Policy research manager jobs in city of london, greater london

In your role as the Recruitment & Compliance Manager, you will be responsible for developing and implementing recruitment strategies as well as ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulations and The Children's Trust policies and procedures. You will actively collaborate with stakeholders throughout the organisation to guarantee that we attract, recruit, and retain exceptional candidates who can assist us in our ongoing transformation

The Recruitment & Compliance Manager plays a pivotal role in shaping the workforce of the organisation while ensuring that all recruitment activities comply with legal requirements and align with the organisation's values and objectives. This role involves the development and implementation of recruitment strategies that meet the evolving demands of the organisation, promote its unique opportunities, and enhance the employee value proposition.

The Recruitment and Compliance Team oversee the recruitment of our staff (permanent and bank), trustees, volunteers, consultants and agency staff.

This role is not open to sponsorship.

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

Role Requirements

• Responsible for creating effective recruitment strategies that attract a diverse pool of high-quality candidates suitable for various roles within the organisation.
• Oversees the entire recruitment cycle, from job postings to candidate selection, ensuring the process is efficient and effective.
• Ensure that all recruitment activities adhere to relevant laws and regulations, as well as internal policies, by staying up-to-date with changes in legislation and ensuring the organisation’s practices align with them.
• Provide guidance and training to hiring managers and staff involved in the recruitment process, ensuring their understanding of and compliance with legal and policy requirements.
• Track recruitment metrics and prepare reports to assess the effectiveness of recruitment strategies and compliance measures.
• Collaborate with various stakeholders within the organisation to understand their recruitment needs and ensure alignment with the overall goals of the organisation.
• Ensure that recruitment processes promote fairness, diversity, and inclusion, while maintaining high standards for candidate experience
• Enhance the overall candidate experience to attract and retain top talent
• Develop and implement proactive forward looking recruitment strategies (Including Employee Value Proposition, early entry career pathways and direct recruitment/ brand marketing)
• Manage the full recruitment cycle, from sourcing candidates/volunteers to onboarding, driving the focus on continuous evolution and change of the service
• Develop and implement compliance programmes.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of People & Culture, to support the effective management of the centralised Recruitment budget
• Lead the streamlining of recruitment and compliance processes through the adoption of digital solutions

Terms and Conditions

PLEASE NOTE: The Children's Trust Application Form MUST be completed and submitted, for your application to be considered. As part of the shortlisting process, gaps in employment will be examined and further explored during the interview process. 

Strictly no agencies, please.

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

About Us

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

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

Staff Benefits

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

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

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

Rehabilitation of Offenders

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

Equal Opportunity Employer

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

Online Searches

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

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced programme manager who will oversee The Advice Workforce Development Fund (AWDF). AWDF is a collaborative programme dedicated to strengthening and sustaining the social welfare advice sector in London. The role will coordinate and run steering and advisory groups, and ‘task and finish’ groups, working with cross-sector stakeholders to enable the implementation of recent recommendations generated by research commissioned by the programme, and help with monitoring and evaluating the project and funded projects under this programme. The successful candidate will have strong project management skills, a commitment to social justice, and a track record of delivering impactful support to external partners.

The workforce development programme was created after working closely with a group of funders and advice sector representatives who are now steering group members. The programme has reached an exciting stage, as it transitions from a foundation-laying and research phase into more of a focus on influencing and implementation of the learning generated to date, while also maintaining and strengthening new and existing relationships. This role, with support from the Head of Sector Support and Grants and the CEO, will oversee the continued development and delivery of this exciting partnership into the longer-term. This role will also work closely with the Propel initiative under London Funders to ensure effective coordination of work is done at all levels.  

We’re looking for someone with energy and imagination who can demonstrate our impact and build strong relationships with funders – making the case for ambitious investigative journalism that holds power to account.

You’ll work closely with our Development Director and project leads, playing a central role in securing the resources that power our investigations. If you love variety, know how to tell a compelling story, and want to use your skills to back fearless impact-led journalism, we’d love to hear from you.

About the role

We are the UK’s largest independent non-profit investigative newsroom. Our reporting is published by media partners around the world and holds power to account across five areas: environment, health, big tech, dirty money and local power.

This role will manage 2–3 of our editorial teams, providing strategic fundraising support to help them deliver journalism that drives real-world change. While the exact portfolio will be confirmed with the successful candidate, the role will initially support 2-3 of our core teams and may also contribute to work on emerging issues such as mis- and disinformation and its impact on UK communities.

Our teams include:

• Bureau Local: Works with communities across the UK to uncover hidden stories and drive accountability. Recent work includes exposing the exploitation of migrant workers, running a community-led investigation shaped by the Trans+ community, and bringing vital transparency to the family courts through reporting and mentoring.

• Enablers: Investigates the lawyers, accountants and financial structures that enable corruption and allow illicit finance to flow through the UK. Their reporting has prompted major regulatory investigations and scrutiny.

• Big Tech: Scrutinises the power and influence of major technology companies, examining issues such as moderator working conditions, surveillance, algorithmic harms, digital rights and the impact of AI on society. Their reporting has informed safety measures, supported litigation, and strengthened public understanding of how tech shapes our lives.

• Environment: Investigates the environmental and human impacts of resource extraction, climate finance and the actions of powerful corporations. Their reporting has contributed to changes in corporate practices and prompted customers to take action - including leaving their banks.

• Global Health: Examines the systems that shape access to healthcare, the safety and quality of medicines, and the influence of corporate and political interests on global health outcomes. The team has briefed the WHO and medical practitioners, ensuring their findings inform policy and frontline practice.

Our fundraising

The Bureau is almost entirely funded through grants and donations – without our supporters, we couldn’t do what we do. Over recent years, we’ve grown to a team of 35 people with an annual income of £2.8m, backed by a committed network of trusts, foundations, and individuals.

This is an exciting time to join our fundraising team as we build on those strong relationships and explore new ways to diversify our income.

Responsibilities

• Work with project leads to develop their ideas into a strong case for support, translating complex issues into powerful, accessible narratives for funders.

• Manage relationships with existing funders, ensuring timely reporting, effective stewardship and continued support.

• Research and develop a pipeline of new prospects.

• Write compelling proposals and applications to secure new grants.

• Collaborate with our other Fundraising Manager, who leads on the remaining themes, and provide support in those areas when needed.

• Support the Bureau in identifying ways to diversify our income, such as helping to grow our major donor programme.

• Work closely with colleagues across the Bureau - from reporters and impact producers to operations and finance – and play an active part in maintaining a collaborative, supportive workplace culture.

• Pitch in on a range of fundraising tasks, big and small, to keep the Bureau in the best position to deliver its journalism.

Skills and experience

You don’t need to tick every box in this ad – we are committed to hiring people with potential. If you feel like you lack some specific experience but have the necessary drive and passion, please don’t be deterred from applying.

• Fundraising track record: 5+ years’ experience raising significant money for charities or non-profits, especially from foundations (HNW experience a bonus).

• Grants expertise: confidence managing the full cycle from initial due diligence and agreements through to reporting back about our work.

• Great communicator: able to translate complex issues into strong and compelling proposals; fluent in English.

• Researcher and analyst: skilled at identifying new funding opportunities.

• Organised: able to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines with strong attention to detail.

• Collaborative: comfortable working with colleagues at all levels in a newsroom environment.

• Creative and resourceful: able to think beyond simple metrics to make a powerful case for impact.

Experience securing funds for journalism, social justice, civil society, or human rights is desirable but not essential. People with experience raising funds for campaigning or rights-based work may be especially well-suited.

Benefits – what we offer

• 25 days annual leave + Christmas closure days

• Option to work a nine-day fortnight - (by reduction in annual leave)

• Flexible and hybrid working

• Enhanced sick pay

• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay (after 12 months’ service)

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Learning and development opportunities

• Cycle to Work scheme

How to apply

Please send a CV and cover letter to our email located on our website by 19th January 2026. Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 26 January.

If you need support with your application, such as reasonable adjustments, or have questions before applying, contact the email address located on our Fundraising Manager page. You must have the right to live and work in the UK.

Please also complete our anonymous equality monitoring form here, which helps us track who we are reaching.

Our values

• Just: We pursue what is right with integrity and fairness.

• Honest: We reveal the truth, even when uncomfortable.

• Courageous: We break new ground with ambition and tenacity.

• Inclusive: We embrace diversity, equity, and different perspectives.

Collaborative: We believe people are stronger when they work together.

The Information Manager is a pivotal senior role within The Migraine Trust—responsible for shaping and developing all health information produced by the organisation. This role ensures that our information is accurate, accessible, evidence‑based and meets the highest national standards, including oversight of our Patient Information Forum (PIF TICK) accreditation. The health information we produce covers a wide range of topics from migraine treatments, management of migraine, latest research and migraine triggers. There is also an ongoing need to scope new information needs and, where identified, produce new information. The depth of health information we currently have and will produce in the future ensures that this role will offer plenty of opportunities to work with a range of stakeholders on a variety of information topics. We currently hold PIF TICK certification, which will be part of this role to maintain. You will help us maintain the quality of our health information and ensure that we comply with the charity’s writing style and branding.

Acting as the charity’s subject‑matter expert on migraine information, the postholder plays a vital strategic role in influencing organisational priorities, ensuring the public, healthcare professionals, policymakers and wider stakeholders have access to accurate, impactful and up‑to‑date content.

This role directly contributes to the Trust’s strategic ambitions by:

• Strengthening public understanding of migraine
• Reducing stigma and misinformation
• Improving healthcare navigation and outcomes
• Supporting clinical and policy change
• Enhancing organisational reach

Key tasks and responsibilities

Producing and maintaining quality information

Manage The Migraine Trust’s provision of health information in line with the charity’s annual planning cycle and the PIF TICK accreditation.  This will include: -

· Lead The Migraine Trust’s health information portfolio, ensuring alignment to annual plans, organisational strategy, and PIF TICK quality standards

· Manage the full lifecycle of health information—from scoping and research to writing, expert review, design and publication

· Reviewing and updating existing information content, ensuring it is accurate, up-to-date, accessible and produced in consultation with service users and people with lived experience, relevant medical advisors, health care professionals, the charity’s staff and other relevant specialists and organisations when appropriate

· Identify emerging gaps in information and lead the development of new materials

· Identify and engage with target groups identified in our three year strategy to identify need and produce associated materials

· Support staffs learning and build knowledge of migraine

Build key strategic partnerships to assist us in disseminating information on migraine.

· Champion the use of world class health information within the organisation, as well as displaying a high level of expertise around all our health information content

· Build and maintain strategic partnerships with healthcare professionals, professional bodies, and charity sector organisations to increase reach and influence

· Represent the charity externally as a health information expert at conferences and events

· Help to support our busy communications team to help provide messaging content for videos, blogs, responses to media requests etc

· Take responsibility for the provision of printed information materials to ensure we can continue to provide resources to suit demand, in a cost-effective manner

· Work with the communications team to identify creative and accessible ways to disseminate our information to a variety of audience

· Work closely with our valued volunteer group to gain feedback and direction on all aspects of our health information

· Explore opportunities of coproduction with other charities to further our reach

Support the evaluation and impact reporting of our information provision by regularly monitoring its use using a variety of evaluation methods and produce timely and accurate reports for both internal and external use.

· Updating and maintaining the health information web pages

· Lead the monitoring and evaluation of all health information outputs

· Produce impact reports and insights to inform strategic decision‑making, fundraising proposals, research priorities and service development

· Maintain and continuously improve data‑driven approaches to evaluating reach, accessibility and effectiveness of health information

· Keep up to date with relevant information and research on migraine

· Work with external suppliers such as designers, printers

Research

A very small aspect of this role is to be the focal point for our research administration which will include:

· Being the key point of communication and support for the research committee

· Manage administrative duties relating to new applications for research funding and current grant holders

· Co-ordinate and send out papers for research meetings (once a year maximum)

· Liaising with researchers funded by the charity and ensuring project reporting is up to date

· Liaise with the AMRC as and when appropriate

Other

· Represent the charity at appropriate external events for both the public and healthcare professionals

· Build relationships with healthcare professionals, external stakeholders and members of our community

· You may be asked to work outside of office hours or travel within the UK

· Be a supportive and participatory senior member of the team

· Abide by the charity’s policies, practices and core values

· Support diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.

• • nsuring project reporting is up to date
  • Liaise with the AMRC as and when appropriate

The Senior Organisational Development Manager is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and evaluation of organisational development strategies and programmes to foster a high-performing culture, improve employee engagement, and support the achievement of strategic business goals. 

This role involves partnering with senior leadership, identifying organisational needs, and developing innovative solutions to complex challenges related to structure, processes, leadership, and talent. 

This role is not open to sponsorship.

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

Role Requirements

• Lead strategic OD initiatives that build leadership capability, drive cultural change, and support talent development as part of the organisation’s 2030 Strategy.
• Establish an organisational EDI framework with clear priorities, metrics and governance.
• Continue to embed and further develop the organisational Wellbeing strategy and embed practises that support emotional resilience.
• Champion EDI and Wellbeing initiatives, ensuring these are integral to the OD Plan and embedded in the Workforce Strategy.
• Lead the design and implementation of a trauma-informed, psychologically safe organisational culture.
• Develop frameworks for staff engagement, inclusion, and psychological safety to create a wider positive and high-performing culture.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to shape organisational behaviours, leadership styles, and decision-making that reflect our mission and values.
• Undertake diagnostics analysis to identify cultural, behavioural and capability gaps and develop/ implement a plan to address.
• Drive cultural alignment and leadership cohesion following organisational change, ensuring leaders are equipped to model values, foster collaboration, and lead change effectively across all directorates.
• Design and deliver leadership development programmes that equip leaders to inspire, manage change, and drive organisational success.
• Ensure the fulfilment of current and future commitments to the Leadership Development programme ensuring that our leaders are equipped with the tools they need to drive the organisation forward together with inspiring their individual teams.
• Support succession planning and talent pipelines, ensuring future leadership capability and culture aligns with strategic priorities.
• Provide sound recommendations and strategic direction on learning, career and leadership development, across the organisation based on observation of best practice externally.
• Oversee the Apprenticeship Scheme and core training programmes, ensuring alignment with workforce growth and retention goals.
• Manage the central training budget, ensuring efficient delivery of mandatory and developmental training.
• Continuously review induction and learning programmes, adapting content and processes to meet evolving organisational needs and cultural development.
• Drive organisational initiatives aimed at achieving elevated professional standards and qualifications.

Interview Date: To be confirmed.

Terms and Conditions

Strictly no agencies, please.

About Us

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

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

Staff Benefits

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

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

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

Rehabilitation of Offenders

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

Equal Opportunity Employer

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

Online Searches

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

This is an exceptional opportunity to join Belong’s Senior Leadership Team as Director of Policy & Research, a role that sits at the heart of our mission to shape national conversations on cohesion and integration. You will lead Belong’s policy development, research strategy, and national partnerships, ensuring our work is grounded in robust evidence and lived experience. This position offers the chance to influence systemic change, amplify Belong’s voice with policymakers and opinion formers, and ensure our insights drive real-world impact.

As Director of Policy & Research, you will:

• Lead the development of Belong’s policy and research agenda, aligning it with organisational strategy and national priorities.
• Produce high-quality policy outputs, including reports, briefings, consultation responses, and thought leadership pieces.
• Oversee the design and delivery of research projects, including commissioning and partnership work, ensuring rigor and inclusivity.
• Translate research findings into actionable policy recommendations and advocacy strategies.
• Foster strong collaboration between the Policy & Research team and Programme Delivery team, ensuring insights inform both policy and practice.
• Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, parliamentarians, journalists, and opinion formers.
• Represent Belong externally at high-level meetings, events, and in the media, amplifying our impact and reach.
• Develop strategic messaging and narratives that position Belong as a thought leader in social cohesion.
• Support campaigns and public engagement initiatives that promote Belong’s policy goals.
• Contribute to organisational development, strategic planning, and income generation through proposal development and funder engagement.
• Line manage policy and research staff, providing leadership, support, and professional development.

This is a senior leadership role for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and wants to drive systemic change at scale.

About You
We are seeking a strategic and insightful leader with:

• Proven experience in policy development and research leadership.
• Experience working in or with government, think tanks, or advocacy organisations.
• Strong understanding of social policy and influencing processes.
• Knowledge of cohesion, integration, and community relations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including media engagement and public speaking.
• Ability to translate complex research into accessible policy messages.
• Familiarity with participatory and applied research methods.
• Strong strategic thinking and planning abilities.
• Relevant qualification in public policy, social research, or a related field.
• Experience managing teams and budgets, and supporting income generation through fundraising and proposal development.

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about improving cohesion and integration in the UK.
• Strategic and visionary thinker.
• Collaborative and inclusive leader.
• Politically astute and intellectually curious.
• Practical, focused, and reliable.
• Committed to personal and professional development.

Why Join Us?
At Belong, you’ll be part of a dynamic, values-driven team united by a shared commitment to creating a more inclusive and connected society. We offer:

• 30 days’ annual leave
• Hybrid working (typically 3 days in the office)
• Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly policies
• 3% pension contribution
• Opportunities for professional development and growth

Join us and help shape national policy and research that builds stronger, kinder, and more connected communities across the UK.

Salary: £65,000–£70,000
Location: UK-wide (regular travel across England and Wales)
Contract: Permanent, Full-time

About Belong
Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network is the UK’s leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to building a more united and less divided society. Established in 2019, we work across sectors to strengthen trust, belonging, and resilience in communities. Through research, policy influence, and place-based programmes, we connect people, places, and organisations to share learning and drive systemic change. Our growing membership spans local authorities, charities, civil society, and businesses. Belong is collaborative, evidence-led, and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Our office is based in Manchester and we offer hybrid working for those able to travel there. However, this role is open UK-wide and can be worked remotely, with regular travel across England and Wales required.

Lead policy and research projects that shape national conversations on cohesion and integration. Join Belong and help create lasting change across the UK.

This is an exciting opportunity to take a pivotal role in delivering high-impact projects that inform practice and influence decision-makers. As Belong enters its next phase of growth, we are determined to deepen our impact, strengthen our resilience, and champion cohesion and integration at scale.

About Belong
Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network is the UK’s leading not-for-profit organisation focused on building a more united and less divided society. Established in 2019, we work across sectors to strengthen trust, belonging, and resilience in communities. Through research, policy influence, and place-based programmes, we connect people, places, and organisations to share learning and drive systemic change. Our growing membership spans local authorities, charities, civil society, and businesses. Belong is collaborative, evidence-led, and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The Role
As Policy and Research Lead, you will design and deliver research and policy projects that inform practice and influence decision-makers. You will produce high-quality outputs, translate evidence into actionable recommendations, and contribute to Belong’s thought leadership. This role combines strategic insight with hands-on delivery and offers the chance to shape national conversations on social cohesion.

Key Responsibilities

• Policy and Research Leadership

  • Lead the design and delivery of policy and research projects, ensuring quality, relevance, and impact.
  • Produce policy briefings, reports, consultation responses, and thought leadership pieces.
  • Translate research findings into actionable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.
  • Ensure projects are inclusive, participatory, and informed by lived experience.
  • Monitor policy developments and contribute to strategic positioning and horizon scanning.

• Stakeholder Engagement

  • Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, researchers, funders, and sector leaders.
  • Represent Belong at external meetings, events, and networks.
  • Support collaborative research and policy initiatives with partners and commissioners.
  • Contribute to dissemination of Belong’s work through events, media, and digital channels.

• Internal Collaboration

  • Support the Director of Policy & Research in developing Belong’s policy influencing strategy.
  • Contribute to organisational learning and cross-team collaboration.
  • Assist with proposal development and funder engagement.
  • Line manage junior staff or associates as required.

About You
We are seeking a strategic and thoughtful leader with:

• Proven experience in leading policy and applied research programmes.
• Experience working in or with government, think tanks, or advocacy organisations.
• Strong analytical and writing skills.
• Knowledge of cohesion, integration, and community development.
• Excellent project management and organisational abilities.
• Familiarity with participatory and inclusive research methods.
• Experience in income generation or bid development.
• Relevant qualification in public policy, social research, or related field.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into accessible messages.
• Politically aware and intellectually curious.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about improving cohesion and integration in the UK.
• Strategic and solutions-focused.
• Collaborative and inclusive.
• Practical, reliable, and detail-oriented.
• Committed to personal and professional development.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Why Join Us?
At Belong, you’ll be part of a dynamic, values-driven team united by a shared commitment to creating a more inclusive and connected society. We offer:

• 30 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Hybrid working
• Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly policies
• Opportunities for professional development and growth

Join us and help shape policy and research that builds stronger, kinder, and more connected communities across the UK.

Our office is based in Manchester and we offer hybrid working for those able to travel there. However, this role is open UK-wide and can be worked remotely, with regular travel across England and Wales required.

The Centre for Justice Innovation is looking to recruit a creative and pragmatic policy professional to help us advocate for evidence-based reform to criminal and family justice policy in the UK.

What will You be doing?

Our policy officer will play a key role in building on our research and practice insights to make the arguments for evidence-based policy in the UK’s justice systems, with a focus on building links in Westminster and Whitehall. You will work across our portfolio of work on issues such as:

• Diverting young people away from unnecessary criminal justice system involvement
• Ensuring that the justice system works with vulnerable women in a gender-sensitive and trauma-informed way
• Making sure that children and families involved in the family justice system have the right support.

Your duties will include:

• Producing policy materials and engaging with political stakeholders (e.g., submitting evidence to committees, emailing MPs, writing briefings);
• Working with our teams to translate research and practice work into products appropriate for policy audiences;
• Building our networks with policymakers and legislators in Westminster;
• Building our networks with third sector organisations and others who seek to influence policy, and representing the organisation at external meetings;
• Monitoring relevant parliamentary business and providing updates to the teams;
• Generating ideas for, planning and delivering on events and webinars;
• Contributing to the organisation’s thinking on strategic justice policy, and scoping new areas of work.

Every member of our team plays a part in influencing how the Centre develops. Roles and objectives may shift, and we ask everyone to work with creativity and flexibility in response to changing business needs.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge

Through your application, you should demonstrate the experience, skills and knowledge you have in the areas described below.

Experience

• Engaging with political stakeholders;
• Producing high-quality written materials to engage different policy audiences;
• Conducting desk-based research;
• Delivering events.

Skills, abilities and knowledge

• Excellent writing skills and good spoken English;
• Excellent analytical skills to succinctly develop and express key arguments;
• Good understanding of the UK political environment
• Demonstrable interest in and understanding of social policy issues
• Awareness of parliamentary processes and opportunities;
• Insight into the challenges policymakers face in delivering change;
• A creative approach to solving social problems and identifying practical solutions;
• The ability to balance multiple priorities and manage your own workload to meet deadlines.

You will also need to have:

• A willingness and ability to travel within the UK and occasionally overseas;
• Eligibility to work in the UK legally.

Timeline

The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday, 12th January 2026. Interviews will be held at our office in Kennington in the week commencing 19th January 2026.

Other benefits

• Matched pension contributions
• Employee healthcare scheme
• Flexible hous

Equal opportunities

It is the policy of The Centre for Justice Innovation to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability, offending history or trade union membership status.

We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive.

The Centre is committed to fair recruitment and the inclusion of applicants with criminal records. It is essential that people do not face unfair discrimination in any role within the charity, whether paid or voluntary. For that reason, we do not use criminal records to exclude people. We only ask about criminal records if they are relevant to the role.

Location: Remote, in the UK (mandatory to travel to London once a month, at own cost)

Line Manager: Executive Director

WHO WE ARE

Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation working with society, governments and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Animal Equality releases investigative materials captured from inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, exposing the conditions that farmed animals face around the world. We publish our findings on television, in newspapers and online. We routinely secure mainstream media coverage, including on the BBC, ITV, Sky news, The Times, the Guardian, New York Times and many more.

Animal Equality also advocates for political change. Our current campaigns include a UK ban on foie gras imports, increased enforcement of existing animal protection laws, legal protections for farmed fish, and Government subsidies for transitioning towards a plant-based food system.

We focus on farmed animals because of the scale and severity of the issue. More than a billion animals are confined and killed for human consumption every year in the UK. Farmed animals also often suffer in some of the worst ways: pigs typically endure painful mutilations, many chickens die of heart attacks, fish are confined in underwater cages, and some farmed animals are victims of deliberate abuse and neglect. But the problem is solvable! By utilising effective campaigning strategies, Animal Equality is having an impact for animals around the world and building a future where all animals are respected and protected, and are no longer exploited for human consumption.

Animal Equality UK’s current key campaigns include:

• Strengthening enforcement of animal protection laws
• Halting the expansion of Scotland’s salmon farming industry
• Achieving a ban on foie gras imports
• Securing species-specific slaughter legislation for fish
• Inspiring the public to eat plants, not animals

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a strategic, personable, persuasive, and policy-savvy Food Policy Specialist to spearhead Government relations and stakeholder outreach. This highly impactful role bridges high-level advocacy with on-the-ground influence, and involves advising Government Ministers, politicians, expert bodies, and sector stakeholders to promote policies that support plant-forward dietary shifts aligned with the UK’s sustainability, public health, and animal welfare commitments and priorities.

The Food Policy Specialist will report to the UK Executive Director and oversee our diet change (‘Love Veg’) programme and team members working on diet change campaigns, with the objective of encouraging the public to eat plants, not animals. 

ABOUT YOU

You are a thoughtful communicator, tactically agile, and confident in high-level engagement – both in person and through written reports. You are strategic, evidence-driven, and ready to shape policy narratives that positively impact animals with proactivity and integrity.

You actively seek constructive feedback and use it to continuously improve your work. You show ownership and a growth mindset that is focused on improving the world for farmed animals. Knowledge of farmed animal issues and alignment with Animal Equality’s mission is a must, as is professionalism, adaptability, and discretion.

You must have a minimum of four years’ experience in public affairs, Government relations, policy advocacy, or food systems policy. You are expected to have a strong understanding of UK political structures and policy-making dynamics, excellent analytical written and presentation skills, and an ability to simplify complex research into persuasive policy messages. You must be a confident problem-solver, with a solutions-focused attitude and a collaborative spirit.

BENEFITS

• Holiday entitlement equal to 33 days per year (including standard public holidays).
• Personalised Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): an Animal Equality-funded benefit that offers employees confidential counselling and advice on a wide range of work and personal issues. The programme offers several services, such as a 24/7 confidential helpline and expert Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
• Flexible hours, with the option to start between 8am-10am and finish between 4pm-6pm.
• Able Futures Support: The service is a nine month, practical and confidential support service for employees whose circumstances or mental health may impact their wellbeing or work. Employees can work with a mental health professional to deepen their understanding of how their mental health may impact them and will build coping skills and resilience to thrive at work.
• Yearly stipend to access learning and development resources, to help employees further grow their personal and professional skills.
• A free vegan lunch every month at the Animal Equality monthly meetups.

APPLY NOW

To read the full job description and apply, please visit our careers page.

Closing date: 5.00pm on Friday 9th January 2026

The interview process comprises a multiple-stage interview and skills test. The appointment process will run throughout December and January, with Animal Equality UK making an offer to the successful candidate shortly after.

Dancers’ Career Development (DCD), the national charity that enables and empowers dancers to thrive professionally and personally leading up to and beyond their performance careers, seek a General Manager.

We are seeking an exceptional administrator who has experience in, or is interested in further developing, a broad knowledge of company management.

The main purpose of the General Manager role is to support the Executive Director, with the day-to-day operational management and administration of DCD.

The role will ideally suit a personable individual who enjoys varied responsibilities, working collaboratively within a highly productive, agile and supportive team.

If you are excited by this opportunity, resonate with DCD’s values and are passionate about making a positive difference to dancers’ lives, please get in touch; we would love to hear from you.

Contract: Part-time permanent role (24 hours per week)

Salary: £35,000 per annum, pro-rata

Start date: As early as possible

Location: This is a remote working role, with monthly in-person meetings which take place in London or Birmingham, with occasional additional in-person events and meetings as required by the charity. 

Benefits: 23 days holiday pro-rata plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 28 days with length of service), 5% Employers contribution to pension scheme, Health & Wellbeing package, Professional Development opportunities.

Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 9am, Thursday 22 January 2026

Further Info: Please download the Recruitment Pack from our website for full job spec and how to apply.

Hybrid working with regular travel to our London Bridge Office

What the job involves

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it’s harming too many lives. At Prostate Cancer UK, one of our top priorities is funding research that leads to real change. It’s vital we do our best to make sure this research makes a meaningful difference to men’s lives, and that’s where you come in. 

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Senior Research Officer to help us deliver our funding schemes and patient and public involvement work.  This role sits in the Research Funding Team and will provide us with support across our grant funding schemes, ensuring we are following best practise in research funding. 

You’ll take responsibility for a small portfolio of active research grants, providing support and guidance to the researchers leading them. You’ll be a main point of contact for grant applicants, supporting them as they apply to us and will be responsible for running peer review. Using your understanding of research funding and administration, you’ll help make sure our funding schemes run smoothly and to time. You’ll work with colleagues to support patient and public involvement in research both in our review process and through our Patient Representative Network who help researchers make sure their work is focussed on the needs of men with prostate cancer.

What we want from you

We’re looking for a Senior Research Officer who is passionate about research and has a desire to develop knowledge of prostate cancer. You’ll hold a biomedical degree (or a degree in a related science subject), or with equivalent experience gained in research funding, administration or the wider research sector.

You’ll already have a good grasp of how grant funding works with demonstrable experience of research administration and peer review. Confidence in interpreting complex scientific information is important, as you’ll be using this knowledge to find the right people to peer review the grant applications that are submitted to our schemes.  You’ll have experience of supporting scientific meetings, preferably research funding committees, and understand the importance of capturing accurate minutes to provide constructive feedback to applicants.

You're also an accurate record keeper with a keen eye for detail and excellent time management skills. You're assured and clear in your communication, both written and verbal, and you're able to respond to a wide range of inquiries from researchers while always adhering to data protection and confidentiality best practices.  Experience of using Symplectic’s Grant Tracker or other grant management systems would be an advantage but is not essential. 

We encourage applications from candidates who may not completely fit the job description as we are fully committed to help colleagues develop and progress in their role.

Why work with us?
Every man needs to know about the most common cancer in men – prostate cancer. It’s a real and present danger that takes over 12,000 of our dads, grandads, brothers and friends each year.

Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK. We have a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging lives. We invest millions in research to revolutionise testing, treatment and care. We’re blazing a trail to a screening programme that could save thousands of lives with regular, accurate tests for all men at risk. And we work tirelessly to spread the word about risk and offer specialist support to people living with the disease.

Work with us and you’ll see your efforts pay off as we give men and their families the power to navigate prostate cancer.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

At Prostate Cancer UK we’re committed to righting health inequalities across the UK, starting with those faced by Black men. This includes ground-breaking research into Black men's risk and working with communities directly to overcome barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. To make this happen, we're dedicated to being an inclusive, proactive organisation, as we strive to be Allies to Black communities. We’ll achieve this by advocating and working alongside those communities to promote change. We're also working to be Allies to each other, not only protected groups. In 2024, we launched our New Allyship Training Programme. All colleagues at Prostate Cancer UK will be trained to act and identify as an Ally.

We've also signed Business in the Communities Race at Work Charter, as a dedication to our Black health equity work and wider EDI priorities. As a signatory, we're responsible and accountable for driving positive change.

How and where we work

We are all expected to be in the office (SE1 2QN) 4 days a month (pro-rata for part time colleagues) to work with and alongside colleagues in our immediate team and beyond to build connections and strong working relationships. We value that face-to-face time for relationships, projects and decisions.

Next steps
More information on what we offer, as well as the role, can be found on our vacancies page. Please download our job profile document (job description) with our ‘How to apply’ section sharing the key points to refer to in your application and to apply.

Got a question? Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or any other questions – we’re here to help.

The closing date is Sunday 11th January 2026.  Applications must be submitted by 23:45 UK time.

Interviews: By arrangement. Currently scheduled for the week of Monday 19th January 2026. We’re expecting the interviews for this role to be held online.

We are recruiting our first Fundraising Manager, to help us grow AEC’s income, with a focus on trusts and foundations, and corporate partners. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a new fundraising function, delivering effective fundraising activity that directly impacts the lives of young people in one of London’s most deprived boroughs.

In return for you bringing us your passion for our mission, we can offer:

• High visibility – you’ll see the impact of your work every week in the lives of the young people we support.
• A blank canvas – shape our fundraising strategy and pipeline from the start.
• Supportive leadership – work closely with a passionate Director and engaged trustees.
• Flexibility – hybrid working, adaptable hours and autonomy in managing your workload.
• Values-led culture – warm, collaborative, child-focused and community rooted.
• Strong story to tell – AEC has a 30+ year history, proven impact and inspiring outcomes.

Our story:

Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders (AEC) is a youth charity east London; we are one of the UK’s top competitive cheerleading programmes, operating out of our "Talent Central" gym in Newham. Founded in 1996, our mission is to empower young people to reach their full potential, regardless of their background, ability or economic circumstances.

We supplement our sport programmes with mentoring, educational activities and leadership training - everything we do is about helping young people to develop life skills, confidence and positive values (consistency; integrity; perseverance; persistence) to help them become the best that they can be.

At Talent Central, over 150 young people take part in our recreational and competitive activities each week. Our inclusive approach extends to our Special Education Needs (SEN) team, ensuring young people with disabilities can also participate and thrive. Alongside this, our schools’ outreach programme reaches more than 250 children weekly. Each year, we also welcome hundreds of athletes who train at our gym, including England’s National Cheerleading Team.

We provide a safe, supportive environment where young people can grow in confidence, resilience and teamwork.

What you will be responsible for as our Fundraising Manager:

• Developing a clear fundraising framework and working with our trustees to shape our fundraising strategy
• Researching and securing funding from trusts, foundations, corporate partners and relevant networks
• Writing strong, persuasive funding applications and engaging impact reports
• Building and stewarding long-term relationships with funders, potential partners, businesses and networks, and exploring opportunities for collaboration
• Exploring new income streams to help deliver our mission, including digital fundraising and community giving
• Tracking engagement using a CRM system
• Helping to ensure our organisational policies are appropriate for funders' compliance
• Reporting on progress to the Director and trustees, ensuring transparency and good governance.

This role combines strategic development (30%) and hands-on delivery (70%) - ideal for a proactive fundraiser who enjoys both planning and doing.

This job is for you if you:

• are a proactive, self-starter and are motivated by delivering results
• are highly organised, with strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills
• thrive in a varied role and have the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• enjoy meeting people - you are confident with networking, public speaking, and relationship-building
• have excellent bid writing and reporting skills, and a proven track record of securing income across multiple streams (grants, partnerships, events)
• are values-driven, with a passion for youth development
• enjoy flexible hours and hybrid working.

Good to know:

• You will report to: The Director of AEC and the Board of Trustees
• Location: Hybrid; ability to work from home,  with occasional meetings at our gym in Newham, London  and attendance at donor meetings/networking events, etc
• Hours: Part-time - 2 or 3 days per week (to be agreed with the successful candidate)
• Salary: £30,000–£35,000 per annum (full time equivalent salary)
• Annual leave: 28 days per annum FTE (will be pro-rated based on agreed work days)
• Pension: Defined contribution scheme, with employer matching available

Criminal record check: Please note that as an organisation working with young people, we have specific safeguarding responsibilities and it is our policy to conduct background checks on all our employees.  You will be asked to complete a criminal record disclosure.

How to apply: Click the CharityJob Apply button below. You’ll be asked to submit a CV, tell us why you'd love to help us deliver our mission and answer a few short screening questions.

Closing date: Please make sure we receive your application by 1700hrs on Friday 23 January 2026.

Interviews: Interviews will be held online on Friday 23 January and Friday 30 January 2026.

The Degrees Initiative is a UK-based NGO that strengthens the capacity of the Global South to evaluate solar radiation modification (SRM), a controversial proposal for reducing some impacts of climate change by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. Degrees is neutral on whether SRM should ever be used, but we believe that the Global South should be empowered to conduct their own research and to play a central role in SRM discussions. The initiative has been working in different forms for over a decade, and our work receives worldwide coverage and widespread acclaim. 

This is a unique opportunity to inform conversations on SRM in Africa. Rather than lobbying for outcomes, Degrees aims to support informed, independent policymaking by fostering connections between researchers and policymakers and strengthening institutional expertise. Degrees promotes regional research, creates spaces for policy-science dialogue, and supports the dissemination of Global South research.

Responsibilities

The Policy and Engagement Manager, Africa will strengthen the voice of the Global South in discussions and potential negotiations on SRM research and governance with relevance to Africa by connecting experts to policy processes. Accordingly, the successful candidate will: 

• Identify and engage key policy actors (e.g. national delegates and legislators, scientific advisors, intergovernmental officials) in Africa, connecting them to local SRM experts and providing them with information, where appropriate, while remaining neutral regarding the potential use and governance of SRM;
• Work with SRM researchers from the region to support the ongoing development of a coordinated community of experts; 
• Build informal and formal partnerships with like-minded organisations, helping to inform discussions and counter misinformation about climate and SRM.
• Share expertise and experience gained from Africa with staff and researchers and participate, as appropriate, in activities in Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean to gain similar expertise;
• Identify the most impactful international forums and regional SRM discussions, and work to connect local experts into these; 
• Identify a core group of researchers interested in policy engagement, and facilitate and join their participation in governance fora such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNFCCC COP, UN Environment Assembly, and meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
• Support the execution and coordination of the Degrees policy engagement strategy in collaboration with other policy and programmatic staff; 
• Contribute to budgeting and alignment with programmes;
• Support monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities by contributing to tracking, documentation, and reporting of policy engagement outcomes;
• In cooperation with the communications staff, ensure the development of clear, contextualised briefing materials for policy makers and other audiences. 

White Ribbon is the leading organisation in the UK working to engage men and boys in ending violence against women and girls. Our mission is to prevent men’s violence against women through addressing its root causes, gender inequality and harmful gender norms and stereotypes. We do this by working with individual men and boys, organisations, and the community, helping them to understand the scale of the problem, and how they can be part of the solution.

This is an exciting time to join White Ribbon as our work and profile has grown significantly over recent years as the importance of engaging men in ending violence has become more apparent. We have an increasing public presence, through campaigning activities, policy influence, in the media and online.

Location: This is a London based post, with remote working.  Most frequent and regular networking and partnership meetings and events will be in London, with some travel throughout England and Wales, particularly around the White Ribbon Day period.  You will be required to attend occasional meetings with the staff team at various locations around the country, including quarterly in West Yorkshire.

You will lead our policy work to influence decision makers and our awareness raising campaigns, including our flagship White Ribbon Day and the following 16 days of activism, with ambitious engagement targets across a wide group of stakeholders.   Your work will bring about demonstrable societal and policy change.

Please see the full job description and person specification attached.