Programme assistant jobs

Assistant Youth Worker

Are you passionate about supporting young people and helping them thrive? YMCA St Helens is looking for enthusiastic and approachable Assistant Youth Workers to join our growing Youth Team.

Working across our Youth Hub and community venues, you will support the delivery of engaging activities, build positive relationships with young people aged 11-18 (and up to 25 where appropriate), and help create safe, inclusive environments where young people can develop confidence, wellbeing and life skills.

We're looking for someone with:

• Experience of working, volunteering or engaging with young people.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• An understanding of safeguarding and the needs of young people.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• The ability to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends.

Why join YMCA St Helens?
Join a values-driven organisation that believes in creating opportunities for young people to connect, grow and flourish. You'll be part of a supportive team making a genuine difference across the borough.

YMCA St Helens is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Closing date 11-09-2026

Job title: Programme Assistant, Enquiries 

Line manager: Team Leader, Enquiries (Senior Officer, Enquiries, in Team Leader’s absence) 

Salary: £30,000 

Type of contract: Permanent 

Start date:  Late October 2026 or shortly thereafter 

Benefits: 

• Challenging and rewarding work, always life-changing, sometimes lifesaving 
• Competitive salary 
• Team and individual training opportunities, including dedicated training budget and team lunch and learn activities monthly 
• Commitment to personal development, including opportunities to develop skills and experience to support wider Cara strategy participating in working groups, contribute to office improvement initiatives 
• Hybrid working, home and office (minimum 2 days each week in the London office) 
• Eight hours each day Monday – Friday, with flexible working by arrangement around core hours of 10am – 4pm 
• 25 days annual leave entitlement plus Bank Holidays and two weeks Christmas and New Year office closure
• 8% employer pension contribution 
• Wellbeing support, access to counselling when required, Mental Health First aid and supportive small team environment
• Convenient office location at Elephant and Castle, close to Tube (Bakerloo and Northern lines) and bus routes 

Role purpose statement:  The Programme Assistant, Enquiries, plays a vital administrative role in the Fellowship Programme working directly with academics facing immediate risk in their home countries. The role exists to provide effective and efficient administration, completing due diligence tasks and onward signposting to prospective applicants. Duties include managing an individual caseload of applicants, assisting prospective applicants and administrative support for general enquiries, the Enquiries team as well as support across the Fellowship Programme when needed. 

Organisational Background 

The Council for At-Risk Academics is a UK-registered charity founded in 1933 under the leadership of William Beveridge, to assist academics suffering persecution under the rise of Nazism and facilitate their continued work in safety. Sixteen Cara Fellows from the 1930s and 1940s became Nobel Laureates, and many more innovators in their fields, including, Nikolaus Pevsner, Lise Meitner and Karl Popper. 

Cara has been a lifeline to academics at risk for over 90 years enabling them to continue their teaching and research in safety, as and when world events have placed them in the line of fire: Hungarian Uprising, Cold War, Apartheid South Africa, Iran, Latin American Juntas, Vietnam, Kosovo, DRC, Rwanda, Sudan, Zimbabwe etc. and, more recently Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Today, our Fellowship Programme convenes a network of 135 UK universities in the UK to secure research placements for at-risk academics and support for their families, continuing a longstanding commitment of protecting academics and preserving their knowledge and expertise.

Cara Objectives‘To assist academics who have been, or are at risk of being, subject to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, to relieve needs among them and their dependants and ensure that their specialist knowledge and abilities can continue to be used for the benefit of the public.’ 

‘To advance education by supporting academics and their educational institutions in countries where their continuing work is at risk or compromised, to ensure that such academics and institutions can continue to fulfil their critical role as educators for the public benefit.’ 

Role & Responsibilities 

Casework 

• Signposting prospective applicants to the application form. 

• Manage own caseload, preparing cases for eligibility review, including arranging calls to speak with applicants, booking English language tests, and gathering all relevant documentation. 

• Escalating complex cases to the Team Leader as required. 

• Maintain accurate and GDPR-Compliant records of casework activity. 

• Researching international affairs to develop understanding about risks applicants face. 

• Attending weekly case review meetings with the team. 

Administration 

• Provide general administrative and logistical support, including answering phone enquiries. 

• Manage the general enquiries inbox, alongside another colleague, answering emails about the enquiries’ process, the Fellowship Programme and Cara. 

• Signpost enquiries to relevant colleagues internally and to other organisations where applicable. 

• Assist with compilation of reports to funders. 

• Present and collect data on general enquiries and applications to the Programme. 

• Ensure safekeeping of confidential information. 

• Maintain excellent detailed records of correspondence, documents, and activities. 

• Provide administrative support to colleagues on projects across the organisation as required. 

Managerial Support 

• Take part and contribute to Cara wide working groups across a range of research and strategy topics, including contributing to efficiency improvements.

• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues where applicable. 

Ad Hoc Responsibilities 

• Show adaptability and willingness to take on additional work when necessary. 

• Support the Fellowship Programme and Cara as a whole with ad hoc responsibilities. 

Responsibilities also include related activities that might arise in relation to the Fellowship Programme and Cara's other programmes as required by the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive & Fellowship Programme Manager, and other senior colleagues. 

Person Specification 

Essential: 

• Bachelor’s degree 

• Fluent English (spoken and written) 

• Proactive with a willingness to learn and contribute to a growing organisation 

• Confident and empathetic with strong interpersonal and communication skills 

• Ability to remain adaptable and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment 

• Keen team player who is ready to support and help colleagues 

• Excellent record keeping and attention to detail 

• Ability to work independently in a hybrid work setting 

• Good time management with ability to manage competing priorities and work to deadlines 

• Understanding of issues of confidentiality 

• Ability to handle difficult conversations with sensitivity and resilience 

• Interest in and commitment to the work of Cara 

• Confident using Microsoft package 

• Awareness of current global issues 

Desirable 

• Master’s or equivalent experience 

• Casework experience 

• Arabic language skills are desirable. Other foreign languages (such as Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian and Russian) will also be considered 

• Salesforce/CRM software experience 

• Lived experience or experience in supporting people who’ve gone through forced migration or other forms of severe adversity 

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be willing to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if offered this position. 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an initial online interview on the week starting 21st September and if successful, will be required to attend an in-person interview at our office in London on the week starting 28th September. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process, please mention this as part of your application. 

Our staff team is a small (approx. 20 staff), committed and dedicated team, who works with our organisational values of Community & Collaboration, Trust & Integrity and Resilience through Knowledge & learning, we welcome applications from those with diverse identities and you will find a warm and welcoming team, committed to the highest standards as we seek to support those at risk around the world.

Application Instructions 

Please send a CV along with a cover letter in response to the screening questions below. Applications that do not follow this guidance will not be considered. 

At Cara, we do not utilise AI tools at any stage during the recruitment process, and all applications we receive are reviewed by at least two members of our team. 

We recognise that whilst artificial intelligence can be a useful tool in preparing a job application, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. 

Applicants may find AI useful for: 

• Refining and clarifying ideas and thoughts in your application 

• Researching publicly available information about Cara 

• Checking spelling, grammar and clarity of your answers 

However, we ask you to refrain from using AI for: 

• Generating responses to application questions and copying these into your application 

• Inventing or exaggerating your skills and experiences 

• Using live AI during interviews to answer questions 

We tend to find that applications that rely too heavily on AI-generated responses are not as competitive, and at Cara we value answers informed by personal experiences. We may also reject applications where AI has been used inappropriately. 

Please respond to the following questions in your cover letter (max. 2 pages).

1. What interests you about Cara and the work of supporting at-risk academics, and how do your experience and skills relate to this role? (max 500 words)
2. Describe a specific situation in which you had to manage competing priorities? How did you approach the situation? (max 250 words)
3. Tell us about a time when you had to deal with a person who was in a vulnerable situation. How did you handle this and what did you learn from this experience? (max 250 words)

We reserve the right to close applications for this role early if we receive a high number of applications.

• Location: Cambridge
• Salary: £25,495 per annum
• Contract period: Permanent
• Start date: As soon as possible

We are looking for a motivated and organised Programme Assistant, to support the work of our Business & Nature team, including helping to coordinate our projects, partnerships, meetings, events and day-to-day programme operations.

This position presents an exceptional opportunity to join a team working closely with leading global businesses and other partners to help turn nature commitments into real impact on the ground. You will support in a wide range of projects and activities across different geographies and sectors including mining, renewable energy, food and agriculture, and tourism. You will have the chance to build your knowledge and experience of how businesses engage with nature and sustainability, and how conservation organisations work with companies to address nature loss.

A collaborative and dynamic team player, you will have excellent organisational skills, meticulous attention to detail and a willingness to get involved in a variety of tasks. You will enjoy working with colleagues from different disciplines and countries, and will be comfortable managing several responsibilities at once.

In return we offer the chance to work for an established organisation at the forefront of global conservation with generous pension contribution, attractive annual leave allowance, life insurance and salary exchange schemes.

Our offices are based in The David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge, a short walk from historic buildings and museums, the picturesque River Cam, the central market, shops and a host of cafés and restaurants.

This role is not eligible for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa.

Please download the job application pack below for further details on how to apply.

The closing date for applications is Monday, 31 August 2026.

Job Title:Programme Assistant

Reporting to: Senior Programme Lead

Location: North West

Salary: £23,514

Contract: Permanent, term-time only, full-time

Annual Leave: 50 days paid holiday each year which must be taken during school holiday

 

Power2 is a fast growing and energetic children and young people's charity that has supported 30,000 young people since 2001. We are based in the North West of England and London and deliver early-intervention asset-based programmes to children and young people who have mental wellbeing challenges and are disengaged from school and more widely. We are well-known for our accredited Teens and Toddlers programme and are supporting young people via Power2 Rediscover, an intensive 1:1 crisis response programme.

With our support, children and young people who are experiencing vulnerabilities and disadvantages improve their wellbeing, re-engage with school and learning, build networks and access opportunities.

We’re committed to equality and operate within a culture and structure that recognises diversity and strives to be fair. We live by our values of Brave, Expert and Passionate and we aim to have an entrepreneurial and flexible approach to work.

We are looking for Programme Assistants to support the management, set-up and smooth running of Power2 activities, including our Teens and Toddlers group programme.

Our new Programme Assistants will work as part of our team of Programme Leads and Programme Assistants working in school settings to support young people, their families, and school staff to ensure that at-risk pupils improve their wellbeing, make the most of their education, and improve their life chances. The successful candidates could be based in one school or travel between multiple schools.

Successful applicants will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check (child workforce) and provide details of two referees.

Candidates are encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn’t precisely match the job description for this role. Your experience, skills and passion will set you apart so tell us your achievements, irrespective of whether they are personal or work-related and how this has shaped you, including things you’ve learnt along the way.

We are specifically interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of the issues we seek to address (childhood experience of having low family income, being disengaged with school and learning, experiencing poor wellbeing/mental health, being care-experienced, involved in gangs and violence). It is also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

Please apply online with a CV and a personal statement. In your personal statement please describe how your skills and experience match the role description and provide your notice period. Your CV and personal statement are submitted on the second page of the application process. Applications without a personal statement will not be considered.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Power2 strives to be a diverse and inclusive place where we can ALL be ourselves. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We work to ensure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. If we can make the application process more accessible to you, please let us know.

Safeguarding

Power2 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to have an enhanced DBS certificate (child workforce) in place. We may undertake an online search if you are shortlisted.