Policy research officer jobs in London, greater london

About Us

We are an environmental charity with science at our heart. We help people to take action to protect the nature around them; by connecting them with it and giving them the tools they need to do so. We passionately believe in citizen science and are leaders in it. Our current focus areas include helping to create nature-friendly urban spaces, growing the impact of internationally known citizen science programmes such as Freshwater Watch, developing early career scientists and sharing learning internationally, and working with partners to advance the science, tools and thinking behind citizen science.

What we are looking for

Earthwatch Europe is recruiting a Director of Science and Impact. We are looking for someone with a deep understanding of the pressures facing our natural world and how citizen science and community action can help address these challenges, using high quality data, knowledge and practical demonstration to influence governments and corporations.

You will have a background in citizen science and an in depth understanding of current and future environmental policy trends and priorities.  You will be an experienced leader with excellent interpersonal skills and a track record of successful relationship and partnership development at all levels. You will have strong project and budget management experience, and you will be an exceptional strategic thinker with the ability to create and deliver effective strategies and action plans

Please see the full job description attached.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK; Earthwatch is unable to support visa applications. 

Earthwatch is committed to making any adjustments we can for short-listed candidates, to facilitate participation in our interview process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check and other due diligence checks, given the nature of this position within the charity.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Help shape public narratives, amplify the voices and expertise of impacted communities, and support campaigns that drive systemic change in the criminal legal system.

We're looking for a Media, Communications and Campaigns Lead to join UNJUST and lead our media, internal and external communications, and campaigns activity. Working closely with the Executive Director and Research and Policy Lead, you'll develop and deliver strategic communications that support our organisational goals, increase visibility and strengthen our advocacy and campaign efforts.

This is a varied role where you'll manage media enquiries, develop relationships with journalists, create content across our digital platforms, support public campaigns and ensure our research, engagement and policy work is communicated effectively. You'll also help amplify the voices of lived experience through ethical, accessible storytelling and prepare key messaging and briefing materials for media and political engagement.

We're looking for someone with experience in media and communications, excellent written and verbal communication skills, confidence working with journalists, and a strong understanding of the role strategic communications plays in advocacy. You'll be organised, collaborative and committed to UNJUST's values, anti-racism and ethical storytelling.

UNJUST is committed to tackling systemic racism and discriminatory processes, policy and practices within the UK's criminal legal system. We work at the intersection of lived experience, research, law, advocacy and community power to expose the root causes of injustice, reimagine equitable systems and bring about transformative outcomes. Our work centres the voices of those most impacted and is guided by our values of realism, empathy, visionary thinking, activism, collaboration and trust.

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London / Sheffield
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our profile page
Travel: Some travel may be required with in the UK

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with research experience to work within a team of experts in research strategy development, research delivery and research policy, to communicate the outputs of our research funding to diverse stakeholders across the charity.  

About the role

You will work within a dynamic and friendly team to help support our Research Programme Managers to develop and manage the Arthritis UK research portfolio. This will include collating and monitoring data from diverse sources to help provide oversight of our funded research. You will also work closely with other colleagues to translate our research outputs into a format that is clear and impactful to help teams across the charity achieve their strategic objectives. 

You will work across a diverse range of projects and will liaise with a wide range of teams from across the charity to help us to tell the story of our research investment. 

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

• A scientific degree or equivalent level of experience in medical research via the charity, commercial, health, higher education or publishing sectors. 
• High-quality verbal and written communication skills including being able to communicate complex information and requirements to a wide range of audiences and stakeholders. 
• A flexible and collaborative approach: able to work closely and adaptively with immediate team and collaboratively across the organisation. 
• Good information technology skills, including effective database/PubMed/internet search techniques and significant experience of using Microsoft Office Packages. 
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, with the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines independently, including rapid turnaround requests. 
• Experience in a medical research environment. 
• Knowledge or experience of the research application, award and monitoring process 

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

This is an exciting opportunity for a new Chief Executive Officer to lead our well-respected rare disease patient organisation through the next phase of growth and impact, in particular focussing on financial sustainability and influencing health policy for these rare diseases.These sit alongside the other grass-roots duties of a small charity CEO, including working with our Medical Advisory Team to develop new and maintain existing patient education resources, and overseeing our support services including volunteers and a professional psychological counselling service. Reporting to and working with the Board of Trustees, the CEO will be responsible for delivering our 2027-2030 Strategic Plan, ensuring robust governance, and driving forward our mission to improve the lives of people affected by rare diseases.The CEO manages the part-time Executive Administrator and works with up to 30 current volunteers (patients, carers, and health professionals) to deliver services with impact.This role includes occasional weekend work, as well as approximately 15 days travel (national and international) per year to represent and advocate for the charities’ beneficiaries. 

Job Description and Person Specification

Job title Participation Manager

Hours 35 hours per week. We are opening to discussing flexible arrangements – please highlight any requests when applying.

Length of contract  12 months

Location Hybrid work between home and our Vauxhall office. Please read more about our approach to hybrid working in the relevant section below.

Reports to Director of Evidence and Improvement

National Voices

Making what matters to people matter in health and care

National Voices is the leading coalition of health and social care charities in England. We have more than 200 members covering a diverse range of health conditions and communities, connecting us with the experiences of millions of people. We work together to strengthen the voice of people: patients, service users, carers, their families, and the voluntary organisations that work for them.

Our Vision: People shaping their health and care.

Our Mission: We advocate for more inclusive and person centred health and care, shaped by the people who use and need it the most.

We do this by:
 

• Understanding and advocating for what matters to people especially those living with health conditions and groups who experience inequalities.
• Finding common cause across communities and conditions by working with member charities and those they support.
• Connecting and convening charities, decision makers and citizens to work together to change health and care for good.

The Role

At National Voices, our aim is to make what matters to people matter in health and care. Too often, we see decisions made about the design of health and care services which don’t consider the people who use and need those services – especially those with long term conditions and from groups experiencing inequality. While the intentions of decision makers are usually good, they can unwittingly develop services which are difficult to access, stressful to experience and which don’t enable people to live life to its full potential.

We believe that if health and care leaders were better supported to meaningfully involve people living with health conditions, disability, inequality and their carers in decisions about how services are delivered then our NHS and social care services would be more equitable, and person centred.

At National Voices, we believe that this can best be achieved by connecting health and care leaders in health and care to key groups including:

• Leaders within the patient participation movement, who can support and advise health and care leaders on how to share power with people and communities using coaching and quality improvement techniques, and by acting as a critical friend.
• Leaders from voluntary sector organisations and community groups, who can bring insight into the needs, experiences and priorities of the communities they serve. They can identify opportunities to improve how services are designed and delivered, and help connect decision-makers with communities whose voices are often underrepresented.
• People with lived experience of inequality, particular conditions or services, who bring unique expertise based on their direct experience of care. They can provide timely insight into the impact of policies and services, helping decision-makers stay tuned to current needs, experiences and priorities, rather than relying on historical evidence or assumptions.

We are looking for a Participation Manager who can lead on the design, development and delivery of funded projects that generate insight, support improvement, and enable meaningful participation in health and care decision making. This will include end-to-end responsibility for project design, delivery, reporting and impact.

Projects may include designing and delivering activity such as workshops, coordinating lived experience advisory groups, coordinating coalitions of VCSE organisations, undertaking qualitative research, facilitation and engagement work. The postholder will need sufficient breadth of experience across these areas to confidently design and steer programmes, while drawing on colleagues, partners and associates for specialist input where needed.

You will be responsible for overall programme management - ensuring projects are well planned, appropriately resourced, and delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard. This includes managing risks, reporting requirements and funder relationships.

Projects may also include co-ordinating the delivery of Voices for Improvement coaching relationships and workshops on meaningful participation. We are open to a Participation Manager who has skills and experience around coaching theory and practice, however, we can also bring in external Associates with this subject matter expertise where needed to guide and supervise the coaching elements of the process.

You will also play an active role in identifying and developing new funding and partnership opportunities, contributing to the growth of National Voices’ portfolio of externally funded work.

Finally, where needed, you will also work collaboratively with another Participation Manager who leads National Voices’ Lived Experience Partner programme, membership scheme and partnership programme. You will contribute to these areas where required, particularly where they intersect with funded projects, but they will not be the primary focus of this role.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and delivery of funded participation projects

Lead the end-to-end design, delivery and management of funded programmes and projects that generate insight, support improvement and drive meaningful participation in health and care, including:

• Lead on shaping, securing and delivering funded projects from proposal stage through to completion, ensuring clear outcomes and impact
• Design and oversee programmes that may include research, engagement and participatory activity, such as qualitative and quantitative research, stakeholder engagement and participation work
• Convene and coordinate a range of delivery approaches including advisory groups, workshops, events, VCSE engagement and system partner collaboration
• Ensure delivery is well planned, resourced and managed, including oversight of budgets, timelines, risks and funder reporting
• Draw on colleagues, partners and associates for specialist expertise where needed, while holding overall responsibility for programme design and coherence
• Translate insights and findings into clear, accessible outputs in collaboration with policy and communications colleagues to support influence and impact
• Develop and shape new funding opportunities and proposals to grow the organisation’s portfolio of externally funded work

Deliver coaching and engagement programmes

Manage the delivery of structured coaching and engagement programmes, including National Voices’ Voices for Improvement model, where included within funded projects:

• Oversee delivery of coaching and engagement activity including matching, coordination and participant support
• Ensure coaching relationships between people with lived experience and system leaders are well supported and of high quality
• Contribute to the design and facilitation of associated engagement or learning sessions where required
• Work with associates or external specialists to bring in coaching or quality improvement expertise where needed
• Capture learning, feedback and impact from coaching programmes and contribute to funder reporting, case studies and evaluation outputs

Contribute to wider participation programmes

Work collaboratively with another Participation Manager to support integration with National Voices’ wider participation infrastructure:

• Contribute where relevant to the Lived Experience Partner programme, membership scheme and partnership programme
• Support the involvement of lived experience partners, members and partners in funded projects and engagement activity
• Ensure alignment across programmes and share learning between project delivery and participation infrastructure

General

• Provide line management to one Project Officer within the team, if needed - quality assuring outputs, holding regular 1-2-1s as well as setting annual objectives and completing appraisals.
• Provide matrix management for other National Voices colleagues as and when required.
• Work in sync with other managers across National Voices, contributing to a joined-up, supportive team culture.
• Deputise for the Director of Evidence and Improvement, or other senior colleagues, when required.
• Follow organisational processes to measure, monitor and communicate the impact of our work
• Support good project, financial and data management

Person Specification

Values, attitudes and behaviours

• Passionate about National Voices’ mission and the meaningful involvement of people with lived experience
• Strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and reducing health inequalities
• Proactive, flexible, and responsive, with a willingness to work in complexity
• Comfortable working both collaboratively and independently, taking ownership of delivery
• Calm under pressure and able to manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines without compromising quality
• Confident engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including constructively challenging where appropriate
• Entrepreneurial - able to spot opportunities for growth, collaboration, and impact
• Energised by variety, able to work across diverse themes while identifying connections and opportunities

Skills and abilities

• Strong programme and/or project management skills, with demonstrable experience of leading complex, multi-stakeholder funded programmes from design through to delivery and completion
• Ability to shape ideas into deliverable programmes, including contributing to funding bids, designing delivery approaches, and translating proposals into practical delivery plans
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to translate complex qualitative and quantitative insight into clear, structured outputs that inform decision making and drive action
• Excellent organisational skills, including planning, prioritisation, risk management and delivery of high-quality work to deadlines
• Confident stakeholder and relationship management skills, with experience working across partners, funders, subcontractors, commissioned work and multi-organisation collaborations
• Strong facilitation and engagement skills, including designing and delivering workshops, events and participatory sessions for diverse audiences
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, accessible written outputs and presentations
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively, support others in delivery, and contribute to shared outcomes

Experience, knowledge and understanding

• Demonstrable experience of leading or delivering participation work with people with lived experience, ideally addressing inequality
• Strong experience of designing and delivering insight generation projects (qualitative and/or quantitative) that have led to real-world impact and improvement
• Experience of working meaningfully with people experiencing inequalities in safe and inclusive ways
• Experience of managing projects, budgets, and multiple stakeholders, working with a high degree of autonomy
• Experience of managing partnerships, funders, or commissioned work, including contributing to income generation
• Experience of facilitating workshops, events, or participatory sessions
• Understanding of the health and care landscape
• Good understanding of the participation landscape, with the ability to act as a credible contributor in the field (desirable)
• Experience of managing or contributing to coalitions or networks of VCSE or membership organisations (desirable)
• Understanding of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) approaches to evidence generation and analysis (desirable)
• Coaching and/or quality improvement qualifications (desirable)
• Lived experience of disability, caring responsibilities and/or inequality (desirable)

Our approach to hybrid working

We recognise the importance of coming together regularly, in-person, as a team, so we can share learnings and spend social time with each other. We also recognise that people need flexibility, and that homeworking enables focused work and can fit well in people’s lives.

We ask all staff to take part in pre-arranged team meetings which take place every six weeks in our office space. We also might ask you to meet in-person with members of your team from time to time, or to be available for face-to- face meetings with clients and partners where this enhances the work.

We assume that this would usually not amount to more than one day per fortnight for people who work full time. We are happy to discuss how this sits in your life. This can be agreed by your line manager.

Please note that our offices are fully wheelchair accessible and that we are committed to making our workplace fully inclusive.

Application guidance

Please submit a CV and cover letter to apply. We are also recruiting a permanent Participation Manager role at the same time. If you would like your application to be for both roles, please make this clear in your cover letter.

You're welcome to use AI tools to help you prepare your application. However, we encourage you to make sure your application reflects your own voice and experiences. We often see similar AI-generated writing styles, which can make applications less distinctive. As a charity, we're particularly interested in hearing why our mission matters to you and how your values align with ours.

Please specify any access or other requirements of which we need to be aware for the online interview.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 30th July.  

The interviews will take place in early August on Microsoft Teams. Details of an interview task and interview questions will be emailed to you in advance.

We are committed to diversifying our team in order to broaden the insight and experiences we can draw on, and to do our work more credibly. In particular, we would welcome applications from older people, disabled people and people who have experienced socioeconomic inequality. Our offices are fully accessible and we are a Disability Confident and an LGBT+ friendly employer.

Are you passionate about creating meaningful change and supporting projects that improve outcomes for communities and service users? Join our team as a Projects Officer and play a key role in delivering impactful initiatives, building strong partnerships and helping shape the future of our services.

We are looking for an organised, proactive and relationship-focused individual to join our team as a Projects Officer. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of project delivery, supporting the development of innovative services and collaborating with internal teams, external partners and people with lived experience to create positive change.

Working closely with the Partnerships & Projects Manager, you will provide essential coordination and administrative support across a range of projects, ensuring they are delivered effectively, on time and to a high standard. You will be a central point of contact, helping to connect teams, stakeholders and service providers while supporting the smooth running of meetings, events, campaigns and partnership activities.

You will play a key role in maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders, supporting engagement with our Lived Experience Steering Committeeand helping ensure that the voices and experiences of service users inform the development of our work. You will also contribute to service development, process improvement, fundraising activity, research projects and campaigns that promote positive change across public, privateand voluntary sectors.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys variety, thrives in a collaborative environmentand has excellent organisational skills. You will manage competing priorities, coordinate project milestones, maintain accurate records, produce reports updates and ensure project information is captured effectively through our CRM systems in line with GDPR, AQS standards and organisational policies.

You will bring energy, attention to detail and a commitment to making a difference. In return, you will have the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects, work alongside passionate colleagues and partners and play an important part in the continued growth and impact of our organisation.

Job Title: Evidence Project Officer

Salary:                £26,950 to £29,569 per annum

Contract:           1 year fixed-term with possibility of extension – 35 hours per week

Location:          Thames21’s main office at the Guildhall, City of London; but we also offer hybrid working. You will also be expected to work out on site at various locations across London several times a week.

Responsible to: Evidence Team Manager

About Thames21

Thames21 is a leading environmental charity, working across London and the Thames Basin to deliver high-impact nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis through restoring rivers, whilst also connecting communities to their local green-blue spaces and inspiring long-term stewardship of them. 

Diversity at Thames21

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Thames21 is key to our success and as such we employ staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, this we feel is key in ensuring that everybody has an equal opportunity and is not treated differently or discriminated against because of their characteristics. We value the voices of our individual employees, and we strive to work in a collaborative, innovative balanced way. The postholder must actively support this.

Purpose of the job

The successful candidate will be employed as part of the Evidence Team working in a supportive, dynamic and fast-moving environment. While the post is initially funded for a year, there is likely to be further funding to work on projects related to the monitoring of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) beyond this date. The role is to aid in the delivery of a range of projects within the Evidence Program. These projects will focus on evidence collection in relation to nature-based solutions for flooding and water quality issues, as well as supporting a network of citizen scientists to carry out water quality sampling. The role will require close collaboration with a variety of project partners from local to national scales.

You will work across several projects to collect and analyse water quality evidence relating to NbS that have been installed across London or are planned to be installed. This will involve visiting sites across London regularly to survey sites, collect samples, and speak to local stakeholders.

You will work closely with our network of citizen scientists to support their efforts to measure water quality in their local area. This will involve distributing equipment and PPE, responding to their queries, and visiting sites with them to discuss local pollution issues and potential solutions.

This job would suit somebody who has an interest in river water quality, enjoys working outside, is a good problem solver, and likes working with people.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

· Routine water quality sampling of NbS installations.

· Installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment (e.g. real-time water quality sensors).

· Data inputting, analysis, presentation, and visualisation using a variety of software and online tools such as Excel, ArcGIS, and QGIS.

· Production of high impact verbal and written reports aimed at a range of expert and non-expert audiences.

· Work with local stakeholders to aid in the delivery of a range of river-related projects.

· Support monitoring carried out by citizen scientists.

· Delivery of other types of project work, as and when required by project or team managers.

· Work outside in a riverside environment in a variety of weather conditions.

· Work with Thames21 colleagues to develop and implement Thames21’s vision.

Other Duties

This job description cannot cover every issue or task that may arise within Thames21. At various times the post-holder will be directed to carry out other reasonable duties in support of other Thames21 activities that are consistent with those in this Job Description.

We appreciate the time you took to apply for this role, and we understand that it can be disconcerting when you don’t hear back from a position you have applied for. However, due to the high number of applications we expect to receive, we are unable to respond to or provide feedback on individual applications. Nevertheless, we want to manage expectations. Therefore, if you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Please advise in your application if you are happy for us to contact you for any future opportunities that may arise, should you not be successful in this position.

No agencies, please.

Our client, Parkinson's UK, is looking for an enthusiastic and well organised public affairs professional, with a good knowledge of how policy change works in Westminster and Whitehall. You’ll support their work to raise the profile of Parkinson’s UK, increase awareness of Parkinson’s and build strong relationships with Parliamentarians and civil servants. Supporting the policy advisers, you’ll keep a close eye on developments in Parliament and support colleagues in the devolved nations in their Parliamentary work.

Role (What you'll do)

• Monitor activity in Parliament that relates to Parkinson’s and share information with colleagues
• Draft briefings and materials to support their work to build effective relationships with key parliamentarians, influencers and civil servants
• Provide support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Parkinson’s
• Support colleagues in devolved nations to ensure their public affairs work is aligned and supportive across the UK
• Support work to involve people with lived experience in the charity’s public affairs activities
• Produce inspiring communications about the organisation’s parliamentary activities that encourage their audiences to continue supporting their work
• Build a strong network with allies and partners in other charities and external groups.

Candidate (What you'll bring)

• Experience of working in Westminster or Whitehall or in the devolved nations’ assemblies
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to provide administrative support
• Experience in political analysis and of working in a political environment and a good understanding of policy issues in health and care, welfare, work, transport or the disability arena
• Ability to network and build supportive relationships at all levels, including with volunteers
• Experience of using creative ways of communicating messages to Parliamentarians and civil servants  
• Research, analytical and information gathering skills
• Ability to maintain political impartiality
• Ability to prioritise own workload effectively and support others in meeting challenging deadlines.

How to apply

To be considered, please send a copy of your CV, together with a supporting statement (max 2 sides of A4) fully demonstrating how you meet all the criteria of the role, as stated in the "What you'll bring" section of the job description, via the Redirect button.

Please note that this is not an entry-level role. We can only consider candidates who clearly demonstrate experience working within a public affairs/political environment. For example, you might be working for an MP, or within a charity/NGO policy/influencing team or within a public affairs agency.

Due to timing, we are ideally looking for candidates with no longer than one month's notice.
 

Please note that you must already have the right to work in UK to apply for this role.

Closing: 12pm, Tuesday 28 July

Interviews: Wednesday 5 and Friday 7 August (online)

Start date: As soon as possible

JOB TITLE:                  Welfare Benefits Support and Information Officer / Advisor

ORGANISATION: Big Local Works – Charity No: 1182561

LOCATION:                       Big Local Works 4 Market Place, London SE16 3UQ

CONTRACT TYPE:           6-month / Fixed Term contract  (Sickness Cover)

REPORTING TO:             Charity Manager

General Information

Big Local Works (BLW) is a community-focused economic support and regeneration charity based in Bermondsey, South East London. We want to help create a thriving, inclusive local economy and community in which everyone can participate.

To make this happen, we maximise local people’s financial and economic wellbeing to reduce poverty and hardship, and give them support to find sustainable, active routes out of poverty, including through employment and enterprise.

We deliver our support in the community through three main services:

· Expert welfare and benefits advice and advocacy for local people experiencing poverty and hardship

· Employability Skills training and coaching to help people access ways of increasing their earned income

· Start-up and enterprise support for clients who wish to start trading on the local ‘Blue Market’

Our current Welfare Benefits Advisor is on leave of absence, so this role is temporary cover until the end of the year. We are looking for someone for an immediate start.

The role of the Welfare Benefits Support and Information officer is the relief of financial need by the provision of free advice, information, support and advocacy for Southwark Residents

Key Tasks include:

· To provide a generalist welfare benefits advice, information and casework service to clients using the services at BLW

· To provide a review of possible benefit entitlements and support clients to make claims, submit forms and applications as appropriate.

· Ensure advice service provided by BLW is effective and efficient, meets best practice and is of a consistently high quality, delivering a high level of customer care and client satisfaction.

· To provide welfare benefits support in a variety of settings i.e. drop-ins and community spaces, to provide advice and information, and welfare benefit checks to ensure individuals have accessible support.

· Help clients understand benefit decisions, represent clients who have been turned down for benefits, deal with reviews, and, where appropriate, prepare for and attend appeals tribunals.

· Maintain detailed case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, statistical monitoring and report preparation.

What you need to bring:

· A good understanding of the Welfare Benefits system to deliver an advice casework service

· Good administration skills and ability to develop own caseload and prioritising work.

· Ability to use IT, Word and Excel in the provision of advice

· Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information

· Numeracy skills required to understand statistics and check calculations

· Use IT for statistical recording, record keeping and document production.

· Able to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders

· Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures and undertake appropriate training.

· Demonstrate commitment to the aims and policies of the BLW’s service.

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

· A good understanding of- and commitment to the aims and principles of the charity and its equal opportunities policies.

· Willingness to learn and develop skills in advice topics

You will benefit from

· Holiday -  FTE 25 days plus Bank Holidays so for 6 month contract at (0.4 FTE)  it would be 5 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

· A great working environment and culture within a small, but growing, charity dedicated to improving lives in our community

If you are passionate about supporting individuals and communities facing poverty and improving their lives, and have the skills and experience required for this role, please apply.

MAIN TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2 days per week (0.4 FTE)

Hours normally 9-5 pm but flexible to accommodate outreach, research and training needs

Annual salary: £12,000 for 2 days / week (£30K FTE)

DBS check essential

The Damilola Taylor Trust (DTT) is a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in May 2001 in memory of Damilola Taylor and registered as a charity in July 2001.Our founding purpose is to provide inner-city youths with opportunities to play, learn and live their lives free of fear and violence, and with optimism for a future where opportunities abound. Our Mission is to develop the hope, optimism and self-esteem of young people so that they can:  Lead healthy lives; Stay in School; Grow up to become independent productive adults; Have lofty aspirations and work to attain their innate potential.

Although we have recovered from the Covid 19 pandemic, the nation now faces the worst cost of living crisis since the 1950s, thanks to the Russian Ukraine war, and now the US Israel Iran one which have disrupted the global energy market. There is no denying that, in the UK, young people (YP) are being disproportionally affected. We are deeply concerned about the impact this crisis is having on the young people that we work with across the board.

The UK youth unemployment rate for 16-24-year-olds sits at a concerning 16.2%, an 11-year high. There are over 1 million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). We know that high numbers of vacancies do not translate into opportunities for all young people, especially those from BAME background who already face discrimination in the labour market.

We are responding to this emerging issue, by working harder and smarter to support young people that we work with for whom the transition from formal education into employment is not automatic. We work to help this group have access to economic opportunities in these challenging times. We believe that our services bridge this gap and provide opportunities for young people to develop wider social, personal and self -management skills required for productive participation and integration into society. For additional information about the Trust and its programmes, please go to our website. 

Job purpose: Provide a range of administration services to enable the Trust to operate its day-to-day activities, management and governance processes effectively.

Roles and responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the job are:

· Provide administrative support to the Programme Manager, Trustees and Youth Board 

· Provide general administrative support across the Trust, including scheduling meetings, administering our Microsoft 365 system, helping to produce reports/ letters, managing emails, facilitating in-house communication, managing our records, research, and other general duties

· Assist implementation of the Trust’s charitable programmes e.g., by providing administration support to project teams and organising promotional activities.

· Manage enquiries to the Trust and respond to routine enquiries, ensuring that actions are followed up

· Proactively manage our website day-to-day and post to our social media, consulting where necessary. Produce leaflets, publicity and newsletters

· Support our organisation development plans by helping us research and implement any new policies, processes and best practice procedures required, and maintaining the database of evidence

· Suggest administrative improvements to support the smooth running of the charity and, when agreed, implement them

Key working relationships:  The post holder will work with all the Trustees (but particularly the Trustee responsible for Communications), the Programmes Manager as well as the Trust’s finance service provider. The post holder will develop good working relationships with other stakeholders including our project delivery partners, members of the Youth Board and, in some cases, young people on or applying for our programmes.

 Person specification -Specific experience or skill     KEY: (E) Essential (D) Desirable

· Experience of organising own work effectively with limited supervision (E)

· Significant experience providing administrative support. Experience of working in a charity would be an advantage (E)

· Excellent digital skills, with the ability to learn new software and systems quickly and instruct others (E)

· Proficiency in Microsoft 365 including administering a system(E)

· Experience of organising and maintaining records, both on paper and digitally. (E)

· Ability to produce attractive documents and reports for a range of audiences adhering to our house style (E)

· Ability to work effectively with all our stakeholders, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (E).

· An ability to gather, analyse and evaluate data and to prepare and present concise reports both orally and in writing

· Exceptional time and task management skills; calmness under pressure (E)

· Experience working in a pressured environment with lots of competing priorities (E) 

Knowledge, qualifications

· Knowledge of good administrative practices (E)

· Knowledge of General Data Protection Regulations (E)

· An understanding of safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults (E)

· Current DBS certificate (E but, for a suitable candidate, the post might be offered subject to a DBS being obtained)

· Degree or relevant experience of working in the charity/ Social sector (D)

Personal skills and abilities

· A highly organised person with attention to detail (E).

· Ability to organise own workload to reflect our charity’s priorities (E).

· Ability to communicate effectively with all people involved with the Trust (E).

· Remote working skills (E)

· Good report-writing and presentation skills (E).

· Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion (E)

· Ability to research information (E)

· Proven ability to work on own initiative and mobilise/manage support from colleagues (E).

• Proactive, creative and innovative approach with high drive for results (E)

Personal qualities:  Commitment to own continuing personal and professional development (E)

· Commitment to the vision, mission and values of DTT (E)

· Flexibility

• Commitment to effective relationship building and collaboration (E)

Application process

Please write no more than 1000 words explaining how your experience, qualifications and personal qualities fit you for this post. Also submit a CV which includes your full name, address, phone number and email address, your educational and work histories and the names of two referees, one of whom will normally be your current or latest employer. We will not seek references without asking your permission but any offer will be subject to satisfactory references.

About us

Carers UK’s vision is to create a society that recognises, values and supports carers. As the leading national charity for unpaid carers, we exist to make life better for carers, however caring affects them. Our support, advice, information and campaigning work are now needed more than ever, as unpaid carers are providing more and more care, adversely impacting on their own health and wellbeing.

About the role

We recognise the value of social media in communicating with all our audiences; whether unpaid carers or their friends and families, employers, politicians, service providers, supporters and all those people who may become a carer for a partner, family member, friend or neighbour and will need information, support, and to know that there are people working to make their lives better.

This role works with colleagues across the organisation, including our senior management team - but also in partnership with external organisations and agencies - with targets set for engagement (and other indicators of the success of our campaigns). We're working on multiple campaigns simultaneously; whether that's Carers Week, campaigns to influence changes to the law to better support carers, encouraging unpaid carers to join us as members, updating on activities in the devolved nations or getting people to fundraise for Carers UK. And we use a mix of owned, earned and paid communications to drive engagement in a challenging and crowded environment in order to get our messages to cut through. It's a busy, but varied role, in a supportive and collaborative team.

About you

Working within the communications and marketing team, you'll be confident in managing our social media accounts (we have many), ensuring we're using platforms to get our messages out to both wide and targeted audiences with engaging and timely content.

You'll be happy using tools for social listening, interacting with our audiences and building our reach. You'll be familiar with key metrics for social engagement and will be reporting back to colleagues and other stakeholders - and using this data to constantly improve our communications.

You'll be skilled in writing longer form content for our members' magazine, Caring, proof reading articles, posting content on our websites, creating graphics and making sure our content is engaging, audience focused and dynamic. Oh, and you probably know your way around an emoji set and are not scared of a well timed pun. Plus you'll have a great eye for detail and be confident in your ability to prioritise (and sometimes reprioritise) your workload as needed.

We're a small but effective communications team and pride ourselves on getting stuck in and supporting each other when we need to deliver big on fast moving projects, so you'll need be able to juggle lots of demands while recognising the importance of always hitting deadlines.

Diversity and inclusion

Carers UK is committed to becoming a diverse and truly inclusive organisation; fostering an environment and working culture that celebrates and promotes diversity and inclusion.  We strive to create a workplace where our colleagues and volunteers can truly be themselves and feel like they belong and constantly seek to ensure all voices are heard.

To embrace this culture of diversity, our employee and volunteer recruitment should reflect our stakeholders and the society that we serve and support, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, disabilities or religious practices. We value individual diversity and are actively building diverse teams here at Carers UK and value our colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.

As a membership charity for carers, we particularly seek employees and volunteers with a real understanding of the issues faced by carers. Reasonable adjustments can be made to the process and role, dependent on the needs of the applicant.

We are proud to be an Employers for Carers member. We have signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge and achieved the Disability Confident Employer accreditation. We aim to offer interviews to those who have a disability covered under the definition outlined in the Equality Act 2010 and who meet the minimum criteria for the role. The minimum criteria can be found under the Essential section of the Person Specification of the recruitment pack. Please let us know if your application is being made under the Disability Confident Scheme. You are not required to share the nature of your disability or long term health condition. You will need to state in your email application that you are making your application under the Disability Confident Scheme as you consider yourself to be disabled, or as having a disability. If you meet the minimum criteria then you will be offered an interview.

At Carers UK we want our application process to be as accessible as possible. If you need any adjustments to apply please contact us to discuss.  

The closing date for applications is 5pm, Tuesday 18 August.

Carers UK anonymises all applications prior to shortlisting.

Carers UK reserves the right to appoint at any stage, should an outstanding candidate emerge.

Carers UK are actively interviewing as we receive applications.

Carers UK may carry out online and social media checks before a formal offer is made.

Job Title – Business Support Manager

Contract - Permanent

Hours - Full time, 35 hours per week

Salary - £34,000 - £38,000 per annum

Location - Coram Campus, London, with hybrid working arrangements

About Coram

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

Coram Research, Impact and Evaluation is part of the Coram Institute for Children, a “think and do” centre dedicated to advancing children’s life chances by turning insight into impact in policy and practice. The team generates rigorous evidence, evaluates services and programmes, and helps organisations understand what works for children, young people and families.

About the role

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Business Support Manager to provide programme management, logistics and secretariat support to Coram Research, Impact and Evaluation. Working closely with the Managing Director for Research Programmes, the postholder will help strengthen the operational infrastructure needed to support a growing portfolio of research, evaluation, impact and policy-facing activity.

This is an important coordination role at the centre of the team’s systems, processes, planning, governance and delivery oversight. The successful candidate will help ensure that researchers can focus on high-quality delivery, while providing clear visibility of programme progress, risks, quality assurance, capacity and priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Support the development of team policies, processes, procedures, templates
• Coordinate programme delivery monitoring, including milestones, risks, actions, decisions and dependencies.
• Help establish and manage a clear route for organisational requests to the team, including triage, logging, prioritisation and follow-up.
• Provide secretariat support for team, programme, committee, working group and governance meetings.
• Support the planning and delivery of meetings, workshops, webinars, learning events and dissemination activity.
• Coordinate funding opportunities, bid timetables, internal deadlines, approvals and partner inputs, maintaining oversight of the team’s pipeline.
• Support staff capacity planning by maintaining accurate information on commitments, availability and delivery pressures.

About you

You will be an experienced and practical programme or operations professional with excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities. You will be confident coordinating meetings, systems, information and workflows, and able to work collaboratively with researchers, managers and wider organisational stakeholders. Experience of programme coordination, project governance, bid coordination, research support, events or operational management would be highly relevant.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.

Closing Date: 3rd August @ 9am

Interview Date: w/c 17th August

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from global majority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Lead the operations, governance and compliance that enable Solving Kids' Cancer UK to deliver its mission and impact for children and families affected by neuroblastoma. Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will play a critical role in ensuring the charity operates effectively, compliantly and sustainably.

This broad and varied leadership role spans governance, risk, HR, IT, data protection and organisational operations, supporting delivery of the charity's strategy through robust systems, policies and processes. Acting as Company Secretary, you will work closely with the CEO and Board of Trustees, providing advice on governance, regulatory requirements and best practice. As a member of the Leadership Team, you will oversee key operational functions, lead cross-organisational projects and deputise for the CEO where required.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a strategic, highly organised and values-driven leader with strong experience in charity operations, governance and compliance. You will have a track record of ensuring organisations are well run, compliant and effectively managed, with the ability to oversee multiple operational areas and support strong governance and decision-making at Board level.

You will be comfortable working across a broad remit, including governance, risk, HR, IT and data protection, and confident providing clear, practical advice to senior leaders and trustees.

Person specification

Key requirements include:

• Significant senior-level experience in operations, governance or compliance within a charity or similar environment. 
• Strong understanding of charity governance and regulation, with experience supporting boards and senior leadership. 
• Experience overseeing organisational functions such as HR, IT, data protection or risk. 
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and lead cross-organisational work effectively. 
• Strong judgement, integrity and the ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion. 

See our Recruitment Pack for the full role description and specification and for information about Solving Kids' Cancer UK. 

This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution at the heart of a small, ambitious charity where strong operations are a vital enabler of impact for children and families.

Location: Home-based, within easy reach of London, with regular travel to the London office and occasional UK-wide travel.

First-stage interview: Thursday 6 August 

Second-stage interview: Thursday 13 August