People director jobs

EACS is an established voluntary sector provider of 1:1 low-cost counselling and psychotherapy to people living in Ealing.EACS serves a very diverse local population whose mental health needs often fall outside of NHS talking therapy; or where people may want a different space from the statutory services.We often support people who bring complex histories, needing more in-depth support over a longer period.

The role: Part-time Director

We are recruiting a Director to lead and oversee the strategic, operational, financial, stakeholder and personnel functions of EACS, who would enjoy a hands-on role working with a small part-time staff team, supporting a medium-sized organisation.

The role requires a broad skillset and brings a balance of engaging with internal day-to-day functions; and external collaboration borne out of a thorough grasp of all aspects of service-delivery and the culture of EACS.An understanding of the voluntary sector is important.

The role will bring a particular focus on long-term sustainability, financial resilience and increasing our visibility and reach, while continuing to maintain operational excellence and high-quality, compassionate service-delivery.

You will be joining a hard-working, collaborative staff team that has flourished within a supportive, non-hierarchical structure but where lines of responsibility are clear.

Key components of the role:

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction while maintaining a strong operational ‘grip’
• Lead on income generation, securing key funding for long term financial stability 
• Strong relationship-building skills, leading with integrity, emotional intelligence and sound judgement
• Engage with mental health commissioners and represent EACS in meetings / collaborations with key partners in the public and voluntary sectors, and the wider community 
• Sound understanding of governance, safeguarding and organisational risk 
• Excellent report-writing skills with data and financial acumen; communicate well.

Who we are looking for:

Our ideal candidate will have a strong interest and experience working in mental health; and current or previous management experience within the charity sector or other mission-driven organisation. 

Those with a background in the commercial sector who would value the opportunity to work within the voluntary sector, and who can demonstrate they have the skillset, qualities, attitude and values which underpin the role are also very welcome to apply.A qualified psychotherapist or counsellor would be highly desirable but is not essential.

If you are a thoughtful, values-led leader and are motivated by the opportunity to lead an organisation where the work is both professional and deeply human, we would love to hear from you.

Location: Routinely office-based at EACS, Montpelier Avenue, W5 2XP with some flexibility 

Reports to: Chair of Management Committee

Employment: Permanent

Holiday: EACS office is normally closed for 2 weeks during: Christmas/New Year; Easter; late August/ early September; and May bank holidays. There is some flexibility in these timings. A further 3 weeks per annum can be taken during term time. 

Further Information about the Role and the Application process:

Please refer to the candidate pack for full details. If you wish to apply, in the first instance please provide your current CV & supporting statement, outlining why you are interested in applying for the post of Director of EACS at this time; and also outline how you meet the requirements of the Person Specification with reference to your Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Values demonstrated in your working life.

Please address your application to: The Chair of the Management Committee

The Development Office at The King's School Canterbury plays a vital role in supporting the School's long-term vision and sustainability. Working at the intersection of fundraising, alumni relations, and community engagement, it is responsible for building meaningful relationships with past pupils (OKS), parents, and supporters, and is entering a pivotal and ambitious phase of growth.

Guided by a bold five-year Philanthropy and Engagement Strategy, the Development Office places philanthropy and community engagement at the centre of its long-term vision to transform lives through education.

This is a moment of genuine momentum. Building on strong recent progress – including the revitalisation of major gifts activity, the successful launch of a regular giving programme, and the establishment of a unified King’s Association – the School has also recently completed Phase I of The Charter Awards, its ambitious fundraising campaign. Launched in 2023 to grow the School’s endowment to £50 million by the 500th anniversary of its 1541 Charter, the campaign has already exceeded expectations, raising over £3 million in just three years. Charter Awards bursaries are already transforming lives, enabling talented young people who would otherwise never have the opportunity to access a King’s education.

The King’s School now seeks an outstanding Director of Development to lead the next phase of this journey. The focus will be on scaling impact: strengthening the major gifts pipeline, expanding regular and legacy giving, and delivering high-impact fundraising aligned with the School’s strategic priorities.

This is a highly relational and outward-facing role, requiring close partnership with senior leadership, governors, and an international network of supporters to inspire philanthropic investment and deepen engagement across the global King’s community. The successful candidate will be supported by a Head of Development, a Development Officer, an Engagement Manager, and part-time Events and Admin Officers.

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the world’s great schools at a defining moment in its development programme, where ambition, collaboration and a commitment to excellence underpin everything we do.

For further information and to apply online, please visit our website.

Closing date: 9.00am on 8 June 2026.

Provisional date for first interviews: 11 and 12 June 2026.

Second interviews: 17 June 2026.

The King’s School is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process which is in line with the statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates.

All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

About the Investment team

The Investment team is responsible for selecting portfolio partners, managing our charity investments and supporting our portfolio partners to improve and scale their impact. 

The Investment team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles. 

The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants.   

The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in school engagement, school attainment and employment sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors between them. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 7). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest. 

The Investment team has a good track record of role progression. All four Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team. 

About this role

We believe that all young people deserve to succeed in school and in work, whatever their background. As we enter a challenging time with rising inflation and a likely recession, our work feels more vital than ever before. The role of Investment Director presents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the charities portfolio partners we serve, the team itself and the whole of Impetus.   

We support a portfolio of 23 high potential charity and non-profit partners in the youth sector, helping them deliver benchmark-beating employment and education outcomes for young people, and to grow. 

We believe the strength of our approach resides in three things: 

​

• ​Building deep, trust-based, sustainable relationships with charity leaders by, investing time, kindness, integrity and honesty.
• ​Providing our charities multi-year, unrestricted funding to help them become sector-leading organisations and scale their impact.
• ​Offering tailored advice to charity leaders’ most pressing and strategic questions, including their mission, programme design, performance management, growth planning, and financial resilience.

Working with our portfolio partners is a privilege. The leaders we support are incredibly talented, passionate and keen for external advice, and the issues we work through with them are stimulating and stretching. Our senior management relationships are some of the most fulfilling relationships many of us have had in our careers, while the growth and impact performance of our partners are testament to charities’ commitment to disadvantaged young people and the influence we have on their development. 

Charities and funders often comment on the quality of our people. Our team is analytical and data driven; we are deeply relational, low-ego and collaborative. We actively invest in our colleagues holding regular training and community of practice sessions, and use skills-based assessments to tailor development. 

As an organisation we seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work and actively challenge our assumptions to better deliver change. Over the past two years we have taken action to help reduce racial inequality in the youth sector. In 2021 we launched our Connect Fund to support diverse leaders and their robust solutions to the entrenched employment gap faced by young people from ethnic minority backgrounds compared with their white peers. We have also built a highly regarded Leadership Academy for emerging youth sector leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds, with generous funding from State Street Foundation. 

If you are looking for a role combining strategic thinking, analytical insight and influencing emerging leaders, as well as the opportunity to work with a supportive team to transform young lives, I hope you will apply to work with us. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Sebastien Ergas 
Portfolio Director 

​Key responsibilities
Finding high potential charities and non-profit partners for our portfolio 

• Identifying potential charitable organisations for investment.
• Leading and delivering in-depth due diligence process within the scope of a grant round, to assess and build partnership foundations with potential partners – covering leadership and governance, and their impact, scale, and partnership potential.
• Modelling from first contact of origination, our approach to engaged and trust-based investment management support.
• Developing and presenting high quality investment propositions to our Investment Committee.

Managing partnerships with portfolio partners​

• ​Managing relationships with partner Chairs and CEOs. 
• Agreeing Service Funding Agreements, including appropriate annual investment milestones to allow for a clear assessment of re-investment potential at end of phase. 
• Regularly monitoring and assessing partner progress / risks against milestones and making evidence-based recommendations on progression or exit to Leads, Portfolio Director and the Investment Committee.
• Escalating key risks on performance, leadership and safeguarding.   
• Conducting annual partnership reviews with Sector Leads and partner CEOs.
• Working with Impetus finance colleagues to ensure timely distribution of grant payments, in line with Service Funding Agreements.  

Supporting portfolio partners  ​

• ​Providing high quality advisory support to CEOs and senior colleagues on key strategic topics, using a mix of at least monthly one-to-one meetings and group facilitation to: 

• clarify theory of change
• ​define long term ambition
• ​develop growth strategy 
• ​achieve a step change in the delivery and performance management of outcomes 
• ​strengthen leadership (individual and collective) and governance capabilities
• ​develop path to scale
• ​build financial resilience

• ​Scoping and project managing pro bono capacity-building projects (in addition to providing direct management support). Ensure projects are delivered to a high standard and contribute to charity progression.
• Identifying engagement opportunities for our donors and supporters with portfolio partners that are aligned with the partner’s activities and do not distract or undermine their core work.
• Collaborating with the Impetus Philanthropy team to support the development of additional funding opportunities for portfolio partners, enhancing their ability to deliver impact at scale.
• Effectively leveraging the support of investment managers to advance the objectives developed for each portfolio partner that is managed by an Investment Director.

Support to Impetus

• Developing expertise about “what works” in the sector through cultivation and use of expert input and engagement as well as investigation into key research and evaluative literature.
• Contributing insights and learning from portfolio work to inform Impetus’ strategy, model and delivery, providing evidence based recommendations to senior colleagues
• Contributing to internal priorities and working groups, bringing expertise and insight from portfolio work (e.g. team strategy discussions, digital improvement initiatives, or equity, diversity, and inclusion).
• Contribute towards Impetus’ public affairs and philanthropy objectives through input into case studies, research and policy campaigns, donor reports and fundraising events.
• Sharing the learning from our work across the team, across the organisation and externally working within Impetus strategy and agreed forums.
• Engaging in Impetus pro bono, communications, and advocacy events, and engage portfolio partners appropriately in these events. 
• Line-manage and support one or more Investment Managers, setting clear objectives and providing coaching, feedback and development opportunities to enable them to deliver high quality work and achieve their individual, project and team goals
• Embedding inclusive and equitable practices in portfolio work, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered and barriers to participation are identified and addressed

​Person specification

Essential​

• A commitment to Impetus’ mission. 
• ​Senior level responsibility and a strong track record of building trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, advising them on key strategic decisions, and challenging them in a respectful and collaborative manner. 
• ​A talent for strategic thinking around complex issues. 
• ​Strong financial acumen and analytical skills. 
• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation fundamentals. 
• ​Resilience, tenacity and initiative. 
• ​Ability to adapt personal style to different leadership contexts, working inclusively and effectively with diverse leaders and organisations.
• ​Growth mind-set to seek out and act on feedback and a commitment to continuous learning and development. 
• ​Proven ability to work independently, and to exercise good judgment. 
• ​Strong planning and time management skills. 
• ​Experience contributing expertise to team or organisational priorities, including sharing learning and supporting others’ development. 
• ​Interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better. 
• ​A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable​

• Experience in the non-profit (charity or social enterprise) sector, through work, as a pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity.
• ​Experience in consulting, investment management, senior charity management, or other in-depth grant making and advisory work. 
• ​Knowledge and expertise in UK education or youth employability sectors. 
• ​Board experience in private, public or third sector. 
• ​Understanding of or experience with commissioning impact evaluations. 

About Impetus

At Impetus, our focus is on helping young people achieve positive education and employment outcomes to increase their chance of leading fulfilling and successful lives, irrespective of their background.​

We tackle the three most difficult challenges that affect a young person’s ability to succeed in life in Britain today:  ​

• Lost learning through absence, suspensions, exclusions from school  

• Stagnation in education attainment outcomes, which means many are missing out on key qualifications like GCSE English and maths 

• The large numbers of young people out of education, training and employment  ​

We use our deep expertise and high calibre networks to give the best non-profits working in these sectors the essential ingredients to have a real and lasting impact on the young people they serve.​

Through a powerful combination of long-term funding, direct capacity building support from our experienced team and our pro bono partners, alongside research and policy influencing to drive lasting systems change, we work towards a society where all young people can thrive in school, pass their exams and unlock the doors to sustained employment, for a fulfilling life. ​

We are resolutely focused on outcomes and impact, driven by quality evidence.​

You would be joining a team that is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We care deeply for our colleagues, our portfolio partners and the young people we serve.​

Impetus is a registered charity and our charity number is 1152262.

​

Our Values​

In 2022 the Impetus staff agreed the following set of Values to act as our guiding principles as an organisation and help us to remain focused on achieving our mission to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We are brave and curious

We are bold and brave in our pursuit of better outcomes for young people. We lead with curiosity and stay open to new perspectives. We support one another to take considered risks and learn together.

We bring high trust, high challenge

We build strong, long-term relationships through honesty, kindness, integrity, and respect. We create the space for open, constructive challenge, where colleagues, partners and supporters feel safe to speak up, hold each other to account, and bring their best in pursuit of our mission.

We are evidence led and results driven for young people

We pursue excellence for the young people we work with, are wholly committed to better outcomes, unapologetically results driven, and accountable for our actions.

We thrive through diversity

We seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work. We are open, thoughtful and proactive in better understanding and challenging our assumptions to better deliver the change we seek.

We always seek collaboration

We will not succeed alone. We seek meaningful, productive partnerships with others to achieve our mission and drive systems change for young people.

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

We believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more open, creative and gets better results.​

We want our team at Impetus to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our team to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

We want to reach a diverse pool of candidates. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.​

We recognise the importance of a good work/life balance. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, working part-time job shares and other arrangements.​

Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.​

Impetus is an equal opportunity employer and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We value diversity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.​

​Our employee benefits ​

Impetus appreciates the invaluable contribution made by all employees and wishes to encourage and reward loyalty, motivation and experience. We therefore offer a range of benefits and policies which aim to assist employees during various stages of their lives and careers. For more information on these, please download the job information pack from our website.​

How to apply

Please click on the "Apply for this job" button at the top of the page. ​

You will need to:​

• Complete the online form (including the equal opportunities monitoring form)
• Upload a comprehensive CV and supporting statement.​

The supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4 and should address the criteria in the person specification.​

You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission.​

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 interview stage.​

The deadline for applications is 2026, Sunday 21st June 2026, 11:59pm.​

Interviews:​

1st Interviews will take place on w/c 29th June 2026.​

2nd Interviews will take place on w/c 6th July 2026.​

You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.​

Personal 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.

Would you like to shape the future of people leadership across a major national charity? Are you an experienced People Director who has led at senior level in a complex organisation and knows how to turn strategy into delivery? Can you bring the clarity, pace and judgement needed to lead a broad People function spanning operations, talent, reward, workforce planning and people insight?

Reporting to the Executive Director of People and Culture, we are looking for a Director of People to lead and integrate our People function, ensuring we have the right structures, capability and culture in place to deliver our organisational priorities. This is a senior leadership role for someone who has already operated at Director level, with direct experience of leading and managing a senior People/HR team. You will bring strong experience from a charity or not-for-profit organisation or a personal connection to the Armed Forces Community through service, family or lived experience.

We will only be considering candidates who are able to evidence the following criteria. Please See the Job Descriptions for more information:

- CIPD qualification at MCIPD or FCIPD level.
- Operated at Director level, with responsibility for leading a People/HR function in a complex organisation.
- Directly leading and managing a senior People/HR team.
- Significant experience working within a charity/not-for-profit organisation or a personal connection to the Armed Forces Community (serving, veteran, reservist, spouse/partner or family member).
- London-based, hub worker (2 days per week in London).

Come and be part of the leading Armed Forces charity, making a difference to the lives of those who have served to keep us safe and protect our way of life.

In this role, you will:

- Lead the organisation’s People strategy, ensuring alignment with wider organisational priorities and future capability needs
- Oversee a full People function including HR operations, business partnering, talent, reward, learning and people data
- Act as a key advisor to the Executive team on workforce planning, organisational design, change and people risk
- Build strong leadership capability across the organisation and ensure managers are equipped to lead their teams effectively
- Use data, insight and evidence to shape decisions and improve organisational performance

This is a high-impact leadership role where you will have the opportunity to shape how we attract, develop and retain our people, while strengthening leadership capability and driving a consistent, high-quality people experience across the organisation. You will be joining at a time where there is real focus on building for the future, giving you space to influence, modernise and make a visible difference.

You will be contracted to our Haig House hub, with a minimum expectation of two days per week working in person at the hub. Please note that this in-person requirement is non-negotiable. Outside of these days, there is flexibility to work remotely/from home when not on site.

Employee benefits include -

- 28 day’s paid holiday (plus bank holidays) increasing with service, with optional annual leave purchase scheme of up to 5 working days
- Private Healthcare
- Enhanced paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Generous pension contributions, with Employer contributions ranging from 6% to 10%
- Range of flexible working options may be available, depending on your role
- Employee Assistance Programme providing confidential counselling, financial and legal advice
- Range of courses delivered by learning specialists to support your development goals and objectives
- Opportunities to volunteer
- Travel loans, Cycle to Work, and more!

For more detailed information about the role, please see the Job Description attached to our direct advert. Our teams take a personalised approach to shortlisting, which is carried out without the use of AI and is based on the evidence provided in your application against the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification.

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interview schemes for candidates who declare an Armed Forces connection and/or a disability. However, candidates are only eligible for this scheme if their application clearly demonstrates that they meet all of the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification for the role.

We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have enough strong applications to be able to successfully fill the role(s). Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Executive Director of Finance, Operations & Growth
Keech Hospice

Charity People have partnered with Keech Hospice, a £15million turnover Hospice with sites in Luton and Bedford, in finding their next Executive Director of Finance, Operations and Growth. This is a pivotal moment to join the hospice strengthening their impact and secure their long-term future.

We are seeking an outstanding Executive Director of Finance, Operations & Growth to join our Executive Leadership Team. This is a high-profile, mission-critical role that combines strategic financial leadership with operational excellence and commercial growth. You will play a central role in ensuring the Hospice's future sustainability, driving income diversification, and enabling transformational change that supports the delivery of exceptional care. You will be delivering an ambitious new strategy working closely with an inspiring CEO, collaborative and forward thinking SLT and Board of Trustees. Keech Hospice is in the top 25 of 100 Best Companies to work for.

Salary: circa £90,000 per annum there is a performance related incremental scale offered to all staff.

Contract: Permanent, 37.5 hours
Flexibility: the hospice has a flexible working policy available to all staff including partial home working (initially three days a week and will reduce to two days a week)

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Leadership: Shape and deliver the organisation's financial strategy, providing insightful analysis and robust planning to ensure long-term sustainability, effective risk management, and strong financial governance.
• Finance Function Excellence: Lead a high-performing finance function, ensuring accurate, timely reporting, strong financial controls, and continuous improvement in systems, processes, and business partnering across the organisation.
• Growth & Commercial Strategy: Lead and support the development and performance of trading and commercial income streams, including working with our excellent Ass. Director of Trading and Commercial , identifying new opportunities and forging strategic partnerships to diversify income.
• Operations, Estates & Sustainability: Provide strategic oversight of procurement, estates, facilities, and sustainability, ensuring efficient, compliant, and forward-thinking operations aligned to net zero and environmental goals.
• Transformation & Major Projects: Lead and sponsor strategic initiatives and capital programmes, developing robust business cases and ensuring effective delivery, governance, and realisation of benefits.
• Executive Leadership & Governance: Act as a key member of the Executive Team, building strong relationships with the Board and Audit and Risk committee, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
• Organisational Stewardship: Ensure effective use of resources, robust risk management, and strong organisational performance, while acting as an ambassador for Keech Hospice and upholding its values at all times.

Person Specification

• Senior Leadership Experience: Proven track record in a Board or Executive-level finance leadership role, ideally within a complex, multi-faceted organisation.
• Sector specific: Senior financial and operational leadership experience within a charity or not-for-profit sector; Or strong desire to be working in a mission driven organisation
• Charity SORP: Strong understanding of Charity Commission requirements and SORP.
• Strategic & Commercial Acumen: Demonstrable success in financial strategy, commercial income generation, and driving sustainable organisational growth.
• Financial Expertise: Professionally qualified (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with deep knowledge of financial governance, planning, reporting, and risk management.
• Operational Leadership: Experience overseeing operations, estates, procurement, or infrastructure, with a focus on efficiency, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Change & Transformation Capability: Strong experience leading large-scale transformation programmes and delivering measurable organisational impact.
• Values-Driven Leader: A collaborative and inspiring leader who models integrity, builds high-performing teams, and is committed to the values and mission of hospice care.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to respond to three written questions to highlight their experience, approach, and leadership style.

Role will be closing on 24^th June, 2026

First stage interview via MSTeams or in person 2^nd July, 2026

Second stage in person 7^th or 8^th July, 2026 followed by an informal chat to "get to know" on 10^th or 13^th July, 2026

Charity People is a forward-thinking, inclusive organisation that deliberately champions equity, diversity and inclusion. We know charities thrive when inclusion is at the centre of decision-making. We proudly match organisations with talent based on skills and values, not background - because diverse teams deliver stronger results.

Closing date: 16th June 2026 Interviews: 19th June 2026

This role leads a new flagship grants and strategic activity programme - a national outdoor play partnership supporting community foundations to deliver risky, adventurous and child-directed play opportunities for children aged 0–12 in up to 20 places across the UK. You will work in the UK Community Foundations team, the national backbone, co-ordinating and convening the wider partnership. The minimum £10m programme (likely larger) runs from June 2026 through November 2031, is delivered with seed funding from an anonymous lead funder. 

You will be accountable for the day-to-day running of the programme. That means managing the relationship with the lead funder, overseeing delivery across the four-outcomes learning framework, coordinating the national learning and influence backbone, building and maintaining sector relationships, and ensuring the programme is delivered on time, on budget and to consistently high standards. 

Alongside the programme, you will also support wider partnerships activity and act as a point of expertise on children and young people. You will advise the Partnerships team on CYP matters, provide a credible internal source of guidance on safeguarding, and keep UKCF abreast of policy and sector developments so we are well positioned to support community foundations to design and deliver further CYP-focused partnerships. 

You do not need to have worked in community foundations before. We are interested in people who combine substantial programme leadership experience - ideally within funding or grant making, though other types of programme delivery are likely to be relevant - with credible CYP sector knowledge, and the confidence to balance delivery, stakeholder relationships, sector influence and partnership support across a complex multi-year portfolio. 

The Partnerships & Insight team designs and delivers UKCF's national partnerships, brings new funding into the community foundation network, and grows our influence on the policy and funding environment community foundations operate in. This role sits at the heart of all of that, and gives you a broad view across the sector, the network and the wider VCSE landscape. 

We know that good programme leadership depends on different perspectives, lived experiences and ways of working. We encourage applications from people who may not meet every requirement but feel excited by the role and believe they could grow into it. 

Your portfolio 

You will hold responsibility for two connected areas. 

Programme management (0.65 FTE) 

You will lead the end-to-end delivery of the programme across four outcomes - Reach & Access; Quality & Character of Play; Lasting Local Capacity; National Evidence, Learning & Influence - and the operational layer that sits behind them. You will lead programme planning, budget management, risk management and quality assurance, working closely with the Director of Partnerships & Insight. 

You will manage the relationship with the lead funder, and any subsequent funders that come on board, including reporting, milestone delivery, board updates and stewardship of the partnership over the full grant period. You will also oversee community foundation onboarding, contracting, ongoing relationship management and convening across the cohort of around 20 delivery partners. 

You will coordinate the national backbone of the programme – participating community foundations, learning partner, expert panellists, sector relationships, and the dissemination of evidence and influence outputs - and oversee learning outputsagainst the programme's two-layer tracking architecture. 

You will build and maintain relationships that lead to the change the programme seeks to achieve and supports a potential continuation funding pipeline. You will represent UKCF and the programme externally - with funders, government, sector bodies and international peers, including our peers at community foundations in Canada.

Wider partnerships and CYP responsibilities (0.35 FTE) 

You will support the Director of Partnerships and the wider team on general partnership matters, pitching in at crunch points and offering senior advice and leadership on design and delivery. 

You will act as UKCF's internal point of information on safeguarding for children and young people, supporting the Partnerships team and wider colleagues to apply appropriate standards across CYP-related programmes and proposals. Training will be provided.

You will keep UKCF abreast of CYP sector developments - policy, funding landscape, research and practice - and translate these into practical advice for partnerships and field-building work. You will advise the team on CYP matters during pipeline development, scoping and proposal-writing, making sure new opportunities are well grounded in current sector knowledge. 

You will build and maintain relationships with key CYP sector bodies, funders and expert networks to position UKCF as a credible, well-informed partner in the children and young people space, and you will contribute to UKCF's wider thought leadership and external profile on CYP, including occasional speaking, writing and convening. 

Your wider responsibilities 

Like everyone at UKCF, you will work closely with colleagues across the organisation. You will partner with Communications, Finance, Field Building and other teams to support wider organisational activity, contribute to the development of the Partnerships & Insight team and to UKCF's culture, standards and ways of working, and take on other reasonable duties commensurate with the role. 

What you will bring 

We are looking for someone who combines substantial programme leadership with credible CYP sector knowledge, and who is comfortable holding the whole of a complex programme in view while making sound day-to-day decisions. You might recognise yourself in some, but not necessarily all, of the following. 

• Programme leadership and judgement - able to hold a complex, multi-year programme in view while making sound day-to-day decisions. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication, adapted confidently for funders, government, community foundations, sector peers and internal audiences. 

• Diplomatic, confident and effective relationship-building and influence with senior and varied stakeholders. 

• Proactive problem-solving - acting on initiative, diagnosing issues early and proposing practical solutions. 

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance multiple deadlines and priorities across a complex portfolio. 

• Creativity, flexibility and intuition, with a willingness to adapt your approach as the programme evolves. 

• Commitment to learning and improvement, including reflecting on your own practice and seeking continual development. 

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and climate justice, and interest in how these values shape programme design, participation and whose voices are heard. 

Essential experience 

• Senior programme leadership: substantial experience leading voluntary and community sectormulti-year, multi-partner programmes, including accountability for budget, delivery and outcomes. 

• Children and young people sector expertise: strong working knowledge of the CYP landscape - policy, funding, practice - and credibility with sector stakeholders. 

• Safeguarding: confident acting as an internal point of information on safeguarding, with a basic or good understanding of safeguarding standards in CYP-related work, and willingness to undertake further training.

• Stakeholder management: experience managing significant relationships, including reporting, stewardship and the negotiation of programme changes. 

• Charity or non-profit setting: understanding of values-driven work and the operating norms of the voluntary sector. 

• Data, impact and learning: able to interpret quantitative and qualitative information, undertake basic and intermediate analysis, and oversee a learning partner, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Understanding of the norms of impact and learning in the voluntary and community sector.

• Relationship management: builds trust with funders, peers, partners and delivery organisations; offers diplomatic, credible guidance. 

• Digital, CRM and AI confidence: confident across Office 365 and  AI tools (or have started to experiment with them) to support efficient working and free up more time for relationship building. Motivated to use AI, and to do so mindfully, responsibly, ethically and to increase impact. 

• Ability to travel occasionally, which may include overnight stays and multi-day events. 

Desirable experience 

• Grant making and funding, particularly relational or participatory approaches; systems change or place-based approaches to community impact; or asset-based community development and community-led programmes. 

• Working with community foundations or place-based funding structures. 

• Play, early years, youth work, education or related CYP fields. 

• Designing and delivering co-design, collaboration or systems-change activity. 

• Contributing to policy or sector influence. 

• Developing AI tools within a VCSE context, and understanding of AI ethics and the unique VCSE context around AI - or an interest in this topic. 

• Securing continuation or follow-on funding for complex programmes. 

Inclusion statement 

UK Community Foundations is committed to building an inclusive organisation and a diverse field. We welcome applications from people from minoritised ethnic communities, disabled people, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and others who are underrepresented in the charity and philanthropy sector. 

The role of the People Partner is to work in partnership with directors and their managers, supporting and influencing the delivery of People Team services (including employees and volunteers), particularly in relation to people management. You will provide HR coaching and consulting that delivers People and Culture best practice and commercially focused HR/People advice.

You will proactively support leaders and managers to develop forward planning and good management practice with a focus on increased staff engagement and good performance from all staff. The People Partners will be expected to drive initiatives that not only attract top talent but also foster a culture where employees feel valued, engaged, and inspired by our unique Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

You will also help raise knowledge, capabilities and confidence of managers and support and drive initiatives and projects that add value to the area and are in line with the overall values of The Children’s Trust.

This role is not open to sponsorship.

Staff benefits include shuttle bus, and more… Read more below.

Role Requirements

• Work closely with the Senior Organisational Change Manager and the other People Partners to ensure that all employees, volunteers and trustees are supported and treated fairly
• Support the Senior Organisational Change Manager in ensuring that the People Team achieves its wider organisational goals
• Promote a positive, inclusive workplace that values diversity and supports the wellbeing of employees, volunteer and trustees
• Assist in the streamlining and automation of processes to improve operational efficiency
• Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.
• Provide expert advice and support on employee relations matters, including performance management, conduct and conflict resolution
• Manage disciplinary, grievance and attendance issues
• Support managers in navigating sickness management procedures, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies while prioritising employee well-being and a smooth return-to-work process, including conducting return-to-work interviews
• Work with the People Team Reward & People Insights Manager to analyse and support with the preparation of the annual Gender Pay Reporting and action planning.
• You will support with the development of the HR System / implementation and assist with any changes to HR processes linked to the system changes.
• You will be responsible for managing SelectHR (including OH) and all People Partnering responsibilities linked to the systems.

Interview date: 8th June

Interview date: 15th June

Terms and Conditions

Strictly no agencies, please.

As we often receive high levels of applicants for our roles, we regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for interviews. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume you have not been shortlisted for an interview on this occasion.

About Us

The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via our Brain Injury Community Service.

Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of: Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.

Staff Benefits

The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits, including our staff flexible benefits platform, on-site nursery, free eye tests, enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay, time out days for those experiencing menopause symptoms and time off for gender reassignment.

We also offer additional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlements ranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your length of service.

Other benefits include free on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation (subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable), Teacher’s pension (where applicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Rehabilitation of Offenders

Many roles at The Children’s Trust are exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020) and as such, are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Successful applicants will be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, which will disclose all unspent convictions and adult cautions and any spent convictions or adult cautions that would not be protected.  The exceptions to this are our retail roles within The Children’s Trust shops, which are subject to Basic DBS checks which will disclose unspent convictions or adult cautions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

To help us achieve our ambition to give children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability the opportunity to live the best life possible, we want to accurately reflect the UK’s diverse population. We want equity, diversity, and inclusion to be at the heart of everything we do, and our people, services, and culture to reflect the diverse needs of all. Through our diversity and inclusion strategy, we have made a commitment to increase the diversity of our charity and create an inclusive culture. We have networks across the organisation working to ensure that these aims are met - including an LGBTQIA2S+ group, Ethnic Diversity Group, and Spark – our broad EDI group. Read more about our EDI work here. We welcome applications from all who share our ambition regardless of background. We will strive to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made in respect of interview and working arrangements.

Online Searches

In accordance with statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance, online searches will be conducted for shortlisted candidates before interview. The online searches will be conducted by a person who is independent of the interview and selection process and will focus on relevant information returned via searches of the candidate’s name (and variations thereof). Social media searches will be limited to professional platforms such as LinkedIn. Any concerns relating to suitability for work with children and young people will be forwarded to the interview panel, for discussion during the interview.

Be Our First Hire. Build the Infrastructure that Saves Lives.

About Us
We are a newly registered, fully-funded UK health charity embarking on a variety of health-related Missions.  Having secured Charity Commission approval and robust initial funding, we are now ready to step out of the planning phase.

Duet Health Foundation is starting with significant funding and access to external resources to support our initial campaigns which will include;

- Addressing significant safety issues related to certain commonly used medicines, gathering data on adverse events and deaths in order to campaign for ways to mitigate this.

- Raising awareness of rare diseases which are being missed. These can significantly affect sufferers’ lives, and while they may be relatively easy to diagnose and treat, are often simply not recognised by primary healthcare providers.

We are seeking our first employee—a visionary Director of Operations—to build our operational infrastructure from the ground up and turn our strategic vision into a highly impactful reality.

The Role

As our first hire, you will be a key part of the operational architecture of the charity. Working closely with the Founders, you will help transition the organisation from a newly approved legal entity into a fully functional, compliant, and active campaigning force. This is not a role for someone who just wants to manage existing systems; it is for a builder who also wants to create them.

The Director of Operations is a pivotal senior leadership role within the organisation, responsible for creating the operational backbone of the organisation. This role ensures that the organisation’s systems, people, suppliers and processes operate smoothly, safely and compliantly, enabling high-quality delivery. The Director of Operations will provide strong day-to-day operational leadership and discipline, freeing the Founders to focus on strategy, partnerships and organisational growth. The postholder will be highly organised, practical and accountable, with a strong focus on implementation and follow‑through.

To apply for this role, you will need to have significant operational management experience in a charity or similar environment. You will have demonstrable experience of managing complex operational systems and will have proven experience of workforce planning, operational delivery and implementing organisational change. You will have experience of managing suppliers, contracts and procurement processes and will have a strong understanding of operational compliance, risk management and audit readiness. Overall, you will be practical, organised and solutions-focused, with the confidence to work across teams and with trustees, suppliers and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Blueprinting: Design, implement, and oversee all required documentation and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), financial controls, and risk management systems.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure total alignment with Charity Commission regulations, particularly the CC9 guidelines regarding political and health campaigning.
• Information Governance: Establish secure data sharing, privacy frameworks, and GDPR structures for future collection of sensitive patient and clinical data.
• Strategic Scaling: Manage third-party vendors (legal, IT, Associate contractors etc) and eventually support building the infrastructure for future recruitment.

About You

• Experienced: You have at least 5 years’ experience of operational management within the UK charity sector of the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry, or healthcare regulation (e.g., MHRA, NICE).
• A "Builder": You thrive on both teamwork and autonomy. You have a proven track record of setting up systems, policies, and teams from scratch.
• Governance Savvy: You have a solid understanding of UK charity law, compliance, and financial frameworks.
• Locally Based: You live within 25 miles of Camberley, Surrey, allowing for regular, in-person collaboration with the Founders.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape a charity's DNA from day one. You will have substantial autonomy, and the opportunity to play a key part in building an organisation that will directly improve patient safety and rare disease outcomes across the UK.

The Founders of the charity are a married couple who have both spent their working lives in healthcare and health research, particularly focussing on  developing treatments for often-neglected patient groups.

JUSTICE is looking to recruit a Legal Director to join our friendly, outcome-focused and values-led team. This is a senior and highly influential role, offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced legal leader who is passionate about improving the UK justice system and committed to advancing meaningful legal and policy reform. We are looking for someone who brings deep legal and policy expertise, strategic insight and a collaborative approach to leading and delivering impactful research and policy work. 

The successful post holder will be an inspiring and experienced leader with a strong background in law, policy and justice system reform, and someone who enjoys both shaping strategic direction and supporting others to deliver high quality work. You will be motivated by JUSTICEʼs mission to strengthen the rule of law, protect human rights and improve access to justice, bringing the confidence, sound judgement and integrity required to lead at a senior level and represent the organisation externally. 

You will have strategic responsibility for planning and delivering JUSTICEʼs legal and policy programme, ensuring alignment with the organisationʼs wider strategic goals and working closely with the Chief Executive, Director of Strategy and Impact and wider leadership team. 

As a leading legal and policy expert, you will play a central role in developing and maintaining strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including government ministers and officials, parliamentarians, the judiciary, service delivery organisations, civil society partners and people with lived experience of the justice system. Working collaboratively with colleagues, you will help shape advocacy and influencing strategies designed to drive legal and policy reform across the UK. 

You will oversee the planning, delivery and resourcing of JUSTICEʼs legal and policy work, ensuring strong project management, effective budget oversight and timely reporting on risks, progress and impact. You will also contribute to organisational sustainability by identifying funding opportunities and supporting fundraising efforts, recognising the importance of sustainable resourcing to the charityʼs long-term success. 

If this sounds like something youʼd be interested in and something you would enjoy doing, please do apply! 

Interim Director of Finance & Operations

• Contract: 12 months fixed term
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week 
• Location: Oxford is the primary location, with some opportunity for hybrid working 
• Salary: £80,000 per annum
• Closing date: 14th June 2026

Lead strategic finance and operations at a purpose-drive organisation delivering vital care and support to children and families.

We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Director of Finance & Operations to join our Executive Team on a 12-month fixed term basis. Reporting to the CEO, you will play a critical role in shaping organisational strategy, ensuring financial sustainability, and overseeing key enabling services that support the delivery of outstanding care and impact.

This unique opportunity to step into a pivotal leadership role, providing direction across finance, estates, governance, date and risk, and project management functions.

About the role:

As a member of the Executive Team, you will:

• Provide strategic financial leadership to the CEO, Board and senior stakeholders
• Lead and develop high-performing teams across Finance, Estates & Operations, Data & Risk, and PMO
• Oversee planning, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting, ensuring long-term sustainability
• Drive organisational performance, insight and continuous improvement.
• Ensure robust governance, compliance, and risk management frameworks

About you:

We are looking for a collaborative and influential leader who:

• Is a fully qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or CIPFA)
• Brings significant senior leadership experience, ideally overseeing multiple functions
• Demonstrates strong commercial judgement and financial insight
• Has a proven ability to lead, develop and deliver results through high-performing teams.
• Is an excellent communicator, able to influence at Board and Executive level.
• Thinks strategically, with the ability to translate vision into delivery and results

Apply now to be part of an organisation where your expertise will directly support lives and communities.

We reserve the right to close the advert at any time should we receive sufficient applications, therefore we encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible. 

Please note that everyone working for Helen & Douglas House are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Helen & Douglas House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are an equal opportunities employer and value the benefits of a diverse workforce. We positively encourage applications from all areas of the community.

Interim Director of People & Culture

• Contract: 6 months fixed term
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week 
• Location: Oxford is the primary location, with some opportunity for hybrid working
• Salary: £80,000 per annum
• Closing date: 12th June 2026 12 noon 

Help shape the future of the world’s first children’s hospice and make a lasting different to local families.

We are seeking an experienced Interim Director of People & Culture to join our Executive Team during a significant period of organisational change.

This is a unique opportunity to shape our people strategy, culture and organisational design while ensuring we continue to deliver compassionate, high-quality services to those who need us most.

The role:

Reporting to the CEO and as part of the Executive Team, you’ll lead the People function through a period of organisational change.

• Lead and deliver key organisational change, including operating model and workforce reviews.
• Develop and embed a clear, valued-led culture and people strategy.
• Act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, Executive Team and Board, providing expert insight on people, culture and organisational design.
• Ensure effective, compliant people practices while strengthening capability across staff and volunteers.

Who we’re looking for:

You are a credible, experienced people leader who delivers impact at pace.

• Director level experience in HR/People/Organisational Development with complex environments.
• Proven track record of leading transformation and shaping organisational culture.
• Strong employment law expertise with the ability to influence at Executive and Board Level.
• CIPD Level 7, CIPD Chartered Membership or equivalent (CIPD Chartered Fellow desirable).
• A pragmatic, collaborative and values led approach.

Apply today and play a key role in shaping a strong and sustainable future for Helen & Douglas House and the families we support.

Please note that everyone working for Helen & Douglas House are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Helen & Douglas House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are an equal opportunities employer and value the benefits of a diverse workforce. We positively encourage applications from all areas of the community.

World Jewish Relief provides life-saving and life-changing action to people in crisis around the world. We work with our trusted local partners to help people survive the consequences of conflict and disaster, to thrive and rebuild their lives. We deliver programmes using our expertise, with urgency to achieve maximum and sustainable impact for those within and beyond our community.

We are currently transitioning from outsourced technology consultancy to in-house technology support and are looking to recruit a Director of Technology to transform the way we gather, manage and work with data across the organisation, reviewing and reshaping the core platforms that hold our donor, income, financial and people data.

Reporting to the Chief Executive key priorities of the role include:

• Leading the development and implementation of our technology, digital, AI and data strategy
• Identifying how technology and data management can best support all aspects of our organisation
• Strengthening confidence and capability in the effective use of technology and data, by identifying learning needs, helping to train colleagues and supporting the adoption of new systems to drive sustainable change.
• Advising the Senior Leadership Team on technology-related opportunities, risks and prioritisation.
• Identifying where improvements in systems integration and data flow optimisation are needed, proposing and agreeing solutions and leading on implementation
• Conducting a formal review of our CRMs, identifying alternatives and agreeing solutions with key stakeholders, leading on procurement, implementation and migration of any solutions.

You should have:

• Proven technical expertise and experience at a senior level, or a strong step-up candidate ready for a leadership role
• Strong background in IT infrastructure & business-driven data management.
• Proven track record of leading a major systems migration or platform consolidation end-to-end
• Daily use of AI productivity and automation tools (e.g. Claude, Microsoft Copilot) with a clear view on practical applications for a charity of WJR's scale.
• Practical DevOps and cloud experience, including servers, networking, security, Linux/Unix, and Azure.
• Experience with Data Visualisation, warehousing and database technologies (e.g. Tableau, Power BI, Looker, BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric, PostgreSQL and MySQL)
• Knowledge of Data Privacy, Data Security, and Compliance regulations (GDPR).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to translate complex technical terminology for non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A commitment to and empathy with the work and values of World Jewish Relief.

Benefits

We offer a range of benefits including:

• 23 days holiday plus bank holidays and Jewish holidays. After 2 years’ service holiday entitlement increases to 25 days.
• Pension scheme – we contribute 5% to the World Jewish Relief pension scheme.
• Life Insurance – up to 3 times salary to nominated beneficiaries
• Health Cash Plan – cash back to cover the costs of dental treatment, optical care, specialist consultations and a range of complementary therapies
• Enhanced maternity & paternity pay
• Employee Assistance Programme – free, confidential advice or support with any personal or work related concerns or free counselling if needed
• Season ticket / travel to work loan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• On Friday the office closes at 3pm
• We encourage flexible working and offer a range of flexible working options.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

World Jewish Relief promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We invite and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds. We encourage applications from candidates of different ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and of faith or none that meet the criteria set out for this role.

You don’t need to be Jewish to work for us, but you must be committed to our faith based values of Justice, Kindness, Repairing the World and Welcoming the Stranger. We are inspired by these values to work beyond our community, recognising the dignity and potential of all people.

How to apply

Please upload your CV and a cover letter which demonstrates your suitability for the role by answering the following question:

· Why does this role appeal to you and how do you meet the criteria in the person specification?

 DownsLink Group (YMCA DLG) is the leading charity supporting children and young people across Sussex and Surrey through safe homes, mental health support and trusted advice. Following a significant period of organisational stabilisation and transformation, we are now entering an ambitious new phase focused on growth, influence and deepening our impact.

We are seeking an experienced and values-led Director of Supported Housing to join our Executive Team and lead our resident-led housing services for young people aged 16-25. This is a strategically important leadership role with responsibility for supported housing, safeguarding, asset management, service quality and housing growth across a complex and evolving operational landscape.

You will bring visible leadership across services, strengthen partnerships with commissioners and local authorities, and help shape the future of housing support for young people across the region. Alongside this, you will help lead the organisation as a whole, contributing to long-term sustainability, growth and strategic direction.

This appointment is part of a wider strengthening of YMCA DLG’s Executive Team, alongside the recruitment of a second Director, as the organisation enters its next phase of growth and impact. This is an opportunity to join an ambitious organisation at a pivotal moment and help shape what comes next.

Peridot Partners are supporting us with the recruitment of this role. When you click 'Redirect to Recruiter' you will be redirected to the full job advert and how to apply on the Peridot Partners website.

Closing date: 9 am Tuesday 30th June

We are seeking a Director of Operations to join ERA at a pivotal moment of growth. This is a senior, strategic hire  who will shape how ERA is structured, scaled, and sustained over the long term. In 2026, we are scaling to run two summer fellowships: an ERA:AI fellowship and an AIxBiosecurity fellowship, alongside at least two major conferences and a pipeline of new domain-specific programmes. We want to streamline our operations to match this scale.

Working closely with the Executive Director and Programme Director, you will take ownership of ERA's operational effectiveness, compliance, financial strategy, and team development. You will be the person who translates ERA's ambitious programme vision into the systems, structures, and culture that make it possible and who ensures that as we grow from a small core team to an organisation of 15–20+ people, we do not lose what makes us effective. This includes managing the visa and compliance infrastructure that underpins ERA's international fellowship model.

This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role. You will have real scope to shape the organisation's trajectory, building systems that stick, managing risk proactively, mentoring a growing operations team, and acting as a senior counsel to ERA's leadership. You will also be ERA's operational interface with our Board, including preparing materials, ensuring regulatory compliance, and flagging strategic risks.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Strategy & Scaling

• Set the strategic direction for ERA's operations function, ensuring it evolves alongside organisational growth

• Translate ERA's programme and organisational strategy into coherent operational frameworks and execution plans

• Lead ERA through its next phase of growth, from a small, generalist team to a larger, more structured organisation of 15–20+ staff managing the cultural and structural change this requires

• Design and implement systems, workflows, and processes that scale: robust, clear, and built to last beyond any individual

• Identify structural bottlenecks and scaling risks proactively, resolving them before they become crises

• Strengthen coordination between the operations, programmes, and research teams to ensure internal systems support high-quality external work

Financial Oversight

• Provide senior oversight of ERA's financial strategy, working closely with the (future) Finance Lead on multi-year planning, scenario modelling, and budgeting aligned with ERA's fundraising and growth plans

• Oversee financial reporting, controls, and compliance, maintaining standards appropriate to ERA's scale and funder expectations

• Manage stipend and reimbursement processing, grant financial reporting, and audit-readiness

• Integrate financial planning into organisational design and capacity decisions

Board Relations & Governance

• Prepare materials for Board meetings, ensuring ERA's leadership has clear, accurate information on operational and financial performance

• Ensure ERA meets all relevant legal and regulatory obligations — including charity law, data protection, employment law, and visa compliance

• Flag operational risks, resource constraints, and structural issues that require Board-level decisions

• Support ERA in developing governance structures appropriate to its growing scale and complexity

Team Leadership & Culture

• Lead, develop, and performance-manage ERA's operations team, building functional depth as the organisation grows

• Mentor junior operations staff, supporting their professional growth and expanding their capacity over time

• Help set the tone for ERA's culture and values as the organisation scales — modelling integrity, focus, and care for colleagues

• Coordinate across the senior team, acting as a thought partner and source of counsel for the Executive Director and leadership

Compliance, Risk & HR

• Oversee HR operations including employment contracts, visa and right-to-work compliance, onboarding, and staff policies

• Manage ERA's sponsor licence obligations, maintaining compliance with UKVI requirements and overseeing visa applications for a high volume of international fellows and staff -  a core and recurring operational responsibility given ERA's programme model

• Develop and maintain ERA's risk management frameworks, ensuring risks are identified, owned, and mitigated

• Ensure adherence to all relevant legal, regulatory, and institutional policies across ERA's operations

About You

We are looking for a senior operational leader who combines strategic clarity with a genuine bias for execution. You might be a strong fit if you:

• Have significant experience in operational leadership ideally at director level or equivalent, with responsibility for overall organisational performance across multiple functions

• Have led organisations or teams through periods of significant growth and change including managing the transition from a small, informal team to a structured, scalable organisation

• Think in systems you design processes and structures that work without you, and you take satisfaction in building infrastructure that outlasts any individual

• Are a proactive problem-solver you anticipate issues before they arise, move quickly when they do, and stay calm under pressure

• Have experience managing upwards including working with or preparing materials for a Board of Directors, and flagging risks at the right level of the organisation

• Are a strong people manager and mentor you invest in your team's development, hold people to high standards with care, and build culture through example

• Are excited by ERA's mission, you understand why mitigating catastrophic risks from frontier AI matters and want to build an organisation capable of doing it well

Essential

• Demonstrated experience in a senior operational or director-level role, with broad responsibility across multiple functions

• Financial literacy and oversight experience, including familiarity with budgeting, reporting, and financial controls

• Experience managing compliance across employment law, data protection, and/or charity 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills able to work effectively with technical researchers, programme teams, and external stakeholders

• Experience managing and mentoring a team

Desirable

• Track record of leading organisational change and scaling operations through periods of growth

• Experience working with a Board of Directors or governance body

• Background in nonprofit, research, or academic environments

• Familiarity with UK employment law and compliance requirements including visa sponsorship management

• Understanding of AI safety, governance, or a related field

Location & Working Arrangements

This role is based in Cambridge, UK. We encourage and expect in-person presence, particularly during ERA's fellowship periods and conferences. Outside of these periods, we offer flexibility around hybrid working.

In exceptional cases, we may consider candidates based overseas, provided they are able to be present in Cambridge during programme delivery.

ERA is able to support visa applications for this role. Eligibility for sponsorship will depend on individual circumstances and the applicable route; we encourage candidates to discuss this with us early in the process.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience 

• Professional development budget of £5,000

• Productivity budget of £2,000 

• Employer pension contribution of 10%

• Four weeks of PTO recommended per year

• Private health insurance including dental and vision

• Flexible and hybrid working outside of programme periods

• A mission-driven, tight-knit team working on one of the most important challenges of our time

• The start date is flexible, and we may be willing to wait for an extended period of time for the best candidate, though we’d prefer successful candidates to start as soon as possible after receiving an offer.

Application Process

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage early applications. Our process typically includes:

• Initial application (CV + short questions)

• Screening call

• Interviews with ERA team

• Paid work trial (two days, remote/in-person) and reference checks

• Employment offer

We recognise that this is a demanding process. We offer compensated work trials, and we will work with candidates to accommodate scheduling constraints.