Personal assistant to ceo and deputy ceo jobs

This is an exciting and engaging role, managing a small, well-established Philanthropy Team, where you will have the opportunity to work directly with our top supporters, develop interesting cultivation events and help us reach new supporters across Dorset and Wiltshire.

The Philanthropy Team incorporates major donor, mid-value, trust and legacy fundraising. It works closely with public fundraising and events teams. The CEO, Deputy CEO and specific trustees are also actively engaged in managing key relationships.

The role

The role is full time (35 hours per week) with hybrid working between home and the office in Wimborne in Dorset. There will be a requirement to travel across both Dorset and Wiltshire for internal meetings, donor meetings and events, with occasional out of hours working.

About you

We are looking for a talented, strategic, individual who can hit the ground running, be innovative, ambitious and bring exciting new ideas, ready to make a real difference to the growing number of local families we support. Energetic and with a passion for this type of role, you will be a confident communicator, who can build relationships with new and existing supporters and a considerate and thoughtful people manager. You must have a proven track record of working with high-net worth individuals in order to apply. We welcome applicants from within and outside the charity sector.

About us

Julia’s House cares for babies, children and teenagers with life-shortening or life-threatening conditions across Dorset and Wiltshire. We provide support for the whole family - mums, dads, siblings and even grandparents. Our care is regular, frequent, flexible and free, with more than half of our care taking place in family’s homes.  When the worst happens, Julia’s House is there. We offer comfort and support at home, in hospital or our hospices, wherever families need us.

Join us and make a real difference in this key role

Job title: Programme Assistant, Enquiries 

Line manager: Team Leader, Enquiries (Senior Officer, Enquiries in Team Leader’s absence) 

Salary: £30,000 

Type of contract: Permanent 

Start date: 16th February 2026 or shortly thereafter 

Benefits: 

• Challenging and rewarding work, always life-changing, sometimes lifesaving 

• Competitive salary 

• Team and individual training opportunities 

• Commitment to performance and personal development 

• Hybrid working, home and office (minimum 2 days each week in the office) 

• Eight hours each day Monday – Friday, with flexible working by arrangement around core hours of 10am – 4pm 

• 25 days plus Bank Holidays annual leave entitlement 

• 8% employer pension contribution 

• Convenient office location at Elephant and Castle, close to Tube (Bakerloo and Northern lines) and bus routes 

Role purpose statement: The Programme Assistant, Enquiries plays a vital role in the Fellowship Programme working directly with academics facing immediate risk in their home countries to carry out due diligence or signposting. This includes managing an individual caseload, dealing with prospective applications and general enquiries, providing administrative support to the Enquiries team as well as support across the Fellowship Programme when needed. 

Organisational Background 

The Council for At-Risk Academics is a UK-registered charity founded in 1933 under the leadership of William Beveridge, to rescue academics suffering persecution under the rise of Nazism and facilitate their continued work in safety. Sixteen Cara Fellows from the 1930s and 1940s became Nobel Laureates, and many more innovators in their fields, including, Nikolaus Pevsner, Lise Meitner and Karl Popper. A number of Cara’s founders and Council members also personally provided places and/or funds to help individual academics; and Cara, known in the 1930s as the AAC, later the SPSL, was closely involved in the successful effort in 1933 to bring to London the Warburg Institute art library, which had been prohibited by the Nazis, and six of its staff. The Fellowship Programme is the continuation of the rescue mission operation started in 1933. 

Cara has been a lifeline to academics at risk for over 90 years, as and when world events have placed them in the line of fire: Hungarian Uprising, Cold War, Apartheid South Africa, Iran, Latin American Juntas, Vietnam, Kosovo, DRC, Rwanda, Sudan, Zimbabwe etc. and, more recently Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Cara support is typically framed as temporary sanctuary offered at times of heightened risk. 

Cara Objectives ‘To assist academics who have been, or are, or are at risk of being, subject to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, to relieve needs among them and their dependants and ensure that their specialist knowledge and abilities can continue to be used for the benefit of the public.’ 

‘To advance education by supporting academics and their educational institutions in countries where their continuing work is at risk or compromised, to ensure that such academics and institutions can continue to fulfil their critical role as educators for the public benefit.’ 

This is a critical time to join our dedicated and friendly Fellowship Programme team as we expand our capacity to support at-risk academics from the Middle East, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia and many other countries. 

Role & Responsibilities  

Casework  

• Signposting prospective applicants to the application form. 

• Manage own caseload, preparing cases for eligibility review, including arranging calls to speak with applicants, booking English language tests, and gathering all relevant documentation.

• Escalating complex cases to the Team Leader as required. 

• Maintain accurate and GDPR-Compliant records of casework activity. 

• Researching international affairs to develop understanding about risks applicants face. 

• Researching potential hosts for academic placements and liaising with external stakeholders in relation to applicants. 

• Attend weekly case review meetings with the team. 

Administration   

• Provide general administrative and logistical support, including answering phone enquiries. 

• Manage the general enquiries inbox, alongside another colleague, answering emails about the enquiries’ process, the Fellowship Programme and Cara. 

• Signpost enquiries to relevant colleagues internally and to other organisations where applicable. 

• Contribute to report writing. 

• Present and collect data on general enquiries and applications to the Programme. 

• Ensure safekeeping of confidential information. 

• Maintain excellent detailed records of correspondence, documents, and activities. 

• Provide administrative support to colleagues on projects as required.

Managerial Support  

• Contributing to Fellowship Programme policy changes and decision-making. 

• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues. 

Ad Hoc Responsibilities  

• Show adaptability and willingness to take on additional work when necessary. 

• Support the Fellowship Programme and Cara as a whole with ad hoc responsibilities.

Responsibilities also include related activities that might arise in relation to the Fellowship Programme as required by the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive & Fellowship Programme Manager, and other senior colleagues. 

Person Specification 

Essential:  

• Bachelor’s degree 

• Fluent English (spoken and written) 

• Proactive with a willingness to learn 

• Confident and empathetic with strong interpersonal and communication skills 

• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment 

• Keen team player who is ready to support and help colleagues 

• Excellent record keeping and attention to detail 

• Ability to work independently and in a team 

• Good time management with ability to prioritise and independently work to deadlines 

• Understanding of issues of confidentiality

• Interest in and commitment to the work of Cara 

• Confident use of Microsoft package 

• Awareness of current global issues

• Ability to handle difficult conversations with sensitivity and resilience 

Desirable 

• Master’s or equivalent experience 

• Casework experience 

• Arabic language skills are desirable. Other foreign languages (such as Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian and Russian) will also be considered 

• Salesforce/CRM software experience 

• Experience in a supporting role with people with lived experience of forced migration or other forms of severe adversity 

The Difference is an education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning. Our vision is to see lost learning falling nationally by 2030 and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, particularly those most vulnerable.

Leading national policy strategy

As Head of Policy and Public Affairs, you will work closely with the CEO to develop and execute a four-year influencing plan.  Together we’ll aim to shift local and national incentives on inclusion by 2030, which see the national trend of rising suspension and absence begin to fall. 

You will hold relationships with the Department for Education and Ofsted and advise on policy priorities ahead, such as:

• Widening the definition of inclusion beyond special needs, recognising the needs of those young people historically or currently interacting with social services

• Reducing perverse incentives for schools to alter their school roll through admissions and pupil exits

• Expectations for multi-academy trusts in capturing and analysing data on lost learning, including how it disproportionately affects different groups

• Improving local alternative provision eco-systems, to improve outcomes for young people

• National standards for inclusive school practice, at a universal and targeted level

• Professional development standards for school inclusion

Developing implementation expertise in the middle tier

In your first six months, you will advise on the internal development of a new programme for middle tier policy actors: multi-academy trust and local authority leaders.  You will support the Programme team in its design, to plan strategically for the recruitment of trusts and local authorities, and you will plan the research and influencing work which will seek to share their success nationally.

Building the evidence base

In your second six months, you will work with the CEO to build out our research function. Your influencing plan will include how The Difference can learn from the work across our multi-academy trust, local authority and internal AP pioneer partners over the next four years, to develop influential publications. Research work ahead will include publishing sector-facing publications of The Difference’s own research, carried out by our research lead and associates; alongside managing external contractors and internal colleagues to bid for and deliver aligned research disseminating our ideas.

Raising your voice

This is an exciting opportunity for someone committed to inclusive policy change. The Difference has always punched above our weight in national and sector press reach. In post,  you will publish blogs and comment pieces, disseminating our shared ideas.  You will be a prominent voice on inclusion.

The Difference is still a small and growing charity. This means that our work is fast-paced, our roles are broad, and there is a culture of being highly autonomous, reactive and flexible, as the needs of the organisation evolve. If this sounds exciting rather than daunting, then this could be the role and team for you!

The Role
This is an exciting time to join The Difference as we increase our impact, reach more schools, and develop our influencing strategy. As Head of Policy and Public Affairs you will: 

Design and execute an impactful influencing plan 

• Design an influencing plan - Identify via horizon scanning opportunities to influence national policy using open policy windows, or by nudging/creating new ones. 

• Execute an influencing plan - Utilise own assets and assets across the organisation, including the Director team, to deliver against the influencing plan.

• Relationship building - Build highly credible and impactful relationships with a variety of stakeholders who hold power. This will include policy makers in national governments, local government officials, politicians, other third sector organisations and think tanks. 

• Leadership - Play a significant role internally and externally in communicating the organisation’s policy position, raising organisational and own brand.

Build policy capacity and credibility across the organisation

• Policy positions and solutions- Use the concepts, work and experience of The Difference’s programmes to develop new, and refine existing, national policy positions to shift incentives. 

• Thought leadership - Be the organisation’s education policy and political expert. 

• Generating income - Use own and team’s expertise and credibility to generate income via speaking engagements and consultancy to support the organisation’s financial sustainability. 

Person Specification

Essential – We are looking for someone with the following knowledge, experience and skills, though you may be stronger in some areas than others:

• Deep expertise in education policy, particularly on the topic of lost learning and the various policy and political debates, including areas of controversy, surrounding this policy topic. 

• Strategic thinker with a proven track record in identifying policy windows and designing activities that lead to meaningful national policy change. 

• Excellent relationship builder, who brings with them their own network of influential stakeholders and has a plan for building new relationships. Adept at navigating tricky situations and explaining complex, sometimes difficult, messages.

• Expert convener with a strong knowledge of the education sector, including which schools, trusts and local authorities are influential and experience in bringing a variety of perspectives together to generate consensus. 

• Persuasive and clear writing style for publication, including reports, press, blogs and ghost writing for members of the senior leadership team, often based on consensus positions, and designed to communicate key messages for impact. 

• Confidence and credibility in communicating nuanced messages in a contentious landscape, in writing, verbally and in public (e.g. on panels), to raise the profile of The Difference. 

• Strong project manager who can design systems and processes to keep self, team and other stakeholders on task and on time. Experience of designing programmes of work and monitoring their effectiveness. Flexible project management style that can adapt to a changing environment. Confidence in managing a variety of stakeholders and supporting them to deliver on time. 

Desired – You are more likely to be successful in your application if you have one or more of the following: 

• Familiarity with The Difference’s programmatic work, theory and practice. 

• Lived experience or insight into the school experiences of marginalised young people (e.g. those with experience of the care system, mental ill health, special educational needs, exclusion, and racism).

We know that some people, especially those from marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply unless they meet every listed requirement. If this role excites you and you believe you could make a strong contribution, we warmly encourage you to apply. 
We actively welcome applications from people whose backgrounds are under-represented in the charity sector, including but not limited to: people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the case system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates.

Job Title: Head of Finance and Infrastructure

Location: St. Edmunds Office, York. YO10 4UX, Flexible hybrid office and home working available.

Department: Executive

Type (full time/part-time): Full time

Reports to:  Chief Executive Officer

Perm/FTC: Permanent

Organisation Overview:

We are Age UK York, a local independent charity which exists to support the older people of York and those around them. For over 50 years our team of staff, volunteers and supporters have helped us to offer a wide range of services providing vital and trusted support so often when it is needed most.

Our vital work is needed today as much as ever and we ever welcome people to join our team as together we realise our shared mission of making a positive difference to the lives of the older people of York.

Job Summary:

Age UK York is offering an exciting opportunity to join our fantastic team and support our vital work here in York.

We are looking to find for our new Head of Finance and Infrastructure role and someone who can bring their experience, expertise and passion to support our local York charity, our team and those we are here to help each and every day.

You will manage our brilliant team across our Finance and Infrastructure team with a focus on strong financial management together with those underpinning arrangement on which our work is build from ICT, Health and Safety and how we harness data and insight. With both internal and external focus the role will lead on our financial management and helping our organisation to make every penny entrusted to us count as we develop, manage and realise our financial goals and the difference the enable Age UK York to make in supporting older people and those around them across York.

You will provide leadership across our organisation as a member of our Senior Leadership Team and work closely with our Board of Trustees.

The opportunity offers an excellent benefits package and not only take forward the strong legacy from our current team though bring your own identity, ideas and strengths to the fore in our collective efforts to be there tomorrow and beyond.

. Our Head of Finance and Infrastructure will play a pivotal and valued role in working across our organisation and with our wonderful support function team in enabling the effective foundations of all we do and driving forward our shared goals and our commitments into the future.

Key Responsibilities:

We are looking for an experienced financial manager with a keen eye for detail and drive for high performance, continuous improvement and team work. With an ambition and drive to make a telling contribution and strengthen our charity and the difference we can together make in supporting older people  and communities.

We recognise that whilst our role has a financial management focus there is a broader-ranging role, and you may not have experienced all aspects of it before, but if you have:

· Experience and success in leading financial management for an organisation

· Managed a team providing support, motivation and nurturing talent and opportunity

· Experience in providing leadership within an organisation and an eye for detail in strengthening working practices.

· A track record of building and maintained successful partnerships;

· Experience in leading teams in successfully delivering finance and support functions

· The ability to readily transfer your existing experiences and skills to a new challenge;

· Understanding of your strengths and areas for continuing development and proactively build your knowledge and skills

We would love to hear from you.

We’re looking for someone who:

· Demonstrates strong leadership and people management skills, with experience of leading cross function teams.

· Is successful in providing financial management for an organisation and effective in collaborating and supporting non-financial colleagues in our shared financial goals and successful practice.

· Demonstrates wider leadership qualities including contributing to overarching organisational strategic priorities.

· Skilled, including an excellent communicator, in building and maintaining successful relationships across internal teams and external partnership as an ambassador for our organisation

· Able, and experienced, in delivering in meeting outcomes and targets whilst supporting a performance and continuous improvement organisational approach.

· Highly organised, adaptable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment;

· Strong attention to detail and inquisitiveness qualities, and able to apply and be energised to meet organisational challenges and opportunities in continually strengthening our organisation to help us realise our vision, mission and priorities.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

· Ability to prepare, manage, monitor and report on budgets.

· Previous experience in one or more, management or financial accounting roles delivering day to day finance functions.

· Experience of line management and support, motivation and development to colleagues and collective team.

· Experience of supporting the development and delivery of high quality services through financial management and support to operational colleagues.

· Effective understanding of financial statistics and accounting principles.

· Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills. Including interpreting and communicating financial information to non-finance function colleagues; a facilitative and accessible approach; ability to manage remote communications and diplomacy and conflict resolution skills.

· Passion and commitment to work within a not for profit organisation and support a team approach in working to help others.

· Decision making – ability to make decisions based on an analysis of data and insights, including financial, performance and needs based data.

Salary and Benefits:

· £39,527 (FTE) per year

· A genuinely friendly and supportive environment

· Generous holidays – 26.5 days plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time employees). Additional leave – an extra day of long service.

· Birthday day off

· Enhanced sick pay after 6 months of service

· Flexible work schedule 

· Potential for funding towards professional qualifications 

· Employee discounts

· Free eye test 

· Free flu jab 

• Free DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

Application Deadline: Monday 23 February at 10am

Interviews:

Should your application be successful, you will be invited to a first stage interview on Thursday 5 or Friday 6 March. Final interviews are planned to take place during the week commencing 16 March 2026. Thank you and good luck.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.