Policy research officer jobs in Kensington, greater london

Martingale Postgraduate Foundation (Martingale) exists to fund and support the next generation of talented researchers. We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence, and our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate research.

Martingale’s flagship programme is the Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship, which supports students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue and excel in postgraduate degrees, by providing:

• A fully-funded Living Wage Scholarship to pursue a one-year Masters degree or a four-year PhD.
• All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend for living costs.
• Tailored support to apply for Martingale courses at our partner universities.
• Access to Martingale programmes, including leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
• Membership of a pioneering community of talented researchers.

In the three years since Martingale launched, we have supported over 100 Scholars to undertake postgraduate degrees across our ten partner universities and have committed over £7.7m in Scholarships. We are continuing to expand our offer, bringing on new partners each year.

As Operations Manager, you would ensure the smooth running of day-to-day operations and to lead special projects that tackle big organisational questions. Working closely with the Director of Operations, you will support the development and improvement of Martingale’s systems and processes. You will also have the opportunity to lead standalone projects that require structured problem-solving and strong judgement including preparing Martingale for spin out. You will bring clarity and traction across multiple workstreams, working closely with senior colleagues and external partners.

We are looking for a strategic thinker with a proactive approach to their work, who can identify and help resolve issues, and recognise opportunities. You will bring excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail, a proactive mindset, and a strong alignment with Martingale’s mission. We welcome applicants from a range of career paths who are excited to be part of a growing, fast-paced charity delivering meaningful impact.

Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures who provide operational and strategic support. The Operations Manager will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.

About Purposeful Ventures

Purposeful Ventures partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to improve the education and well-being of young people from their earliest years.

We define and diagnose the issues affecting children and young people, analyse evidence and explore the most promising solutions. We then select, accelerate and, where we find a gap, incubate organisations which tackle those issues. We offer more than just funding to our charitable organisations. Our expertise, operational experience and networks enable us to deliver tailored, hands-on support with a relentless commitment to system change.

We are working with a wide range of organisations across the following portfolio areas to build and strengthen outstanding organisations that deliver systemic impact.

Key Responsibilities:

Special Projects

A significant and distinctive part of this role involves leading standalone analytical and operational projects that tackle substantive, open-ended questions. These will vary over time and will require intellectual curiosity, the ability to work with ambiguity, and the capacity to produce clear, high-quality outputs such as reports or proposals. Current and anticipated examples include: 

• Designing a model for calculating discounts or adjusted contribution rates for funders committing significant multi-year funding, balancing financial sustainability with funder relationship management.
• Preparing for spin-out: contributing to Martingale’s readiness for independence from Purposeful Ventures by scoping and delivering specific workstreams across governance, operations, finance, legal, and data.
• Leading other ad-hoc analytical or operational projects as they arise, including research into sector practice, policy analysis, or internal process design.

Operational infrastructure and continuous improvement

Liaise with colleagues across the organisation to understand business needs and issues, and develop and implement appropriate solutions to drive efficiency and impact, including: 

• Strengthening systems and processes: leading a structured review of Martingale’s operational infrastructure – including CRM, finance systems, HR processes, and information management – and implementing improvements that will support a larger, more complex organisation.
• Identify and codify operational processes and ways of working and proactively propose improvements where relevant, including ensuring that individual roles and responsibilities are clear.
• Manage cross-functional initiatives that require coordination across our departments.
• Identify and implement tools, technologies, and processes that can improve our ways of working.
• Lead exploratory projects, such as assessing how AI can be integrated into our work to enhance impact and efficiency.
• Provide project management support across different teams to drive key organisational goals.
• Manage the rollout of new processes and tools, supporting colleagues to adopt changes effectively.

Generalist Support and Cross-Functional Contribution

The Operations Manager will be a flexible and collaborative colleague, capable of contributing across different parts of the organisation’s work where needed:

• Provide high-quality analytical and operational support to the Director of Operations and CEO on a range of organisational questions.
• Contribute to the preparation of materials for the Advisory Board, governance bodies, and key external stakeholders, including papers, briefings, and data summaries.
• Support the Programme and External Relations departments on operational aspects of delivery, including events logistics, supplier management, and cross-team coordination.
• Represent the organisation professionally in communications with external stakeholders, including partner universities, suppliers, and service providers.
• Support Director of Operations with financial processes including preparing management accounts, building and refining financial forecasts and for growth, and onwards grants.
• With Director of Operations, liaise with outsourced providers including Purposeful Ventures to ensure effective working relationships and back-office support.

Other

• As duties and responsibilities change, the job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post holder.
• The post holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the role as requested by the line manager

Key Requirements:

Essential Criteria

• Right to work in the UK

Experience and skills

Essential

• Strong operations and project delivery experience in a fast-paced environment (e.g., charity, start-up, university, public sector, or professional services).
• Demonstrable experience leading projects end-to-end, including creating plans, managing stakeholders, and delivering outcomes.
• Experience leading or making a significant contribution to complex, standalone projects or pieces of analysis, including analysing ambiguous problems and turning them into clear outputs (e.g. reports, presentations) and actionable recommendations.
• Experience improving systems/processes (e.g., designing workflows, implementing tools, documenting processes, driving adoption).
• Experience of contracting, invoicing, and other operational finance processes, as well as procurement and supplier management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear documentation for internal and external audiences (experience drafting papers, briefings, or analytical reports is desirable).
• Experience working with CRM systems, project management tools, or other operational platforms, and a track record of improving or implementing systems and processes

Desirable

• Experience working with universities (partnerships, funding arrangements, research administration, or related).
• Experience supporting governance processes (papers, decision logs, approvals) or preparing materials for senior stakeholders.
• Experience working in a start-up, scale-up, or fast-growing charity. 

Personal Characteristics

• Highly organised, proactive, and able to prioritise effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: able to build rapport and trusting relationships, able to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
• Strong judgement, discretion and professionalism, including ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• A commitment to Martingale’s mission to support postgraduate students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Comfortable working in a rapidly growing and changing organisation with a degree of ambiguity – confident to create processes and ways forward where they might not yet exist.
• Intellectually curious and analytical – someone who enjoys getting into the detail of a complex question and working out a clear, defensible answer.
• Proactive and self-starting: able to identify what needs doing and take ownership without needing to be directed at every step.
• Resourceful, able to act on initiative, hardworking, detail-oriented, and systematic.

Help shape financial decision-making at one of the UK’s leading universities

King’s is a large, complex and internationally engaged university with ambitious plans for the years ahead. We are looking for an experienced finance leader to join us as Deputy Director of Finance Business Partnering (Operations), playing a key role in strengthening financial performance, decision-making and long-term sustainability across our Professional Services directorates.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to make a real impact. You will be part of our Financial Strategy, Planning and Performance function, helping King’s maintain the sustainable financial foundation needed to support our education, research and wider contribution to society.

The role

Reporting to the Director of Finance Business Partnering (Operations), you will lead high-quality finance business partnering services across a range of Professional Services areas, including Student Services, IT, Philanthropy and Alumni, Executive portfolios and other directorates.

You will directly line manage a team of Finance Business Partners and their Management Accountant teams, with overall responsibility for a team of around eight people, including three direct reports. You will also play a substantial leadership role across the wider Operations Finance Business Partnering team, supporting a team of around 19 colleagues.

This is a hands-on senior leadership role. You will work closely with senior stakeholders, providing expert advice, constructive challenge, analysis and timely decision support. You will help ensure financial plans are robust, risks and opportunities are understood, and resources are aligned with King’s strategic priorities.

What you will be doing

You will model excellent finance business partnering, using high-quality data and insight to support leaders across King’s Professional Services and Operations directorates. You will help stakeholders understand financial performance, make evidence-based decisions and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, value for money and long-term financial resilience.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the delivery of finance business partnering across multiple Professional Services areas.
• Providing strategic financial advice, scenario modelling and long-term forecasting to support decision-making.
• Leading and supporting annual planning, monthly reporting, quarterly updates and forecasting processes.
• Developing clear, robust reporting and commentary for senior stakeholders, including Executive-level audiences.
• Supporting business cases, complex financial issues and cross-cutting initiatives.
• Ensuring income and expenditure are recorded correctly and that management accounts provide meaningful insight.
• Promoting compliance with financial policies, controls, data protection and secure use of financial information.
• Championing improvements to reporting, tools, dashboards, templates and processes.
• Supporting the Director in leading the Operations Finance Business Partnering team, including culture, priorities, development and ways of working.
• Deputising for the Director when required.

About you

We are looking for a qualified accountant with significant experience of leading financial advice, planning, forecasting and reporting services in a large, complex organisation.

You will bring strong leadership skills, a service-focused approach and the ability to develop high-performing teams. You will be comfortable operating in complex stakeholder environments, managing competing priorities and influencing senior leaders with clarity, confidence and credibility.

You will be someone who can combine technical financial expertise with sound judgement, strong relationship-building skills and a commitment to continuous improvement.

You will need to bring

• A professional accountancy qualification.
• Experience of leading financial support, advice or business partnering services relevant to this role.
• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to manage and develop professional staff.
• Experience of leading short- and long-term planning, forecasting and reporting processes.
• The ability to deliver change and financial improvement across a finance function and wider organisation.
• Resilience and the ability to manage multiple objectives across teams and complex stakeholder groups.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present clearly to senior stakeholders and committees.
• Strong numeracy and IT skills, including Excel and experience using corporate finance and reporting systems.

A degree-level qualification and experience of working in or with the university sector would be advantageous, but are not essential.

Why join King’s?

This role offers the chance to help shape a step change in finance business partnering at King’s. You will be joining at a time when the team is embedding a refreshed business partnering offer, improving reporting and forecasting tools, strengthening stakeholder support and building financial capability across the organisation.

You will have the opportunity to work on high-profile priorities, influence senior decision-making and contribute to financial sustainability across a university with a powerful mission in education, research and service to society.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV by 25th May 2026. 

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Phil Southern at Ivy Rock Partners. 

This role will support the development and delivery of our services and resources for young people born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Working closely with the Engagement & Services team to help us achieve our mission. 

The Youth Engagement Coordinator will sit within the Engagement & Services Team. They will join a friendly and supportive team of seven colleagues who, together, are responsible for the delivery of CLAPA’s adult, family, children and young people and involvement services. The post holder will develop and deliver services for eight- to seventeen-year-olds, which will enable the young cleft community to connect, share experiences and access guidance and emotional support. Shaping what support looks like, creating positive impact and strengthening reach, this new role for CLAPA will make a real difference to the lives of children and young people born with a cleft.

If you think you have the talent, passion and experience to help us ensure we can always meet the needs of the community we serve, we want to hear from you.

You will provide clinical direction and maintain oversight of elop’s counselling services, bringing understanding and experience of delivering trauma-informed approaches to support the emotional health and psychological wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people.

You will oversee and contribute to clinical operational responsibilities, service coordination and delivery, ensuring a professional, safe, smooth running, efficient and well managed service is maintained.   You will work alongside the senior leadership team across both strategic and clinical operational levels ensuring lead responsibilities for our counselling teams and services. Working collaboratively with the senior leadership team, implementing clinical delivery decisions, ensuring the counselling service effectively maintains ethical and professional standards of practice and communication across key staff, other agencies and service users. 

You will proactively contribute to building a robust and compelling evidence base that continues to demonstrate impact, improved wellbeing, and increased resilience, and have a key role in monitoring, evaluation, and supporting the wider counselling team with reporting and using data to drive operations, and evidence-based best practice. 

Your role will also include overseeing referrals and allocation of clients; undertaking client assessments; providing role-management, and clinical support and supervision to trainee and sessional counsellors; line-management of key service personnel; some clinical support work with more complex or acute needs clients; recruiting, inducting and training key staff and volunteers; and liaising with the clinical supervision team. 

Full Time: 37 hours per week

There will be one regular evening/ week, and occasional other evening and weekend working required. 

Salary: £34,000 inclusive London Weighting

Closing deadline for submission of application: 10.00am Monday 1 June 2026

Initial Interviews: taking place Wednesday 10 June between 9.00am – 3.00pm

N.B. at this current time all elop services are operating via a mix of in-person and remotely via online platforms, whilst we await completion of building works and relocation to new premises.

Interview Date: Thursday 11th June 2026 & Friday 12th June 2026

Are you looking for a rewarding role working for an intersectional feminist organisation? If so, we have an incredible opportunity for you to join our team as an Philanthropy Lead at Solace Women's Aid.  

You will be joining a team of committed and inspiring individuals whose dedication has saved the lives of thousands of women, men and children in the capital. We are looking for friendly and diligent individuals to join our services and help us make a difference.

Our core values reflect our history and were developed in consultation with staff and service users. Feminism and intersectionality are key to our work, and we are committed to the principles of being survivor-led, trauma-informed, empowering, diverse, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory.

About the Service
Solace is embarking on a new five-year fundraising strategy, with ambitious plans to double fundraised income to £3m by 2031. This voluntary income plays a pivotal role in the financial wellbeing of the charity, enabling us to do more to support the thousands of women and children who come to us each year as a result of violence against women and girls.

Fundraising at Solace works closely with colleagues responsible for winning and managing statutory funding contracts, and is situated within the Business Development Directorate, alongside our award-winning Communications, Partnerships & Public Affairs teams. You will collaborate with colleagues within Fundraising, including Corporate, Individual Giving and Community, as well as across the organisation including senior leadership and Solace’s wider support and volunteer networks such as trustees and its lived-experience-led Shadow Board.

About the Role

Philanthropy has been identified as a key opportunity and will play a central part in future income growth. In this newly created role, you will lead the establishment and growth of philanthropy fundraising for Solace. Responsible for building and managing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, advisors, senior volunteers and trusts and foundations, you will use your entrepreneurship and excellent communication and influencing skills to secure and steward committed, high-value, mutually rewarding funding partnerships for Solace.

About You

You will be someone who is committed to the Solace values and is an experienced philanthropy fundraising expert who will embed best practice, and grow and nurture the relationships that drive sustainable income growth. As well as managing a portfolio of donors and prospects with major gift potential, you will work closely with colleagues and allies to build a culture of philanthropy.

What we can offer you

We provide a comprehensive benefits package to all our employees, including:

• Flexible working
• Focus on learning and development (internal career progression and training)
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Employer pension contribution
• Family-friendly leave and enhanced maternity pay
• Access to Inclusion Networks
• Daily clinical debriefing
• Employee Assistance Programme providing free 24/7 support and advice
• Employee Benefits Platform offering staff discounts, benefits and savings
• Flow & Restore yoga classes
• Meditation sessions
• Cycle to Work Scheme

How to apply

When applying for this role, kindly highlight in your Supporting Statement how your values, knowledge, transferrable skills, and experience align with each point within the following sections of the Job Profile Document:

• Values, Behaviours & Competencies
• Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Solace Women's Aid values diversity, promotes equity, and challenges discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, abilities, perspectives, and lived experiences. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay, and benefits. Our Inclusion Networks support staff with protected characteristics and offer inclusive spaces to connect.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as needed and support employees who acquire a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.

This service is run by women for women and is therefore restricted to female applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, and Part 1. Section 7(2) e of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

As part of safer recruitment practices, we carry out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and right to work in the UK checks.

No agencies.

The Talent Set is delighted to be partnering with the Henry Smith Foundation to recruit three Programme Assistants to join their Programme Teams. These roles sit at the heart of the organisation, providing high quality administrative and coordination support that enables colleagues to focus on meaningful, impact driven work.

This role plays a vital part in creating the conditions for good collaboration, inclusive ways of working, and well run decision making. It combines strong organisational skills with relationship centred working, care, professionalism, and a strong commitment to the Foundation’s values.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high quality administrative and coordination support to Programme Teams, helping ensure effective day-to-day operations

• Manage diaries, meetings, travel arrangements, correspondence, and documentation for Programme colleagues.

• Coordinate meetings, panels, webinars, and events, including agenda preparation, papers, note taking, and follow up actions

• Support grants and governance processes, including maintaining accurate data on the grants management system

• Act as a first point of contact for enquiries from applicants and external partners, providing clear and timely responses

• Support basic budget tracking and financial administration in line with internal controls

• Maintain shared resources, guidance documents, contact records, and knowledge banks to ensure information is accurate and accessible

• Work collaboratively across teams to support inclusive, well run ways of working that reflect organisational values

Person Specification

• Experience in an administrative or team support role within a busy office or organisational environment

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and competing priorities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly when working with data and records

• Confidence using standard office IT systems and databases

• A calm, professional, and proactive approach, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team

• Empathy and alignment with the Henry Smith Foundation’s values, including a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

What’s on Offer
Salary: £32,000 per annum
Hours: Part time, 28 hours per week
Contract: 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: London, 2 Days Per Week in Kings Cross Office

Interviews: Monday 15th & Tuesday 16th June 2026

How to Apply
To apply, please submit your CV demonstrating your suitability for this role by clicking the 'apply now' button (please do not apply via email). We aim to get back to all successful candidates within 48 working hours.

Commitment to Diversity
The Talent Set are committed to diverse and inclusive recruitment practices, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants regardless of race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability, or age. We actively encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds and are always happy to make reasonable adjustments to ensure a fair recruitment process.

Requesting reasonable adjustments
We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the application or interview stages, please let us know. You can share your needs at any point in the process. Adjustments can be tailored to suit both physical and mental health needs. Our team will work with you to ensure you have what you need to perform at your best.

Our approach to candidates using AI in applications
We recognise that technology, including AI tools, can be helpful when preparing job applications, and we welcome the use of tools that support you in presenting your experience clearly. However, it’s important that your application genuinely reflects your own skills, experience, and voice. We therefore recommend reviewing any AI-generated content carefully to ensure accuracy and authenticity.

If you are invited to interview, we’ll want to hear directly from you about your skills and experiences. Any significant differences between your application and how you present yourself in person may negatively impact your application.