secure new funding opportunities, leading on public sector bids and tenders, in line with our strategic plan
- Ensure a youth participation and evidence-based approach in all aspects of service delivery and development.
Services:
- Develop, oversee and report against Operations department budget and plans.
- Oversee operational systems, risk assessments and data to ensure services are safe, needs-led and effective.
- Ensure safeguarding policies are embedded across delivery, acting as DSL if required.
- Support and develop high-performing teams, ensuring training, appraisal, and performance management frameworks are in place.
- Ensure that all programme delivery is trauma informed and person-centred
- Oversee quality assurance processes, ensuring consistent standards across all delivery regions.
- Lead on operational compliance, including health & safety, data protection, incident reporting and regulatory requirements.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and high-quality practice across the organisation.
- Ensure that programmes are monitored and evaluated effectively and that reporting requirements are met, working with the fundraising team as required
Business Development:
- With support from the Deputy CEO, develop plans to implement a growth strategy focused on securing statutory contracts.
- Act as a key point of contact for commissioners, local authorities, and strategic partners.
- Identify and respond to commissioning opportunities across local government (crime, education, and health sectors) in line with our strategy.
- Lead on bid writing, proposal development, and contract negotiations for statutory contracts and grants
- Work with finance and fundraising teams to create budgets, proposals and tender submissions for statutory contracts
- Be responsible for starting up and implementing new funded programmes to ensure quality in delivery
- Identify new trends, emerging needs and opportunities for partnership projects.
General:
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation.
- Undertake and identify training as required and take a positive approach to personal development.
- Fulfil the duties and responsibilities of an employee as regards to Health and Safety at Work, including own safety and self-management.
- Ensure good administration, record keeping and reporting of all work undertaken in line with data protection and other regulations.
- Undertake any other reasonable tasks deemed necessary.
For the full job description and to make an application, please visit our website.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This is an exceptional opportunity to join Belong’s Senior Leadership Team as Director of Policy & Research, a role that sits at the heart of our mission to shape national conversations on cohesion and integration. You will lead Belong’s policy development, research strategy, and national partnerships, ensuring our work is grounded in robust evidence and lived experience. This position offers the chance to influence systemic change, amplify Belong’s voice with policymakers and opinion formers, and ensure our insights drive real-world impact.
As Director of Policy & Research, you will:
- Lead the development of Belong’s policy and research agenda, aligning it with organisational strategy and national priorities.
- Produce high-quality policy outputs, including reports, briefings, consultation responses, and thought leadership pieces.
- Oversee the design and delivery of research projects, including commissioning and partnership work, ensuring rigor and inclusivity.
- Translate research findings into actionable policy recommendations and advocacy strategies.
- Foster strong collaboration between the Policy & Research team and Programme Delivery team, ensuring insights inform both policy and practice.
- Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, parliamentarians, journalists, and opinion formers.
- Represent Belong externally at high-level meetings, events, and in the media, amplifying our impact and reach.
- Develop strategic messaging and narratives that position Belong as a thought leader in social cohesion.
- Support campaigns and public engagement initiatives that promote Belong’s policy goals.
- Contribute to organisational development, strategic planning, and income generation through proposal development and funder engagement.
- Line manage policy and research staff, providing leadership, support, and professional development.
This is a senior leadership role for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and wants to drive systemic change at scale.
About You
We are seeking a strategic and insightful leader with:
- Proven experience in policy development and research leadership.
- Experience working in or with government, think tanks, or advocacy organisations.
- Strong understanding of social policy and influencing processes.
- Knowledge of cohesion, integration, and community relations.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including media engagement and public speaking.
- Ability to translate complex research into accessible policy messages.
- Familiarity with participatory and applied research methods.
- Strong strategic thinking and planning abilities.
- Relevant qualification in public policy, social research, or a related field.
- Experience managing teams and budgets, and supporting income generation through fundraising and proposal development.
Personal Qualities
- Passionate about improving cohesion and integration in the UK.
- Strategic and visionary thinker.
- Collaborative and inclusive leader.
- Politically astute and intellectually curious.
- Practical, focused, and reliable.
- Committed to personal and professional development.
Why Join Us?
At Belong, you’ll be part of a dynamic, values-driven team united by a shared commitment to creating a more inclusive and connected society. We offer:
- 30 days’ annual leave
- Hybrid working (typically 3 days in the office)
- Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly policies
- 3% pension contribution
- Opportunities for professional development and growth
Join us and help shape national policy and research that builds stronger, kinder, and more connected communities across the UK.
Salary: £65,000–£70,000
Location: UK-wide (regular travel across England and Wales)
Contract: Permanent, Full-time
About Belong
Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network is the UK’s leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to building a more united and less divided society. Established in 2019, we work across sectors to strengthen trust, belonging, and resilience in communities. Through research, policy influence, and place-based programmes, we connect people, places, and organisations to share learning and drive systemic change. Our growing membership spans local authorities, charities, civil society, and businesses. Belong is collaborative, evidence-led, and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Our office is based in Manchester and we offer hybrid working for those able to travel there. However, this role is open UK-wide and can be worked remotely, with regular travel across England and Wales required.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Purpose
Within the National Influencing & Networks team, the Digital Communications Officer is responsible for delivering core communications functions. The postholder will work directly with the Director of National Influencing and Networks to plan communications activity in line with organisational objectives, and to deliver planned, regular and ad-hoc outputs. They will also work closely with the Area Engagement and Partnerships Team. It is desirable for the postholder to bring innovative video editing and production expertise, along with strong digital content creation skills, to enhance Clinks’ communications reach and impact.
Duties and key responsibilities
· Contribute to the continued development of communications outputs of relevance to the voluntary sector working in criminal justice
· Deliver Clinks’ communications functions to ensure our work and the voluntary sector is promoted in an accurate and timely manner.
· Contribute to Clinks’ communications outputs through oversight of the organisational communications planner, supporting the development of timelines and executing as appropriate
· Responsible for publication and design of organisational policy reports, e-bulletins, newsletters, blog posts, ad-hoc publications and other relevant digital outputs
· Responsible for the collation and distribution of Clinks’ Light Lunch on a weekly basis as well as newsflashes, women’s network updates and art alliance updates
· Provide communications and digital expertise to all Clinks staff, including planning of social media, publications or key deliverables including Clinks’ annual State of the sector research
· Work closely with the Membership and Digital Development Officer to ensure coordination of Clinks’ digital output, and supporting the Clinks digital era by contributing to project managed task groups from a communications perspective
· Work with Clinks’ partners on the delivery of local communications outputs
· Lead on Clinks’ regular programme of reporting and benchmarking, with relevance to communications metrics, triaging responsibility within the organisation, and escalating as appropriate, as well as liaising with third parties as needed
· Track and evaluate the impact of Clinks’ communications and digital outputs and advise colleagues accordingly
· Responsible, with the Membership and Digital Development Officer, for keeping information on the website up to date.
· Ensure the implementation of Clinks’ Content Creation Strategy and social media strategy, and contribute to development of wider organisational digital strategy
· Continuously review comms process’ and outputs to ensure a continued high standard to Clinks overall delivery
· Support fundraising activity and bid applications to help secure income for development work.
Additional responsibilities
· Contribute to team activity, including the communication of policy positions rooted in evidence, expertise and experience
· Ensure high standards across all Clinks communications products
· Support the development and operation of the various groups, networks and structures facilitated by Clinks
· Represent Clinks at external meetings and events
· Work with colleagues to maintain and develop Clinks’ database of stakeholders to support the distribution of published materials and other communications.
General responsibilities
· Represent and be an ambassador for Clinks
· Work to support the mission, ethos and values of Clinks
· Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as they may arise, develop or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position
· Support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace
· Work collaboratively with others in all aspects of our work.
This job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time to time as the needs of the organisation require.
Person specification
Education and experience
- 2-3 years’ experience in a communications-related role
- Experience in innovative video editing, production, and digital content creation is highly desirable.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
· An understanding of issues related to:
- The role of the voluntary sector in addressing social exclusion and inequalities
- The criminal justice system, in particular prisons and probation.
· The ability to engage audiences, persuade, and encourage understanding and participation in written and/or other communications, with a focus on social media output.
· Ability to manage multiple workstreams and competing priorities
· A collaborative approach to working with colleagues
· Strong IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office, and an ability to support online platforms, including Drupal and Simple News, as well as proficiency in web development
· An eye for design, with the ability to liaise with external designers and to use design software, for example InDesign to create documents and manipulate document templates and Canva to produce assets.
· Clear, concise and engaging written and online communication skills
· A scrupulous approach to proofreading and a high level of skill in written English.
· Good knowledge of social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Bluesky, how to create and schedule engaging content for social media, and how to track engagement
· Monitor feed, share content and engage with Clinks’ members via social media
Personal attributes and other requirements
· Working well in a team with a flexible approach to work
· Ability to manage multiple and sometimes competing priorities
· Personal resilience and ability to stay focused in a rapidly changing environment
· Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities, including for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system
· Ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work
· Commitment to upholding the rights of people facing disadvantage and discrimination in the criminal justice system.