Project worker jobs

Manchester Central Foodbank is a busy Trussell Trust-affiliated food bank, with centres in Central, North, and East Manchester. We were established in Ardwick in 2013 by students at the Manchester Universities’ Catholic Chaplaincy, making us the first student-led food bank in the country. Since then we have grown significantly, expanding our weekly sessions into Harpurhey and Openshaw.

Our core aims are to deliver the best quality support that we can to the largest number of our neighbours in need, while working with partners and influencing and organising at a neighbourhood and citywide level to reduce and end the need for food banks in Manchester.

We currently support 16,000 people per year with nutritionally balanced 3-day food parcels. This is double the number of people we supported in the first year following the Covid-19 pandemic, and four times the number supported in 2019. We also provide financial inclusion support with advice workers in public sessions, access to energy vouchers, SIM cards, and other voucher or material support. We coordinate across a network of 200 active front-line referral agencies with the aim of ensuring everyone who accesses our service has appropriate, specialised, and ongoing support alongside the material provision that we provide.

We are active leaders in anti-poverty organising and community development, as convenors of the city-wide Building an Anti-Poverty Community collective and aim to be key shapers and influencers of new strategies and policies, working closely to support and influence local government, NHS, education, and research agendas in Manchester and more widely, building upon our track record of successful anti-poverty partnership work, social value impact, and Parliamentary influencing.

Key Responsibilities

Our Operations and Projects Workers are the backbone of our charity. They play a key role in the day-to-day running of operations, from frontline and client-facing work to recruiting, supervising, and supporting volunteers, assisting with stock and logistics activities and deliveries, and leading and supporting a range of projects.

A central part of this diverse, hands-on role is leading and supporting foodbank sessions, with extensive engagement with foodbank clients and primary responsibility for supervising, supporting, and developing volunteers.

The Operations and Projects Workers will help shape and maintain high service standards and embed Our Values at the core of every aspect of the charity’s activity.

On a weekly basis the postholder will work to support the smooth running of three public-facing sessions and the operational activities which underpin them. You will work alongside a team of volunteers and staff 

You will be based at our main office and warehouse site, but also regularly attend our three session sites where appropriate and conduct deliveries and collections across the city. Some working from home is allowed with the prior agreement of your manager.

Foodbank Sessions

As part of a pre-planned rota system you will attend foodbank sessions in a variety of roles. All team members are expected to prioritise the creation of a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly space.

In some sessions you will be the nominated Session Lead, 

• You will be responsible for health and safety, briefing and de-briefing of volunteers and other staff, safeguarding and incident reporting, and dealing with emergency or difficult situations.
• Session leads take an active role in shaping and maintaining our values-led Service Standards and creating a supportive framework for other team members, ensuring all frontline service meets those expectations.
• You will ensure consistent and rigorous monitoring and reporting from sessions, including volunteer registration, stock management, logging and escalation of issues and concerns, also well as consistent reporting on service provision.
• Session Leads will act as the primary liaison and coordination point on the day with advice providers and financial inclusion workers
• They will also be the lead contact point on a session day liaising with host sites and reception staff and other session partner organisations.
• Before, during, and after sessions, the Session Lead will monitor stock levels and ensure packing, loading, and unloading is done safely and consistently.

You may also attend foodbank sessions in a variety of other roles, including, but not limited to:

• Conducting or coordinating one-to-one check-ins and support conversations with clients, responsible for signposting and onwards referrals
• Providing additional support such as energy vouchers, SIM cards, supermarket vouchers, and other provision.
• Delivering and collecting food and other stock and materials to and from session sites and monitoring stock levels.
• Supporting general tasks and activities within sessions, such as packing parcels, referrals check-in, picking lists, or monitoring cafés and adjacent spaces.

General Foodbank Operations

Outside of foodbank sessions, you will lead or support across the broad range of operational and project activities, including:

• Regularly driving the foodbank van and loading and unloading stock and other materials.
• Answering or replying to enquiries from clients, referrers, donors, partners, and other contacts via the main charity phone line and email inboxes.
• Conduct regular office-based administrative, printing, and reporting activities.
• Deputise for senior staff or fill in for other team members where appropriate in day-to-day operational cover and external meetings and relationships, including with foodbank referrers and partner organisations.
• Coordinate and supervise volunteers and logistics around food deliveries, food drives, and food sorting sessions.
• Work and lead on projects to help maintain and increase donation levels.
• In collaboration with other staff, assist volunteer recruitment, training, and development activities.
• Attend and organise meetings and events where required to represent the foodbank or conduct project-related work.
• Undertake training and personal development as appropriate and agreed with your line manager.

The post-holder will be responsible for managing their own workload and time management, completing timesheets and reports for the board.

There may be other project-specific tasks requested from time to time for the benefit of the charity to be discussed and agreed with your line manager.

About you

Essential Experience and Knowledge:

• A full clean driving licence and willing and able to drive a 3.5tn van regularly.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills in order to coordinate your own workload and schedule, effectively managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with other staff members, volunteers, referrers, and foodbank users.
• Ability to respond to unexpected situations in a busy service delivery environment and make decisions related to health and safety and emergency incidents.
• Ability to independently make and carry out decisions in line with foodbank policies and procedures.
• An enthusiasm for all aspects of work at Manchester Central Foodbank, and the flexibility and willingness to get involved with projects and tasks that may sit outside of your normal work.
• Experience of working with service users in a community setting.
• Proficiency in IT, including email, spreadsheets, and Google Drive.
• A clear understanding of, and belief in the values and aims of, Manchester Central Foodbank and the Trussell Trust.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience of volunteer management.

Essential Behaviours and Competencies

• A clear understanding of, and belief in the values and aims of, Manchester Central Foodbank and the Trussell Trust.
• The ability to communicate and work with people with a range of backgrounds, views, and interests and build ongoing relationships and trust.
• Personal integrity, high professional standards, and honesty.
• Empathy and confidence when working with people who are experiencing financial and/or personal hardship.
• Passionate about social justice and tackling food poverty.
• Ability to be hands-on and adaptable in changeable circumstances.

Villagers Connect Project – a great opportunity to join our team at Action in rural Sussex

Villagers Connect is a community development project which is working to sustain a strong and vibrant community in the villages of Colgate, Faygate and Rusper. It aims to build connections and relationships which increase confidence, independence and empowerment, particularly for the over 65’s.

We are seeking a part-time community development worker to work as part of a small team that is active in this rural location in the Horsham district. This role involves a good deal of community-based activity, engaging with older people and the wider community. This does therefore require someone who is understanding of older people and their interests, abilities and needs.

We champion an asset based approach to community development, which is about building on existing strengths and supporting local people to flourish; undertaking community led projects that create community cohesion and have lasting impact.

Key Objectives

· Support older people to access services and support locally that will meet their needs and improve their quality of life

· Improve the lived experiences for older people in these rural communities

· Build connections and relationships across and within the three parishes to reduce social isolation

· Develop new and support existing activities to enable a vibrant community

· Increase confidence, independence and empowerment amongst individuals, groups and community based organisations.

· Strengthen existing community assets, knowledge and skills in line with our asset based approach to the Villagers Connect Project

· Support community resilience by building community networks which are strong and sustainable into the future

Two years in, the project is well established and has gone from strength to strength. We are now seeking a new member of the team to help drive this project forward and enable this community to celebrate what can be achieved when people come together and support one another to age well and live full and active lives, despite the challenges of rural living.

About the role:

At the heart of Camden’s mission to end rough sleeping, we are recruiting Project Workers across two short-stay accommodation services, with one role based at Gray’s Inn Road and one role based at the Rough Sleepers Hub Assessment Centre at 165 King’s Cross Road. Both services support people experiencing rough sleeping to move away from the streets and towards safe, sustainable housing, but each plays a slightly different role in that journey.

Gray’s Inn Road provides short-stay accommodation for 16 people, usually for three to six months. Funded by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Greater London Authority, and delivered in partnership with One Housing Group and Camden Council, the service offers focused, trauma-informed support for people facing overlapping challenges including homelessness, poor physical and mental health, substance use, trauma and contact with the criminal justice system. As a Project Worker, you’ll hold a caseload, complete in-depth assessments, build tailored support plans and work alongside each person to develop practical life skills, confidence and clear pathways into longer-term housing and independence.

At 165 King’s Cross Road, the Rough Sleepers Hub Assessment Centre provides 16 beds through a shorter, assessment-led model, with planned move-on typically within 28 days. This is a fast-paced service focused on momentum, opportunity and the right next step. You’ll carry out meaningful assessments, respond to complex situations, create personalised support plans and offer practical, hands-on support around housing pathways, wellbeing, daily living skills and opportunities to access training or employment.

Whichever service you join, you’ll work in a psychologically informed and trauma-aware environment, alongside partners including Camden Routes off the Streets, Inroads, Connect Forward and the Adult Pathway. You’ll also contribute to the safe and effective running of the service, while being supported through reflective practice, high-quality training and clear development opportunities. Most importantly, you’ll be part of a team that believes rough sleeping should be rare, brief and not repeated, and that every person deserves the chance to move forward with confidence and hope.

About you:

• You build trust quickly and support people facing multiple disadvantage to set goals, take control and move forward at their own pace
• You stay calm under pressure and respond confidently to crisis, making safe, thoughtful decisions in complex situations
• You understand how to maximise income and financial stability, helping clients navigate benefits, rent and budgeting
• You work with clear, professional boundaries and bring a trauma informed, non-judgemental and strengths-based approach to every interaction
• You’re organised and proactive, able to manage a varied workload, prioritise what matters and adapt to a rota including evenings and weekends

About us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important info:

Please note applications will be reviewed and suitable candidates invited to interview as they are submitted. Therefore, please submit your application as soon as possible to be considered. We reserve the right to close the advert as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. 

There will be a second stage interview for suitable candidates in our service in Camden.

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant. 

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications with insufficient/without current right to work or requiring sponsorship will not be accepted for this role. 

Salary: Grade B: £25,877.80 per annum. The band goes up to £26,257.79 per annum, however, this is dependent on annual performance reviews. Plus £650 Anti-Social Hours Allowance

Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week, Covering Monday to Sunday. Shift working between 8am and 8pm, flexibility with aim to work hours over 4 days

Job Purpose:

To support the delivery of Oasis Community Housing’s Sunderland Emergency Accommodation Project. The service has six self-contained flats and operates 24-hour staffed supported housing for Adult Males who are experiencing homelessness. The project prides itself on being a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE). We aim to provide accommodation and support that helps people find self-worth and the belief that they deserve a better future, supporting them in safe, positive transitions, providing holistic support to gain essential life skills, achieve health outcomes, to realise and achieve their aspirations, and reach their full potential, before moving them on safely and successfully. 

The Project Worker role is a great opportunity for someone who want to champion our mission to end homelessness. We are looking for someone who has a heart for the people we serve, we are looking for the type of person who would not just walk past a homeless person in the street and not want to reach out and do something.

Organisation Context:

Oasis Community Housing (OCH) is a Christian response to homelessness and disadvantage providing housing, support and other specialised services. The support provided aims to develop life skills that will enable people to live successful independent lives. 

Oasis Community Housing is part of the Oasis group of charities. The group includes national charities dedicated to education, housing, and campaigning against human trafficking and we work to a common vision of creating communities in which everyone can thrive and reach their God-given potential.

We welcome applicants from all faiths or none, but it is important that all employees understand and sympathise with the Christian vision, ethos and culture of Oasis Community Housing. However, it will be an occupational requirement that a practising Christian is needed for some specified roles. This will be highlighted in the qualifications section of the job description and will be clearly stated in the job advert. This is not one of those posts.