Quality and practice development lead jobs in mitcham, greater london
Salary: £46,698 (London) / £42,373 (National) per annum
Hours: 35 hrs per week
Contract: Fixed term contract (until March 2027)
Benefits
· 27 days annual leave + statutory holidays + 3 closures days over the Christmas period;
· Flexible working for all staff including working from home / hybrid working, and flexi-time/TOIL scheme;
· Attractive family friendly policies;
· Private healthcare cover;
· Season ticket loans;
· Employee awards, and training and development opportunities.
For more information about our benefits please visit our website.
Office locations: London, Bristol or homeworker
The role will involve spending a substantial amount of time in the East of England (including early starts/late finishes and overnight stays where required) and regular travel nationwide for NHF events and meetings.
Please note, if office based, the successful candidate will be expected to carry out two days in-person working per week on average which will include attendance at your office location.
Flexible working arrangements can be discussed and agreed with the line manager subject to role and business needs.
An exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) to join our team of External Affairs Managers on a fixed-term basis to cover maternity leave. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around 6 million people. You can find further information about the NHF on our website.
Could you be our new External Affairs Manager, working closely with our housing association members across the East of England?
This is a unique and varied role which would appeal to someone with a background in areas such as stakeholder management, policy, public affairs, communications, programme management – or a combination of these areas! For example, you may be looking to step into a role to further develop your leadership and stakeholder engagement skills, whilst still building on your policy or programme management experience and knowledge.
You will operate at the heart of social housing by working with key decision makers across the housing association sector – including managing relationships with chief executives, chairs of boards and executive directors. Strong communication and influencing skills are essential to the role, as well as the confidence to work at the most senior levels.
It is crucial that you can work collegiately to lead key programmes of work across the NHF with colleagues in other teams, for example from our policy, press, events, and public affairs teams. Equally, you will be comfortable working autonomously and shaping your own work programme.
The core of the role involves being responsible for engagement with a whole geographic region of our membership; and working closely on or leading one of the NHF’s key themes of work, which include areas such as supported housing; devolution; developing new homes; decarbonising existing homes; ensuring the building safety agenda is delivered; or representing our rural or smaller housing associations.
The role is wide ranging and in addition to stakeholder management and programme leadership, will include running roundtables between our members and government, chairing sessions at NHF conferences, and presenting political and policy updates to senior teams within housing associations.
You will be part of a team of eight External Affairs Managers sitting within the member services directorate, which is there to ensure that we provide excellent value for money for our housing association members.
Key elements of the role:
· You will build and maintain brilliant relationships with housing associations leaders, using your well-developed communication and advocacy skills to maximum effect.
· You will develop knowledge, insight and understanding of housing associations to shape our policy and influencing work and to create structured programmes of member engagement on critical policy and political issues.
· You will be the contact point for housing associations in your region, ensuring they receive first class customer service on the issues which matter to them. Working closely with NHF members you will facilitate the organisation of regional chief executive or leaders forums and sounding boards.
· In addition to your regional work, you will lead on the strategic planning and delivery of a key NHF policy priority. This will require collaborative working with colleagues from across the organisation and working with members across every region and specialism. You will play a leadership role, creating structured engagement strategies to ensure members are able to influence policy as well as engaging key NHF stakeholders and sharing best practice.
· Your role will be to implement structured member engagement to ensure our policy priorities, positions and influencing work are member-led. This will include working directly with members to inform our policy positions and lead our influencing work.
· You will influence debates at the highest level and you will spot in advance and act strategically to mitigate the risk to our membership. As such, this role requires a high degree of political and organisational acumen and the ability to horizon scan.
· You will work with colleagues in our Commercial and Events teams to maximise commercial opportunities and help shape content at our conferences, as well chairing conference sessions.
· To be the face and voice of the NHF with members, stakeholders and the media.
· To ensure that as an organisation we deliver as a whole team, seamlessly, to members to achieve greatest impact in line with the business strategy.
· To maintain high quality standards and follow NHF policy and process.
The successful candidate:
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
· A sound knowledge and understanding of housing associations and issues affecting the wider sector.
· A sound understanding of the political and policy landscape that housing associations operate in.
· Demonstrable knowledge and experience of establishing and maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders, demonstrating excellent customer service and value for money.
· Effective communication skills, in person and in writing, including the ability to credibly and confidently present at meetings and events.
· Ability to listen to and influence senior stakeholders, demonstrating diplomacy, effective communication and negotiation skills.
· Clear leadership skills, able to lead complex and strategic programmes of work effectively, including experience of matrix managing and motivating a team.
· Excellent analytical skills and strategic nous with the ability to summarise complex information effectively to aid decision making.
· A commitment to excellent customer service.
· A positive, energetic and agile approach to work.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
The NHF has published its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which was co-created with staff. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and are working to increase the diversity profile of our workforce. We are currently under-represented by ethnic minorities, people with a disability or disabilities and LGBTQ+, and would particularly welcome applications from people in these groups.
Disability confident employer
We are a disability confident employer and if you are a disabled person who meets the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview.
Please note: there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations such as high-volume of applications, we may be required to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.
In these circumstances the NHF will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants. This is in line with the Disability Confident guidelines.
We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please contact the People team with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.
Our role profile and job advert can also be requested in large print or in accessible format via this email address.
Completing our Application Form
To apply for this role, please complete our online application form. The application form includes your employment and education history plus you will be asked to answer questions in relation to your knowledge, skills and experience, why you are applying for the role and questions in relation to our values. The application form is anonymous and will not require you to upload a CV or cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interview based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience.
Right to work in the UK/UK VISA sponsorship
You must have the right to work in the UK and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.
Closing date for applications: 4 January 2026
Interview date: 14 and 15 January 2026
Registered Charity
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We are the voice of England’s housing associations.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
- £30,419 (FTE), pro-rata for part time hours
- 28 hours a week
- Part time, up to 12 months fixed term Maternity Cover
- Homebased (with some travel required for in person events)
- Closing date: Sunday 21st December 2025
- Interview date: Thursday 8th January 2026
Change lives in a life-changing career
When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.
The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.
We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time
About the role
We’re looking for a Voice Officer with experience of working with children, young people and their families and amplifying their voices to help create positive change to join our Voice Team.
The Voice Officer is a key member of the Voice Team, responsible for enabling Young Lives vs Cancer to shape the children and young people’s cancer system with and for young people with cancer and their families. You will enable young people affected by cancer and their families to have a stronger voice inside and outside the organisation - not just to contribute, but also to challenge, giving the power to them to amplify their voice and make positive change.
You will work with the Voice Manager and Head of Voice to deliver our Voice work to a high quality. Responsible for managing incoming enquiries and communications with our volunteer Voice Board Members, Voice Champions and Voice Hub network, working with the team to plan and run meetings and events both online and in person. With excellent organisational skills, you will help plan and coordinate our voice work, building strong working relationships with colleagues and our voice community with volunteer management responsibility for Voice Board Members and Voice Champions.
This role is subject to a criminal record check. In the event of a successful application an Enhanced criminal record check will be completed.
What will I be doing?
No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description.
Main responsibilities
Communication and Organisation
- Delivering effective internal communication regarding the Voice team and playing a pro-active and leading role in Voice team meetings
- Supporting with correspondence, record-keeping and tracking leading on communications with our voice volunteers and internal communications
- Effective project management of voice activity - for example, planning events, setting goals and impact measurements for the activity, managing risks and reporting on progress
Voice Activities
- Working with the Voice Manager and Head of Voice to deliver the organisation’s Voice approach, enabling children, young people and parents/carers to shape the organisation and the system it is situated within, maximising our Voice opportunities
- Delivery of the Voice Board so it is an effective model for the Board of Trustees to listen to and act upon the voices of young people with cancer, their parents/carers and siblings.
- Travel and occasional overnight stays to attend in person events with our voice volunteers.
- Developing and supporting the growth of our Voice Hub bringing voice opportunities to our wider community
- Act as the key contact and support for our Voice Champion Volunteers
- Working in partnership with the Voice Champions team on the development and dissemination of voice guidance and training for staff and volunteers across the organisation, designed to equip them so that they can confidently work alongside young cancer patients and their families
- Working with the Voice Manager and Head of Voice to ensure that we are able to amplify voices of all our beneficiaries across the whole of the UK, from the widest range of backgrounds and cultures
Working relationships and contacts
- Volunteer management of our Voice Board Members and Voice Champions Team.
- Building and maintaining relationships and influencing others. Both internally working with colleagues to equip them to work alongside young people and families and externally working with young people and families to understand their views and opinions, ensuring that they feel heard as well as building connections with partners across the sector.
- Develop and sustain sector relationships, staying up to date with external developments in voice and participation and identifying opportunities for innovation and partnership
Additional responsibilities
Alongside your specific job duties, every member of Team Young Lives needs to make sure they also:
- Make safeguarding a priority
- Take care of your own health and safety and that of others
- Actively challenge injustice and inequality and promote Young Lives vs Cancer’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging agenda to create a better, more diverse and inclusive organisation.
- Ensure that you treat information and data professionally, using it only for the purposes that Young Lives vs Cancer has said it would; respecting the confidentiality and privacy of its supporters, service users and staff.
- Accept that you are personally responsible and accountable for ensuring you understand and adhere to all Young Lives vs Cancer policies and procedures
- Be an active team member, regularly attending team meetings and contributing to shared learning and development
- Undertake any other reasonable duties as directed by or agreed with your line manager.
What do I need?
Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully.
What will I gain?
For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:
- Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
- Wellbeing, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
- Generous annual leave allowance
- Great family/caring leave entitlements
- Enhanced pension
- Access to our employee savings scheme
To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.
We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.
Accessibility
We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.
Interviews will be taking place on Thursday 8th and Monday 12th January. They will include a brief presentation task and questions which we'll share ahead of the interview.
#ShowTheSalary #NonGraduatesWelcome
Thank you!
Job Purpose:
To support the delivery of WIPs housing programme for unsentenced women, providing trauma-informed specialist support to women in HMP Bronzefield, and going through court processes, with a focus on improving housing outcomes for women affected by the criminal justice system.
Key Responsibility Areas
- To deliver an effective housing intervention for women impacted by the criminal justice system.
- To develop effective relationships with key stakeholders, such as housing departments, court-based and prison teams, to ensure a collaborative approach to women’s accommodation needs.
- To provide expert advice and support to colleagues, including upskilling through information and training sessions, and supporting system change activities.
For the full list of responsibilities, please download the recruitment pack.
Terms & Conditions:
Start date: 2nd February 2026
Salary:£30,640 per annum (including £3,990 London weighting)
Location: Primarily based in HMP Bronzefield with some travel to South London.
Working hours: 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
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The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Terms: 30 hours per week / 0.8 FTE, 4 days per week; two year contract with possibility for extension
Salary: £41,200 - £56,650
Location: Remote working and quarterly in-person team away days.
Line Manager: Executive Director
Please note that you must have the right to work in the UK.
Closing Date: 4th January 2026
About BASIC
BASIC is an independent, non-profit think tank working to safeguard humanity and Earth's ecosystem from nuclear risks and interconnected security threats, for generations to come. Our vision is for a global security consensus founded on multilateralism, the recognition of the indivisibility of security, adherence to Earth's planetary boundaries, and consideration of future generations.
For nearly 40 years, we have built a global reputation for groundbreaking dialogue and incisive thought leadership to strengthen international peace and security. We are an intellectually and culturally diverse team of 20 expert-practitioners with deep institutional experience, headquartered in London with additional presences in Berlin and Rome. We are independent, receive no core funding from any state, and our project work is funded transparently.
BASIC's approach to resolving contemporary nuclear dynamics is centred on dialogue as both a practice and a philosophy. We interpret dialogue broadly, recognising that meaningful engagement takes many forms: from facilitating direct strategic conversations between adversaries grounded in conflict resolution principles, to developing networks and diplomatic initiatives that build consensus around shared objectives, to shaping the intellectual foundations of policy discourse through rigorous research and thought leadership.
BASIC is a fast-paced and rewarding environment with an exceptionally positive and inclusive team culture. We have experienced rapid growth over the past decade and are well-suited to people who are motivated by our mission, able to work at a sustained pace, keen to develop professionally, and enjoy being part of a collaborative team working on consequential issues.
What We Offer
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Competitive salary with room for growth
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30 days annual leave (pro rata), plus bank holidays and closure days over the December festive period
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Employer pension contributions of 5% (above the national minimum)
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Flexible working arrangements, with set days (Wednesdays required) but flexibility on hours
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Remote working with option to use co-working space
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1-2 all-staff in-person team away day per year, as well as other in-person working opportunities
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Opportunities for professional growth and development
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Excellent team culture built on respect, openness, and inclusion
The Role
BASIC is seeking an experienced and strategic Communications Manager to lead and implement effective communication strategies that amplify our mission, enhance our brand identity, and strengthen engagement with key audiences. The ideal candidate will have exceptional written and verbal communication skills, a proactive approach to storytelling, and the ability to collaborate across the organisation to ensure clear, consistent, and impactful messaging.
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Manager will play a central role in shaping BASIC’s external presence, working across programmes to craft compelling narratives for social media, the website, and other digital platforms, as well as press contacts.
The Communications Manager will be the point of contact for all communication activity and will be responsible for setting the strategy and communicating this to the team. As an organisation, BASIC is keen to develop brand identity, particularly amongst our programmes and the Communications Manager will be instrumental in developing this work.
Key Responsibilities
Organisational Communications & Strategy
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Develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with BASIC’s mission and objectives including a strong link to impact.
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Lead the evolution of our social media strategy, ensuring increased engagement and impact.
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Develop and implement strategic online communication plans to enhance BASIC’s digital presence, ensuring consistent and engaging messaging across all platforms.
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Oversee BASIC’s branding and identity development, ensuring consistency across programmes and platforms. This includes: organisational brand asset, image, review and refresh.
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Act as BASIC’s press officer, managing media engagement, journalistic contacts, and public relations.
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Plan and execute BASIC’s website redevelopment strategy, including better functionality for fundraising efforts and overseeing all aspects of website content/management.
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Draft, edit, and manage organisational newsletters using MailChimp/MailerLite, ensuring clear, engaging, and audience-focused content that aligns with BASIC’s communications strategy.
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Provide communications training to staff, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for communications.
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Create promotional materials to advance BASIC’s initiatives.
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Strengthen BASIC’s internal and external communications, ensuring alignment with key stakeholders.
Programme Responsibilities
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Develop and execute tailored communications plans for specific programmes, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and effective audience engagement.
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Collaborate with programme teams to create and distribute engaging content that highlights programme achievements and key messages
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Work with programme teams to define the strategy, vision and purpose of newsletters
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Coordinate programme events (virtual and in-person), in terms of communications outreach to increase visibility and structuring of success stories
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Support the creation of digital content (social media posts, website updates, videos, etc.) to promote programme activities and initiatives
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Assist with publishing programme reports including proofing and providing guidance for branding and imagery
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Provide communications support for programme fundraising activities
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Monitor and analyse communications impact across programmes, using feedback and data to suggest improvements and ensure messaging is reaching the right audiences
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Help to manage relationships with key stakeholders for each programme by ensuring ongoing engagement and support for programme objectives
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Ensure consistent branding and messaging across all programme communications to maintain coherence with the organisation's overall identity
Person Specification:
Essential:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Marketing, Education, Business, Fundraising)
- 8+ years of working in a communications role
- Knowledge of global security or related issues with linkage to UK policy
- Proven experience in developing and implementing communication strategies aligned with organisational goals and objectives
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, compelling messages
- Ability to generate innovative ideas and content that engage target audiences and enhance brand visibility
- Strong networking and stakeholder engagement skills
- Experience in monitoring and evaluating communication impact through media coverage, engagement metrics, and analytics. Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and identify areas for improvement.
- Strong collaborative skills with the ability to work effectively across teams to ensure consistent messaging and brand representation.
- Keen eye for detail with a commitment to accuracy and quality in all communications materials
Desirable:
- Experience in crisis communications, including drafting statements and managing sensitive issues.
Why Join BASIC?
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the communications strategy of a respected international security think tank. If you are a creative, strategic, and proactive communicator who thrives in a collaborative environment, we’d love to hear from you.
Registered Charity
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Working to safeguard humanity and Earth’s ecosystem from nuclear risks and interconnected security threats
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.