Project office manager jobs in Bicester, oxfordshire

Oxford Hospitals Charity is seeking an approachable, proactive, and personable individual to join our Hospital Engagement Team in a job-share role, working across the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to make a tangible impact on the lives of patients and staff.

This role is offered as a job share, with each postholder working 18.75 hours per week, alongside a colleague who is already in post. As a Hospital Engagement Officer, you will be a key link between the charity and our hospitals, meeting, motivating and inspiring patients, visitors and staff. Based primarily at the Charity Hub desk in the John Radcliffe Hospital, this varied and rewarding role will make the most of your skills in customer care and relationship-building. Whether speaking to new NHS staff at weekly staff inductions, inspiring visitors to support the charity through fundraising, or working alongside our incredible team of volunteers, you will play an important role in raising the profile of Oxford Hospitals Charity across our hospital sites. Working closely with your job share partner, you will ensure a collaborative and consistent approach to engaging with our hospital communities.

As a job-share, the preferred working pattern for this post is two full days (8:30-4:30 worked between Monday and Friday) and an additional half day. Alternative working patterns will be considered. Please indicate your preferred working pattern in your cover letter.

The closing date for this role is Wednesday 15th April at 5pm and any interested candidates should apply by sharing their CV and a covering letter detailing why they are suitable and their preferred working pattern.

We request no contact from agencies please.

Reporting to: Head of Major Giving   

Location of Work: Home based. The post holder will be expected to travel to meet donors, travel to away days and team meetings in London. The role may involve some irregular travel throughout England and Scotland. Expenses will be paid in line with our Travel and Expenses policy.

Contract Type: Ideally full-time, 35 hours per week, although 28 hours/compressed hours may be considered. The role may require occasional evening and weekend work    

Contract Length: Permanent    

Salary: £43,500 

BACKGROUND    

Magic Breakfast’s mission is to end child morning hunger in the UK now and for good. The latest research suggests that 2.7 million children are at risk of hunger, meaning one in five children don’t have enough to eat. When a child is too hungry to learn, they struggle to concentrate, absorb information, and manage their emotions, causing them to fall behind in their studies. 

Magic Breakfast provides a nutritious breakfast to over 350,000 children and young people every school day. We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target children most in need without barrier or stigma.

We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target the children most in need without barrier or stigma. We are now at an exciting point in our journey as we launch Nourishing Futures, our long-term strategy, which capitalises on market changes and government commitments to scale our work, while redefining breakfast spaces not just as places to eat, but as places to thrive. 

In response to a challenging funding landscape, and to seize on the opportunities ahead, we have recently brought together our Philanthropy and Trusts teams into a unified Major Giving function, enabling us to build deep, values-driven relationships with high-value supporters.  

The Major Giving Lead – Individual Donors will play a pivotal role in this new function, leading all relationships with high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) and ensuring exceptional donor care and engagement. Reporting to the Head of Major Giving, this role is a senior, strategic position crucial to driving the organisation’s fundraising growth and deliver against our mission. 

JOB PURPOSE   

The Major Giving Lead – Individual Donors is a senior, strategic role within Magic Breakfast’s unified Major Giving function, acting as the organisation’s expert on philanthropy. This role will lead and manage relationships with high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), ensuring exceptional donor care, long-term engagement, and the growth of transformational gifts.  

Working closely with the Head of Major Giving, the Major Giving Lead will help develop and embed a cohesive Major Giving strategy, fostering strong synergies across the Major Giving team. In partnership with the other Major Giving Lead (Trust & Foundations) this role will create unified stewardship programmes, prospect development strategies, and engagement opportunities, ensuring a seamless and compelling experience for donors across all major giving streams. It will also work closely with the Business Development Manager (Scotland) to ensure effective ways of working across devolved nations and to unlock opportunities for HNWI in Scotland.  

This is a high-impact, leadership-focused role for a proactive, strategic, and relationship-driven individual, capable of influencing key stakeholders, shaping organisational approaches to major giving, and driving the growth of Magic Breakfast’s mission to end child morning hunger across the UK.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:    

Leadership and team collaboration  

• Act as the senior lead and subject matter expert for HNWI relationships across the organisation.  

• Work closely with the Head of Major Giving and Major Giving Lead – Trust & Foundations to develop and embed a cohesive Major Giving strategy, fostering strong synergies between Major Individual Donors and Trusts, with a clear link to synergies in other teams.   

• Support the Head of Major Giving and Trust & other Major Giving Lead in mentoring and guiding other members of the Major Giving Team.  

• Provide leadership, insights and expertise across the wider organisation to support the delivery of our new organisational goals, including through contributions to the sub-goal working groups and other enabling strategies.   

• Collaborate within the fundraising, and across other, departments to deliver cross-organisational initiatives, events and campaigns, championing opportunities to unlock HNWI giving.    

• Scan the external environment for trends, insights, ideas and best practice that could benefit the Major Giving team and Magic Breakfast’s work, making recommendations for improvements and leading on opportunities as they arise.  

• Work in close partnership with the Business Development Manager (Scotland) to ensure joined-up approaches to HNWI opportunities in Scotland, sharing expertise, aligning stewardship, and enabling effective cross-team working.  

• Flex to provide support across the Major Giving team where necessary, responding and supporting shared team-wide objectives and any trust and foundations work if required. 

Income generation, donor stewardship and prospect development   

• With support from the Head of Major Giving, deliver the 25/26 individual giving income target of c£800k by personally managing a portfolio of new and existing major donors and family foundations, with a focus on securing, renewing and uplifting gifts above £50k+ .   

• In partnership with other teams and departments, develop, test and roll out new data-driven approaches to target and reach new HNWI and other major giving audiences.  

• Work with our Prospect Researcher Manager to identify and execute opportunities to grow our prospect pool, including from across other teams, and to facilitate personal introductions and meetings with yourself or other Magic Breakfast employees/ volunteers – providing relevant briefings where appropriate.  

• Support and collaborate with the Business Development Manager (Scotland) where shared funder relationships or new opportunities arise.  

• Develop and implement tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for new and existing HNWIs, leveraging and building relationships within and across Magic Breakfast networks’ to support our fundraising objectives.  

• Support, and where required lead, on the delivery of cross-organisational projects including any major giving campaigns, collaborating closely with colleagues across the organisation, including Brand & Marketing, and other relevant teams, to project manage effectively and ensure activity is informed by insights and organisational expertise, and delivers against its KPIs with a strong return on investment.  

• Maintain a strong knowledge of the organisation strategy, business plan and opportunities for innovation and ‘value-add’, to identify and build accurate and inspiring giving propositions, wish lists and a persuasive case for support  

• Ensure exceptional relationship management and donor reporting, with high-quality donor care and stewardship techniques that speak to the motivations and interests of our donors, exploring ways to build our donor community – such as through giving circles.  

• Work with colleagues across the Major Giving and other income generation teams to design and deliver a calendar of bespoke engagement opportunities, events and experiences for donors and prospects, ensuring high-quality execution and timely reviews.  

• Champion innovation in donor journeys, engagement campaigns, and communications to maximize supporter impact and retention, ensuring everyone is aligned behind clear, measurable goals and delivers with purpose and consistency.

• Work with the Head of Individual Giving and Engagement to establish a clear mid-level giving programme and to ensure opportunities and leads are recognised and developed where possible and that there is a high-level of stewardship.

Financial Processes, Reporting, and Due Diligence  

• Support the Head of Major Giving to conduct effective annual planning and budgeting, setting, measuring and reporting against agreed KPIs and utilising data and insights to inform decisions and future planning.   

• Support the Head of Major Giving to prepare phased budgets and reforecasts, identifying and recognising opportunities and risks to income in line with activity plans and progress.  

• Ensure all HNWI income and activity is reconciled and recorded on Magic Breakfast database systems (Salesforce) with relevant supporting documents, including gift aid and gift instruments in place.  

• Work with finance and performance and relevant business leads to manage programme budgets and restrictions.  

• As requested, provide regular reports and updates to the Head of Major Giving, Director of Fundraising & Development and other stakeholders as required.    

General   

• Maintain strong communication and alignment with the Business Development Manager (Scotland), ensuring funder and donor activity is coordinated and opportunities are maximised across nations.  

• Ensure all donor due diligence is completed and compliant with ethical fundraising standards, GDPR and organisational policy.  

• Contribute to team meetings, sharing best practice and supporting team members where necessary  

• Help to maintain a positive working environment; keeping the vision of Magic Breakfast at the heart of everything we do  

• Uphold a culture that keeps children and young people at the heart and encourages openness, collaboration, bravery, compassion and a solutions-focussed approach  

• Work collaboratively across the organisation more widely to build good working relations across the organisation and provide ad-hoc support to other teams and members of staff  

• Adhere to all Magic Breakfast policies and procedures  

• Ensure that all activity is compliant with current legislation, GDPR and child safeguarding requirements (training provided)  

• Participate in occasional work-related events at external venues and perform support related activities, as required. Be willing to undertake occasional work outside of regular office hours and UK travel  

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role  

PERSON SPECIFICATION   

Knowledge and Experience    

• Experience generating income and developing a sustainable pipeline of revenue from high-net-worth individuals.  

• Experience of working with high level volunteers and/or committees to deliver major fundraising targets.   

• Excellent and proven knowledge of major gift fundraising methodology including prospect research, managing databases for major account portfolio management, proposal preparation and the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major donors.   

• Proven track record of successfully identifying, securing and cultivating six and seven figure commitments from HNWI.  

• Experience of building, leading and contributing to effective teams and relationships to achieve a high level of performance.  

• Understanding of Magic Breakfast’s cause and the challenges faced by families and children with respect to morning hunger.  

• A good understanding of the fundraising and philanthropy landscape in which Magic Breakfast operates and the relevant fundraising and data legislation and best practice.  

• Experience of effectively and authentically incorporating the voices and views of people with lived experience in fundraising activities.  

Skills and Abilities    

• Skilled and confident in soliciting major gifts, with a natural ability to ‘make the ask’.  

• High emotional intelligence and creativity to develop compelling campaigns, cases for support, and donor relationships.  

• Strong analytical and constructive thinking, with the ability to problem-solve, adapt, and develop innovative solutions to complex challenges.  

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with confidence presenting to a variety of audiences.  

• Ability to build and maintain strong, positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external.  

• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.  

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to high-quality outputs.  

• A collaborative team player with the ability to work both independently and across teams, proactively engaging colleagues.  

• Skilled in identifying, escalating, and managing risk effectively.  

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (advanced level) and other Microsoft Office products; ease with IT packages such as Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.  

• Experience using fundraising databases (ideally Salesforce) as well as other systems, such as asana, to support performance management and reporting.   

• Ability to keep accurate and up-to-date records, adapting processes where needed to meet organisational requirements.  

• Understanding of Health and Safety and other regulations as they apply to events.  

WHAT WE OFFER

At Magic Breakfast we value our employees and work hard to develop offer a supportive, respectful culture which enables everyone to thrive. For more information, please visit our recruitment pack via our webiste. 

APPLICATION PROCCESS

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, HR @ magicbreakfast. com

Shortlisting - w/c 6th April

Interview 1 - 20th and 22nd April

Interview 2 - 27th April

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

We are looking for a Campaigns Assistant (New Parent Leave Cover), to support the Campaigns and Movement Building team in delivering campaigns to stop new oil and gas fields and accelerate a fair phase-out of oil and gas in the UK. The Campaigns Assistant will play a key role in ensuring campaign infrastructure runs smoothly and that mobilisation activities, stakeholder communications, and campaign logistics are effectively coordinated.

About Us
The National Landscapes Association represents and supports the UK’s National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) The Association is a charity and non-profit membership organisation. The team advocates, communicates and fosters collaborative action which supports the UK’s network of National Landscapes to be as effective as possible. We champion the interests of National Landscapes with governments and coordinate the delivery of national projects.

About the Role
As Head of Partnerships and Fundraising, you will lead the development and delivery of an ambitious income generation and partnership strategy for the National Landscapes Association. This is a pivotal senior role, focused on securing and growing diverse funding streams, including corporate partnerships, philanthropy, grants and strategic collaborations to support the long-term resilience of the organisation and the wider National Landscapes network.

You will drive new business, negotiate high-value partnerships and oversee a strong pipeline of opportunities, while leading and supporting a high-performing Development Team. Working closely with the Chief Executive, Board and key partners, you will operate at a strategic level, shaping propositions, building influential relationships and positioning National Landscapes as a compelling investment opportunity within the environmental and nature-based solutions space.

Key Responsibilities

• Income generation & strategy: Lead the development and delivery of an ambitious income diversification strategy, identifying and securing funding from corporate partnerships, philanthropy, grants and strategic collaborations.
• New business development: Drive the full partnership lifecycle from prospect identification and relationship building through to proposal development, negotiation and deal closure for high-value opportunities.
• Partnership development & stewardship: Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with funders and partners, ensuring high-quality account management and delivery against agreed outcomes.
• Team leadership & performance: Lead and support the Development Team, setting clear objectives, fostering a positive team culture, and ensuring delivery against income targets and pipeline goals.
• Strategic positioning & influence: Work with the Chief Executive and Board to shape compelling partnership propositions, represent the organisation externally, and position National Landscapes as a leading partner for investment in nature.
• Governance, reporting & insight: Ensure robust pipeline management, forecasting and reporting, while maintaining oversight of legal, financial and reputational considerations across partnerships.

See the role description for more information.

Why Join Us?
At the National Landscapes Association, you’ll be part of a passionate and forward-thinking team making a meaningful impact. You’ll gain exposure to a wide range of high-profile policy issues, work alongside experts across the UK, and help shape the future of our most valued landscapes.

Join our growing organisation and help us to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of lymphoma.

Public and Patient Affairs Coordinator
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part-time, 15 hours over three or four days
Based: Based at head office in Aylesbury, Bucks. This is a hybrid role
Salary: £25,000 (pro-rata: £10,714 for 15 hrs per week)

About the Role

This is an exciting time to join us as we develop and invest to do more for people affected by lymphoma and to amplify the patient voice to decision makers. We are now looking for someone to support our Public and Patient Affairs Advisor in this growing area of work for the Charity. This is the perfect role for someone who has:

• Strong administrative and organisational skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities.
• Excellent written skills with great attention to detail.
• Good digital skills and willingness to learn new systems.
• Great team-working skills and ability to communicate and collaborate effectively and sensitively.

This is a new and key post to support this work which has grown over the last few years as we have inputted into more projects and had more external requests for patient support. The postholder will help us reach our policy goals to improve early diagnosis, access to treatment and care, patient involvement, and long term quality of life for people affected by lymphoma.

Additional information:

This is a hybrid role, offering the flexibility of office-based and home working. Proximity to Aylesbury is essential, as the postholder will be required to attend the office a minimum of once a week and more frequently during the induction period, as needed for meetings or to meet the needs of the role.

About Us

Lymphoma Action is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to lymphoma, the UK’s most common blood cancer. We’ve been providing expert information and wide-ranging support for 40 years, helping thousands of people affected by lymphoma.

Closing date: Tuesday 7 April 2026, 12pm
Interviews: Thursday 16 April 2026 in Aylesbury

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

Please note that applicants need to be resident in the UK and have the right to work in the UK.

We actively welcome applications that will help increase the diversity of our workforce, welcoming applications from those with disabilities and from minority groups and from different backgrounds and experiences.

No agencies please.

If this sounds like you, then our four-month (7th September to 18th December 2026), salaried Grant Fundraising Traineeship might be the perfect opportunity for you.

Chell Perkins is looking for four individuals with excellent writing skills who want to learn how to fundraise from grantmakers. 

Our industry-leading paid traineeship (monthly equivalent of a £24,792 annual salary) will see you writing grant applications for multiple charities and gaining a recognised certificate with education credits towards CFRE to kickstart your fundraising career. There are up to four vacancies at Chell Perkins, and at the end of the course trainees will be eligible to apply for a permanent position.

“This programme has been an amazing opportunity to work with so many different clients, and constantly learn new skills on the job. I have learned so much.” Junior Fundraiser, 2022

This immersive programme is home-based with quality training and plenty of support from other experienced fundraisers.

“The hands-on training opportunities that come with a role at Chell Perkins are invaluable for anyone who is looking to get into fundraising. I don't think you could find a more immersive and rewarding experience in the charity sector anywhere else!” Junior Fundraiser, 2022

Why Chell Perkins?

At the end of our Grant Fundraising Traineeship, you will be a confident and capable fundraiser. But there’s much more to the scheme than that. The Chell Perkins team are a great bunch of people to work with. We really care about our partner charities and YOUR future. Our supportive and empowering work culture will enable you to realise your own potential.

“This programme is truly unique and rewarding. I recommend it to anyone thinking of beginning a fundraising career.” Junior Fundraiser, 2020

Client mix

Candidates should be aware that at present, 70% of our partner charities come from a Christian background (churches or Christian charities). While it is not a requirement to be Christian, candidates must be happy to write for a faith-based audience.

Applications

This role is home-based; however, you may occasionally be required to work from client sites across the UK.

For more details about this opportunity, contact us and request a copy of the Job Description & Person Specification document.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 4th May 2026 for positions starting on 7th September 2026.

If our Grant Fundraising Traineeship sounds like it could be a perfect fit for you, why not apply? We look forward to hearing from you!

To apply for this role, please complete our job application and email it to us with a recent CV and a covering letter. In your covering letter, we are looking for:

• Evidence of strong written communication skills
• Passion for the third sector, and in particular fundraising
• Ability to write persuasively
• Evidence that you have carefully researched the role and our organisation.

Click 'how to apply' below for the email address to send your application to, and for more information on the role and person specification.

A note about generative AI use

As an agency we are not against the use of AI to research or help improve the quality of your application. However, we strongly advise against using AI to generate copy for you. Last year, over 40 applications contained sections with identical wording, due to the use of generative AI. As a result, we could not get to know the applicants from their writing, and subsequently had to reject all of these applications.

Event & Engagement Coordinator 

Remote based in North West England. Please note, the role requires working one day a week in Manchester. 

Fixed term contract: initially 12 months with potential to extend.

Job Purpose: 

To plan, coordinate, and deliver a range of local events across North West England, ensuring each event is well-organised, inclusive, and engaging for local communities. The Local Event Coordinator will collaborate closely with partners, local authorities, suppliers, volunteers, and members to deliver high-quality, unique and memorable experiences.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Plan and manage logistics for a variety of local member events, making sure all events are accessible and attractive to both existing and potential members. 

• Liaise with relevant external and internal contacts such as venues, suppliers, CSSC’s ticketing platform, Head Office departments, and volunteers. 

• Complete all relevant compliance work such as risk assessments and public liability checks. 

• Develop and manage event budgets, ensuring value for money and accurate financial tracking. 

• Promote events via social media, email campaigns, posters, and local press in collaboration with marketing teams. 

• Manage and grow the North West’s CSSC TikTok presence, including content planning, filming, editing, posting, and community engagement. 

• Demonstrate strong working knowledge of TikTok trends, algorithms, analytics, and best practices. 

• Create engaging, on-brand short-form video content tailored to target audiences. 

• Monitor performance metrics and use insights to optimise content strategy and increase reach and engagement. 

• Stay up to date with emerging social media trends, tools, and platform updates. 

• Show a genuine interest in communications, digital marketing, and social media strategy. 

• Oversee event setup and breakdown where applicable, managing on-site logistics and resolving any issues on the day. 

• Recruit and coordinate volunteers to assist with events. 

• Evaluate event success through feedback, data collection, and post-event reporting. 

Key Skills & Experience: 

Essential: 

• Proven experience in planning and delivering events. 

• Strong organisational and time-management skills. 

• Ability to manage budgets and handle multiple projects simultaneously. 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills. 

• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when required. 

• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the region. 

• Ability to analyse member insights to inform event planning for CSSC members and to attract potential new members. 

• Work collaboratively with the Regional Team to develop and implement strategies aimed at supporting membership growth and ensure positive member experiences. 

• Build a rapport with CSSC volunteers and understand skillsets in order to correctly identify support necessary for events. 

• Confident in using IT systems and ticketing platforms to effectively promote events across appropriate channels. 

• Supporting Regional Hub Manager with member and volunteer engagement events 

• Experience with processes 

Desirable: 

• Experience working with community groups, charities, membership organisations or not for profits. 

• Knowledge of health and safety and safeguarding procedures. 

• Familiarity with marketing or PR for events. 

• First Aid or event safety training. 

• Previous experience with ticketing platforms or willingness to learn. 

• Understanding of how comms and events align with one another.

• Data literacy or willingness to understand some basic data analytics 

Self-employed part-time Communications Specialist vacancy – for regional group of a  
national environmental campaigning charity (Hybrid) 

CPRE North and East Yorkshire (CPRENEY) is a long-established charity working to protect, promote and enhance the countryside. We cover a huge area (6,900+ square miles!) from the River Tees in the north to Goole, south of the River Humber and west from the Yorkshire Dales to the East Yorkshire coast.  Our region comprises diverse landscapes and communities and includes some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks. Leveraging our land use and planning expertise, we respond to Local Plan consultations and provide support to members of the public and community groups to help shape development in ways that enrich the countryside and respond positively to the double threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

Right now, we are looking for an experienced individual to fill a new freelance role focused on creating content and managing all the charity’s external communications, with a particular focus on strengthening engagement with current and potential members/supporters. Applicants should have experience of and skills in online content development, website maintenance and use of social media channels / knowledge of SEO. 

This is an exceptional opportunity at one of the world's most prestigious universities at a time of extraordinary ambition and philanthropic momentum. 

Associate Director of Development – Principal Gifts
Employer: University of Oxford
Salary: £65,336 - £82,255 with scope to go beyond for a leading professional with outstanding experience and track record
Location: Oxford (Hybrid)

Here at the University of Oxford, we are recruiting three Associate Directors of Development – Principal Gifts to join our incredible team. These are new positions, part of an expansion of our friendly, collaborative and successful Principal Gifts team.

As Associate Director of Development – Principal Gifts, you will operate at the highest levels of the University to secure transformational gifts at the eight-figure-plus level, advancing Oxford’s mission and global impact.  Your work will help ensure that Oxford continues to attract the brightest minds, pursue world-leading research, and address the most urgent challenges facing humanity.

You will work closely with the Vice-Chancellor, Chief Development and Alumni Engagement Officer, Director of Development – Principal Gifts, and other senior leaders to align principal gift opportunities with institutional priorities and articulate a compelling case for support to some of the world’s most significant philanthropists.

Your impact will be enduring – enabling breakthrough discoveries, expanding opportunity for students, and strengthening Oxford’s position as a global leader in education and research.  The Associate Director of Development role offers the chance not only to secure transformational gifts, but also to shape the future of Oxford’s philanthropic culture and leave a legacy at an institution that has been changing the world for over nine centuries.

This is a chance to join a dedicated, professional and ambitious team at a time when Oxford’s fundraising is at unprecedented levels. With strong support from the Vice-Chancellor, a proven track record of principal gift success, and an unparalleled global reputation, you will have every opportunity to make your mark, both at Oxford and in your career.

You will be passionate about what we do here, not phased by complexity and ambiguity, and comfortable orchestrating a myriad of stakeholders.  We hope to hear from you!

The University of Oxford is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.

Closing date: midnight on Monday, 6 April 2026.

Interested?

Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.

Diversity and Inclusivity

The University of Oxford is committed to equal opportunity, and to being a place where everyone belongs and is supported to succeed. We recognise how the diversity of our community enriches our ability to deliver on our academic mission.

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented within higher education. No applicant or members of staff shall be unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

No agencies please

Use your leadership abilities to strengthen and encourage the persecuted church around the world.

Today 388 million Christians experience high levels of violence and oppression for their faith. And the shocking thing is that most people in the UK don’t know about it. Open Doors UK and Ireland raises awareness about the growing levels of persecution and enables people to join a huge underground global network which is keeping the church alive in the most dangerous and difficult contexts - despite the determined efforts of extremists to eradicate Christianity.

As we identify with people suffering for their faith, through prayer, giving and taking action, we see our faith grow. We see the church here become the mature body that we are called, in Scripture, to be.

We are now seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead this work through a season of missional growth, opportunity and ambition. The CEO will be pivotal in raising the profile of the persecuted church, deepening connections with the church in the UK and Ireland and influencing Government to protect Christians around the world.

To that end, the CEO will be a strategic leader, highly relational in approach, agile and nimble in mindset, delivery-oriented and passionate about strengthening the church.

If that sounds like you please see the job pack attached and prayerfully consider applying. You can expect to have your own faith, reading of Scripture and prayer-life, transformed!

Closing date for applications is 8th May 2026.

JOB TITLE:                         Centre Based Assistance Dog Instructor (Maternity Cover) 

LOCATION:                        Based at our Centre in Milton Keynes, with travel up to 3 hours 

SALARY BAND:                 £26K - £32K per annum, depending on experience. Line management experience desirable.

JOB TYPE:                          Full time and Part time applicants considered. Fixed Term of 12-18 months 

REPORTS TO:                    Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme 

Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives. 

We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving alert assistance dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease.

We have an exciting new opportunity to join this small but fast-growing charity that is a world leader in its specialist innovative field. 

The Role 

We are looking for a passionate and driven person who has previous proven experience and skills working as an Instructor within an Assistance Dog organisation, who has worked with clients and partnerships. The role includes supporting both clients who have had a MDD dog placed with them and also our own dog applicants with their puppies and young dogs to ensure they receive the highest standard of socialisation and early training in terms of obedience, public access and developing an alert to the applicant’s condition, with the aim to reach an accreditable assistance dog partnership status. The role will also include carrying out client specific and odour training for MDD own dogs, placing these dogs with their new clients and looking after a number of established partnerships. This role would suit somebody residing up to an hour from our centre in Milton Keynes.  

Duties that encompass the role of an Instructor include:  

• Be the first point of contact for the allocated partnerships in your area. To provide guidance and instruction to applicants who have applied to the charity to have their own dogs considered for the training programme guidance and instruction on handling, behaviour and obedience and odour training as well as newly placed partnerships.

• Alongside the Instructing team, to run puppy classes, public access training, recall sessions in small groups for applicant own dogs that are in line with the charity’s quality standards and in accordance with timescales and targets. 

• To also carry out support visits and home interviews for applicants and clients that have been allocated to you.  

• Regularly monitor progress of any young dogs and partnerships in training in your area and provide detailed, evidenced feedback to Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme.

• To carry out client specific training with any MDD owned dogs that have been matched, including the required odour scent training.

• Instructing, guiding and supporting new assistance dog clients in managing and handling a Medical Alert Assistance Dog effectively, via pretraining, placement training and aftercare visits.

• Supporting partnerships in training in successfully reaching an accreditation standard and in maintaining this standard throughout the life of the partnership.

• To support a number of established partnerships in the form of aftercare, refresher training and yearly re-accreditations, assisting further afield on occasions as required.

Responsibilities  

• To escalate issues and problems to the Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme as appropriate.

• To carry out scent assessments on any MDD dogs in socialising as and when required with the support of the rest of the Instructing Team.

• To plan, organise and deliver practical and theoretical training to clients, meeting their individual needs in line with agreed standards to include areas such as dog welfare, appropriate handling, commanding and overall management. This will involve working with the parents as Team Leader and child as Client and working with adult clients.
• Assess the team dynamics of the family & balancing the needs of all family members as well as those of the dog.
• Assess the individuals preferred learning style and amending as relevant to aid a client.
• To accompany the client into all regular environments that they will take the dog to, ensuring the dog behaves in an acceptable manner and that the client and others are aware and clear in terms of where they dog should reside and behave for e.g. public transport, place of work. To complete a check list of environments for any applicant own dogs in training who are on the programme to be assessed within.
• To support and advise clients in transferring the odour training from pot training and recognising alerting behaviours to establish real life alerting.
• To ensure all partnerships are in line with the ADUK regulations with regards to behaviour, obedience and welfare and branding.
• Due to the nature of the role, flexible working hours may be required in some instances to facilitate the effective delivery of the work e.g. working during the school holidays with school age clients.
• To monitor the correct and false alerting percentages of allocated partnerships via data analysis, advising where necessary until the correct alerting levels are achieved.
• To complete comprehensive reports and paperwork for any time spent with applicants or partnerships in training or established. Maintain accurate records by providing verbal and written information with agreed timescales about clients, dogs, applicants and apprentices as appropriate.
• To work alongside allocated partnerships with the aim of the partnership reaching an accredited standard and feeding back to the Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme if there are any concerns that the accreditation cannot be achieved.
• To provide clients with appropriate aftercare services at regular intervals in their own homes in the form of annual visits, support visits or at refresher workshops run at the Centre to agreed standards.  This will include continual re-assessment of the dynamics of family and dog, formulating and training on appropriate solutions, as well as offering additional dog training advice.
• To deliver handling days as part of an applicant’s pretraining to include ‘Introduction to Assistance Dog’ ‘Advanced Handling’ and Family Handling.
• To scent train and seizure proof advanced dogs in preparation to be partnered with an adult or child client and ensure that applicant own dogs have received this at the earliest opportunity.
• To maintain the ongoing public access training with any advanced dog in scent training that has been allocated to them.
• To liaise with Independent Contractors as relevant.
• To provide support to the Charity’s public relations and fundraising functions as required, specifically in your area.
• To act as the ‘contact’ person for the assistance dog programme in relation to training policy procedures with clients and their families, other professional service providers and members of the public.  This will include on-going research and development of the project.
• As required, to liaise and provide support for Volunteers of the Charity.

Other 

• Share best practice with colleagues across the charity.

• Any other duties or tasks that are required to ensure the successful running of the Medical Alert Assistance Dog Department and the Charity overall.

PERSON SPECIFICATION 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
• Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
• Experience of running puppy classes, carrying out public access training and recall sessions
• Able to develop training plans for any dogs in training under your care
• High level of self-motivation and planning
• Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life-threatening conditions
• Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary
• Willing to be on call for partnerships as and when required
• Willing to stay away from home in local accommodation when client locations are too far to travel back home
• Happy and able to have Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training reside in your home
• Good team player, but equally able to work independently
• Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
• Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
• Flexible

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE 

Essential 

• Previous Assistance Dog Instructing and Dog Training experience
• Knowledge of AD(UK) and ADI regulations
• Law in relation to dogs 
• Knowledge of medical conditions relevant to puppies between 8 weeks and 2 years of age
• Knowledge of dog and human psychology
• Proven evidence and experience of dog handling and training skills
• Previous experience of teaching and instructing
• Sound dog training and dog behaviour knowledge
• IT literacy and report writing skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Teams, Zoom and SharePoint
• Full UK driving licence
• Pass a DBS (CRB) check due to regular contact with children

Preferable  

• Knowledge of debilitating medical conditions and understanding of how they can impact people, both physically and psychologically, particularly when they are unstable and fluctuating
• Previous knowledge of odour/scent training
• Previous line management experience 

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES ​

• Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills 

• Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions 

• Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation

• You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as able to motivate yourself

• You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as being able to motivate yourself.
• You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem-solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations.

DIVERITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION

We are a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive Charity. Medical Detection Dogs thrives when everyone feels comfortable bringing their best self to work. We celebrate difference, whilst striving to create an environment where colleagues feel respected and valued for their unique potential. We are committed to our values on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Charity Values

All employees are expected to uphold the charity’s core values in their daily work. This includes demonstrating respect through open and considerate communication, fostering cooperation by working collaboratively, maintaining honesty in all interactions and ensuring fairness through just and transparent decision-making.

Finally, the successful candidate will also be expected to: 

• Hold a full UK Driving Licence 

• Provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK. 

• Undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check 

• Work some evenings and weekends 

• Be willing to travel to the Centre based near Milton Keynes