Policy jobs in Liverpool

If you’re passionate about safer communities and want a role where your work has a direct and lasting impact, this could be the perfect opportunity. As Crimestoppers’ Regional Manager for the North West of England, you’ll play a pivotal part in helping protect the public, empowering local people, and supporting the agencies working to prevent and solve crime.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Regional Manager to represent Crimestoppers across the region. You’ll work closely with law enforcement and community partners to design and deliver meaningful crime‑prevention campaigns, while also coordinating cross‑border and national initiatives with organisations such as ROCUs and the NCA. You’ll empower local volunteer committees to thrive, act as a spokespeople for Crimestoppers in local and regional media, and drive funding opportunities that help expand our impact.

This role variety, and the chance to genuinely make a difference. We’re seeking someone with strong project and budget management skills, confidence under pressure, and the ability to build strategic relationships. Experience in or significant knowledge of the voluntary sector, media campaigning, or policing practice would be an advantage. If you’re committed to community safety and excited by the challenge of influencing real change, we’d love to hear from you.

Please have a read of the job pack here before submitting your CV and covering letter.

3 years fixed term contract | Full time | Home Based | £38,828p/a | DBS required

At Alzheimer's Society, we're a team of advisors, supporters, fundraisers, researchers, and advocates, united by one purpose: to make life better for everyone affected by dementia. Everything we do must be worthy of that purpose. That's where you come in.

Please note that the internal post title will be known as Company Secretary and Governance Lead.

We're looking for a Company Secretary and Governance Lead to play a vital leadership role in ensuring our registered charity operates to the highest standards of governance, transparency, and integrity. This isn't just about compliance. It's about enabling an organisation to do its best work for the people who need it most.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team, and Board Committees, you'll shape and strengthen our governance framework, creating the conditions for confident, informed decision-making that supports delivery of our strategy and our impact. If you're a strategic governance leader who combines technical expertise with strong relationships and a genuine belief that good governance matters, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as Company Secretary for Alzheimer's Society and its subsidiaries, ensuring compliance with Charity Commission and Companies House requirements.
• Provide trusted, expert advice to the Chair, Board of Trustees, and Executive Leadership Team on their legal, fiduciary, and regulatory responsibilities.
• Oversee governance arrangements, ensuring effective information flow and clear decision-making structures across the organisation.
• Develop and lead a team of governance professionals, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, accountability, and inclusivity.
• Lead the design and continual improvement of our governance framework, embedding transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making at every level.
• Serve as Whistleblowing Officer for the Society, championing integrity and openness in all governance processes.
• Support the governance team to deliver efficient Board and Committee meetings, forward planning, and statutory reporting.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation, helping teams see governance and compliance as enablers of effective, ethical leadership, not obstacles to it.

About You

You're a confident, collaborative leader who brings professional rigour without losing sight of people. You know how to advise senior leaders with authority and earn trust at every level. You can hold the big picture and the detail at the same time, and you genuinely care about the organisation you work for.

We're looking for someone who can:

• Demonstrate a strong track record of advising Boards and senior leaders on governance, compliance, and organisational risk.
• Bring excellent knowledge of charity law, company law, and the UK governance landscape.
• Communicate complex information clearly and credibly, whether to lawyers, trustees, or people who've never read a governance report in their life.
• Lead with authenticity and integrity, building trusted relationships across all levels.
• Drive continuous improvement, simplifying processes and fostering a culture of learning and accountability.
• Lead and develop a small team, championing their collaboration and professional growth.
• Model Alzheimer's Society's values of Determination, Better Together, Compassion, and Trusted Expertise in everything you do.

This role is home-based with occasional travel across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Important Dates:

• The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 1st March 2026.
• Interview invites will be issued from 2nd March 2026.
• First stage interviews will take place across W/C 2nd March and 9th March 2026.
• The Involvement (lived experience) Panel will take place W/C 16th March 2026.
• The Competency Panel interview will take place at our Crutched Friars London office, with dates to be confirmed.
• Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to meet virtually with our Chair of the Board of Trustees prior to any offer of employment.

About Alzheimer's Society

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.Please also contact Alzheimer’s Society Talent Acquisition Team for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a DBS check at the relevant level.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it’s like to be an employee at the Society.

The General Manager will provide leadership and day-to-day operational management for the Natural Voice Network, ensuring smooth running of its activities and services. Working under the strategic direction of the Trustee Board, the General Manager will implement decisions, oversee the Administrator, and manage finances and communications at an operational level.

They will have delegated authority to make operational and financial decisions (within agreed limits) on behalf of the NVN and its Trustee Board, enabling trustees to focus on governance, strategy, and long-term development.

Key Responsibilities: 

Operational Management

- Manage the day-to-day running of the NVN, ensuring all activities are delivered efficiently and in line with the organisation’s values and policies.

- Maintain and store confidential documents and archives.

- Work closely with the Administrator to ensure smooth coordination of membership services, communications, and events.

- Support the development and implementation of the NVN’s strategic and annual plans.

- Represent the NVN in meetings and collaborations, acting as a central point of contact for members, partners, and external organisations.

- Assist with the organisation and delivery of NVN events, training, and gatherings (online and in person).

Financial Management

- Manage operational budgets and approve expenditure within agreed limits (e.g. up to £1,000 per transaction or as defined by the Trustee Board).

- Work alongside the Treasurer on financial planning, reporting, and compliance.

- Prepare financial reports, budgets, and forecasts for trustee meetings.

Governance and Reporting

- Ensure systems are in place to support good governance, including accurate records, risk management, and compliance with relevant legislation.

- Prepare reports for the Trustee Board, highlighting progress, challenges, and key decisions.

- Keep policies and procedures up to date and support trustees in implementing policies and procedures, ensuring that staff and volunteers are informed and aligned.

- Oversee preparation of agendas, papers, and minutes for Trustee Board and working group meetings in collaboration with the chair and administrator.

- Manage trustee induction when new trustees are elected onto the Trustee Board.

Staff Supervision

- Line-manage the Administrator, setting clear priorities and providing regular supervision and support.

- Foster a positive, inclusive working culture consistent with the NVN’s ethos.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) (Registered Charity Number 1213337) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records.

There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

 

Purpose of the post

The Engagement and Involvement Officer will play a central role in supporting meaningful engagement and involvement of young people, families, schools and other interest-holders in the process of designing, delivering and ensuring the best outputs from the Adolescent Health Study.

Primarily, the postholder will be responsible for the stewardship and coordination of the AHS Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG). The post-holder will provide ongoing support to YPAG members to ensure their active participation in opportunities to inform and shape the work of AHS. This will include working closely with the adults in the YPAG members’ lives, including parents/carers, teachers and other relevant adults or professionals. The postholder will also be required to build positive working relationships with other organisations and institutions that work directly with young people. They will support the Engagement and Involvement Lead to develop mechanisms to reach wider and more diverse groups of young people to take part in engagement and involvement activities at AHS.  

This is a role that requires confidence, autonomy, enthusiasm and skill. The post-holder will be a strong advocate for children’s rights, have a sound working knowledge and understanding of safeguarding practices, and demonstrate experience of co-ordinating youth advisory groups, youth councils or similar.

Main responsibilities

Coordination & facilitation

• Plan, organise, and deliver regular meetings, workshops, and consultation sessions with young people.
• Develop accessible, inclusive and engaging materials to support young people’s participation in activities and discussions.
• Ensure robust mechanisms are in place to facilitate a feedback loop, communicating to young people the impact of their input.
• Ensure safeguarding, wellbeing, and inclusion are embedded in all activities.
• Lead on and maintain communication with young people, parents/carers (where appropriate), and partner organisations.

Support for young people

• Provide guidance, pastoral support, and clear information to help young people take part confidently and safely.
• Facilitate training and development opportunities to build young people’s skills, knowledge, and confidence.
• Foster an environment where young people feel respected, valued, and listened to.
• Manage mechanisms for reward and recognition of young people’s input and contributions.

Strengthen and enable staff team

• Strengthen knowledge and understanding of youth engagement and involvement across the organisation.
• Enable the wider staff team to plan and conduct activities with the YPAG and wider groups of young people, supporting the design of involvement tasks that are age-appropriate, inclusive, and aligned with best practice.
• Provide feedback to colleagues on how to maximise the impact of youth involvement.

 

Administration & governance

• Manage recruitment and onboarding processes for YPAG members.
• Oversee consent processes, data handling, and safeguarding requirements.
• Coordinate payments, incentives, travel, and expenses for young people.
• Maintain accurate records, produce meeting notes, and ensure timely communication.
• Support the Engagement and Involvement Lead to track, document and report on outcomes and the influence of young people’s involvement on projects and workstreams.

 

Continuous learning and development

• Contribute to the development of the organisation’s engagement and involvement strategy.
• Contribute to the evaluation of engagement and involvement activities and gather feedback from young people, parents/carers and other relevant parties we work closely with.
• Maintain an interest and working knowledge of best practice in youth involvement, participation, and co‑production.
• Identify opportunities to share learning and reflections with the AHS team and wider colleagues to continuously improve practice and processes.

 

Interest-holder and partner engagement

• Build and maintain partnerships with schools, youth organisations, and community groups to recruit and support young people to engage in engagement and involvement activities.
• Provide verbal and written presentations of engagement and involvement work with young people to internal and external audiences.
• Represent AHS in meetings, workshops and events where appropriate.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential criteria

• Experience developing and delivering engagement and involvement activities with young people and other relevant interest-holders (such as parents, families, teachers and schools).
• A proven track record or professional background in working with young people – such as in youth work, counselling, mentoring, education, or a related setting.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, especially with young audiences.
• Understanding and experience of good practice in youth engagement and involvement, including the principles and implementation of safeguarding, data protection, and inclusive practice.
• Experience of co-ordinating a youth advisory group, council, board or similar structure
• Ability to work autonomously, prioritising tasks and manage own workload.
• Ability to design and deliver workshops, focus groups or meetings that encourage open dialogue and collaboration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - able to communicate effectively and confidently with a range of stakeholders and to summarise and report key information clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated commitment to children’s rights, youth participation and the meaningful inclusion of young people’s views and perspectives.
• Confidence using online meeting tools (e.g. MS Teams, Zoom), and collaborative platforms (e.g. SharePoint, Microsoft 365).

Desirable criteria

• Relevant qualification in youth participation, youth work, community engagement or similar.
• Understanding of public involvement in research or willingness to develop expertise.
• Understanding of key concepts and challenges in young people’s health and wellbeing and the transition to adulthood.
• Understanding and knowledge of key potential partners across the UK for delivering youth engagement in the sector.
• Experience using digital engagement and facilitation tools for online sessions (e.g. Miro, Mural, Mentimeter, Canva, PowerPoint).

Dimensions

• This has been designed as a full-time role, although part-time work could be considered for the right candidate.
• Flexible working may be required across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be necessary to various AHS locations and partner organisations.
• Willingness to work hours flexibly including some evenings/weekends.

Additional Information

• Enhanced DBS/PVG or equivalent safeguarding check will be required.

Application Process

This post is subject to receipt of satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check and right to work in the UK (visa sponsorship is not available). Please apply with a CV and a covering letter (of no more than two pages) explaining what you can bring to this role, and including your current salary.

The closing date for this position is midnight on End of Day Sunday 29 March.

Interviews are currently expected to be held during the weeks commencing 27 April and 05 May.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Beyond these protected characteristics, we acknowledge the importance of socio-economic background, childcare and caring responsibilities, educational background, neurodiversity, and any other factors that shape an individual’s identity and opportunities. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to contribute fully.

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

This role is linked to and funded by the Volunteering for Health programme and the contract date reflects the anticipated programme timetable.
 
Salary: £43,500 - £48,000
Reporting to: Programme Lead
Hours: Full Time (35 hours per week)
Location: Hybrid/Remote working, and national travel to be expected.
Key Relationships: Programme Leads, CEO, COO, Director of Development, AD Policy & Influencing, AD Finance and Operations, Trustees, External Partners.
 
Overall Purpose
 
The Influencing Project Manager will work as part of a flexible team to develop, lead and manage the stakeholder engagement, influencing and communications elements of the Volunteering for Health programme.
 
Volunteering for Health is a £10million learning programme focused on testing, building and growing healthcare volunteering infrastructure. The programme has invested in fifteen systems across England who are navigating complex health systems to ensure that volunteering is embedded as a system wide NHS asset.
 
The team is responsible for developing and delivering the ‘learning and support’ and the ‘influencing and communications’ elements of the national programme, in partnership with NHS England and CW .
 
We have reached an exciting stage where we can turn our local learning into national change. By using the inspiring stories and impact from our programme, we want to show healthcare leaders what is possible. We are positioning our learnings to prove that volunteering infrastructure is a vital solution for a modern and sustainable health service aligned to the NHS 10-year Health Plan.
 
Overall Objectives

• Work collaboratively and strategically with a wide range of stakeholders including our member charities, NHS Trusts, VCSE organisations, funders, and government officials.
• Develop compelling narratives and high impact campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences and mobilise stakeholders at every level.
• To identify and leverage cross-sector themes and opportunities to scale impact across health, social care, and the voluntary sector, underpinned by robust horizon scanning and a commitment to innovative, non-traditional problem solving.
• Support the programme to maximise its impact and reach through bringing partners and stakeholders together.

 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
 
Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Convene and engage stakeholders, including member charities, NHS trusts and employees, funders and evaluators, to co-produce plans collaboratively.
• Manage stakeholder relationships, ensuring effective communication and engagement.
• Provide support to funded partnerships, enabling their development and to become high performing.
• Represent the organisation externally, acting as a champion for NHS Charities Together and NHS charities.
• Form professional and beneficial relationships with internal and external stakeholders – including at a senior level, representing the department internally and externally, and bringing policy knowledge to bear to support their influencing in line with our strategic goals.
• Building and maintaining a stakeholder database to reflect the opportunities for system change at local, regional and national level.

 
Project Design and Development

• Create plans with clear objectives, time lines, milestones and budgets, ensuring that projects and campaigns are financially sustainable and cover our costs.
• Lead processes to capture and synthesise information, and insight to support the development and design of approaches.
• Proactively build knowledge and understanding in volunteering and healthcare to support wider organisational learnings in these domains.

 
Delivery and Management

• Deliver engaging and thought-provoking communication and influencing plans to elevate our funded partnerships.
• Oversee workstream governance, risk management, and reporting processes, maintaining strong administration and compliance throughout.
• Regularly review and monitor impact against our strategic goals.
• Support internal resource planning to ensure efficient staffing and best use of our team.
• Manage project resources and staff effectively, fostering a collaborative team culture and supporting and developing team members to perform.
• Provide line management and support to staff as required.

 
Learning and Evaluation

• Work in a way to embed learning and insight capture into business as usual.
• Commission and manage external consultants where appropriate, ensuring quality and alignment with project aims.
• Lead learning events, and convene stakeholders to support the capture of insight.
• Support in the development of insight and related policy positions in relation to initiatives being managed, working closely with policy colleagues to identify system gaps and potential solutions.
• Ensure projects contribute to learning, including supporting the dissemination of what works and how to scale successful approaches.

 
Other Duties
 
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of duties. The need for flexibility is required. We are currently a small team, and the post holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and abilities whenever reasonably instructed.
 
How to Apply
 
The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 15th March
Provisional interview date: Thursday 26th March.
 
Please submitted your CV and a covering letter outlining how you meet the job description and person specification. The supporting statement should be no more than 2 sides of A4.
 
In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and/or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV/application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to process this information going forward. Please also remember to not mention anyone’s information or details (e.g. referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusion.
 
REF-227 022

About the Role

Advice Giving

• Deliver a multi-channel advice service, including home visits, to clients regarding their energy needs and income maximisation support, ensuring advice provided meets the requirements of Citizens Advice quality standards.

• Ensure all case recording and other record keeping is completed within agreed timescales and conforms to the Office Manual and the Advice Quality Standards

• Use sensitive listening and questioning skills in order to allow clients to explain their problem(s) and to identify the next course of action.

• Use a range of information sources to find relevant information, then interpret and communicate this to clients, enabling them to tackle fuel poverty and financial hardship for the long-term.

• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer internally or to other specialist agencies as appropriate.

• Meet the individual performance targets set as part of this project.

Research & Campaigning

• Take an active role in the research and campaigns process by identifying trends and social policy issues and communicating these to the Project Supervisor and Research & Campaigns Co-ordinator.

• Keep up to date with current research and campaigns priorities, initiatives and plans.

Administration

• Collect and record all relevant information given during interviews on to Casebook to meet the monitoring and evaluation requirements of the project.

• Be self-administering and undertake general administration tasks e.g. taking messages; photocopying, collating, filing; processing post etc.

Professional development

• Pass the City and Guilds NEA Level Energy Awareness exam within 2 months of starting the role.

• Keep up to date with relevant energy advice issues and maintain an up to date working knowledge of all new relevant legislation through:

o Attending training opportunities.

o Reading monthly subscriptions, relevant publications and Citizens Advice Updates.

• Prepare for and attend supervision sessions/team meetings/staff meetings/forums, as appropriate.

• Identify and implement your own learning and development needs.

Other duties and responsibilities

• If required, work from a variety of Citizens Advice Liverpool outlets across the city as required over the course of the week.

• Promote the aims, policies, and membership requirements of the Citizens Advice service.

• Ensure all processes and procedures that relate to the responsibilities of the role are delivered with a high level of awareness of the organisation’s equality and diversity ethos and policies.

• Be a positive ambassador for Citizens Advice Liverpool.

• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.

Requirements

Desirable

1. One year’s experience of delivering generalist advice within Citizens Advice or another quality assured environment such as AQS.

Essential

2. Experience of using interpersonal skills, including sensitive listening and questioning skills to understand the needs of others, especially in the context of telephony.

3. Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively.

4. Effective oral and written communication skills, with good IT knowledge to support delivery of service

5. Ability and willingness to work both on own initiative and as part of a team.

6. Willingness to learn and develop skills and be flexible with service delivery.

7. A good understanding of fuel poverty issues and the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision.

8. Ability to assist with research and campaigns works by providing information about clients’ circumstances

9. Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and its equal opportunities policies.

10. Ability to pass City and Guilds NEA Level 3 Energy Awareness exam within the first 2 months of starting the role.

About us

Citizens Advice Liverpool is a charity that provides free, confidential and impartial advice to people who live and work in the city. We depend on a workforce of paid staff and over 120 trained volunteers. We give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem. We are the leading provider of advice and advocacy services in Liverpool and have helped clients with over 106,000 issues in 2022/2023.

CAL have achieved accreditation with the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, showing we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our workforce. We've also gained an award for outstanding contribution by an employer to workplace health and wellbeing 2022 by Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust.

We've gained awards from Citizens Advice National recognising our Advising Margainalised Communities Team for championing equity, diversity and inclusion in both 2021 and 2021. We were also named volunteer team of the year in 2022.

Context:
Kinship provides direct support to, raises awareness of and campaigns for the rights of kinship carers across the UK. Kinship carers are navigating complex family relationships, trauma, poverty, discrimination. The children that they care for have frequently experienced abuse or are at risk of harm. Safeguarding concerns can be disclosed by kinship carers at all contact points with Kinship. 

Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect is a collective responsibility and requires a safeguarding approach that is aligned to statutory frameworks, is professional, consistent, trauma-informed and proportionate to level of risk.

The designated safeguarding officer holds organisational responsibility for Kinship’s safeguarding framework and actions. The role works collaboratively with a team including a Safeguarding Trustee and a group of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads drawn from key service areas across the charity.

The role provides expertise, professional guidance and clear direction across the organisation, supporting staff and volunteers to make sound safeguarding decisions within a framework.

Purpose of the role:
The Designated Safeguarding Manager works closely with all teams across Kinship to embed proactive, person-centred, and partnership-driven safeguarding practice to protect children and adults at risk of harm.

The role provides professional oversight to Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads through individual and group reflective practice and supports high-quality and defensible safeguarding decision-making. The role drives contextual safeguarding approaches, promote professional curiosity, continual professional development and ensures safeguarding responses are informed by lived experience and the realities of kinship care.

At Kinship safeguarding concerns come from risks of harm to adults and children often with risks of harm to multiple people in the same family context.

This requires careful, trauma-informed decision-making and support for staff responding to complex safeguarding situations.

How the role works:
Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Designated Safeguarding Manager holds responsibility for safeguarding practice across the organisation and provides expert oversight and organisational assurance ensuring safeguarding is embedded consistently, proportionately and in line with best practice.

This role will require flexibility for occasional travel in England and Wales.

Key responsibilities:

Organisational safeguarding accountability and assurance

• Act as Kinship’s Designated Safeguarding Officer, holding organisational authority for safeguarding decision-making and escalation.
• Hold organisational accountability for safeguarding practice, ensuring responsibilities are well defined, understood and embedded across the organisation.
• Maintain and assure a robust safeguarding framework, including defined roles, escalation routes, decision-making thresholds and accountability arrangements and balance safeguarding rigour with compassion and proportionality.
• Provide safeguarding oversight and assurance during service development, mobilisation and organisational change to ensure risks are identified, assessed and mitigated.

Trauma-informed safeguarding practice and oversight

• Embed trauma-informed safeguarding practice, ensuring all decisions, interventions, and organisational processes:
  • Recognise the impact of past and ongoing trauma on children, kinship carers, and families.
  • Prioritise emotional and psychological safety while balancing protection, autonomy, and empowerment.
  • Integrate trauma-awareness into risk assessments, safety planning, case management, policies, and service design.
• Support staff through reflective supervision, guidance, and training to respond effectively.
• Provide professional oversight and reflective practice support to Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.
• Provide expert safeguarding advice and consultation to staff and managers, supporting the assessment of concerns, threshold decisions, appropriate escalation, and proportionate, trauma-informed decision-making.
• Quality-assure safeguarding practice and decision-making to ensure actions are proportionate, person-centred, trauma-informed, and defensible.
• Maintain appropriate oversight of safeguarding records, risk assessments, and safety planning.

 Policy, compliance and organisational assurance

• Develop, review and maintain safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance in line with legislation, statutory guidance and Charity Commission expectations.
• Ensure safeguarding systems, processes and recording arrangements are robust, accessible and consistently applied.
• Provide regular safeguarding assurance, analysis and learning reports to senior leadership and the Board of Trustees.

Culture, capability and continuous improvement

• Embed trauma-informed, contextual and culturally responsive safeguarding practice across the organisation.
• Promote professional curiosity and reflective practice, supporting staff to exercise sound professional judgement and avoid overly procedural responses.
• Design and deliver safeguarding training and guidance for staff and volunteers, building organisational capability and confidence.
• Lead learning reviews following safeguarding incidents or near misses, ensuring learning informs service and practice improvement.

Equity, inclusion and anti-racist safeguarding

• Ensure safeguarding practice actively considers how race, ethnicity, racism and intersecting inequalities shape risk, vulnerability and access to support.
• Support teams to identify and challenge bias and assumptions through reflective practice, supervision and learning.
• Embed equity, inclusion and anti-racist principles within safeguarding frameworks, policies, training and quality assurance processes.

Partnership working and external accountability

• Work collaboratively with statutory partners and external agencies to support effective safeguarding responses.
• Represent Kinship in multi-agency safeguarding forums, reviews or regulatory engagement as required.

Experience (Essential)

• Significant experience in adult and child safeguarding practice, including oversight of complex, high-risk, and multi-agency safeguarding situations.
• Experience providing professional oversight, reflective supervision, and structured learning support to safeguarding practitioners or leads, without direct line management responsibility.
• Experience embedding contextual safeguarding approaches and promoting professional curiosity in decision-making.
• Experience of working confidently with complexity, challenging constructively and supporting teams to do the right thing in difficult situations.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and embedding safeguarding policies, procedures, training, and learning frameworks.
• Substantial experience working with dispersed or multi-disciplinary teams, supporting wellbeing, professional development, and reflective practice.
• Experience working in voluntary sector, community-based, or service delivery organisations, particularly where safeguarding concerns arise through multiple routes.

Knowledge (Essential)

• Strong working knowledge of adult and child safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance, and recognised safeguarding frameworks, with the ability to apply them proportionately in practice.
• Up-to-date knowledge of children’s and adult social care systems.
• Understanding of trauma-informed, strengths-based practice in work with adults, children, and families.
• Awareness of how racism, inequality, and structural disadvantage can increase risk and shape safeguarding experiences, particularly for Black and minoritised communities.
• Understanding of organisational safeguarding governance, including accountability, assurance, escalation, and risk management.
• Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities within the voluntary and community sector, including Charity Commission expectations, trustee duties, and regulatory requirements

Skills and abilities (Essential)

• Strong professional judgement, with confidence in making and defending complex safeguarding decisions.
• Calm, credible, and reflective approach in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
• Ability to support and challenge colleagues constructively through reflective discussion, learning, and coaching rather than directive management.
• Clear, compassionate, and adaptable communicator, able to translate safeguarding complexity for diverse audiences, including operational and service delivery teams.
• Highly organised, able to manage multiple safeguarding priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively across wide-ranging professional teams and external partners.
• Values-led, with a demonstrable commitment to equity, inclusion, anti-racist practice, and culturally responsive safeguarding.

Qualifications (Essential)

• Relevant professional qualification (e.g. social work, health, or related field), or equivalent professional experience.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development in safeguarding children and adults.
• Permission to work in the UK.

Attributes and general characteristics (Essential)

• Commitment to the values, aims, and objectives of Kinship.
• Respectful, empathetic approach to working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Flexible and willing to travel across England as required.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable

• Lived experience of kinship care.
• Experience using Salesforce, Asana, Notion, and/or general AI tools for case management, project management, or documentation.
• Experience in innovation and continuous improvement within safeguarding practice or organisational culture.

How to apply:
Please apply for the role of Designated Safeguarding Manager by sending a tailored CV and responding to these 5 questions below in the online application process. Please read the guidance notes in the job pack. 

Closing date is 9am on Mon 2 March, with a first interview (30 mins online) that week and a second interview in person on Tues 10 March 2026. 

For all questions, please provide a maximum of 250 words per answer.

1.Alignment with Kinship: Why do you want to work for Kinship, and why does this Safeguarding Manager (Designated Safeguarding Lead) role matter to you at this point in your career?  Please refer to Kinship’s work and services in your answer, and explain what specifically about this role you are drawn to. 

2.Trauma informed practice: Describe a specific example where you have led or overseen a safeguarding concern using a trauma-informed approach.

3. Contextual safeguarding and professional curiosity: Tell us about a time you applied contextual safeguarding or professional curiosity to a situation where the initial concern did not tell the full story. What did you notice, what questions did you ask, and how did this change the safeguarding response? 

4. Reflective practice and supporting others: Give an example of how you have supported others to improve safeguarding decision-making through reflective practice (for example group reflection or one-to-one discussion). What was the issue and what changed? 

5. Equity, racism and safeguarding: Describe a situation where race, ethnicity or structural inequality affected safeguarding risk or decision-making. How did you recognise this and what did you do to ensure a fair and proportionate response? 

What we offer you:

• Flexible working - we understand how important it is to balance family and work life.
• ​30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (1 April to 31 March) pro rata (3 to be taken at Christmas shutdown)
• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential advice line and counselling)
• Charity Worker Discounts. 

About HOST 

*HOST supports social change initiatives around the world by providing fiscal hosting, operational infrastructure and governance support. Our Legal function ensures that our work is safe, compliant and aligned with our mission, enabling our partners to operate with confidence in complex environments. 

The Role

HOST seeks a qualified solicitor to establish and lead its internal legal function. The role requires expertise in UK contract and charity law, applied in an international nonprofit context. The primary jurisdiction will be England and Wales; however, given HOST’s global operations, familiarity with or awareness of the legal systems in the Netherlands, Singapore, and India would be advantageous. You will support hosting, grantmaking, partner support, and global operations, ensuring contracts, due diligence, and legal frameworks are robust, proportionate, and operationally effective.

This role combines hands-on legal review with systems design, risk oversight, and practical guidance for non-legal teams, working closely with the Executive Director and Operations leadership. As this is a newly created position, the scope and priorities of the role will naturally evolve over time in discussion with the Legal Circle. We recognise that establishing effective legal processes, procedures, and documentation will take time, and we value a thoughtful, iterative approach to building the function well.

This is a part-time role (approximately [2–3 days per week / 0.4–0.6 FTE], to be agreed).

Experience working in-house, and experience operating primarily in a remote working environment, would be an advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Oversight & Contracts
Review and approve agreements and maintain standard templates.
Provide clear, practical risk-based advice to internal stakeholders.
Manage legal requests through a structured, auditable intake process.
Engage and liaise with external law firms where specialist advice or jurisdictional expertise is required, managing those relationships appropriately.

Due Diligence & Risk
Assess higher-risk matters (e.g. sanctions, safeguarding, governance, employment, data protection).
Align legal processes with Finance and Operations.
Maintain clear and proportionate risk records.

Legal Systems & Governance
Develop and maintain key policies and template documents.
Embed appropriate legal workflows across the organisation.
Support governance and compliance improvements.

Scope

Will Do:
Lead legal review, maintain templates and policies, deliver accessible legal guidance, oversee a structured and transparent legal workflow, and coordinate external legal support where appropriate.

Will Not Do:
Lead commercial negotiations, manage operational delivery, approve retrospective decisions, or act outside the legal remit of the role.

Support & Resources

You will have access to appropriate online legal research tools and resources, subject to discussion regarding organisational needs and associated costs.

HOST will support Continuing Professional Development (CPD), with scope and funding agreed based on identified needs and budget.

HOST will cover the cost of the annual practising certificate (currently approximately £300–£400 per year).

About You

Requirements:
Practising solicitor in England & Wales, authorised to work in-house.

Skills:
Strong grounding in UK contract and charity law.
Experience drafting and interpreting agreements.
Ability to communicate legal advice clearly and pragmatically to non-legal colleagues.

Desirable:
Experience in data protection, employment law, sanctions, international law, or risk and compliance frameworks.
Previous in-house experience.
Experience working effectively in remote-first or distributed organisations.

Personal Qualities:
Collaborative, pragmatic, solutions-focused, mission-aligned, and confident guiding non-legal teams through complex issues.

Success Measures
Legal intake is consistent, auditable, and predictable.
Templates and policies are clear, compliant, and trusted by teams.
Advice is privileged, proportionate, regulatory-aligned, and enables partners to operate confidently.

Job Title: Advocacy and Research Officer

Department: Advocacy Department

Reports To: Senior Advocacy Officer

Location: UK Based, remote

Compensation: £32,000 per annum

About Humanists International:

Humanists International is the global representative body of the humanist movement, uniting a diverse range of non-religious individuals and organizations committed to reason, compassion, and human rights. We work to build and strengthen the humanist movement worldwide, advocate for secularism and human rights, and promote humanist values in public life and at international institutions.

Humanists International’s advocacy programme promotes human rights priorities based on humanist values at the global level and represents a core role and function of organization. We do this by: advocating directly at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, New York, and Paris, advocating at regional institutions, including the European Union, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, and African Commission for Human and People’s Rights; supporting and training our members to engage with, and advocate at, relevant regional human rights bodies. 

This work relies on having an advocacy team that can; (1) communicate and lobby in a clear, focused, and convincing manner, informed by high-quality and professional research; (2) can understand the dynamic international landscape on core human rights priorities and produce documentation and briefings on the organization's position; and (3) train and work with members to support their human rights advocacy at the regional and international level. The Advocacy and Research Officer will be instrumental in contributing to these areas.

Duties:

1. Advocate on behalf of Humanists International, by:
1.1. Drafting written and oral statements and submissions for the UN Human Rights Council;
1.2. Analyzing and summarizing complex legal / policy documents, such as International Conventions or UN reports, or jurisprudence at international courts and tribunals;
1.3. Undertaking research tasks and producing pieces of comprehensive legal research, and providing briefing or meeting notes for the Senior Advocacy Officer;
1.4. Representing and speaking on behalf of Humanists International at meetings of different sizes, including at the UN Human Rights Council;
1.5. Preparing and delivering presentations (often with the use of powerpoint);
1.6. Working with other civil society actors to lobby on common causes and mobilize on issues of concern;
1.7. Writing news stories for the website and contributing to the media output of the organization;
1.8. Undertaking administrative tasks to support the Senior Advocacy Officer in their work.

2. Supporting Humanists International's members in advocacy, by:
2.1. Developing and implementing trainings sessions for members and associates, including our annual UPR training, and others which leverage the expertise of the Advocacy and Research Officer;
2.2. Liaising with Humanists International members to enable and support them to make statements at the UN Human Rights Council, including with technical assistance;
2.3. Providing advocacy updates and briefings for Members and Associates;
2.4. Liaising with Humanists International members to use their knowledge and experience to feed into advocacy output;
2.5 Collaborating with the European Advocacy and Research Officer to forward advocacy priorities at European institutions.

Essential Criteria:

• Excellent understanding of, interest in, and demonstrable commitment to human rights and equality issues - particularly in the areas of freedom of religion or belief, gender equality and non-discrimination, reproductive and sexual rights, LGBTI+ rights, populism, democracy, and secularism. 
• Good knowledge and background in international human rights law, international law, or global justice. 
• Experience in the area of advocacy and/or of advocacy-related training. 
• Familiarity (academic and/or practical) with the international human rights systems, particularly the United Nations and any regional human rights bodies. 
• Good research, analytical and writing skills, and an excellent command of English.
• Well-organized, efficient and able to work independently. 
• A clear and convincing communicator. 

Desirable:

• Excellent understanding of, and sympathy with, the philosophy and policies of Humanists International. 
• A good knowledge of other international NGOs and their role and scope. 
• Knowledge of other languages (especially Spanish, French, or Arabic) would be an asset. 
• Prepared to travel, and do so alone, including to United Nations headquarters in Geneva and to Humanist International’s annual World Humanist Congress, as well as to London on a quarterly basis.

If selected for interview, candidates will be asked to complete a short assignment, and interviews will be conducted on 30 March 2026. The successful candidate will also be asked to provide contact details for two references.

This role requires that you are resident and have the right to work in the UK.
Purpose of the role:

It is initially a 12 month role, but we are actively seeking longer term financing for it. The role will:

• Recruit a cohort of Scotland-based spokespeople to be trained by NEON and then booked into the media
• Run the Scottish Spokesperson Network - helping NEON position itself as an aide to broadcast journalists and helpful to NGOs, campaign groups and activists on the ground - with a particular focus
• Seek opportunities for long term funding of the role, alongside the co-director of Comms​​

About the Spokesperson Network

The Spokesperson Network trains and supports people to speak on television and radio. We are substantially boosting the number of progressive, diverse voices in this space to challenge opposition narratives and boost coverage of underrepresented issues.

The programme works by training, coaching and providing PR booking support for spokespeople from civil society working on social, environmental and economic issues. So far we’ve had over 11,000 high-profile media bookings including Question Time, Newsnight, Good Morning Britain, LBC, Channel 4 News, BBC 5 Live, Today, Sky News and ITV News plus many more.

What you will be doing

Here are the key responsibilities of this role:

• Run two Scotland-based Spokesperson Network Trainings
• Keep on top of the current trends and topics in the Scottish media and political environment
• Seek to book the spokespeople who have been trained into the media - with expectations of providing each person trained with ongoing media opportunities
• Support on the Spokesperson Network more widely - booking people into the UK-wide media.
• Be a key part of the Comms Hub - helping with other peoples projects, delivering training and bringing insight and ideas to team spaces.
• Play an active part in the whole NEON team, contributing to organisation-wide plans

Who you are:

• Experience in journalism, communications, media relations or a role that incorporates these skills.
• A great knowledge of the Scottish media and campaigning environment
• Experience delivering media, press or spokesperson training.
• Good writing and editing skills, including an eye for detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and communicating appropriately with different stakeholders.
• Project management experience demonstrated through being proactive and well organised, with the ability to meet tight deadlines and manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work well under pressure, meet the demands of a dynamic organisation and accommodate changing circumstances.
• An affinity with NEON’s aims and objectives and organisational values of solidarity, generosity and respect
• Proven understanding of anti-oppression work and commitment to tackling all institutional forms of oppression, bigotry and exclusion.
• Experience working in the economic and social justice campaigning community in any kind of capacity.
• Willing to continuously learn and grow - with good emotional intelligence and self awareness including around your own power, and an ability to give and receive feedback well, and sit in (and encourage) healthy conflict and disagreement
• Committed to NEON’s purpose of building the strength of movements for social, economic and environmental justice, and to learning how to align your actions with the values of NEON: solidarity; generosity and respect

Hours

Full-time, which for NEON is 28 hours a week - the equivalent of a 4 day standard work week. This can be done over 4 or 5 days, that’s totally up to you. Hours are generally flexible, with some core meetings everyone has to be at.

Benefits

A 28-hour week, 7.5% employer matched pension, genuinely flexible working, 20 days holiday per year (25 days pro rated for a 4 day week), plus bank holidays and Christmas break, a progressive Parenting Policy, Sabbatical Policy, and a generous staff development budget

Location

Scotland - but with occasional trips to London. Because this is a place-based hire you do not have to be in our London office 25% of the time, but you are very welcome to.

About us:

NEON is a capacity and infrastructure building organisation that seeks to accelerate the transition to a new economy by building the power of social movements - because without strong social movements we lack the power we need to win. We deliver trainings, develop resources, facilitate collaboration and work in partnership with key movement allies, especially in the climate, housing and migration movements. Our focus is on strengthening the organising, communications and strategy skills of social movement organisations, as well as deepening movement alignment, as we believe these are key to building collective power. As part of our work, we are looking to change the starting point in social movements from “what do we agree on” to “what can we win together?”

We also aim to mirror the change we want to see in social movements in the way we run the organisation internally. To that end, we are committed to building a workplace centred on joy, care and justice, whilst maintaining healthy boundaries of what a workplace is. We do this because it is important to live our values and principles, and because strategically an organisation with a healthy culture and strong foundations ensures we are always one step ahead in the fight for a just and sustainable future.

To build a culture and community that lasts, we organise around three values:

● Solidarity - we’re here to change the system and that requires working together across issues and sectors that aren’t normally in the same room. This means placing anti-oppression at the heart of our work and building the power of people most often affected by injustice to change the leadership of our movements

● Generosity is about sharing our time, resources and learning with one another as we support each other’s work. It means being open and honest with one another, especially when we hit problems, and thinking creatively about how we positively build from there

● Respect is the bottom line for all relationships in NEON. It means being respectful of different backgrounds and life experiences and giving space for all voices to be heard. This often means listening more than we talk and being open to changing ourselves as a result of what we hear.

We know that people from certain backgrounds and identities are often excluded in progressive movements and we’re committed to doing what we can to correct this.

So:

• We particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past.
• We know the work goes way beyond "diversity", it's about making the space inclusive too. So we are continuously working on that at NEON. So far this includes tangible things like a flexible work policy so people have genuine flexibility around where and when they work and a 28 hour week as standard; a gender-neutral parenting/leave policy, an anti-oppression strategy which is held at senior level given how important it is to the organisation. It also includes the day-to-day work of creating psychological safety for everyone at NEON and celebrating the wisdom of black, indigenous, queer, Disabled and other cultures in the way we work and behave

There are no formal education requirements for this role. As long as you can show us you have the skills we don’t mind where you got them from! Also important to us is your potential to learn and grow in the role so even if you don’t have 100% of the skills listed we want to hear from you.

Dates: Application deadline: 15 March 2026, 11.59pm

Interview dates: First round of interviews: 31st March and 1st April 2026 Second round of interviews: 8th April 2026

Communications Manager

Part-time: 18.75 hours per week (0.5 FTE)

Contract duration: Fixed term until 30 June 2026, with strong likelihood of extension

Line managed by: Head of Policy & Engagement

Location: Remote within the UK (with occasional travel as needed)

Salary: £40,000 FTE (£20,000 pro rata)

About GISF and Protect Aid Workers (PAW)

The Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) is a member-led NGO network working to strengthen security risk management across the humanitarian and development sectors. With over 150 member organisations, GISF provides resources, convening spaces, and expertise to help keep aid workers safe.

Protect Aid Workers (PAW) is a multi-partner mechanism that supports humanitarian personnel who have experienced serious security incidents while carrying out their work. PAW provides financial assistance and access to legal support to aid workers and their families following critical incidents, including detention, serious injury, kidnapping, or death. The mechanism aims to fill gaps in protection and support where organisational or national systems are insufficient. PAW is delivered through a consortium of partners, including GISF, Legal Action Worldwide, and Protect Humanitarians, and funded by the European Commission.

About the role

GISF is seeking a Communications Manager (0.5 FTE) to lead a high-quality, high-impact communications for the Protect Aid Workers (PAW) initiative, ensuring strong, consistent, and compelling public-facing outputs that amplify the programme’s impact and visibility across partner and audiences. The role will be embedded within the PAW programme, while reporting into the GISF Secretariat under the line management of the Head of Policy and Engagement.

Key responsibilities

Lead on priority PAW communications deliverables, including:

Human stories and case-based communications

• Work closely with PAW case managers to identify suitable stories of aid workers who received support from the PAW mechanism following an incident
• Develop and produce compelling written and visual human stories with consideration of sensitivities
• Translate case learnings into accessible comms products

Design and visual communications

• Develop and maintain PAW graphic templates and visual assets
• Produce partner comms kits, social media assets and visual toolkits
• Ensure consistent branding across all PAW outputs, including materials produced by partners

Events and external engagement

• Support the events team with communications needs for key programmatic events
• Develop event-specific comms plans, materials, and live outputs
• Coordinate with PAW partners to align messaging

Other

• Provide additional communications support as needed

Person specifications

• Demonstrable experience leading communications for complex programmes, partnerships, or campaigns
• Experience developing human stories end-to-end, from identifying suitable cases to final presentation
• Competence in graphic design tools, particularly InDesign and Canva
• Proven experience producing high-quality visual materials, including templates, toolkits, or brand assets
• Ability to turn ideas into clear, visually engaging products (infographics, reports, slide decks etc)
• Strong writing skills for different audiences
• Experience leading communications for events

Attributes

• Strong judgment and sensitivity when handling difficult subject matters
• Ability to build trust with partners and beneficiaries
• Commitment to high-quality delivery and collaborative working style

Are you an experienced leader with a passion for delivering high-quality advice and driving meaningful change? Join Shelter Scotland as our Head of Services and be a part of the Community & Services Management Team, playing a key role in shaping and delivering our Strategic Plan.

About the role

This post is responsible for the management and development of the Housing Law Service, the Telephone & Online Advice Services and the Central Support team within Community & Services. Collaboration and joined up working are vital to effectively support the delivery of the Shelter Scotland Strategic Plan.

Role specifics

As Head of Services, you’ll share responsibility for leading Shelter Scotland’s Community & Services department, helping to develop and deliver our annual operational plan in line with our Strategic Plan. You’ll work across teams to deliver key projects and programmes, ensure strong governance, quality and compliance, and use evidence and insight from our services to drive improvement and influence change. You’ll jointly lead high-quality advice services, take shared responsibility for safeguarding, manage budgets effectively and support income generation by building strong internal relationships and contributing to compelling cases for support.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society. 

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme. 

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team 

Shelter Scotland is a one of six Directorates of Shelter. Led by the Director of Shelter Scotland, the Directorate comprises two departments: Community & Services and Communications & Advocacy. Both departments are led by an Assistant Director. 

About Shelter Scotland 

Shelter Scotland is Scotland’s national housing and homelessness charity. Our vision is of a home for everyone in Scotland. For over 50 years, the way we drive change has remained the same. We advise and support people in housing need today and use the insight we gain to inform our campaigns to change tomorrow. We also raise professional standards for those working in Scotland’s housing and homelessness sector by offering a broad range of training courses. 

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday thousands of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement 

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter Scotland is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter Scotland does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. 

About Action for ME

Action for ME is the only charity in the UK providing support, including healthcare, to people of all ages affected by ME. The charity was founded by Sue Finlay in 1987 and since then has been taking holistic approach so we can make an impact on multiple fronts - from amplifying the voices of people affected by ME in Government and leading on breakthrough research, to providing "lifeline" support and unique healthcare services on a daily basis.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), sometimes referred to and diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), is a chronic, fluctuating disease, causing symptoms such as post-exertional malaise (PEM), sleep problems, problems with thinking and memory (brain fog), pain and crushing fatigue. There are an estimated 1.3 million people living with ME or ME-like symptoms, including PEM, in the UK alone.

Even in its so-called mildest form, ME can have a significant impact on an individual’s life, and not just on their health. A lack of understanding and awareness about ME means patients can experience disbelief, and even discrimination, from friends, family, health and social care professionals, employers and teachers.

For the first time there is an increased awareness of post viral illness because of the Covid -19 pandemic. After decades of neglect this offers Action for ME an opportunity to accelerate our work for people with ME in a way we have never been able to do before.

Job Purpose

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to accelerate research and transform the lives of millions of people with ME and Long Covid. We are seeking a Business Development & Partnerships Manager for Sequence ME & Long Covid, a new research initiative designed to explore the root causes of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Long Covid using large-scale, long-read whole-genome sequencing.

By developing and delivering strategic partnerships and funding strategy, you will work as part of team committed to making change happen through whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 18,000 people, the largest ever WGS in the world of any disease.

Sequence ME & Long Covid aims to pinpoint potential targets for treatment and bring us closer to meaningful clinical advances.  Led by Action for ME, the partnership includes the University of Edinburgh, Oxford Nanopore Technology (who will provide the long-read technology), the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and people with lived experience of ME, who have joined to seek funding for Sequence ME and Long Covid. Together, this multidisciplinary team brings world-class expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, co-production and ME research.

If you have experience of securing significant funding or investment for research, producing high quality communication materials and a commitment to coproduction and lived experience involvement in research or service design, we would like to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities   

Partnerships and Business Development

• Develop and deliver a business development strategy for the Sequence ME & Long Covid (SMELC) study to secure £6m funding for the first phase of scientific research (whole genome sequencing of 9,000 already secured samples from people with ME).

• Lead on high level applications for funding to high potential strategic partners and research funding partners. 

• Work with the current partnership to mobilise the study and ensure effective plans and governance are in place.

• Maintain and manage a pipeline of partnership opportunities.

Communications and Engagement

• Contribute to engagement and communications activities to market Sequence ME and Long Covid effectively. 

• Create materials to support effective engagement with potential and current partners.

• As part of business and partnership development, develop pitch decks and proposals tailored to different audiences.

• Support fundraising efforts by contributing to communications materials for philanthropy and major donor engagement.

• Ensure that people with lived experience remain at the heart of planning and delivery. 

Other Key Accountabilities

• To attend Action for ME meetings and courses as required.

• To work collaboratively with Action for ME and the study team colleagues across all teams.

• Keep up to date with the latest research, best practice and comply with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements, working within the organisation’s policies and procedures and ensuring that good practice is observed at all times.

• Maintain confidentiality in line with relevant policy and procedure, ensuring data consent processes have been followed in relation to data protection.   

• Positively promote the work and activities of Action for ME at all times.

• Undertake any other reasonable activity in line with the responsibilities of the post as requested by the Line Manager or any member of the Management Team.

The full recruitment pack can be found on our recruitment website. 

Contract Type: Full-time / 6 Month Fixed-Term Contract

Salary Band:£29,900, plus £2,200 London weighting if applicable

Location: Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Liverpool, Manchester or Newcastle 

Hours: 5 days per week; 9AM-5.30PM (flexible working hours available). 

Start date: 6th April 2026 or ASAP, as agreed with candidate 

The Opportunity   

As a key team member within our Partnerships and Income Development team, you will play a vital role in creating, developing and delivering the Social Mobility Foundation’s Employer Programme and Social Mobility Employer Index - how we inform, influence and positively impact employer-led social mobility, and a source of income generation. 
 

1. Delivery of the Social Mobility Employer Index 

• Deliver the SMEI 2026, including but not limited to: marking entries, creating individual feedback reports for each entrant, creating sector reports for key industries, and gathering feedback to review and update the survey for 2027 

• Maintain accurate and up to date information and process documentation, including the mark scheme used to mark entries, and the process followed to create feedback reports 

• Support with the ongoing development of the digital platform, employer resources and online content, ensuring it is updated in line with the survey and delivers a smooth user journey

• Support with the annual monitoring and evaluation of the SMEI and its impact on employer-led social mobility 

2. Stakeholder management and customer service 

• Provide excellent customer service and stewardship to organisations entering the SMEI throughout the whole customer journey, e.g. preparing and sending regular communications and updates to prospective and live entrants, answering questions received into the SMEI inbox and troubleshooting independently 

• Prepare and deliver feedback calls and presentations for organisations, including Lunch & Learns on social mobility, introductory calls on the SMEI, presentations and webinars about the SMEI, and providing detailed feedback calls on entrants’ performance in the SMEI 

• Support with creating and developing assets and activities to market the SMEI and other products and services including webinars and social media assets 

• Engage with external stakeholders, such as employers, policy experts and social mobility practitioners, to understand key issues and trends relevant to workplace social mobility 

3. Quality standards 

• Stay up to date with the latest research, evidence and on workplace and employer-led social mobility, communicating changes or updates with colleagues, as well as maintaining and updating the evidence base for the SMEI

• Support the annual evaluation of the SMEI and its impact on employer-led social mobility

4. Systems and processes 

• Maintain accurate and up to date records, using SharePoint and our Salesforce CRM to support pipeline management, income tracking and partner records, namely for the SMEI 

• Comply with internal policies such as data protection and our ethical fundraising policy, as well as external fundraising regulations and legal requirements 

5. Team support and collaboration 

• Collaborate across the team to ensure opportunities are aligned across all income streams 

• Champion a collaborative and creative fundraising culture, building internal understanding, support and excitement in fundraising and partnership activities 

Please see full job description attached for more details. 

Benefits

• 36/37 days (England & Wales and Scotland respectively - includes bank holidays) calculated on a pro rata basis with 3 of these days reserved for the annual end of year office closure.
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• 5% Salary sacrifice pension scheme with enhanced matching employer contributions
• Employee Assistance Programme available to staff and their family
• Flexible work options such as hybrid working, flexitime, part-time
• Regular staff team building and business planning “away days”

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for this role, please head over to our website and answer the following questions:

1)   Why would you like to work at the Social Mobility Foundation? (250 words max.)

2)   What makes you a suitable candidate for this role? Please include specific examples of your experience and skills, with reference to the key responsibilities and person specification for this role. (500 words max.)

3)   The Social Mobility Employer Index involves marking detailed employer submissions and producing high-quality feedback reports. Describe a time when you had to assess complex written information against a set of criteria and produce clear, constructive feedback for an external audience. What was your approach, how did you ensure accuracy and fairness, and what was the outcome? (400 words max.)