Programme director jobs in dunmow, essex

Join Birthrights as Our New CEO!

Location: Remote (UK-based). Must be prepared to travel to London and other UK locations for frequent meetings with staff, funders and stakeholders.

Salary: £70,000 to £75,000 per annum, dependent on experience

Why Join Us?

• Impact: Make a real difference in the lives of women, birthing people and families.
• Flexibility: We offer flexible working arrangements, including remote work and compressed hours.
• Culture: Join a kind, progressive, and inclusive team dedicated to respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Growth: Be part of an organisation with ambitious plans for growth and innovation.

About Birthrights: Birthrights is the UK's leading authority on the rights of women and birthing people during pregnancy and birth in the UK. Our work is critical to not only transforming the experiences and outcomes for individuals but also in shifting wider policy, practice and systems. We champion respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth, ensuring that all women are treated with dignity and humanity. Our work is grounded in the belief that every woman has the right to make informed choices about her care and to be supported in those choices.

The Role: Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of women and birthing people? Do you thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment? Birthrights is looking for a dynamic and compassionate CEO to lead our dedicated team. This is a unique opportunity to drive change, advocate for birth rights, and work alongside a group of passionate individuals committed to our cause.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership: Provide compassionate and bold leadership to a remote-working team, fostering a collaborative and supportive culture.
• Strategic Vision: With the Board and staff, refine and lead the successful implementation of the organisation's strategic and operational plans.
• Influencing: Lead creative and bold external campaigns, policy development, and influencing efforts to advance birth rights.
• Financial Management: Oversee financial operations, ensuring sustainability and growth.
• Fundraising and Business Development: Oversee the fundraising efforts and business development initiatives to support Birthrights' mission.
• Board Collaboration: Work closely with the board to shape and implement strategic goals.

Person Specification:

• Essential:
• Background in the charity sector.
• Genuine passion for Birthrights' cause.
• Strong people management skills.
• High emotional intelligence (EQ).
• Competence in financial management.
• Skills in business development and fundraising.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work closely with the board.
• Strategic and radical leadership skills
• Ability to oversee delivery of policy and programmes to drive impact aligned with organisational strategy and principles
• Ability to build relationships and foster strong collaborative partnerships
• Ability to lead courageously
• Desirable:
• Lived experience of birth or professional experience in maternity care or significant involvement in campaigning or representing people's rights.
• Experience in policy development and influencing.
• Experience in leading bold external campaigns.
• Experience managing remote working or hybrid teams of part-time staff
• Experience of community power building and working as part of movements for change

Our Team: At Birthrights, we believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork. Our team is close-knit, passionate, and dedicated to making a positive impact. We work remotely but stay connected through regular meetings and touchpoints, ensuring that everyone feels supported and valued. We are committed to fostering a culture of kindness, inclusivity, and mutual respect.

Equity, Diversity and inclusion: Birthrights is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our organisation and our external work. We know that diversity in all its forms brings more perspectives, experiences and knowledge, and it makes us a better, stronger organisation.

As an organisation, our employees have recently trained with the Queer Birth Club on LGBTQ+ competency and have undertaken extensive training with JMB Consulting on anti-racism.

We are using positive action in our recruitment as part of our commitment to EDI. This means we are actively seeking candidates from under-represented groups (people of colour, women, LGBTQ+, disabled people, socioeconomic background). If two candidates are equally qualified for the role, we will appoint the candidate with this background under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments so we can accommodate your needs.

How to Apply: If you are passionate about advocating for birth rights and have the skills and experience to lead our organisation, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your CV to and we will forward you the candidate pack.

Webinar: Join our informational webinar on Thursday 22 May, 12.30 - 1.30 to learn more about the role. The registration link is in the candidate pack.

Application Deadline: Please submit your application by 5.00pm on Monday 9^th June, 2025.