Policy and programme manager jobs

Help underrepresented founders take their businesses to the next level through our flagship LEVELS entrepreneurship programme.
Join 20/20 Levels as a Programme Co-ordinator and play a key role in delivering pitch nights, workshops and founder support.

This is an exciting, hands-on role supporting the smooth delivery of our LEVELS Business Development Programme, which empowers early-stage entrepreneurs from ethnic minority and low socio-economic backgrounds to launch, grow and scale their ventures. You’ll help coordinate sessions, engage founders, support events such as Demo Days and Pitch Nights, and work closely with facilitators, mentors and partners to ensure every cohort has an outstanding experience.

If you’re organised, people-focused, passionate about entrepreneurship and driven by social impact, this is a brilliant opportunity to support the next generation of diverse business leaders.

As Policy and Public Affairs Manager, you will help ensure London Youth is a credible, influential voice on issues affecting young people and the organisations that support them. Sitting within the Fundraising and Communications Directorate, you will work closely with the CEO, senior leadership, and youth participation, communciations, fundraising and delivery colleagues to deliver demonstrable external influence and impact. 

You will craft clear, evidence-based policy positions that shape debate and influence decision-making at London and national level, ensuring the policymakers understand and respond to the realities facing young people in London. Through effective internal engagement, you will also ensure colelagues and our members are well-informed and equipped to respond to key policy developments. 

You will successfully represent the voice of London Youth's members and the young people they support, helping to secure greater recognition, investment, and support for youth services. By building strong relationships with policymakers, parliamentarians, and sector partners working to address the issues affecting young people inthe capital, you will help position London Youth as a trusted and respected contributor to relevant policy discussions. 

At a time of significant change across the youth sector, you will play a central role in campaigning for systematic change and in building the profile of London Youth and the wider voluntary sector as the Government's 10-year National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, is implemented. You will help ensure commitments translate into meaningful outcomes for young people, particularly in relation to youth services, enrichment opportunities, and support for young people not in education, employment, or training, and strengthen long-term investment in youth provision. 

What you will be doing 

You will lead the development and delivery of London Youth's policy and public affairs work, building a clear and consistent understanding of the London and national context for young people and youth organisations. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, including communications, fundraising, delivery, and MEL, you will help develop a clear and compelling case for support and influence. 

You will work in close partnership with the CEO and CEO's office, acting as a trusted policy adviser, supporting the CEO's external policy engagements, positioning, and relationships with senior policymakers and influencers. 

You will monitor emerging political and policy developments and relevant funding announcements, providing insight and analysis to identify opportunities for engagement. You will draft swift organisational responses to key policy announcements, in collaboration with the CEO and communications team, and ensure relevant intelligence and opportunties inform the work of the fundraising team. 

You will develop, maintain, and communicate evidence-based policy positions, insights, and priorities, convening our members regularly to inform clear policy asks and advocacy. You will shape briefings and consultation responses that reflect the needs of London Youth's members and the young people they support. You will shape policy positions and provide high-quality briefings ahead of key senior-level engagements. 

You will oversee and track our policy influencing activity, identifying emerging policy developments, coordinating internal input, engaging stakeholders and representing London Youth in external policy and public affairs forums, and reporting on the impact of our policy work. 

You will strengthen policy work through insight and engagement, analysig relevant data and research from our membership and working with the Learning and Impact Lead to ensure insights from London Youth's network inform policy development. You will also identify opportunities for members and young people from our Youth Board to engage in policy work, including through consultations, networks, and events. 

You will build and maintain strong relationships with key London and national stakeholders, identifying opportunities for partnership working with other organisations and ensuring London Youth has a visible, credible voice in debates affecting young people. 

You will contribute to London Youth's communications, campaigns, and profile, working with colleagues to shape policy activity across digital channels, produce engaging written content including articles and speeches, craft organisational messaging, support youth-led engagement, and contribute to London Youth's thematic networks, influencing events and media opportunities. 

What you bring to the role 

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Strong understanding of how policy is developed in the London and national context, and experience of engaging with political agendas on behalf of a charitable or membership organisation. 
• Experience in developing robust policy positions, responses, and solutions, and influencing politicians and decision-makers. 
• Up-to-date, proven experience in public affairs, parliamentary engagement or a related policy-influencing role, with a clear track record of driving meaningful change. 
• Good understanding of UK parliamentary and government processes, and of current policy areas impacting young people in London and across the UK. 
• Experience of producing a range of briefings and written materials, including research findings, public statements, consultation responses, and briefings for senior colelagues. 
• Proven ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with opinion-formers and other key stakeholders. 

Attributes and Behaviours: 

• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills, especially when it comes to policy partners. 
• Demonstrate confidence to engage and build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including those at senior level. 
• A confidence verbal communicator and presenter able to represent London Youth within policy forums, consortia, and networking events. 
• Demonstrate ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team, with proven ability to innovate and deliver change. 
• Demonstrate ability to analyse, summarise, and present evidence to different audiences. 
• Demonstrate a commitment to ensuring young people have prominent platforms to voice their views directly on the issues that affect them. 
• Demonstrate a commitment to strengthening London's Youth sector. 
• Be willing to work some evenings and the occasional weekend. 
• Understanding and supporting the vision, mission, and aims of London Youth. 

Demonstrate living our values of being: 

• Ambitious
• Collaborative 
• Inclusive 
• Accountable 

Why work at London Youth 

• Generous holiday allowance - 39 days paid holiday each year (including bank holidays and closure days). Pro-rata if you work part time. 
• Employer 4% pension contribution
• Additional leave granted to support voluntary activity 
• Free Health Care Cash Plan 
• Free access for you and your family to the Employee Assistance Programme 
• Free access to the 'Headspace' app for you and your family
• Flexible working opportunities considered 
• You'll be working with a fantastic team of passionate colleagues across London Youth 
• You will be making a difference to the lives of young people

Battersea has entered an exciting phase of innovation and transformation as we embark on the second year of our new five-year strategy. With increased investment in income generation, we are strengthening our team to drive the growth necessary to achieve our organisational goals. We are now recruiting for two Philanthropy Manager opportunities to support this growth: a full time permanent position, and an 3 year fixed-term role focused on New Business. Both roles sit within the Philanthropy, Partnerships & Commercial (PPC) team, made up of Philanthropy & Trusts, Corporate Partnerships & Commercial, Special Events & Stewardship, and Fundraising Operations.

The focus of the Philanthropy & Trusts team is to build a solid base of support through excellent stewardship of existing trusts and major donors alongside cultivation of new prospects, reached through prospect research and the networks of senior volunteers.

The key purpose of the permanent Philanthropy Manager position is to meet both financial and strategic KPIs in order ensure the long-term health of the Philanthropy pipeline. They will do this by personally managing a portfolio of key individual relationships as well as line-managing the Philanthropy Officer to deliver against their targets. This role, together with Battersea’s other Philanthropy Managers, will also work closely with senior leadership, senior volunteers and other individuals to open up networks and introduce new major donors to Battersea.

The fixed-term Philanthropy Manager position is is a new role working within Battersea’s Philanthropy & Trusts team to seek and secure new income as part of a £4-6million pound capital fundraising appeal over the next 3 years. One of the key pillars of Battersea’s current strategy is to ensure that we continue to provide expert care for all the dogs and cats that come through our gates. One of the ways in which we do this is by investing in our facilities to ensure that they continue to meet the changing needs of the animals we care for. Our new capital fundraising appeal will help to achieve that aim. The key purpose of this Philanthropy Manager (New Business) is to meet both financial and strategic KPIs, by cultivating a pipeline of new major donor prospects to secure significant donations for this capital campaign.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
• Discounted gym membership and cycle to work schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: 10th February 2026
Interview Date(s): Interviews will be taking place on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged, as the role will be closed once filled.

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

For full details on the role, please download the recruitment pack. Please specify in your application which of the two opportunities you would like to be considered for.

Abbey Community Centre is a vibrant, long-established community charity at the heart of Kilburn, North West London. Every day, we bring people together, reduce isolation and improve health and wellbeing through inclusive activities, services and community support.

We are now looking for an experienced Centre Operations Manager to play a key senior role in ensuring our busy community hub runs safely, smoothly and effectively for the thousands of people who use it each year.

About Abbey Community Centre

Abbey Community Centre works with people of all ages and backgrounds, with a particular focus on older residents and low-income families with young children. We deliver a wide range of activities, services and support including children’s stay-and-play sessions and drop-ins, fitness and wellbeing activities, befriending schemes, digital inclusion support, community meals, warm space provision, food support, volunteering opportunities and specialist outreach.

Alongside this community delivery, we manage a busy public building and a programme of room hire that helps generate income to sustain our work. With a small staff team, over 100 volunteers and many partner organisations, our operations need to be reliable, well-coordinated and people-centred.

The role and its impact

As Centre Operations Manager, you will be the organisation’s senior operational lead on the ground. Working closely with the CEO, you will hold delegated authority for the day-to-day running of the Centre — ensuring the building, people and systems all work together to support high-quality community activity.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining practical problem-solving with people management. You will line manage and help develop operational staff, oversee facilities and contractors, lead on health and safety and operational compliance, support volunteering, and ensure organisational systems and processes function reliably.

Your work will directly enable staff, volunteers and partners to deliver activities and services safely and confidently, and will help ensure Abbey remains a welcoming, accessible and well-run space for the local community.

What you’ll be working on

In this role, you will:

• Oversee daily building operations, maintenance and contractor management

• Lead on health & safety and related compliance, including risk assessments and training

• Line manage & develop operational staff and support a positive, consistent working culture

• Ensure operational policies and procedures are applied effectively in practice

• Support and coordinate volunteering within the centre

• Manage operational budgets and contracts within agreed limits

• Act as a senior member of the management team, deputising for the CEO on agreed matters

Key details

• Location: Abbey Community Centre, Kilburn (NW6 4BJ, London Borough of Camden)

• Hours: 24–28 hours per week (fixed hours agreed at appointment), worked over a minimum of four weekdays

• Core hours: 11.00am–4.00pm (flexibility outside these hours by agreement)

• Contract: Permanent, part-time

• Salary: £40,000–£42,000 per annum, pro rata (depending on experience)

• Annual leave: 30 days pro-rata, rising to 35 days after 5 years’ service

• Pension: NEST pension scheme (if eligible)

• Some evening and occasional weekend working is required

This role could be right for you if…

You are an experienced operational manager who enjoys combining leadership with practical delivery, thrives in a public-facing environment, and wants your work to make a visible difference to a local community. You don’t need to tick every box — we’re interested in your experience, judgement, approach and motivation.

Abbey Community Centre is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments will be offered throughout the recruitment process.

We are pleased to be recruiting a Programme Administrator to support the new Fair Futures for Young Carers programme across Scotland, Wales and England.

This is a hybrid role, anchored to either the London, Glasgow or Cardiff Carers Trust office 1-2 days a week.

This role is key to ensuring the programme runs smoothly and consistently by coordinating schedules, preparing meeting packs, maintaining trackers and supporting monitoring activity. The postholder will provide the structure that enables the wider team to deliver excellent support to young carers.

As the postholder you will:

· Liaise with local carer organisations and education stakeholders to coordinate support offers and events.

· Maintain up‑to‑date records, trackers and reports for the Programme Lead and Programme Officers.

· Help ensure communication, timelines and resources are aligned across all three sites.

Please download the attached recruitment pack to find out mor

Join us in expanding the Young Carers in Schools (YCiS) programme across England as part of the Fair Futures for Young Carers initiative. We're increasing our outreach and closely tracking outcomes to drive continuous improvement and innovation in how young carers are identified and supported.

We're looking for a Programme Officer with a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring the programme reaches underrepresented groups and champions these values in every activity.

As the postholder you will:

· Build strong relationships with delivery partners, local authorities and education networks.

· Represent the programme at national and regional levels, helping to increase its visibility and impact.

· Boost outreach, training and support to schools and stakeholders

Please download the attached recruitment pack to find out more. 

UK Maths Trust is a charity that exists to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. We do this by working with hundreds of volunteers across the UK to organise Competitions and Challenges that promote problem solving and teamwork.

As the Mathematical Programmes Administrator, you will work closely with Programme Coordinators to support the delivery of the UKMT’s competitions and activities. You will collaborate with teams across the charity, providing additional support as required during periods of high workload.

Position: Mathematical Programmes Administrator
Location: Leeds - Thorpe Park (Hybrid working)
Salary: UKMT Grade A1 - A5 (Salary range £25,730-£28,560 dependent on previous experience)
Post type: Full time
Contract: Permanent
Reports to: Director of Mathematical Programmes
Annual leave: 25 days plus 3 days to be taken between Christmas and New Year, when the trust is closed

How to apply: Submit a CV and a short statement (no more than 300 words) explaining what interests you about the role, and how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

The deadline for applications is 20 February. We expect to hold interviews shortly afterwards. However, we will sift applications as they are received, and may schedule interviews or even close the vacancy early if a suitable candidate is found, so early applications are encouraged.

Main duties:

• To work with the Director of Mathematical Programmes and the wider Mathematical Programmes team to assist with the smooth operations of our activities. This may include:

  • Helping with the administration and distribution of Competitions, including the Team Maths Challenges.

  • Assisting with the organisation of both international and domestic mathematics training camps and Olympiad competitions.

  • Supporting the administration of the annual Summer School and Mentoring Programmes.

• To provide excellent customer service to external customers and to UKMT volunteers as required. This includes managing emails, correspondence, and routine enquiries where necessary.

• To use a variety of computer systems to facilitate tasks and analyse data including, but not limited to Competition Systems, Google Workspace, Overleaf, Canva and Mailchimp.

• To tracking tasks, deadlines, and workflows to ensure smooth delivery of our activities, in line with our organisational policies and agreements with sponsors.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list.

Person Specification

You do not need extensive prior work experience for this role. This means the opportunity may be suitable for someone that is still early in their career, or who wants to switch to a different sector to try something new. It is far more important to us that you are a positive team member, keen to learn, and willing to try your hand at a range of different tasks.

Essential

• Strong interpersonal abilities, showcasing initiative, teamwork, and adaptability to manage competing priorities effectively. Demonstrable ability to ensure key deadlines are met.

• Proficiency in the use of core office suite IT software, like Google Drive, Microsoft Office, etc. and various social media platforms.

• The ability to work effectively with others in a busy role but also to make progress with your work independently when required.

• A willingness to learn and quickly acquire knowledge in a new role or context.

• The ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and the UKMT volunteer network.

• Adherence to organisational policies at all times when carrying out your work, in particular but not limited to Child Protection policy, Data Protection policy and Health and Safety policy.

• Pride in a culture of effective customer service, with the resilience to respond to feedback in order to improve service delivery where required.

• Candidates may also be required to pass an enhanced and barred list criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will be arranged by UKMT upon starting the role.

Desirable 

• An interest in education and/or mathematics.

We are looking for someone with excellent communication and organisational skills to support with developing and communicating policy positions that contribute to the charity’s key strategic objectives.

In this dynamic role, you’ll work as a core part of the team and across the wider organisation to coordinate and draft responses to consultations and lead on responding to policy enquiries.

Your ability to influence and work together with others will help you to succeed as Policy Officer to learn from colleagues and external networks in order to contribute to policy positions, confidently represent Diabetes UK and influence others appropriately.

You will also be keen to seek out opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills and have an appetite to develop expert knowledge in particular policy areas.

Join us and be a part of something truly transformative. Together, we can change the narrative around diabetes and make a positive difference to the lives of people impacted by the condition.

Grade: NJC Point 31 - £41,771 per annum
Hours: 37.5 hrs per week (excluding breaks)
Days: To be worked over 5 days (core hours are worked between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday)
Contract: 12 months Fixed Term contract (with option to extend), subject to funding and the successful completion of a 6-month probationary period
Responsible to: Director of Delivery
Place of work: Salford CVS’ offices in Eccles, Salford, M30 0FN

We are seeking to recruit to a brand-new post and are looking for an experienced and passionate full‑time Programme Manager (Live Well) to lead the delivery of our VCSE‑led Live Well infrastructure in Salford. 

In this role, you will support organisations across Salford to develop high‑quality Live Well Centres and Spaces, ensuring strong partnerships are built and delivery partners are managed in a clear, transparent and collaborative way. A key part of the role will be ensuring that all delivery aligns with the expectations set out in the GM Live Well Hallmarks. You will also be responsible for ensuring the programme’s impact is clearly demonstrated through robust monitoring, high‑quality data collection and meaningful insight.

Greater Manchester Live Well is a broad cross‑system partnership with particularly strong involvement from GMCA, NHS Greater Manchester and the VCSE sector. 

Launched in 2021, it is a core Mayoral commitment and embedded in the Greater Manchester Strategy (2025–2035). The vision is that by 2030, residents will benefit from a connected, preventative and equitable system of support, delivered through:

• A network of integrated Live Well centres and spaces in every locality
• A universal “no wrong door” approach
• Recognition that the VCSE sector has a key role to play (with dedicated VCSE funding)
• Consistent and connected support offers
• A neighbourhood‑based Social Model of Health
• A preventative system built on trust, early help and coordinated support

Salford CVS is the lead VCSE sector partner and accountable body for the Live Well implementation fund in Salford, working with public sector partners to strengthen community wellbeing and ensure accessible, high‑quality support for our city’s residents.

As Programme Manager, you will lead a VCSE‑driven programme that is transforming how residents access help and support in Salford. You will maintain a clear overview of programme developments, partners and activities, acting as a key source of knowledge for Live Well locally. You will share information proactively, strengthen connections across the system and bring partners together to maximise the programme’s impact. 

Your work will also span all of Salford CVS’s full Live Well portfolio, including the Economic Activity Trailblazer delivered via the VCSE Elevate Salford partnership, the WorkWell offer through Wellbeing Matters (VCSE-led social prescribing), and any additional Live Well activity that Salford CVS leads or contributes to in the future. This will include our work with our 10GM partners on a large-scale GM National Lottery funded VCSE-led programme called Live Well – Places of Hope and Connection, which you will programme manage here in Salford.

To apply

Please complete our online application form via the ‘Apply’ button.

If you would like to know more about the role, or would prefer a paper copy of the application form, please email our recruitment team.

Closing Date: 12 noon, Monday 16th February 2026
Interview Date: Monday 2nd March 2026

We are looking to recruit an experienced, innovative legal manager for our international Environment and Sustainable Development Programme. The ideal candidate will be a qualified lawyer with deep enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge of how our partners could use the law to achieve environmental justice. A more detailed explanation of our organisational and programme strategy is set out in our 2024-2026 Strategy.

Working as part of a small but dynamic team, you will have the opportunity to learn at close hand what it means to work for an international NGO focusing on how the law can be used to fight corruption and achieve environmental and economic justice. You will develop projects with a range of partners, including international agencies, NGOs, CSOs and governments. You will collaborate with a range of volunteer lawyers (via law firms and barristers chambers) who are leading experts in their field. You will also help nurture, build and maintain relationships with our funders. The role will involve outreach to new partners, programme management, supporting the drafting of fundraising applications and donor reports, tracking impact, as well as evaluating and learning from projects.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Implement the strategic vision for ILP’s Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD) programme, in conjunction with the ESD Programme Director, Legal Fellows, Executive Director, partners, staff and Board;

2. Develop an understanding of the most effective environmental policy tools and legal interventions to deliver the programme’s objectives, through engagement with volunteer lawyers, ILP partners, ILP’s ESD Advisory Committee, staff, Board and others;

3. Support the ESD Programme Director to build and maintain ILP’s Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD) programme. This includes:

   • liaising with partners to identify legal/policy needs and offer potential legal and/or policy reform solutions, including through conducting legal analysis;

     identifying and engaging in regular outreach with potential new partners to build the project pipeline;

   • identifying, building and maintaining strong relationships with existing and new highly experienced volunteer lawyers;

   • mapping and developing relationships with regional and international development entities and other technical assistance providers to identify potential partners, needs and focus countries;

   • representing the programme in external fora and events.

4. Support the Programme Director in ensuring effective project delivery and evaluation of impact including:

   • managing and coordinating project implementation through the full project cycle;

   • delivering financial management for assignments including accurate budgeting, forecasting, accounting and reporting;

   • Supporting the development and maintenance of strong programme management and knowledge management systems and processes, including regular updating of ILP’s online internal database (GRID).

5. Support the Programme Director’s fundraising efforts to finance both the programme and organisational overheads, including working closely with the Programme Director to identify opportunities for potential funding with partners, liaise with and nurture donors, design funding applications and create relevant budgets;

6. Deepen ILP’s knowledge and understanding of the situation in developing economies, including engaging in relevant research alongside ILP partners (pro bono lawyers, NGOs, CSOs and others) and sharing findings via written reports and output;

7. Share in the necessary operational and administrative activities of the organisation and contribute to website and social media communications.

For further information on the candidate profile for this role, our full job description is available to view and download below. 

Can you help us?

We’re seeking a proactive and highly organised individual to lead the delivery and quality assurance of our national specialty training programme in Community Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CSRH). As Training Programme Lead, you’ll play a central role in supporting CSRH trainees, upholding curriculum standards, and ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC). You’ll also guide doctors pursuing specialist registration through alternative routes, such as the GMC’s Portfolio Pathway, ensuring these processes are fair, transparent, and effective. Acting as the key liaison between trainees, educators, regulators, and other stakeholders across the UK, you’ll help shape the future workforce in this vital area of healthcare. If you’re passionate about education, thrive in a collaborative environment, and are committed to continuous improvement, we’d love to hear from you.

Location: Hybrid working between the Aldgate, London office and home.

A great opportunity has risen for a Policy Manager to support our ambitious external affairs team in influencing national and regional policy to drive improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions.  

Asthma + Lung UK is the only charity in the UK fighting for everyone with a lung condition, aiming for a world where everyone can breathe with healthy lungs. We fund cutting-edge research, provide advice and support for the 12 million people who will get a lung condition during their lifetime. We also campaign for clean air and for better NHS diagnosis and treatment.

You will lead a programme of proactive policy and influencing work covering a range of areas depending on organisational strategy and business planning, but likely to include: health inequalities, tobacco control and smoking cessation, the implementation of the NHS England 10 Year Plan, local health systems influencing, and support for the Taskforce for Lung Health working groups.

You will have excellent analytical skills, an understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the health policy landscape, and an understanding of how to effectively communicate and translate the challenges people living with lung conditions face into policy solutions. You will be organised, a good communicator and a team player. You will interact with colleagues at all levels across the organisation and have a great opportunity to develop your leadership skillset.

As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits including 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), membership of a health cash plan, employee assistance programme, cycle-to-work scheme, interest-free annual season Travelcard loan and pension scheme. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an organisation committed to being the driving force behind the transformation of lung health.

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.

About SPANA

SPANA (The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) is the global charity for the working animals of the world. Since our foundation in 1923, we have worked where they work, to support the welfare of working animals, including horses, donkeys, mules, oxen, dogs and camels.

About this role

The Programmes Quality and Delivery department is a key unit within SPANA’s Global Programmes Directorate (GPD). The team ensures effective oversight of the design and delivery of working animal health and welfare interventions in collaboration with a range of national NGO partners across more than 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Central and South America. SPANA is strengthening the GPD to support partners to develop and deliver transformational and sustainable improvements in working animal welfare. 

Reporting to a Senior Programmes Manager, the Programmes Officer provides essential grant administration and project management support to a portfolio of partners, ensuring effective oversight across the lifecycle of grants. This involves developing effective working partnerships remotely and identifying risks and issues that need to be escalated. The Programmes Officer works closely with technical colleagues responsible for Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL), animal health and welfare, education and behaviour change and the wider organisation (e.g., communications, fundraising, advocacy and policy). 

Contract, location and salary

This role is a full-time (34.5 hours per week), permanent role. This is a UK based position, with 1-2 days per month (or more if preferred) worked from SPANA's office in London. 

The salary for this role is c.£32,000 subject to skills and experience. Applicants must have the current right to work in the UK.

Further information and how to apply

Please review the job description for full details including a person specification and information on how to apply. The deadline for applications is 23:59 GTM on Sunday 8 February 2026.