419 Quality and practice development lead jobs

Independent Age is the national charity working towards ending financial hardship in later life. 

Our Helpline and expert advisers offer free information and advice to older people without enough money to live on, while our external training equips professionals with the information they need to support older people on low incomes. Through our grants programme, we fund and support hundreds of local charities working with older people across the UK.  We use the knowledge and insight gained from our support services and partnerships to highlight the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change. 

We believe no one should face financial hardship in later life. We would love to find individuals from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification:

As Head of Services Development, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Independent Age’s services and maximising our impact for older people facing financial hardship. Reporting to the Director of Services, you will lead service development, innovation, quality, evaluation and strategic change across our service provision (information, advice and external training) ensuring they remain effective, evidence-led and responsive to changing needs. Working closely with colleagues across the charity and external partners, you will translate strategy into practical improvements, develop new opportunities for impact and collaboration, and embed a culture of continuous learning, improvement and innovation.

We use the knowledge and insight gained from our support services and partnerships to highlight the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change.

We're looking for a strategic and collaborative leader with experience of leading complex projects, organisational change and service improvement programmes. 

You will be skilled at turning strategy into delivery, bringing together people from different teams and disciplines to develop practical solutions that improve outcomes. You will be comfortable using data, insight and evidence to drive decision-making and have a track record of stakeholder engagement and identifying opportunities for innovation and growth. 

You will also bring experience of impact measurement, evaluation, quality assurance or performance frameworks, with the ability to use evidence to demonstrate value and improve services. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, alongside the confidence to influence senior stakeholders and work across organisational boundaries. An understanding of the needs of older people, the wider ageing sector and the role that data, learning and collaboration play in delivering social impact would be advantageous.

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification.  If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all of the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

This is a full-time role, 35 hours per week, which you can choose to work over five days or a 9 day fortnight. 

What it’s like to work at Independent Age:

We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all (those contracted to work in the office usually attend 1 day per week). But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working. 

With an employee engagement score of 98%, colleagues say Independent Age is a great place to work. You can find out more about what it’s like to work at Independent Age on the careers page of our website.

Application Process:

To apply, please submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification, by visiting our jobs website.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you require any specific arrangements or adjustments to enable you to fully participate in the recruitment process, such as having the job description in a larger text format or to apply in an alternative format, please get in touch with us via the email address on the ‘Contact Us’ page on our jobs site. 

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Please don’t include your name, photo, or any information that could indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement, and don’t include your name in the title of any documents that you upload. However, please do include all dates of employment.  

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require a minimum of two employment references including your current or most recent employer. A BASIC DBS check will be carried out for the successful candidate.

Closing Date: Friday 25 September at 11:59pm

Interview Dates: Monday 12 October at our London office, 18 Avonmore Road W14 8RR

BeSpace is seeking an innovative and faith-filled leader to pioneer a new national initiative that reimagines Christian pilgrimage for children and young people in schools.

As our Pilgrimage Development Lead, you will design, test and grow creative pilgrimage models that help children explore faith, encounter God and develop spiritually through contemplative Christian practice. Working with churches, schools, dioceses and Christian organisations, you will develop resources, create training, build partnerships and identify opportunities to scale successful models across the UK.

This is a unique opportunity to shape an emerging area of ministry from the ground up. We are looking for someone with experience in children's spirituality, Christian faith development and project leadership who is excited by innovation and motivated by impact. You will be comfortable developing new ideas, building strong relationships and creating practical tools that equip others to deliver high-quality experiences.

BeSpace is a growing Christian charity with a vision to see every child joyful, resilient and growing spiritually for life. Having supported over 69,000 children through prayer and reflection spaces in schools, we are now expanding our work nationally and developing new ways for churches to engage children through contemplative Christian practices.

If you're passionate about helping children encounter God, equipping churches and developing innovative approaches to spiritual formation, we'd love to hear from you.

YEF Detached Youth Work Area Lead

Relationships change lives.

At M13 Youth Project, we believe every young person deserves trusted adults who believe in them, walk alongside them and help them discover who they are, what they have to offer and the difference they can make. For over 30 years, we've built those relationships through detached youth work - meeting young people where they choose to be, listening deeply and creating opportunities for belonging, belief and hope.

We're now looking for an experienced Detached Youth Work Area Lead to join our team and play a key role in one of the UK's most ambitious detached youth work research pilots.

M13 is leading the Greater Manchester consortium delivering the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) Detached Youth Work Pilot. The Pilot aims to build a strong evidence base for detached youth work, combining outstanding frontline practice with rigorous evaluation to shape the future of youth work nationally.

Reporting to the YEF Detached Youth Work Project Lead, you'll work across three neighbourhoods and lead detached youth work in at least two of these, within M13's delivery of the pilot. You'll be responsible for delivering high-quality detached youth work outdoors in public spaces (on streets, in parks and other community spaces), modelling excellent relational detached youth work practice, supporting less experienced colleagues through day-to-day practice, contributing to monitoring and evaluation, and building positive relationships with young people, local residents, community organisations and partner agencies.

This is first and foremost a frontline detached youth work role. You'll spend much of your week in outdoors in parks, streets and neighbourhoods, building trusted relationships with young people through conversation, consistency and purposeful informal education. Alongside this, you'll help ensure high-quality implementation of the YEF Shared Practice Model within your neighbourhood patches, contribute to monitoring and reporting and work closely with the Project Lead and wider team to support the successful delivery of the pilot.

We're looking for someone who is a qualified (NVQ L2 in Youth Work) and experienced (2 years) detached youth worker, confident leading excellent practice and passionate about relational detached youth work. You'll be organised, reflective and proactive, with experience of taking responsibility for detached youth work within a neighbourhood, maintaining high-quality records, building effective local partnerships and supporting colleagues through encouragement, reflection and shared learning. Most importantly, you'll share our belief that relationships are the foundation for meaningful change.

This is a 22.5- 25 hour per week, community and office-based role (M13's full-time week is 37.5 hours). Your week will include six detached youth work sessions (three afternoons and three evenings), alongside planning, monitoring, partnership working and reflective practice. Some flexibility can be offered around when office-based work is undertaken, where operationally possible.

In return, we offer a supportive, reflective and values-led working environment, regular supervision, ongoing professional development, a generous employer pension contribution, TOIL for out-of-hours working, additional Christmas gift leave and the opportunity to contribute to nationally significant research that could shape the future of detached youth work.

If you're an experienced detached youth worker, confident in leading work in ourdoor community public spaces, ready to combine outstanding frontline practice with leadership of detached youth work across neighbourhoods, learning and innovation, we'd love to hear from you.

Camphill Village Trust is a social care provider and charity rooted in nature and community, supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health support needs to live healthier, more active and independent lives.

For over 70 years we have pioneered a different kind of care – shaped by place, purpose, and the natural world. We believe care should do more than meet needs, it should create opportunity, belonging, and purpose. By rooting our support in meaningful work, relationships, and the natural environment, we help people to build skills, confidence, and independence.

Do you want to make a difference and help us achieve our vision?

As a Team Leader, you will manage a team of support workers to successfully enable the people we support to lead a fulfilled and meaningful life within their home and as part of the wider, local community, and lead the staff team by promoting and practicing the values of CVT.

You will hold a minimum of Level 3 NVQ/ QCF (or equivalent) in Health and Social Care, and will have worked in a health and social care setting for a minimum of two years, preferably with people who have a learning disability and/ or autism, and has experience of managing a staff team. A driving licence would be useful as the community can be difficult to access by public transport.

Position: Team Leader

Responsible to: Care & Support Manager

Location: The role is based at Oaklands Park, a 150-acre rural community situated near Newnham on Severn on the edge of the Forest of Dean. We offer opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and other support needs, who live and work within a beautiful location, where their contributions to the life of our community are valued. Our estate offers an eight-acre garden, wood workshop and a weavery/ craft workshop. 

Hours: 2 roles available, 1 x 30 hours per week and 1 x 37.5 hours per week, generally Mon - Fri days, but we are flexible.

Salary: £25,740 - £29,367 FTE, dependent on skills and experience pro rata for part-time.

Annual Leave and Benefits: 

• 28 days paid annual leave plus statutory bank holidays
• The option to buy and sell annual leave
• Company sick pay after one month starting at 4 weeks and increasing to 12 weeks with service
• Life Cover for all employees
• Pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Program
• Blue Light Card

Main responsibilities

• Supervise, direct and guide the staff team in a way that will enable the people we support to have the best quality of life possible.
• Ensure the health, safety, development and happiness of the people we support is paramount at all times.
• Ensure there are monthly team meetings, quarterly supervisions, twice yearly medication competencies and observations of practice along with a yearly annual review.
• Complete the induction of new staff within the service and support them through their probationary period.
• Undertake any other duties which are consistent with this post, as directed by line management.

Personal Attributes

• Be highly organised and trustworthy.
• Be able to work with a degree of autonomy in managing the service.
• Be a positive role model to the support workers and others employed by the Trust.
• Have professional values that lead on how to promote a capable environment and work using a positive behaviour support approach.
• Have a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the job we do.
• Respect the community and the people who live and work here.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.

Camphill Village Trust is an equal opportunity employer.

Camphill Village Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to complete the relevant pre-employment checks including a DBS check.

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced and values-led Head of Practice to provide strategic and professional leadership for practice across Hft.

This is a key national leadership role, responsible for shaping our approach to Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), restrictive practice reduction, PROACT-SCIPr-UK, practice standards, workforce capability and coaching, and rights-based and trauma-informed practice.

A key priority will be leading Hft’s transition to PROACT-SCIPr-UK, ensuring this is embedded within our wider PBS and restrictive practice reduction approach and translates into meaningful improvements in frontline practice and the quality of life of the people we support.

You’ll lead our PBS / Practice Team, provide expert oversight of complex situations and act as a trusted professional adviser to senior leaders on practice quality, risk, outcomes and improvement.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll:

• Develop and lead an organisation-wide Practice Strategy and Practice Standards Framework.
• Provide professional leadership, advice and constructive challenge to senior and operational leaders.
• Lead and develop the PBS / Practice Team and build sustainable specialist capability.
• Lead the implementation of PROACT-SCIPr-UK across the organisation.
• Drive our restrictive practice reduction strategy, using data and evidence to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Provide specialist leadership around complex and high-risk practice situations.
• Develop workforce capability through training, coaching, observation, modelling and reflective practice.
• Embed rights-based, person-centred and trauma-informed approaches across Hft.
• Lead or contribute to practice-related policies and professional guidance.
• Provide senior leadership with clear evidence of practice quality, risk, outcomes and improvement.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone with:

• Significant senior experience within learning disability and/or autism services.
• Strong professional expertise in Positive Behaviour Support.
• Significant knowledge and practical experience of PROACT-SCIPr-UK, with the ability to lead organisational implementation.
• Experience of restrictive practice reduction and least restrictive approaches.
• Experience leading specialist practice or PBS teams.
• A strong track record of developing practice standards, frameworks and guidance.
• Experience building workforce capability through coaching, training and practice leadership.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act principles and relevant health and social care requirements.
• The confidence to influence, advise and constructively challenge senior leaders.
• A relevant professional qualification and evidence of continued specialist development.

A postgraduate qualification in PBS, Applied Behaviour Analysis, Psychology or a related discipline, relevant professional registration and PROACT-SCIPr-UK instructor or advanced implementation experience would be desirable.

What success looks like

Success in this role will mean better outcomes and quality of life for the people we support.

You’ll help ensure that PBS is embedded in everyday practice, restrictive practices are reduced wherever safely possible, PROACT-SCIPr-UK is successfully implemented, and managers and frontline teams have the confidence and capability to deliver consistently excellent, rights-based support.

Working arrangements

This is a national hybrid role with regular travel to Hft services and other locations across the organisation.

Why Hft?

At Hft, our mission is simple: the best life possible.

We believe people with learning disabilities should be able to live within their communities, with all the choice and support they need to live the best life possible.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence practice at a national level and make a genuine difference to the lives of the people we support.

Recruitment process

Applications close on 11 October 2026.

Interviews will take place on 27 October 2026 and will be held via Microsoft Teams.

Saferworld is seeking an experienced Programme Development Manager to join our Funding & Programme Development Team. The Programme Development Manager will support a portfolio of Saferworld’s teams in co-designing and mobilising funding for peace, security and justice programmes alongside Saferworld’s partners. The successful applicant will have a focus of 3-4 countries, which will be decided based on the candidate’s experience and preference. Working closely with Regional Directors, Country Managers, and programme and grant management colleagues, the post-holder will lead on: coordinating and facilitating programme co-design processes (including taking the lead in facilitating co-design, processes, drafting high quality concept notes and proposals, theories of change, logical models, risk matrixes and budgets); developing and supporting the implementation of long-term country funding strategies; and supporting new donor engagement and sustaining relationships with current donors. The post-holder will be responsible for managing funding portfolios across institutional and non-institutional donors in our programmes.

The post-holder will have a successful track record in developing programmes and leading new business development efforts with institutional donors such as Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the European Union (EU), UN agencies and European Governments such as Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Additional experience in mobilising resource from trusts and foundations and other non-traditional funding mechanisms is desirable.

Strong applicants will have proven programme experience, such as in project management or programme support, which equips them to lead and inform high-quality programme design. They will be skilled in coordinating complex processes, facilitating participatory co-creation with partners, and ensuring proposals are robust, contextually relevant, and strategically aligned.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Social Prescribing Team Lead to oversee the delivery and ongoing development of Bexley's Social Prescribing Service. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated team supporting residents to improve their health, wellbeing and independence through access to community-based support. 

As Team Lead, you will provide operational leadership to a team of Community Wellbeing Coordinators, ensuring high-quality, person-centred support for residents. You will work closely with GP practices, NHS partners, commissioners, local authority teams and voluntary sector organisations to strengthen partnerships, identify emerging community needs and support service improvement across the borough. 

This role combines leadership, partnership working, quality assurance and performance management responsibilities with a small resident-facing caseload. 

We are looking for someone with: 

• Experience of leading, supervising or supporting staff or volunteers. 

• Strong relationship-building skills and experience working across organisations and sectors. 

• Experience using data, performance information and reporting to improve services. 

• Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities for adults, children and young people. 

• An understanding of social prescribing and person-centred approaches. 

• A passion for reducing health inequalities and supporting stronger communities.

If you are a motivated leader who wants to make a real difference to residents and communities across Bexley, we would love to hear from you. 

Why Work for Us
• Hybrid working 
• Additional Birthday Day off 
• Flexitime and TOIL 
• Pension employer contribution 6%
• Two volunteering days (pro rata)
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• Access to the Blue Light Card 
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities
• A positive, inclusive team culture where your ideas are valued
• Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
• Employee Assistance Programme

To successfully lead the Grants team and raise voluntary income from a range of Grantmakers including Trusts, Foundations and local Government grant funders contributing to an overall team target of £1-million +. Working effectively with a grants team of three, and across the organisation, you will meet team annual targets of circa £675,000 through finding new opportunities, building excellent relationships with funders and managing the team effectively. This will lead to more young people reached by Eikon’s services.

Responsibilities

Income generation

· Lead responsibility for raising current annual team target of £675,000 for restricted and unrestricted income

· Work to agreed metrices including an annual target of £220,000 - £250,000/year with a pipeline including statutory, national & regional grant funders (some being invite only).

· Develop and lead networking plan (internal/external) to secure long-term grant and statutory funding opportunities to help increase financial income year on year.

Account Management

· Lead a stewardship framework, ensuring excellent account management of funders across the team (including own portfolio)

· Lead plans for the year, thinking creatively to develop new engagement opportunities such as panels, breakfast meetings and other events

· Collaborate with other leads and managers in the team to maximise opportunities through relationships, for example Major Donors, Corporate partnerships and Individual Givers.

Management

· Line management two staff members (Senior Grants Fundraiser and Trust Fundraiser), creating a positive and supportive working culture supporting them to meet their targets

· Lead on managing pipeline information on Donorfy, being able to pull reports for information and analysis including:

o Provision of data and narrative for monthly team meetings

o Contribution to Board reporting with narrative and pipeline information

o Analysis for annual planning sessions

Quality and standards

· Ensure all staff and volunteers understand and deliver within Eikon’s safeguarding policies and practices when taking part in fundraising activities.

· Ensure all activities follow the relevant Fundraising Codes of Practice and Eikon’s Ethical Fundraising Policy.

· Prepare relevant Grant Agreements and contractual information.

· Carry out risk assessments for all activities for which you are responsible.

· Carry out required basic due diligence on new funders.

Finance and resources

· Budget responsibility with authorisation up to agreed limits

· Operate within organisational approved budgets, policies and procedures.

Communications and relationships

· Work collaboratively with the Communications Lead to devise annual communications and marketing plans, ensuring Eikon is strategically positioned externally.

· Work collaboratively with service leads ensure new services developed meet funder needs and requirements

Strategy/transformation work

· Lead on developing and delivering annual grants plan

· Participating in a Leads network, contribute regularly to organisation matters including strategies, annual plans and budgeting.

Organisational requirements

· Work within Eikon’s equal opportunities, health & safety, and safeguarding policies at all times

· Understand and act when safeguarding issues need to be escalated

· · This is a flexible working role. You must be available to attend regular external meetings across Surrey and occasional meetings at Eikon’s New Haw office. Some meetings may take place outside normal working hours or at weekends.

· Work co-operatively and under the management of The Eikon Charity staff to ensure the highest quality of delivery and support

· Work within Eikon’s internal policies, safeguarding and data protection regulations

· Be responsible for equipment/resources

· To promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the working environment

We are looking for an experienced Project Lead to lead the delivery of Thriving Change Makers, an exciting new programme supporting young people in Barnet to develop leadership skills, lead social action and influence the services and communities around them.

You will lead the mobilisation and delivery of the programme, supporting approximately 60 young people in Year 1 across two cohorts. You will provide leadership to programme staff, build strong partnerships with schools and community organisations, oversee safeguarding and risk, manage the delegated budget, and ensure the programme delivers against its outcomes.

A key focus will be ensuring that young people have a genuine voice in shaping the programme, with opportunities to develop their skills and progress into youth ambassador, advisory and governance roles.

We are looking for someone with substantial experience of leading youth, community or social-action programmes, with strong skills in project management, safeguarding, partnership working, monitoring and evaluation. You will be organised, collaborative and committed to inclusive, accessible and youth-led practice.

This is a fantastic opportunity to shape a new programme from the ground up, support young people to lead change and help build a model that will expand into Enfield and Brent in future years.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details about the role and requirements.

What we offer:

• Generous annual leave entitlement - 28 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible and hybrid working (dependent on role) to ensure you enjoy a good work-life balance.
• Christmas office closure
• Enhanced Sick Pay
• Pension scheme – 5% employee contribution, 3% employer contribution
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

Promoting a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

At CB Plus, we promote a diverse and inclusive workplace where we can all be ourselves. Everyone is treated fairly, individual differences are celebrated, and all employees are valued and respected. We actively encourage applications from disabled applicants, including those with mental health conditions, people from Global Majority and minoritised communities, and those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria as outlined in the Disability Confident Scheme. However, in the event of a high number of applicants, it may not be possible to interview all candidates who meet these criteria, and we reserve the right to limit interviews to a manageable number.

We also have experience supporting Access to Work applications to ensure that employees who need adjustments have the support they need to feel confident and do their best in their roles.

If you need adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know and we will be happy to assist you.

Head of Housing Development

Location: London/Hybrid

Salary: £80,000.00 per annum

Weekly Hours: 35

Reference: YMC1237090

About YMCA

Founded in England in 1844, YMCA today is a global Movement and the world's largest youth-focused charity, reaching more than 58 million people across 119 countries. In England & Wales, we are a federation of 80 local YMCAs, based in over 700 communities across 168 local authorities, supporting young people and communities to reach their potential. We are also the largest provider of supported accommodation in the country — a role that puts housing at the heart of our mission.

YMCA England & Wales is a £23 million organisation of more than 400 colleagues, supporting the wider Federation. Combined, the Movement's turnover across England & Wales reached £386 million in 2025–26. As we grow our income and impact, housing is one of our clearest opportunities for scale: through our 10,000 Homes ambition, we are building a national platform that will let local YMCAs deliver affordable and supported housing faster, at lower risk, and with a unified voice. As we take this ambition forward, we are seeking an established and inspirational Head of Housing Development to lead one of the most pivotal roles in our organisation.

About The Opportunity

This is a brand-new role. Our Head of Housing Development will establish and lead our national Housing Centre of Expertise: the capacity- and capability-building engine behind our 10,000 Homes ambition. This is not a scheme-delivery role — local YMCAs build, own and operate their own homes. Instead, you will mobilise the talent and resources of the Federation around a shared platform for scale: guiding local YMCAs from feasibility through to investment-readiness, brokering the partnerships and expertise no single YMCA could assemble alone, and leading a single national conversation with strategic partners including Homes England, the Greater London Authority and Welsh Government. You will establish a panel of preferred development partners, support funding bids, and help YMCAs learn from one another rather than rebuilding expertise scheme by scheme. Success will be measured by the pipeline and capability you build across the movement, not by any single project.

About You

You bring real knowledge of social and affordable housing development, including structuring significant financing models, grant regimes and the regulatory landscape, alongside hands-on experience of property development projects and securing private and public-sector funding. You know how to build strategic partnerships, convene and influence people you do not manage, and translate strategy into coordinated action across independent partners. Experience mobilising change across a federated, membership or infrastructure organisation would be a strong advantage, combined with an in-depth knowledge of  Homes England, Greater London Authority and Welsh Government or similar agencies. Above all, you are a natural relationship-builder who can represent YMCA with confidence at a senior, national level, while helping local YMCAs move further and faster together than they could alone.

REPORTING TO: Director of Front-line Services

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The Quality Assurance Manager is a blended leadership role combining strategic quality assurance, performance oversight, service management and practice development.

The role is split broadly between focused on quality assurance, data-led improvement and performance oversight, and two days focused on service management, practice leadership and frontline improvement activity.

The postholder will lead the development and delivery of a strong quality assurance framework across support services, ensuring that practice, performance and service delivery are safe, effective, person-centred and aligned with contractual, regulatory and organisational standards.

Alongside this, the postholder will remain closely connected to frontline delivery through service management responsibilities and practice development leadership, particularly within Housing First and complex-needs services. This makes the role ideal for someone who enjoys combining strategic oversight, data insight, operational leadership and the development of high-quality, trauma-informed support practice.

What makes this role different

A distinctive role for someone who wants strategic influence while staying close to frontline practice. You will help shape quality, use evidence, support staff, strengthen resident outcomes and join an organisation committed to compassion, collaboration, inclusion, growth, learning and resident voice.

• Make a visible impact: use quality assurance, data and learning to drive practical improvements that strengthen services for residents and staff.

• Enjoy variety and influence work across performance oversight, service management and practice development, with scope to shape systems, standards and ways of working.

• Stay close to practice: remain connected to frontline delivery while helping embed trauma-informed, person-centred and psychologically informed approaches.

RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES

Key Responsibilities

• Quality assurance and improvement: Lead the quality assurance function across support services, coordinating audits, quality checks, case file reviews, service reviews and improvement plans. Turn findings into practical actions that strengthen safety, consistency, resident experience, safeguarding, support planning and trauma-informed practice. Work with managers to embed learning, monitor progress and evidence improvement against internal and external standards.

• Performance oversight and reporting: Monitor performance against contractual, regulatory and organisational standards, including service outcomes, compliance requirements, safeguarding expectations and commissioner reporting. Identify risks, gaps, trends and good practice, escalating concerns and supporting corrective action where needed. Produce clear, evidence-based reports and briefings for senior leaders, governance meetings, commissioners and external stakeholders.

• Data, insight and systems: Use performance, safeguarding, complaints, incidents, resident feedback, outcomes and quality data to identify service strengths, pressures and improvement priorities. Maintain and improve reporting systems, including InForm, so information is accurate, consistent and useful. Analyse patterns, support decision-making and make practical recommendations that improve quality, accountability and resident outcomes.

• Information retrieval and STAIRs requests: Act as QA Manager lead for information retrieval relating to STAIRs requests, including triaging scope, gathering internal and contractor records, coordinating redaction and drafting responses within regulatory timeframes.

• Service and support management: Provide hands-on support management across frontline services, including Housing First improvement activity, Hope Street and St Mungo’s contracts, team rota management and the Support Manager on-call rota. Support managers and teams to manage risk, strengthen case accountability and recording, and deliver consistent, high-quality support to residents with complex needs.

• Practice development: Embed person-centred, trauma-informed and psychologically informed practice across support services. Develop practical tools, guidance, quality forums, workshops and reflective learning that help staff apply policy, improve support planning, strengthen safeguarding and promote consistent resident-centred practice.

• Resident voice and accountability: Strengthen resident engagement, feedback and involvement so resident experience informs service design, quality assurance, learning and improvement.

• People management and collaboration: Line manage agreed roles, including the Impact Specialist and Resident Engagement Specialist, supporting clear objectives, accountability, development and collaborative working across services.

• General duties: Attend key directorate, management, planning, quality and performance meetings; work flexibly across organisational priorities; and undertake other reasonable duties within the scope of the role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Assessment will be through application, interview and, where relevant, a practical assessment

Quality assurance: Experience delivering quality frameworks, audits, case file reviews, standards and improvement plans that strengthen safe, consistent, person-centred and trauma-informed practice. Able to lead improvement activity, influence managers and turn findings into sustained service change.

Performance and reporting: Able to monitor contractual, regulatory and organisational standards; identify risks, gaps, trends and good practice; and produce clear reports for leaders, governance forums and commissioners.

Data, insight and systems: Strong analytical skills and confidence using performance, safeguarding, complaints, incidents, outcomes and resident feedback data to identify patterns, support decisions and improve services. Experience using resident feedback, consultation or involvement activity to inform quality assurance, service design and improvement, including through InForm or similar systems.

Information governance: Understands confidentiality, record handling and information governance. Able to triage STAIRs requests, gather internal/contractor records, support redaction and draft timely responses.

Support management and practice: Experience supporting people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping with complex needs. Able to support managers, manage risk, strengthen recording and embed person-centred, trauma-informed, psychologically informed and anti-discriminatory practice.

Safeguarding and risk: Sound knowledge of adult safeguarding, risk assessment, MARAC processes and safe information sharing with vulnerable adults.

Communication and values: Strong written, verbal and facilitation skills; collaborative, organised, accurate and resilient, with commitment to compassion, collaboration, inclusion and growth.

Appointment is subject to DBS check and right to work in the UK

Do you believe that all children should receive consistently high-quality care in environments that strive to improve outcomes for each child?  Do you have experience in social work, education, inspection, advocacy or residential childcare management?

Then we have an exciting opportunity for a professional like you.

The Vacancy

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Independent Visitor & Quality Assurance Officer to join NYAS Independent Monitoring Service.

This is a full-time permanent role, working 35 hours in the North West and/or North East region. 

As an Independent Visitor & Quality Assurance Officer you will be required to complete statutory and non-statutory independent allocated visits within prescribed timescales and to quality assure reports submitted by other members of the team.

The purpose of this role is to ensure that judgements are consistent with evidence provided and that the feedback given is an element of continuous improvement.

While the role is home-based, there will be occasions where travel is required, including working on public transport.

About You

We are looking for a self-starter who prides themselves in professionalism and accuracy. You must have a relevant professional qualification and proven extensive experience in working with children and young people or adults at risk in a social care setting.

For more information, please view the attached job description.

In your application, you will need to evidence, using specific examples, how your skills and experience meet the criteria laid out in the person specification, within the job description attached. Requirements include:

• Professional qualification in a relevant field.
• Proven extensive experience in working with children and young people or adults at risk in a social care setting.
• Experience and an understanding of child and adult safeguarding procedures.
• Experience of quality assuring reports for regulatory bodies.
• Ability to analyse a range of information to assess effective evidence-based judgements of reports.
• Proven experience of using QA to improve report writing.
• Ability to communicate effectively and to a high standard both orally and in writing to a wide range of people.

NYAS operates robust safe procedures to ensure the protection of the children, young people and adults at risk we work with. To comply with NYAS’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, references, Digital Risk Assessment and Right to Work check.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early once we receive a high number of applications.

In accordance with UK immigration law, NYAS is required to ensure that all prospective candidates have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom. Therefore, proof of eligibility to work in the UK will be required as part of the recruitment process.

About NYAS

As an established leading rights-based charity, NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) is well positioned to ensure that children, young people, and adults across England and Wales are fully respected, represented, and supported in expressing their views and having their rights upheld.

We work with care-experienced children, young people, and adults who are often reliant on statutory services suffering the negative impact of the cuts in public expenditure. Our combination of social care and legal services places us in a unique position to ensure that they receive the services they need and that their voices are heard.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment which means NYAS welcomes applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, or any other protected characteristic.

 NYAS is proud to share that we are a Disability Confident Employer and we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies.

Work with us to help change young lives.

Active Communities Development Worker

Grade: NJC Point t23 - £34,434 FTE

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Days: Monday to Friday (core hours are worked between 8am – 6pm)

Contract: Fixed-term contract, initially 12 months (continuation subject to further funding)

Responsible to: Senior Strategic Lead

Place of work: Salford CVS’ offices in Eccles, Salford, M30 0FN and out in Salford’s communities

Salford CVS delivers a range of projects and services that build resilient communities and encourage local people to be active citizens.

You’ll work primarily across our volunteering and emergency response activity, including helping to develop and deliver Salford CVS’s own active communities volunteering programmes. This will vary throughout the year, but you can expect to spend roughly half your time on emergency response and half on volunteering - and in practice, the two often overlap.

Main purposes of the post

To engage with a wide range of partners and volunteers to build active, more connected and resilient communities within the city of Salford. To deliver multiple areas of work around civil contingencies, humanitarian response and emergency response in Salford – from coordinating clear plans and processes and training and supporting volunteers, to enabling VCSE organisations to engage with the work. To support the development of our volunteering and active communities work across multiple services, including the rewarding, people-facing work of coordinating volunteers for local events and celebrations.

The Benefits of Working for Salford CVS

• 28 days’ holiday - rising to 30 days (after five years), plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part-time)

• Enhanced company sick and maternity pay, subject to terms and conditions of service

• Pension scheme - with 7% employer contribution (and 1% mandatory employee contribution)

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Membership of the Hospital Saturday Fund via an employer subsidised scheme (optional and non-contractual)

• RHS family membership (optional and non-contractual)

• Development opportunities - we support and encourage our staff to progress in their careers (including formal training)

• A supportive working culture - we respect and support one another to do the best we can

We are an accredited Living Wage Employer, Living Hours Employer and Living Wage Funder, ensuring not just our staff are paid the ‘real’ Living Wage but also that any projects we fund can do the same.

Closing Date: 12 noon, Friday 2nd October 2026

Interviews: Tuesday 13th October 2026, in person at Salford CVS’ offices

This is a unique opportunity to lead fundraising for a charity at the cusp of substantial growth, with an exceptional track record of recent fundraising success, an engaged base of supporters and significant untapped potential across multiple channels.

Overview
As Director of Fundraising and Development for Plum Village UK, you will provide strategic leadership of the charity’s fundraising at this critical juncture. Building on the successful campaigns that brought our new Being Peace Practice Centre into being, you will lead the development of a sustainable, diversified fundraising operation across donor stewardship, trusts and foundations, regular giving, legacies, and partnerships, to deepen relationships of trust and gratitude with our supporters.

This role is ideal for a fundraising leader, whether from a career fundraising background or another field, who brings strategic capability alongside deep alignment with the Plum Village tradition, where fundraising itself becomes a form of engaged practice in service of mindfulness and community transformation.

Fundraising in the Plum Village tradition is fundamentally relational. It is not a matter of extracting income from a base of supporters, but of deepening the relationships of trust, gratitude and shared purpose with those who make our work possible, in ways that embody the values of the tradition. Done well, fundraising is itself a form of engaged practice. The Director will be expected to lead the function in this spirit.

The role comes with a high level of strategic ownership. An initial fundraising strategy has been developed and shared with trustees, providing a framework of priority channels, governance arrangements and resourcing for the next phase. The new Director will inherit this as a starting frame, and will then be empowered and expected to develop, refine and bring forward a fundraising strategy on their own authority, working closely with the Lead Trustee for Fundraising and presenting proposals to the board as appropriate. The role also carries operational ownership of the fundraising mechanics, including the choice and management of supporting systems, databases and tools.
 

Key Responsibilities

Strategic leadership of fundraising

• Lead PVUK's fundraising strategy, developing and refining the strategic direction, and presenting proposals to the Board for approval and resourcing.

• Set, monitor, and report on fundraising targets across all income channels, in agreement with the Lead Trustee for Fundraising and the Board.

• Provide regular substantive updates on fundraising at quarterly board meetings, working with the Lead Trustee on the preparation of board-level reporting.

• Bring forward analysis and proposals to support the Board in setting wider strategic priorities, including realistic income potential by channel and the investment required to secure it.

• Identify and manage risk in the fundraising portfolio, including channel concentration, donor over-reliance, and the sustainability of resourcing.

Donor stewardship and relationship development

• Lead the stewardship of PVUK’s existing donors, lenders, and supporters with the depth of care that this base deserves, recognising it as the most precious resource of the fundraising function.

• Cultivate and deepen relationships with major donors, including through personal contact, site visits, and tailored communication of impact.

• Work with the Chair of Trustees, the Centre Director, and other senior figures on key relationships that require their involvement.

• Steward the friendly lender base throughout the lifetime of their loans, maintaining trust and keeping them informed of the charity’s progress.

• Build and maintain a culture of gratitude and recognition that appropriately honours the contributions of all supporters.

Income channel development

• Lead delivery and growth across PVUK’s priority fundraising channels: donor stewardship, trust and foundation fundraising, regular giving, legacies and Gifts in Wills, and partnerships with values-aligned organisations and networks.

• Develop trust and foundation fundraising as a substantial new income stream, including scoping aligned funders, building peer-to-peer introductions, constructing tailored funding propositions, and overseeing high-quality application writing and reporting.

• Design and grow a regular giving programme that converts members, retreatants and supporters into ongoing monthly donors.

• Develop a structured legacy and Gifts in Wills programme that normalises legacy giving across PVUK’s communications and supports those who wish to leave a Gift in their Will.

• Develop partnerships with values-aligned organisations and networks where these support both income generation and the wider reach of PVUK’s work, in close consultation with monastics and trustees.

Operations, systems and budget ownership

• Own the operational mechanics of fundraising for PVUK, including the choice, configuration and ongoing management of databases, donor management systems, online giving platforms, and integration with communications tools.

• Manage the fundraising budget, including a discretionary supplementary budget for consultancy, training, materials creation, contracted support and light administrative resource, deployed at the Director’s judgement to develop the function effectively.

• Maintain accurate, GDPR-compliant supporter records and ensure sound data practices throughout the fundraising operation.

• Provide accurate financial reporting on fundraising performance, working with PVUK’s finance function and external accountants as required.

• Make the case for additional resourcing where evidence of need supports it, including the possible recruitment of a Fundraising Officer in due course.

Communications and storytelling

• Lead the development of compelling fundraising narratives that authentically convey the work of PVUK and the Being Peace Centre to multiple audiences, including major donors, institutional funders, individual supporters and the wider public.

• Work closely with the PVUK Communications team on the integration of fundraising communications with the wider communications strategy.

• Commission and oversee the production of fundraising materials, including written content, graphic design, video and digital assets, drawing on contracted specialists where appropriate.

• Ensure that all fundraising messaging about the Being Peace Practice Centre is agreed with the Centre Director before publication.

Working partnerships across PVUK

• Work in close partnership with the Centre Director on all matters relating to Being Peace, with agreed ways of working on messaging, external representation, and any programming commitments made to funders.

• Work with the Lead Trustee for Fundraising as primary day-to-day point of contact at board level, supporting the Lead Trustee to hold strategic oversight of fundraising on behalf of the Board.

• Work with colleagues across PVUK’s communications, dharma programming, sangha-building and partnership functions, with these working relationships developing naturally in the first months of the role.

• Draw on external advisors and specialists as needed for support and assurance, both in technical fundraising disciplines and in sector-specific knowledge.

• Engage volunteer capacity from within the community where this can valuably supplement the fundraising operation.