Research administrator jobs in birmingham, west midlands

Redthread is a hospital based youth work service, working alongside NHS staff and other professionals in emergency departments.

Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young people, aiming to reduce serious youth violence. We often meet young people at a moment of change and work with them to find a positive way forward.

We provide long-term, holistic support. We consider every aspect of a young person’s life and build support around them.

Job Description

The Senior Service Manager (SSM) provides strategic oversight of Redthread Services (currently working with 9 hospitals in London and Birmingham) providing line management to ensure high quality delivery that improves outcomes for children and young people and be successful in seeking opportunities for further growth. The SSM will work with the YPF SMT and will take a lead role in implementing our YPF strategy in this area, including taking and making opportunities to grow our services, and supporting new service implementation as need requires.

The role can be home based, but time spent in each of the services alongside travel across the UK will be required in order to support delivery and growth of  services across the Hub.  The ideal candidate will have experience of delivering and managing similar services and the right mix of leadership, passion and energy, and an innovative nature. A proven track record in engaging with positive relationships with commissioners and securing new business is essential. The role will involve promoting, connecting and building services in order to impact the lives of vulnerable young people with complex needs.

Duties and accountabilities are split into two core areas, management and development of Redthread service delivery,  including direct management and coordination ensuring high performance that improves outcomes for children and young peopleand supporting implementation of the YPF growth strategy

• Line management of service managers and operational oversight of service contracts.
• Supporting the implementation of the YPF strategy, including making opportunities for organic and new growth. Work with Business Development and other business partners and engage Commissioners and other funders to develop our delivery models and to bid for services (organic growth and nationally).
• Supporting the implementation of the Clinical Governance policy and responsible for ensuring relevant services adhere to this guidance.
• Contribute to national stakeholder engagement plans and local, geographical influencer plans to promote our hospital based youth work offer and support growth.
• Ensure that staff and volunteers within services are engaged with Redthread’s vision and strategic plan, are motivated and understand their role and contribution to the wider organisation.
• Provide robust management and accountability for service budgets and in building budgets for new services working closely with Redthread’s finance business partner.
• Monitor and ensure that contractual commitments are met and that service performance is maximised; acting promptly to respond to and resolve performance and compliance issues. A core component of the role will be to ensure the confidence of our Commissioners including by assuring the quality of delivery, through Brilliant Basics audit, review, observation and ongoing service development.
• Ensure the provision of high quality reports for Redthread, commissioners and other strategic groups on the work of the services with clear evidence of quantitative and qualitative outputs – particularly signing off service commissioner reports / performance prior to external distribution.
• Ensure that services operate effective multi-agency working processes, such as referral, assessment and review and to ensure a high quality standard of lead professional, meeting chairpersonship and co-ordination from workers.
• Promote and support the participation of service users so that they are appropriately informed, consulted and involved in their own plans and the design and delivery of services.
• Be responsible for ensuring that all service activity is safe for all involved, to include adherence to Redthread’s health and safety policies including safeguarding, accidents, incident and injury reporting, fire safety and risk assessment. Review audit activity within services and work to ensure a consistent approach across services.
• Undertake other duties as required to ensure the effective delivery of the services.

Qualifications

Professional qualification in a relevant discipline such as youth, community or management or demonstrable equivalent experience.

KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge and understanding of relevant current issues and research (including emerging trends youth violence work and associated areas of risk)

EXPERIENCE

• A proven track record of developing and managing projects in the public, private or voluntary sectors.
• Extensive experience of working with young people (11 – 18 years) and their families, identified as vulnerable or as having complex needs preferably within a community setting.
• Demonstrable experience of staff management including recruitment, induction, supervision and support.
• Proven track record in scoping and developing new business activity, including engaging and developing positive relationships with commissioners.
• Experience of preparing bids e.g service model development, articulating delivery within tenders - for significant projects/services and participation in the business development process e.g. responding to tender questions etc
• Experience of working using own initiative to an agreed action plan and effectively monitoring service quality standards and performance.
• Commitment to young people’s participation
• Substantial experience of working in a multi-agency environment and the proven ability to develop effective working relationships with other professionals/organisations.
• Experience of managing services for young people and their families, and empowering them to make positive and informed choices in their lives.
• Experience of developing new contracts and development opportunities with commissioners and partners.
• Experience of project development
• Experience of training / public speaking to a wide range of audiences

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Proven ability to lead and coach others in their professional development
• Demonstrated ability to manage and monitor budgets (up to the value of £1m p/a), working within organisational financial procedures.
• Ability to lead, motivate and oversee administrative processes.
• Excellent negotiation skills, and an ability to handle sensitive matters with tact and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated ability to incorporate and demonstrate an equal opportunities perspective in all areas of work
• Ability to achieve results and meet deadlines and to motivate and manage staff to do the same.
• Computer literacy including the use of Email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to build and establish effective working relationships at a range of levels, including with commissioners, funders and external influencers.
• Creative, flexible and able to work well with others in a team.
• Honest and reliable.
• Commitment to the organisation and also to their own personal and professional development.
• Commitment to enabling children/young people and their families to participate and achieve their full potential.

Additional information

Hours of work: Full time, 37 hours per week 

Place of Work: Home based with expectation of national travel*

Contract Type: Permanent 

Level of screening: Enhanced DBS

*You will be required to work on a on-call basis (days, evenings, weekends, bank holidays) supporting on-call staff with risk assessments ad decision making.

Catch22 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice will be followed and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist care and support for babies, children, and young people who are life-limited or life-threatened. When time is short, every moment is precious. Acorns helps children and families fill the time they have together with love, fun, and laughter to create lasting memories.

Palliative care for children aged 0-18 is delivered at Acorns’ hospices in Birmingham, Worcester, and Walsall, as well as in family homes or elsewhere in the community. Their holistic, tailored approach meets each child’s clinical, emotional, cultural, religious, and spiritual needs. Supporting over 750 children and nearly 1,000 families annually, Acorns is a vital lifeline for families across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire during unimaginably difficult times.

This is a brilliant opportunity to take on a high-performing team at a time when Acorns is really moving forward. Supported by strong internal resources, the Head of Public Fundraising will drive growth across Individual Giving, Legacy, In-Memoriam, Digital and Prize-led Giving in the context of a highly collaborative, whole-organisation approach to fundraising.

The immediate focus will be on making the most of existing programmes, strengthening audience insight, and getting the team ready to play a major part in the organisation-wide appeal launching in 2025.

Growing Individual Giving income from £1.6 million to £2 million over the next two years will be a central priority, alongside expanding digital and prize-led fundraising and sharpening supporter journeys across the board.

As Head of Public Fundraising, you will: 

• Develop and implement a data-driven strategy for all areas of public fundraising to meet growth targets.

• Lead the Individual Giving portfolio, ensuring growth across direct mail, face-to-face acquisition, mid-value development, and telemarketing.

• Oversee the successful delivery of cash appeals, ensuring they meet both income and ROI targets.

• Drive the expansion of digital fundraising and prize-led giving, including managing the growing digital fundraising portfolio and prize-led initiatives.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Marketing & Communications, to ensure campaigns are well integrated and aligned with the overall fundraising strategy.

• Manage and develop a high-performing team, providing leadership, coaching, and clear performance metrics.

• Collaborate with senior leadership and internal stakeholders to drive the strategic direction of public fundraising.

About you

The role needs someone who’s as comfortable setting long-term plans as they are getting hands-on when needed, whether that’s developing appeals, working with agencies or supporting new product ideas. Collaboration across fundraising, care and supporter engagement teams will be essential to making this happen and building an even stronger supporter-first culture at Acorns.

If you’re a senior Individual Giving expert who’s ambitious for supporters and income, this is a chance to take ownership of a strong portfolio, drive innovation, and make a real impact on Acorns’ future.

You will have:

• Extensive experience in Individual Giving (substantial direct marketing experience is essential)

• A history of successfully leading fundraising teams and delivering significant income growth.

• Strong strategic vision, with the ability to adapt and innovate based on data insights and audience understanding.

• Experience in working collaboratively across teams to achieve shared objectives.

• Excellent communication and networking skills, with the ability to build strong relationships internally and externally.

Hybrid working

This is a mostly home-based role, with c.2 days per week in the (Birmingham) office. If you require flexibility around this, please don't hesitate to apply - we can discuss options during the briefing call. 

Employee benefits

Benefits include:

• 31 days annual leave including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 3 years’ service
• 7.5% employer pension contribution
• Life assurance scheme (2 x annual salary)
• Retail discounts (including the Blue Light card)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted gym membership
• Access to expert financial health and wellbeing support

Are you passionate about empowering young people up to the age of 25 to make positive life choices?

Do you have the experience and dedication to engage with those at risk of offending or already involved in the youth justice system, and inspire them to build a better future?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!

The James Brindley Foundation is seeking a committed and compassionate individual to deliver our accredited Full Circle Programme (FCP). This powerful initiative provides one-to-one interventions, educational workshops, and school assemblies to help young people reduce their risk of involvement in youth violence and crime. Full training and extensive support will be offered to the successful candidate.

At The James Brindley Foundation, we want to live in a country where no one walks in fear of youth violence. We believe that, when everyone accepts personal responsibility for those around them, inevitably violence will be reduced and ultimately, lives saved.

If you're up for the challenge, share our vision and want to make a lasting impact, apply to join us today!