Policy and campaigns assistant jobs in oxford, oxfordshire
This is a key leadership role within the CSA Centre, central to our ambition to raise awareness of the true scale and nature of sexual abuse and to drive evidence-informed improvements in policy and practice.
About the role:
The CSA Centre aims to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and better response, and effective internal and external communication is absolutely central to that mission.
Leading our Communications Team, you will play a key role in developing and delivering the CSA Centre's communication plans over the immediate and longer term, helping us to ensure that our evidence, learning and resources have the widest possible reach into policy and practice at both local and national level.
As a member of the CSA Centre's Senior Management Team, you will work closely with the CSA Centre's multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team, enabling you to draw on expertise from a wide range of different professional backgrounds. You will lead our engagement with communications colleagues from across Government departments and key stakeholder groups.
We are looking for a highly motivated leader with strong skills and significant experience in communication roles, and the ability to manage an extensive and varied workload to deliver multiple objectives. Communication activity at the CSA Centre is extremely diverse; in any given week you might find yourself developing a new strategic approach to disseminating CSA Centre resources throughout practice, leading a briefing session on new research findings for prominent national media outlets, advising senior Government leads on plans for a new awareness raising campaign, working with expert stakeholders to develop national media guidelines for the reporting of child sexual abuse… No two days are the same!
As Assistant Director, Communications, you will play a role tackling child sexual abuse alongside the work of our colleagues across practice, research, policy and training. This is important work - the CSA Centre conservatively estimates that one in ten children will experience some form of child sexual abuse before age of 16, and our ambitious programme seeks to improve the knowledge, skills and confidence of professionals (social workers, teachers, social workers, nurses etc.) in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse. We have already made great progress, but there is much more to be done – and we need your leadership to help us do it!
CSA Centre roles are currently funded until 31 March 2026, in line with our current grant funding arrangements. This will be reviewed in late 2025, as future funding for the CSA Centre from 2026/27 onwards is confirmed.
About us
We are the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre). Our aim is to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and better response. To tackle child sexual abuse we must better understand its causes, scope, scale and impact.
Established since 2017, we are a multi-disciplinary team that is funded by the Home Office, hosted by Barnardo's and we work closely with key partners from academic institutions, local authorities, health, education, police and the voluntary sector. We're proudly independent and our team will challenge any barriers, assumptions, taboos and ways of working that prevent us from increasing our understanding and improving our approach to child sexual abuse.
We bring about change by:
- Collating and analysing existing research, policy, practice and the real experiences of those affected, and filling the gaps we identify with new research, insights and analysis;
- Using that evidence and insight to challenge and improve existing policy and practice, develop new approaches and increase everyone's knowledge and confidence to more effectively tackle the issue.
This role is home based with regular travel required, usually to London.
Salary:
The CSA Centre acknowledges that tackling child sexual abuse can feel challenging but is incredibly rewarding and positive when actively making change. Our open working environment ensures that there is support for all employees, across the team and with access to a therapist, if needed. Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of this further.
We believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore are open to offering flexible working arrangements.
The CSA Centre is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and candidates from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as they are currently under-represented at the CSA Centre.
When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Registered Charity 
More than 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We’re looking for a proactive and capable People Operations Manager to manage the day-to-day HR and volunteer operations at our charity. You’ll play a key role in supporting our staff and volunteers, ensuring smooth processes, legal compliance, and a welcoming, well-run office environment.
What You’ll Do:
- Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and support for staff and volunteers
- Manage HR systems and workforce data
- Coordinate learning and development, ensuring compliance and CPD
- Act as site manager for our office, ensuring H&S and legal compliance
What You’ll Bring:
- Experience managing people and processes with professionalism and care
- Strong organisational and communication skills
- A proactive, can-do attitude and ability to juggle priorities
- Knowledge of HR, H&S, and volunteer best practice
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Closing Date: midday 21 July
Reports to: Chief Executive
Hours of work: 0.8 FTE (30hrs per week) (flexible for the right candidate)
Holidays: Uncapped annual leave, plus two week-long shutdowns
Main work address: Hybrid - a mix of remote working and time at our Abingdon office. The role involves regular travel across Oxfordshire to meet funders, partners, and community supporters, and occasional evening or weekend work for events and networking.
Closing date: midday 21 July
Interviews: w/c 28 July or w/c 4 August
About Quest for Learning
Quest for Learning is an education charity on a mission to close the gap for primary school children in Oxfordshire who are falling behind - often due to complex and compounding disadvantage. Many of the children we support are growing up in poverty, with limited access to books, low parental literacy, and challenging home environments. Some face health inequalities, live in areas affected by crime, or have recently arrived in the UK as refugees or asylum seekers.
We work closely with schools to provide targeted, high-impact literacy and numeracy programmes that give these children the chance to catch up, thrive, and believe in their potential. On average, our small-group tutoring helps pupils make 13 months of progress in just 10 hours - building not only essential skills, but also confidence, motivation, and a renewed sense of possibility.
The impact extends well beyond the classroom. By supporting children early, we help prevent the need for more complex and costly interventions later in life, from mental health support to exclusion and social care. Our work contributes to stronger, fairer communities by giving every child the foundation they need to participate fully in society. In doing so, we are advancing social sustainability and helping to meet global goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, and Good Health and Wellbeing.
Role Purpose
This is a hands-on and outward-facing role for a confident, capable fundraiser ready to lead Quest for Learning’s income generation efforts. As our sole dedicated fundraiser, you’ll take ownership of securing income across a broad mix of streams - including trusts and foundations, community fundraising, individual giving, and corporate partnerships.
You’ll be out and about representing the charity, building relationships with local businesses, community groups, and supporters, and bringing our mission to life with energy and clarity. You'll need to be a proactive self-starter who enjoys meeting people, thrives in a varied role, and is motivated by delivering results that improve life chances for disadvantaged children.
This is a busy and varied role which often involves working on multiple fundraising activities at once. A typical day could include working on an application to a new funder, designing a supporter newsletter, gathering information for an end of grant report, and researching new prospects.
This role would suit someone with experience of securing funding, managing funder relationships, and developing new opportunities - all with a focus on practical delivery. You’ll work closely with the CEO, leadership and programme teams, and our board of trustees to help grow a diverse and sustainable income base.
Key Responsibilities
Trusts and foundations
- Research and identify prospective funders, building a robust pipeline
- Write and submit compelling, tailored funding applications
- Deliver timely, high-quality reports with evidence of impact
- Build and maintain strong relationships with funders through clear, proactive stewardship
- Monitor success rates and financial information and adapt strategy to improve performance
Community fundraising
- Initiate and grow partnerships with local community groups (e.g. WIs, Rotary clubs, schools, churches)
- Support or coordinate local fundraising events and campaigns (e.g. fun runs, quizzes, coffee mornings)
- Attend community events to represent the charity and engage new supporters
- Equip and support individuals and groups to fundraise on our behalf
Corporate partnerships and other earned income
- Build relationships with local and regional businesses to secure sponsorship, gifts-in-kind or Charity of the Year support
- Develop creative, mutually beneficial opportunities to engage corporate partners
- Work with the CEO and board to identify and cultivate prospects
- Explore other potential income streams including education consultancy or training offers
Individual Giving and supporter engagement
- Support the development of campaigns to encourage donations from individuals
- Help create a compelling case for support across our communications
- Identify opportunities to increase visibility and supporter base (e.g. speaking engagements, community fairs)
- Ensure Quest for Learning is regularly engaging with our supporters
- Champion the use of storytelling and pupil outcomes to inspire giving
Marketing and communications (fundraising-focused)
- Develop fundraising messaging and materials with the CEO and team
- Lead on all communications relating to fundraising and supporter engagement
- Ensure consistent branding and tone across all fundraising-related comms
- Share our impact with passion and clarity to motivate supporters
Planning and systems
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in our Beacon CRM
- Track income performance and contribute to budgeting and forecasting
- Create and deliver realistic workplans to manage multiple deadlines
- Liaise with programme staff to gather data and stories for funders
- Report on income and fundraising activities to CEO and trustees
Person Specification
Essential
- Proven experience in fundraising, with a track record of securing income across multiple streams
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain our mission clearly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences
- Excellent bid writing and reporting skills
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
- Confidence in networking, public speaking, and relationship-building
- Proactive, self-motivated, and happy to work independently
- Highly organised with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Values-led, personable and enthusiastic - able to represent the charity with warmth and professionalism
Desirable
- Experience working in a small charity or education setting
- Knowledge of the Oxfordshire funding landscape or local networks
- Experience with community fundraising, challenge events, or individual giving
- Skills in Canva, Mailchimp or similar content creation tools
- Familiarity with Beacon or similar fundraising CRMs
- Understanding of primary education and the barriers disadvantaged children face
- Experience producing fundraising workplans or reports for trustees
Why work with us?
Quest for Learning is a friendly, values-led education charity with a big mission and a supportive culture. We’re committed to flexibility, wellbeing and professional growth, and we believe in helping our team thrive while doing meaningful work.
We offer:
- Unlimited annual leave (minimum 28 days pro rata, plus bank holidays), with full charity shutdowns in August and at Christmas
- Flexible hybrid working with autonomy over your schedule
- A culture of trust, kindness, and high standards
- Opportunities to test ideas, develop skills and shape a growing organisation
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Role Overview:
This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Trusts and Foundations income stream at Global Canopy, bringing exemplary relationship management and stewardship strategies to continue establishing the programme for long-term impact. This role will also nurture a small but successful team, supporting them to reach in-year and future income targets.
You will contribute to a culture of kindness, collaboration, rigour and accountability in equal measure. You will come to work with a sense of urgent mission, but one balanced by emotional intelligence. You will share our conviction that it is not just what we do that matters in our working life, but how we do it too.
Key Responsibilities
As a confident and energetic member of Global Canopy’s Development team, you will:
- Oversee the delivery of our Trusts and Foundations programme, shaping plans to ensure outstanding donor engagement and stewardship, future income growth and the delivery of our mission for forests, people and nature
- Personally manage a portfolio of prospects and existing funders at the six- and seven-figure level, inspiring them to give for the first time and continue or increase their giving
- Support the Trusts/Foundations fundraising team to develop a continuous pipeline of unrestricted and restricted funding opportunities
- Working alone and in partnership with other team members, develop high-quality tailored communications, including cases for support, bespoke proposals, concept notes and donor reports that demonstrate Global Canopy’s impact
- Engage and build relationships with peer and partner organisations to identify and explore opportunities for partnership funding applications
- Represent the voice of fundraising on strategic internal Boards and Working Groups, ensuring excellent communication flow between them and the Development team
- Collaborate effectively across the organisation at all levels, operating as a supportive and reliable fundraising colleague
- Work with colleagues across programmes, communications, operations and finance to shape annual plans and budgets
- Leverage your understanding of market trends to adapt our approach to fundraising and donor engagement
- Effectively manage a high performing Trusts/Foundations team providing clear objectives, supervision and support to enable them to thrive in their roles
- Ensure your and the team’s work is fully compliant with both our own policies and the latest charity legislation and standards of practice
- Ensure that our CRM (Salesforce) is used effectively, kept up to date and accurately maintained with prospect and donor information
- With the Director of Income and Philanthropy Lead, contribute to the effective management of the Development team as a whole and a strong organisational fundraising culture
- Undertake any other relevant duties and projects delegated by the Director of Income
Skills and Experience
Successful candidates will:
- Have a proven track record of having identified, cultivated and secured six- and seven-figure funding partnerships with trusts/foundations
- Have proven experience of building relationships of trust, working collaboratively and in close partnership with internal stakeholders to deliver joint outcomes
- Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, confident in synthesising complex information for external-facing, donor-friendly communication and talking with funders, prospects and stakeholders
- Be adept in negotiating in complex environments with multiple stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes
- Be skilled in adapting your style of management to meet individual needs and provide support to team members in achieving their professional and developmental goals
- Be familiar with the Fundraising Code of Practice and/or other relevant fundraising best practice frameworks
- Have excellent relationship management skills and high emotional intelligence
- Have strong financial literacy, including budgeting and financial reporting
- Be able to work well under pressure and manage multiple priorities and demands
- Have experience in working in the forests, nature and/or climate sectors, preferably in a global context
- Familiarity with the human rights and social dimensions of commodity-driven deforestation and environmental degradation and/or the nexus between human rights and nature-related issues would also be beneficial
Essential Behavioural Competencies
- Proactive and agile, seeking opportunities to grow income in a dynamic and creative environment
- Passionate about demonstrating how funders can contribute to ending deforestation, an essential step in achieving urgent global goals on climate, nature and human rights
- Enthusiasm and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and capitalise on new opportunities
- Effective and positive team-player with a strong preference for collaboration
Benefits
Salary
£55k-65k full time equivalent
This role sits within Band C on Global Canopy’s remuneration framework.
Nature of contract
Full time / Permanent. We are a flexible employer and welcome candidates wishing to work flexibly.
Base
Our office is in Oxford, with flexible home-working arrangements in place.
Holidays
36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.
Pension
Employer pension contribution of 8%.
Healthcare cashback plan
Covering dental fees, eye-care, wellbeing, physiotherapy, chiropody and much more – for you and any children.
Group Life Assurance
Paying a lump sum of 3 times annual salary
Group Income Protection
Paying 75% of annual salary for up to 2 years (for long term sickness).
Employee Assistance Programme
Which provides free, confidential advice on personal and legal matters.
Other
Huge range of discounts and cashback deals at gyms, restaurants, holidays, and much more.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.