Safeguarding senior technical expert jobs

Locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, or London - must be within a commutable distance to one of these centres and be in the office 2-3 days a week

1st stage interviews: 16/09 and 17/09 over MS Teams

2nd stage interviews: 25/09 in our Birmingham Centre

At The King's Trust, everything we do is focused on helping young people build the confidence and skills they need to succeed. As Legal Counsel, you'll play a vital role in making that possible. By providing expert legal advice, managing risk and supporting strong governance across the Trust, you'll help ensure our programmes, partnerships and fundraising activities can continue to create life-changing opportunities for thousands of young people.

This is a broad and influential in-house role where you'll work closely with colleagues across the organisation, advising on contracts, charity law, data protection, intellectual property and governance matters. You'll be a trusted partner to senior stakeholders, helping them make informed decisions that balance risk, opportunity and impact.

We're keen to hear from qualified solicitors or barristers who may have gained experience in:

• An in-house legal team within the charity, public or commercial sectors
• Private practice, particularly advising charities or not-for-profits
• Contract negotiation (including private and public sector funding agreements), charity law, governance, data protection and/or intellectual property matters

To hit the ground running, you'll be:

• A pragmatic and solutions-focused legal professional
• Confident working independently and managing a varied workload
• Skilled at translating complex legal issues into clear, practical advice
• Comfortable building relationships with stakeholders at all levels
• Motivated by the opportunity to use your expertise to support a mission-driven organisation

This is an opportunity to combine high-quality legal work with genuine social impact, helping The King's Trust operate with confidence so that more young people can thrive.

What happens next?  

Please submit a CV and Cover Letter that includes your experience, transferable skills and motivation to work for The King's Trust! The Team will be in touch about the next steps shortly after the closing date. 

Why do we need Legal Counsels? 

Last year, we helped more than 40,000 Young People, with three in four young people on our programmes moving into a positive outcome in work, education or training.The young people we help face a range of challenges, such as unemployment, mental health issues or some who have been in trouble with the law. We believe all young people should have the chance to succeed, and that young people are the key to a positive and prosperous future for all of us. We want to continue having a positive impact on young people’s lives, and we couldn’t do this without the important work of Legal Counsels! 

Perks for working at The Trust! 

• Great holiday package! 30 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays. Office closure on the days between Christmas and New Year 
• Flexible working! Where operationally possible, our roles require a combination of office days and working from home (please speak to the hiring manager about this particular role)
• You can volunteer for and/or attend events – The King's Trust Awards, Pride, active events, etc. 
• In-house learning platform! Develop your skills for your career and your role 
• Benefits platform! Everything from health and financial well-being support to discounts on your favourite restaurants, shops and cinemas. 
• Personal development opportunities through our Networks – KT CAN (Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network), and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). 
• Fantastic Family leave! Receive 13 weeks of full pay and 13 weeks of half pay for maternity and adoption leave. Receive 8 weeks of full pay for paternity leave. 
• Interest-free season ticket loans 
• The Trust will contribute 5% of your salary to the Trust Pension Scheme 
• Generous life assurance cover (4 x annual salary) 

We’re looking for an experienced debt adviser who wants to lead practice, develop colleagues, influence service delivery, and make a lasting difference for people facing financial hardship.

This is a senior, hands-on role that combines expert debt advice with practice leadership. As our lead debt specialist, you will manage a complex caseload while driving quality, supporting adviser development and helping shape the future of debt advice within a trusted local charity.

Working closely with colleagues and partners, you will influence service development and ensure that clients receive high-quality, compliant and person-centred support.

If you're an experienced debt adviser ready to influence practice, support colleagues and make a real difference in your community, we'd love to hear from you!

ALDER HEY CHILDREN'S CHARITY 

Job title: Bid Writer 
Salary: £31,125 - £39,826 

Hours: 37.5 hours per week 
Location: Alder Hey Children's Charity (based within the hospital), Liverpool. Hybrid working available. 

About us 

Alder Hey Children’s Charity raises vital funds to help make Alder Hey Children’s Hospital a truly world-class, patient-friendly hospital for the 450,000 patients and families we care for every year. 

The charity helps to fund a range of activities and projects that are designed to enhance and improve the lives of our amazing young patients. This includes the funding of specialist medical equipment to ensure our brilliant surgeons and clinical staff have the most up to date and cutting-edge technology available and funding hi-tech distraction equipment designed and proven to reduce pain and anxiety in our patients. We also fund a range of programmes and special projects such as our ward musicians, our on-site magician and the play specialists we have on every ward. 

About this role 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our growing Philanthropy Team in a brand-new role that will play a key part in securing transformational funding for Alder Hey Children's Charity. 

As Bid Writer, you will lead on the development of compelling, high-quality funding applications to large-scale national grant programmes and, over time, statutory funding bodies. Collaborating across the Charity and the hospital, you will translate complex clinical, research and capital projects into persuasive, evidence-led cases for support that inspire investment in the future of children's healthcare. 

This is a varied and rewarding role for someone who enjoys writing, research and building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You'll bring together ideas, evidence and expertise to shape ambitious projects into funder-ready proposals with the potential to make a lasting difference for children and families. 

We're looking for an excellent communicator with outstanding writing skills, exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Whether you're an experienced bid writer or bring transferable experience developing funding proposals, this is an opportunity to make a real impact as part of an ambitious and growing fundraising team. 

Key responsibilities will include: 

Bid Development & Writing 

• Lead the development and writing of high-quality funding applications to national grant programmes and, over time, statutory funding opportunities. 

• Produce compelling, tailored funding applications that clearly demonstrate need, impact and outcomes. 

• Manage a varied pipeline of funding applications, ensuring multiple deadlines are delivered to a consistently high standard. 

Research & Opportunity Development 

• Research and identify new funding opportunities that align with the Charity's strategic priorities. 

• Develop and maintain a proactive pipeline of opportunities, working closely with colleagues across the Charity. 

Collaboration & Project Development 

• Work with clinicians and charity colleagues to gather information and develop strong funding propositions. 

• Translate complex clinical and technical information into accessible, engaging and persuasive cases for support. 

Quality & Continuous Improvement 

• Ensure applications meet funder guidance and eligibility criteria

• Maintain accurate records of applications and outcomes using the charity CRM. 

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of bid writing processes, templates and resources across the team. 

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information. 

Our Values 

At Alder Hey Children’s Charity, our values guide how we work. Being courageous, working together, showing passion and embracing creativity enables us to support the hospital in delivering the very best care for young patients and their families. 

Courage 

We try new things, take risks and innovate. We speak up, take accountability and act with responsibility. 

Together 

We work as one team, sharing knowledge and learning. We partner with patients, families, supporters and colleagues. 

Passion 

We are passionate about what we do and inspire others. 

Magic 

We are creative, fun and child-led, creating special moments and going the extra mile. 

Additional Information 

In April 2025, the charity adopted a four-day working week policy. Staff previously working 37.5 hours now work 30 hours across four days, maintaining full pay while supporting a better work-life balance. 

This job description outlines the general nature of the role and is not exhaustive. It may be subject to change in line with organisational needs. 

Alder Hey Children’s Charity will make reasonable adjustments where required and is committed to equal opportunities and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. 

The post holder will be required to complete an enhanced DBS disclosure check. 

How to apply 

You can apply by clicking the link below. Applications must include your CV and a covering letter (no more than one side of A4) which answers the following questions: 

• How do you meet the person specification? If you don’t exactly meet all of the role requirements but have transferable skills please do consider applying and provide details as part of your answer.

• Why do you want to work for Alder Hey? 

Additional information is included within the Job Description and Person Specification.

Closing date: Tuesday 1st September 2026, 12pm  

Initial screening interviews will be held via Teams on 8th September 2026  

Second stage interviews will be held in person at Alder Hey on Monday 14th September 2026 

We are looking for a dynamic, technically skilled Head of Evaluation to play a senior role in shaping and delivering Youth Futures’ evidence strategy.

You will lead a team of Evidence and Evaluation Managers and oversee a portfolio of complex evaluations, helping us generate credible, useful evidence about what works to support marginalised young people into good work.

• Reporting to the Deputy Director of Evidence and Evaluation, you will be responsible for ensuring high-quality delivery of a portfolio of complex impact evaluations.

• You will have a sound understanding of youth employment and/or skills and design evidence-generating projects in a complex field that includes partners from national and devolved government, the third sector and employers.

• You will manage a team of Evaluation Managers, supporting their development while delivering projects that inform Youth Futures’ strategic goals.

This is an opportunity to shape some of the most important evidence being generated on youth employment in England. The role suits someone who enjoys combining technical evaluation expertise with leadership, judgement and collaboration, and who wants their work to influence real decisions about how services, funders and policymakers support young people.

We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

Please download our recruitment pack for more information on this opportunity. To apply, please visit our website.

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.

Head of Finance

Salary£80,000.00 per annum

LocationLondon/Hybrid (with 1 to 2 days a week in the office)

Weekly Hours35

The Vacancy

Job Title: Head of Finance

Location: London/Hybrid (with 1 to 2 days a week in the office)

Salary: £80,000.00 per annum

Weekly Hours: 35

Reference: YMC1228366

About Us

Founded in 1844, YMCA is a global movement and the world's largest youth-focused charity.  In England and Wales, YMCAs are based in over 700 communities across 168 local authorities supporting young people and communities to reach their potential. The turnover of YMCA in 2025-26 was £386m. YMCA England & Wales is a £23 million organisation of more than 400 colleagues, supporting a Federation of 80 local YMCAs to deliver vital services which positively impact young lives across the country. As we grow our income and impact, we are seeking an established and inspirational Head of Finance to take on one of the most pivotal roles in our organisation.

The Opportunity

This is a senior leadership appointment, reporting to the Director of Resources and leading a Finance team of around nine, including the payroll function. You will act as our lead on all matters of finance, liaising with our Federation members where necessary, providing expert support to our Income Generation Directorate (Fundraising and Retail) and other internal Directorates, embedding financial insight into revenue-generation strategy and working in close collaborative partnership with senior colleagues both within those teams but also across the Federation. Beyond this, you will oversee statutory reporting, investments, VAT and taxation compliance, and provide expert counsel to our Board of Trustees and Finance and Audit Committee.

Why You

Perhaps you have already established an excellent track record within a charity with significant fundraising and retail operations and are ready for the scale and influence this role commands. Or perhaps this is your first move into a charity; you are a seasoned accountant whose clients have included charitable organisations, and you now plan to apply that expertise where it matters most. Either way, this is a genuine opportunity to shape the financial future of a movement with over 180 years of heritage as we continue to embed strong financial practices whilst delivering our strategic ambition

What We're Looking For

You will be a fully qualified accountant (ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA) with senior management experience leading finance in an organisation of comparable scale, ideally with charity reporting and SORP knowledge. Strong business partnering skills, gravitas with trustees and committees, and genuine collaborative leadership are essential to succeed in this crucial role.

Our recruitment process is anonymised and candidates' names are hidden. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration, safeguarding training and undertake a DBS check

AFRIL is recruiting for our next Casework Manager, following the advancement of the current post holder into another role within the organisation. We are looking for a hard working and dynamic person who can balance the operational demands of casework and managing frontline services, with excellent HR skills and a keen interest in policy and developing partnerships. This is an exciting and integral role within a supportive and dynamic team at AFRIL, which would be ideal for a highly experienced caseworker or solicitor seeking to gain leadership experience in a community led organisation.

The successful candidate will lead a team of 3 Caseworkers (as well as a team of volunteers) in the delivery of AQS casework in the areas of housing, asylum support, welfare benefits and community care, and the provision of Immigration Advice Authority Level 2 advice. The post holder will also hold key funder and partner relationships, oversee compliance, safeguarding and support the Executive Director with AFRIL's external policy work. 

Job description

 Overall purpose of role

As WeProtect Global Alliance Fundraising and Grants Manager,you will:

• Lead the day-to-day management of a multi-donor grant portfolio (restricted and unrestricted) to ensure donor obligations are met in full and on time.
• Optimise and maintain grants management systems (calendars, trackers, templates, CRM, workflows) proportionate to a small organisation operating at global scale.
• Produce and co-ordinate high-quality donor reporting and contribute to renewal and proposal development, working closely with the Head of Development and collaborating with the Deputy Head of Operations and Finance, as well as colleagues in the Strategy and Members teams.
• Ensure and strengthen donor compliance, due diligence, and data assurance across the grant lifecycle in line with donor requirements, relevant regulations (including UK and EU), and best practice standards (including GDPR).
• Support the Head of Development and Deputy Head of Operations and Finance with grant budgets, forecasts and pipeline, supporting decision-making by the Executive Team and Board.

Key responsibilities

Portfolio ownership & planning

• Maintain a live grants calendar covering deliverables, reports, payments, audits and evaluations; ensure all internal and donor deadlines are met.
• Act as primary point of contact for assigned donors on contractual, reporting, and routine relationship matters, escalating strategically as needed.

 Reporting & stewardship

• Coordinate the production of timely, accurate and outcome-focused narrative and financial reports, synthesising inputs from programme, policy, finance and leadership colleagues.
• Support contract amendments/variations, no-cost extensions, and budget realignments in collaboration with the Head of Development and Deputy Head of Operations and Finance.

Compliance, risk & due diligence

• Interpret, operationalise, and ensure adherence to donor terms and conditions, including eligibility rules, procurement, safeguarding, DEI, anti-fraud, and data protection requirements.
• Contribute to risk registers linked to grants and grant files (audit-ready) with clear decision trails.
• Support alignment with UK and EU regulatory frameworks and internal policies.

Budgeting, finance & cost recovery

• Support the Head of Development and Deputy Head of Operations and Finance to maintain budgets, forecasts, and cashflows to delivery plans.
• Support cost recovery and overhead allocation approaches and ensure compliant coding and reporting for restricted awards (i.e. timesheets and expense coding).
• Track income recognition and receivables against milestones; prepare payment requests/invoices as required.

Proposals, renewals & pipeline support

• Work with and report to the Head of Development to identify and develop new funding opportunities.
• Support the preparation of compelling proposals, concept notes, and donor presentations tailored to institutional, foundation, and private sector partners.
• Conduct donor research and maintain a live fundraising tracker and CRM system to support proactive pipeline management.
• Contribute to the cultivation and stewardship of funders, preparing impact reports, case studies, and donor communications.
• Coordinate cross-team inputs for donor meetings, funding campaigns, or events that support income generation.

Systems, data & process improvement

• Utilise available grants management tools (e.g., trackers, templates, checklists, shared drives/SharePoint, CRM).

· Promote disciplined data management, ensuring GDPR-compliant document storage and access controls.

• Provide training and guidance to colleagues on grant requirements and internal workflows.

Governance & internal collaboration

• Prepare or contribute to concise briefings, dashboards, and summaries for the Head of Development, Executive Team, and Global Policy Board.
• Contribute to annual planning, KPI setting, and impact measurement related to fundraising and grant delivery.
• Support continuous improvement in monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Expectations

Cross-functional operational collaboration

• Contribute to the WeProtect Global Alliance operational compliance, financial and grant management processes and systems.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver cross-functional projects that will strengthen the reach and impact of the WeProtect Global Alliance Secretariat.

Building an inclusive culture

• Play a proactive role in ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is embedded in everything we do.
• Embrace diversity and recognise different perspectives within collaborative working to create a more impactful and effective organisation. 
• Commit to ensuring all employees are treated fairly and equitably at work, feel like they belong, and promote equality in physical and mental health for all.

Other

• To attend and contribute to meetings, training, and other events as required.
• To actively participate in our supervision and appraisal process.
• To ensure that all responsibilities and activities within this post are delivered in accordance with WeProtect Global Alliance core values and relevant corporate, organisational, financial, and compliance policies.
• To travel to meetings, which may require the need to work unsociable hours, e.g. attending evening or weekend meetings.
• To adhere to relevant legal and statutory requirements including the Data Protection Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act.
• To use WeProtect Global Alliance resources responsibly.

As a global, multi-sector alliance, ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is embedded in everything we do is a critical priority. We embrace diversity and understand that being an inclusive organisation, recognising different perspectives, will enable us to be impactful and effective. We are committed to ensuring all our employees are treated fairly and equitably at work and promoting equality in physical and mental health for all.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

Experience

1. Substantial hands-on experience managing multi-donor grants across the full lifecycle, from start-up to close-out with a diverse donor community (governments/multilaterals, trusts and foundations, and private donors), including restricted awards.

2. Proven track record coordinating high-quality donor reports and ensuring contractual compliance across multiple awards and deadlines.

3. Demonstrable experience collaborating internally and leading applications, funding reports, financial reporting (budgets, forecasts, cost recovery, and expenditure monitoring).

4. Experience of preparing concept notes, proposals, and application forms for funding opportunities.

5. Experience with grant databases/CRM.

6. Stakeholder management skills, with experience liaising with donors and supporting senior leaders with briefings and stewardship.

7. Experience in due diligence, risk management and audit-readiness for grants (e.g., procurement, safeguarding, sanctions/PEP checks, data protection).

8. Proven experience working autonomously in a fast-paced environment to deliver a broad range of donor activities.

Skills

1. Outstanding organisation and time management, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and maintain meticulous records.

2. Excellent written communication, able to synthesise complex information into clear, outcome-focused reports and proposals.

3. Financial literacy: confident reviewing budgets, variances and forecasts; advanced Excel skills and comfort with shared-working tools (MS Office, Teams, SharePoint).

4. Analytical judgement and problem-solving, with a pragmatic, solutions-focused mindset.

5. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a remote, international team, exercising discretion and sound judgement.

6. Commitment to safeguarding, child protection, EDI, and ethical fundraising practice.

Knowledge

1. Practical understanding of donor compliance for public/institutional and philanthropic funders, including awareness of different types of donor reporting requirements.

2. Knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning principles and how to evidence impact and learning in grant reports.

3. Familiarity with data protection (GDPR) and information governance in grants contexts.

4. Understanding of WeProtect Global Alliance’s mission, vision, values, and global operating context.

Other

1. A willingness to travel and work unsocial hours (time in lieu can be claimed)

2. Commitment to your own continuing professional and personal development

3. To uphold high standards of work, standards, and conduct in line with WeProtect Global Alliance values.

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience setting up or improving grants management systems (trackers, calendars, templates, workflows) proportionate to a small organisation.

2. Experience of using online funding and grant management portals.

3. Awareness of global child protection policies and procedures within the digital arena and a genuine passion for child protection

Diversity, inclusion, and equity

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those of different ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, abilities, and lived experiences. We particularly encourage applications from individuals who are part of communities that are under-represented in our sector, including Black, Asian, and other ethnic minorities, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Safeguarding and values

As a child-focused organisation, we have a strong commitment to child safeguarding and rigorous procedures. The successful candidate will be required to provide two referees and to undergo a criminal record check. 

All staff are expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with our values and in compliance with our policies and procedures, including our Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.

Our values are:

· Empowerment – collaboration, innovation, challenge

· Accountability – responsibility, delivery, safeguarding

· Respect – honesty, feedback, inclusion.

At Ambitious about Autism, we're currently looking for a Head of Risk, Governance and Assurance to join our team.

You'll lead the organisation's governance, compliance, legal, risk and assurance functions, ensuring robust frameworks and controls are in place to support the delivery of our mission. You'll act as the organisation's lead adviser on governance and regulatory matters, maintaining effective relationships with trustees, governing bodies, regulators, legal advisers, auditors and insurers.

You'll ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, uphold high standards of corporate governance, and oversee the management of legal, contractual, operational and reputational risk. You'll provide strategic oversight of governance, risk management, internal audit, insurance and contractual arrangements, strengthening organisational accountability, supporting informed decision-making and promoting a culture of compliance and continuous improvement across the organisation.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Significant experience in governance, company secretarial practice, compliance, risk or a related discipline.
• Significant experience leading governance and compliance functions within a charity, education or similarly regulated environment.
• Experience supporting Boards, Trustees, Committees or Governing Bodies, including advising on governance matters and overseeing the production of high-quality governance documentation.
• Thorough understanding of company secretarial responsibilities and corporate governance best practice including within a Multi Academy Trust or similar.

In return, we offer great benefits including a generous holiday allowance and commitment to continued professional development (CPD), flexible, hybrid working and more!

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual who would like to work for a forward-thinking, open and honest organisation and make a real impact to the young people we work with. Please find our full recruitment pack on the link below.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have a confidential chat, please contact James Axford, Recruitment Officer.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our organisation. We warmly welcome applications from all qualified candidates, valuing the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives they bring. We encourage applications from individuals regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, disability, or age.

Our recruitment process promotes equal opportunities, and we are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities or additional needs throughout the recruitment process. Please contact our Recruitment Team for accommodations. We recognise disability as a physical or mental impairment that significantly and long-term affects a person's ability to perform day-to-day activities, as defined by the UK Equality Act 2010. All applications will be considered solely on merit, aligned with our mission to support autistic children and young people.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

About Toynbee Hall

Based in the East End of London since 1884, Toynbee Hall is a charity working alongside people facing poverty, injustice, and inequality to build a fairer East London. We provide vital advice and support, working in partnership to tackle unfairness and ensure everyone has an equal chance to thrive.

Team Background

The Debt Advice Team at Toynbee Hall provides crucial support to individuals and families struggling with financial burdens. Funded by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), this team delivers expert guidance and practical solutions to help clients manage and reduce their debt. 

Key Responsibilities 

Management of local sites to ensure all services are available.

• Ensure local services are available daily by effectively managing staffing, sickness, annual leave, emergencies and operational challenges.
• Work closely with internal teams, external contractors and local stakeholders to ensure all sites operate safely, efficiently and in line with organisational standards.

Line management of a team to ensure objectives are set and met.

• Lead, motivate and support the team to achieve agreed service, quality, compliance and performance objectives.
• Conduct regular one-to-one supervision, team meetings and performance reviews, providing constructive feedback and clear expectations.

Ensure compliance and the quality of advice required are achieved.

• Ensure the team consistently delivers high-quality, client-focused debt advice in line with FCA requirements, funder expectations and Toynbee Hall policies.
• Monitor case quality through audits, supervision, management information and performance data, implementing improvement plans where required.

Contribute to the team

• Be an active member of the Advice Services management team, contributing to service planning, operational improvements and organisational change.
• Work collaboratively with funders, partner organisations and colleagues across Toynbee Hall to support strategic priorities, projects and service development.

Other

• Provide visible leadership across multiple Toynbee Hall locations, ensuring consistency of culture, service delivery and operational standards.
• Travel across London as required, and occasionally elsewhere in the UK.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Essential Criteria

Experience and Skills

• Significant experience of managing frontline advice services and leading high-performing teams.
• Proven ability to provide technical supervision and support on complex debt advice cases.
• Up-to-date knowledge of debt advice legislation, FCA requirements, funding compliance and sector best practice.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office and case management systems.
• Hold a recognised debt advice qualification (e.g. CertMAP or equivalent) with demonstrable experience of delivering and supervising FCA-regulated debt advice services.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate others.
• Ability to build positive relationships with colleagues, partners, funders and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Personal Attributes

• Inclusive, collaborative and approachable leadership style.
• Highly organised, proactive and solutions focused.
• Calm and resilient under pressure, with the ability to make informed decisions.

Commitment

• Demonstrates a strong commitment to Toynbee Hall’s mission, values and strategic objectives.
• Willingness to work across multiple Toynbee Hall and community locations.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training, including safeguarding and regulatory requirements.

Please note the right to work in the UK is a requirement of this role.

Please refer to the attached job description for more details.

Hope for Justice is seeking an experienced and enthusiastic professional to join our team as an Independent Modern Slavery Advocate® (IMSA®) (Trainee) to join our Advocacy team and work within the IMSA® model pilot. This is an in-role trainee position which requires successful completion of the IMSA® PG Certification in order to progress to the full IMSA® role.

Since September 2025, the IMSA® Model Development Project has been pioneering a national pilot. Hope for Justice is working in partnership with 14 other organisations, together employing 28 IMSAs® and Senior IMSAs® who are working alongside adult survivors of human trafficking. Hope for Justice leads the central IMSA® Model Hub within the pilot, supporting IMSAs® and their employing organisations throughout the UK. 

To achieve our collection aim of a standardised national model of accredited independent advocacy for adult survivors of modern slavery, all IMSAs® are required to successfully complete the IMSA® PG Certification with St Mary's University. This opportunity will fully fund and support you to complete the IMSA® PG Certification, whilst working as a Trainee IMSA®. Upon successful completion, you will progress into the full IMSA® role. Throughout your training we will support you in the following ways:

·Released in-work time for PG Certification attendance and study

·Reduction in caseload and/or complex cases

·Additional supervision and support for casework

IMSAs® work alongside survivors to help them understand their rights and to navigate the complex systems and support services available in the UK. By working with an independent advocate, survivors can overcome barriers and make informed decisions about their recovery.

This is a UK-based role within our UK Advocacy Team and a fixed term contract until December 2027 (in line with IMSA® Model Pilot timeframes).

This role is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the delivery and the development of a national pilot working towards a shared goal of every survivor of modern slavery and human trafficking having access to an Independent Modern Slavery Advocate®.

Requirements

1.Provide independent advocacy for survivors of modern slavery/human trafficking in the UK

• Empowering adult survivors by providing a clear overview of their rights and entitlements, in their own language, explaining and providing an overview of options and choices 
• Once a survivor understands their rights, producing a detailed initial assessment (legal and socio needs), an individual risk assessment and a safety plan 
• Anticipating and understanding the barriers that survivors face and how independent advocacy can help to overcome those barriers 
• Ensuring smooth transfer into safe accommodation and into the community, advocating for clear pathways to services and systems, in accordance with the non-statutory government endorsed, Slavery and Trafficking Care Standards 2025, produced by the Human Trafficking Foundation 
• Act as a single point of contact for the survivor, and relevant agencies through all processes. Providing a point of trust for the survivor and high-quality communication with all relevant agencies and professionals 
• Ensuring referrals to legal and support agencies are effectively managed and supported, including housing; witness support; health services; finance and debt organisations; education, training and employment services; immigration; civil compensation, public law and criminal law solicitors 
• Where necessary, and dependent on local support available, accompany a survivor (online or in-person) to advocacy related appointments, empowering and advocating for the survivor’s needs and wishes to be heard in all processes, supporting the survivor to negotiate these processes and overcome barriers 
• Working with the survivor, where appropriate, to develop confidence to do things for themselves, to foster independence and to advocate for themselves
• Ensuring the survivor’s voice is heard and if a survivor wishes to engage that they are well supported as a witness throughout criminal and civil proceedings 
• Work collaboratively with key agencies and services that the survivor routinely interacts with, e.g. support worker; social services, health care personnel, and other statutory and non-statutory agencies, to ensure they receive coordinated help and support
• Provide understanding and education for adult survivors at risk of re-trafficking including safety planning, understanding signs of exploitation, worker’s rights and financial inclusion to reduce the risk of re-exploitation
• Managing a caseload using a trauma-informed approach, that is person-led and ensuring all survivors are able to achieve their agreed outcomes 
• Working with IMSA Model Hub team to administer and process survivor referrals
• Ensuring that all case management is delivered to agreed standards, in line with the values of the IMSA Model and in line with organisational policies, procedures and best practice. 

2.Provide advice to professionals and individuals, building effective and collaborative relationships with other organisations and deliver training and information on modern slavery and human trafficking 

• To provide expert information and capacity strengthening to a wide range of professionals, stakeholders and organisations encountered when working as an independent advocate
• To promote and demonstratea trauma informed and person-centered response, ensuring conduct, language and behaviour is anti-oppressive, anti-racist and culturally intelligent
• To deliver training, awareness raising and capacity strengthening sessions on a range of topics relevant to modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK

3.Risk Management and escalation:  

• Following procedures, policies and guidance to ensure a safe, effective, and efficient working environment 
• Identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns appropriately and in accordance with organisational policies, procedures and practice 
• Rapidly identifying, managing and when appropriate, escalating risks and health and safety matters 

4.Data Management: 

• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date case management notes and data in accordance with organisational and IMSA Model policies, procedures and good practice 
• Ensuring that data protection and information sharing policies are upheld 

5.Team Member: 

• To actively participate in all team meetings, upholding and promoting a supportive environment throughout the IMSA Model Hub and the wider network of IMSAs 
• To work collaboratively across the IMSA Model Hub and wider network of IMSAs to support best practice
• To raise awareness of issues of modern slavery, human trafficking, and the experiences of survivors across a range of organisations and individuals, building capacity, knowledge and improving responses to modern slavery and human trafficking 
• Support the aims of the IMSA Model and the IMSA Model Development Project, promoting the benefits of independent advocacy and the opportunity to reform responses to survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking across the UK 

6.Learning and Development:  

• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the changes in legislation and policy in relation to modern slavery 
• Adopt reflective practice approaches, identifying areas for improvement and seeking continued professional development opportunities 
• Monitoring policy changes, sharing and reporting on the impact of these changes on survivor outcomes 
• Successful completion of the Post Graduate Certificate for IMSAs 

7.For all roles: 

• Understand and uphold the standards outlined Hope for Justice safeguarding policies, acting with due care and attention to safeguard the wellbeing of anyone that comes into contact with our work and reporting concerns if they do arise 
• Work at all times in line with Hope for Justice and the IMSA Model policies and procedures and the wider strategy, culture, and ethos of Hope for Justice
• Uphold the IMSA Model values and governance structure
• Respond to ad hoc assignments requested from time to time

Key Result Areas

• Survivors receive expert independent advocacy to realise their rights and entitlements, overcome barriers, and move towards their self-definition of recovery
• Effective partnerships are maintained enabling positive advocacy outcomes for survivors
• Data collection and clients’ case notes are accurate, reaching organisational standards and enable analysis, supporting the on-going development and improvement of the IMSA® Model Development Project 

We expect all our employees to understand and uphold the standards outlined in the Hope for Justice Safeguarding policies, acting with due care and attention to safeguard the wellbeing of anyone that encounters our work and reporting concerns if they do arise.

As part of Hope for Justice/Slave Free Alliance, you will benefit from an excellent package including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• 1 day Marriage Leave
• Birthday Day
• Enhanced employer pension contributions
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Access to our Employee Rewards Platform, providing discounts and offers for well-known retailers
• Free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme for staff and their family
• Professional development opportunities
• Professional memberships paid
• Flexible and hybrid working

Role Details

Job type: Full time

Salary: £28,500 pa, salary will increase to £30,000 upon successful completion of the IMSA® PG Certification

Closing date: 26th August 2026

Location: Hybrid – within UK, with travel to Manchester when required

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which include criminal records checks, in line with our Global background checks policy – to view this please click here. Hope for Justice participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme, as part of the referencing process we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Personal data of the selected candidate(s) may be transmitted to INTERPOL for a security check for the purpose of identifying threats the candidate could pose to children and vulnerable persons in regard to a sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment offences.

We would like to inform you that due to the high number of applicants we receive, we regret that we are not able to respond individually to all applicants. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps in the selection process, thank you for your understanding.

For nearly 20 years, Lively Minds has been proving that parents are the sleeping giants of early childhood development. With strong evidence and a national scale proof point in Ghana, we have shown that parent powered approaches delivered through government systems can transform children's lives at scale.

We are now at a pivotal moment. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum, and we need the funding, profile and influence to match our ambition. This is a rare opportunity to lead income generation and external voice for an award winning NGO entering an exciting new phase of growth. You will lead our fundraising strategy and direct engagement with Funders ensuring that we maximise all funding opportunities as we continue our strategic evolution. You will also shape a compelling external narrative that will help position Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments strengthening their early childhood development systems.

If you are an exceptional fundraiser and communicator who is equally comfortable in a strategic conversation and writing a winning proposal, we would love to hear from you.

Read the full advert and apply below. Closing date: 3rd September 2026.

About Lively Minds

Lively Minds is an award-winning NGO with nearly 20 years of experience designing, testing and scaling early childhood development (ECD) solutions across the Global South. Our core idea is simple but radical: parents are the sleeping giants of ECD. Governments and donors have long overlooked parents, assuming that poverty and low literacy make them unable or unwilling to support their childrenʼs development. We have spent two decades proving otherwise. With RCT-backed evidence and a national-scale proof point in Ghana, we have demonstrated that parent-powered approaches, delivered through government systems, can achieve meaningful child development outcomes at scale.

Our 2026–2028 strategy marks a pivotal shift. Having demonstrated what is possible, we are now helping pioneer an innovative model of country-led sustainable scale. Rather than delivering programmes ourselves, we provide lean, time-limited technical advisory support to governments to help them integrate parent-powered ECD into their own systems, budgets and institutions. We are currently working with the governments of Ghana, Uganda, Oromia state (Ethiopia) and The Gambia in 2026, growing to six or more country engagements by 2028. Our ambition is to catalyse a sector-wide shift, positioning Lively Minds as the definitive partner for governments seeking to strengthen their ECD systems.

Our scale strategy rests on three interdependent pillars: fixed-term Technical Advisory partnerships with governments; the development of a modular radio model simple and affordable enough for governments to adopt and fund independently; and an advocacy and sector influence agenda designed to make parent-powered ECD the norm globally.

Purpose of the Role

Lively Minds is at a critical inflection point. We have the evidence, the model and the momentum. We now need the funding, profile and sector influence to match our ambition. The Director of Fundraising and Communications is a priority hire, created to provide the dedicated, experienced leadership that this moment demands.

The Director will own and drive Lively Mindsʼ income generation, building new funder relationships, managing and deepening existing ones, and ensuring the organisation has the pipeline, discipline and quality of engagement to meet and exceed its fundraising targets. Working in close partnership with the Founding CEO, who retains ownership of a small number of long-standing strategic relationships, the Director will take primary responsibility for securing the funding that makes the 2026–2028 strategy deliverable, and that opens the door to greater scale beyond it. We need to raise approximately £3.4m over the next 3 years to deliver our strategy. But our ambition is to exceed that target so we can support additional governments.

Alongside fundraising, the Director will provide strategic leadership to Lively Mindsʼ communications and advocacy work, ensuring that the organisationʼs external voice is compelling and that we are building credibility in the spaces where funding decisions are made. The Director will lead and provide strategic coherence to a small but outward-facing team, including Head of Partnerships and Advocacy Lead who are active on the international stage. Lively Minds is committed to thought-leadership and active external engagement, but equally committed to ensuring that communications resource is deployed with discipline and rigour. The Director will set a clear strategic filter for where the organisation shows up, what it publishes and who it engages: prioritising focus and quality over volume, and always asking whether external activity is building the relationships and reputation that ultimately drive income and/or systems change.

Lively Minds is a dispersed, remote organisation. The Directorʼs team the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer - are internationally distributed. The ability to lead, develop and maintain high standards across a dispersed team is essential. The role requires regular travel to international conferences and events.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Income Generation

• Own and deliver the multi-year fundraising strategy with clear priorities, targets, income streams and a disciplined pipeline to support the 2026–2028 strategy and future scale
• Steward existing funder relationships, turning strong partnerships into long-term supporters, advocates and connectors to new funding opportunities.
• Lead the shift towards Big Bet and catalytic funding, personally cultivating and negotiating high-value, multi-year partnerships and positioning Lively Minds for system-level scale
• Maintain a high standard of fundraising quality, pipeline management and forecasting, while coaching the team to produce compelling, sophisticated fundraising materials
•  Build and continuously strengthen a diverse funding pipeline, identifying emerging opportunities, new funding markets and strategic partnerships that reduce concentration risk and support long-term financial sustainability

Communications, Brand & Advocacy

• Own and deliver Lively Mindsʼ communications and marketing strategy, balancing visibility and sector influence with the need to strengthen fundraising and systems-change objectives
• Partner closely with the CEO to shape and steward a coherent external narrative, brand and messaging framework across all audiences and channels
• Oversee high-quality core communications and fundraising materials, including cases for support, pitch decks, website content, proposals and donor reports
• Provide strategic communications expertise to Advocacy, Partnerships and MEL, ensuring evidence and learning are translated into compelling narratives and consistent external messaging
• Lead efforts to strengthen Lively Mindsʼ profile and thought leadership in the ECD sector, identifying opportunities for strategic media, events, publications and external platforms that reinforce its positioning and influence

Organizational Leadership&TeamDevelopment

• Contribute actively to SMT and organisational strategy, bringing funder intelligence, external perspective and communications expertise to strategic decision-making.
• Work closely with Finance and MEL to align fundraising targets, forecasting, budgets and evidence, ensuring proposals are credible, accurately costed and evidence-led
• Act as the organisationʼs communications subject matter expert, providing guidance and challenge to ensure high-quality, consistent external communications
• Lead and develop the Advocacy Lead, Development Manager and Communications Officer, fostering a team culture of quality, accountability, strategic clarity and continuous improvement
• Build strong cross-organisational collaboration, ensuring teams understand how fundraising, communications, advocacy and evidence work together to advance Lively Mindsʼ strategic priorities

Person Specification

Essential Experience & Skills

• 10+ years of significant senior-level fundraising experience within international development, education, philanthropy or a comparable sector
• Proven track record of securing major grants from foundations, institutional donors and high-net-worth individuals, alongside demonstrated experience securing or meaningfully progressing large-scale, catalytic funding from Big Bet philanthropy programmes such as the Audacious Project, Skoll Foundation or comparable funders. A strong understanding of what these funders look for and how to position an organisation compellingly within their processes is essential
• Exceptional fundraising writing skills, with the ability to personally develop compelling cases for support, funding proposals, award applications and pitch decks tailored to sophisticated impact funders. This is a hands-on role requiring both strong writing capability and the ability to coach others to consistently produce high-quality fundraising content
• Experienced in developing and owning a marketing and communications strategy, with a strong understanding of how to balance organisational visibility, thought leadership and sector influence with coherence, strategic focus and income generation
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with a Founding CEO to shape and steward the organisationʼs external narrative and brand. Comfortable working in a founder-led environment, providing expertise and constructive challenge while ensuring the organisation maintains a clear, consistent and coherent external voice

Desirable Experience

• Experienced fundraising for a technical advisory, systems change or government-facing organisation
• Knowledge of the ECD, education or early childhood sector and its funding landscape
• Familiarity with the Big Bang Philanthropy network or equivalent impact-focused funder communities
• Experience working alongside advocacy and partnerships teams, providing communications expertise and strategic coherence to their external activity
• Familiarity with the funding landscape for organisations operating in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience working remotely across multiple countries and effectively collaborating with cross-cultural teams

Behaviours & Ways of Working

• A doer, equally comfortable in strategic conversations and writing a funding proposal
• Sets a high bar for quality and clarity in all external communications and holds it consistently
• Builds a strong, trust-based partnership with the Founding CEO, provides honest challenge and operates effectively within a founder-led dynamic without losing their own voice or judgement
• Collaborative and cross-organisational. Invests in strong relationships with programme, MEL and finance colleagues, understanding that the best fundraising is grounded in organisational reality
• Calm and focused under pressure - able to manage competing priorities and maintain quality when the stakes are high

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• 25 days annual leave
• Health insurance
• Pension contribution
• Generous learning and development budget
• Flexible, remote working

Application Instruction

Interested candidates are encouraged to read the Job Description carefully before applying to ensure they understand the role and meet the required criteria.

To apply, please complete the pre-screening questions and submit your updated CV

PLEASE NOTE - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Timeline

Closing Date: 3rd September 2026

Our Stance

Lively Minds operates a strict Safeguarding Policy and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable people. As part of our recruitment process, the suitability of successful candidates will be verified through appropriate background checks including professional references and police checks.

Lively Minds is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities throughout our recruitment process. We want this commitment to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, experiences and perspectives.

We are committed to ensuring that recruitment decisions are based on merit, skills, experience and suitability for the role, and that all candidates are treated fairly and with respect throughout the recruitment process.

Who we are

Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. Our mission is to improve kids' health, through improving school food & food education.

We focus our efforts in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, where more than a third of children are entitled to free school meals, and diet-related disease is driving further inequality.

We support and train school kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share learning and resources, aiming to inspire and enable others to follow our lead.

We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education, setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.

About you and the role

As our Digital Manager, you will be the strategic anchor, quality guardian, and operational driving force behind our online presence. You will fully own the performance of our two primary websites: the main Chefs in Schools (CIS) platform and the complex, public-facing School Food Project (SFP) national resource and coalition hub. You will be directly accountable for driving traffic, mastering SEO, maintaining exceptional content quality, and ensuring a seamless, highly secure user experience against clear, measurable targets.

This is a leadership role that bridges technical execution and creative strategy. You will act as the crucial, confident link between our external technical agencies (who build and maintain the infrastructure of the sites) and our internal content creators and programme teams. Crucially, you will be an empowering manager, leading a dedicated digital sub-team of 1-2 direct reports, supporting them to manage day-to-day content workflows, e-learning administration, and community moderation.

We are looking for someone solutions-focused, collaborative, and deeply analytical who takes pride in helping a high-profile, mission-driven organization run at its absolute best.

Key responsibilities:

1. Website Ownership & Performance Management

• Own the overarching strategy and performance of our two flagship websites (CIS and SFP), optimizing UX and UI for user journeys, design, and maximum accessibility standards across both sites.

• Own and maintain a forward-looking, prioritized digital platform roadmap, striking a strategic balance between long-term feature development and agile, day-to-day reactive requests

• Ensure both platforms—particularly the highly visible, national School Food Project website—maintain the highest standards of data security, uptime, quality assurance, and accessibility, proactively managing risks associated with public scrutiny.

• Take end-to-end ownership of web analytics and data integrity—from configuring custom event tracking to reporting on performance—utilizing Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for quantitative metrics and Microsoft Clarity for behavioral insights.

• Set, monitor, and report against clear performance targets spanning web traffic, user engagement, resource downloads, and search rankings.

• Lead content and platform feature reviews through a risk mitigation lens—ensuring strict compliance with safeguarding, privacy, and coalition guidelines—while running targeted A/B tests to optimize user experience.

• Lead on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy to maximize organic reach and connect school leaders, chefs, and partners to our resources.

• Establish and manage digital incident response protocols, defining clear workflows for first responders, triage steps, and escalation pathways in the event of site outages, technical bugs, or security breaches.

2. Agency & Supplier Management

• Act as the primary, confident technical interface with our external web development agencies and tech suppliers, holding them accountable to high-quality delivery.

• Translate internal program, comms, and membership goals into clear technical design briefs, managing timelines and tracking project budgets.

• Coordinate rigorous testing of new features, bug logging, and site maintenance to guarantee absolute platform stability before public deployments.

3. Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Line manage, mentor, and support 1-2 direct reports (including roles focused on systems, community moderation, and resource uploads).

• Work closely with the Communications team, External Relations team and Programme Leads to align digital development with broader organization campaigns and resource rollouts.

• Oversee the content calendar and governance for both sites, ensuring all published assets strictly adhere to brand tone of voice and quality standards, working closely with the senior social media officer, engagement team to ensure cross org planning .

4. Data, CRM & Systems Integration

• Oversee the data integrity and smooth technical flow between our website frontends, e-learning platform (LMS), and internal CRM systems.

• Ensure all digital systems, data tracking, user permissions, and marketing platforms comply fully with GDPR and organizational data protection policies.

• Construct and present scannable dashboards and reports (using Google Analytics and CRM data) for the Senior Leadership Team and stakeholders to demonstrate impact.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Digital Product & Platform Leadership: Proven experience managing digital products, websites, or online platforms—ideally at a Manager level within a charity, agency, or fast-paced setting.

• Complex Systems Integration: Strong confidence managing (or partnering with a technical agency to manage) integrated digital environments where the CMS, CRM, and LMS operate as a unified platform. You must be comfortable understanding and troubleshooting multi-layered user access permissions (e.g., tailored journeys for different school types and member tiers).

• Foundational literacy in HTML and CSS to troubleshoot layout issues, understand site structure, and effectively translate technical requirements to developers.

• Agency & Project Management: Confident experience collaborating with, briefing, and managing external technical partners, developers, or freelance technical staff to deliver complex features on time and on budget.

• People Management: Demonstrable experience managing, mentoring, and developing direct reports, fostering a supportive and high-performing team environment.

• Data Fluency & Quality Control: Ability to analyze, clean, and visualize data (using Google Analytics, CRM reporting, or spreadsheets) to monitor site performance, ensure data integrity across system integrations, and drive user experience improvements.

• Communication & Collaboration: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex "technical speak" for non-expert internal staff, write brand-aligned content, and build strong cross-team relationships.

• Mission Alignment: A deep personal commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, alongside a genuine interest in our mission to transform child health through school food.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with online community/forum moderation and user engagement strategies.

• Prior experience working within the wider charity sector.

Benefits

You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who works hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We were voted one of CODE Hospitality’s happiest places to work in 2024. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.

We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays, 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period as well as wellbeing days over the summer school holidays.  We also have a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.

We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.

Application process

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we invite candidates to answer a series of questions related to their day-to-day job. Please follow this link to answer the questions and submit your application along with your CV.

We recommend that you develop your answers offline and copy them in when you’re ready to ensure you don’t lose your work if interrupted.

Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers. A long list of candidates will then additionally have their CVs reviewed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30 mins online interview. Successful candidates will be invited to attend a second, in-person interview at our office in Brixton, London.

Expected duration of this application process: 4-6 weeks

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we will invite candidates to interview based on their answers to a series of questions related to their day-to-day job.

First Interview will take place the w/c 14th September

Salary:                £42,180 - £43,290 per annum
Location             London, United Kingdom (hybrid – min. one day per week in the office)
Team:                 Strategic and Commercial Partnerships Team
Line Manager:    Strategic and Commercial Partnerships Senior Manager     
Line Reports:      None
Hours:                35 hours per week
Contract:            Fixed term 24 months
Grade:                3A
Safeguarding:    Basic

The Vacancy

The Strategic and Commercial Partnerships Senior Adviser will support one of Start Network’s most exciting new areas of work. This role will be part of a new team, created in 2025, to scope, engage and manage relationships with strategic partners across the humanitarian ecosystem and beyond that will bring non-monetary added value in pursuit of our mission and vision for a locally led and proactive humanitarian system. Our ambition is to leverage partnerships to maximise the impact of our work, enhance our ability to influence system change, improve operational effectiveness and engage in the exchange of knowledge around our innovation ambition. The team will focus on strategic partnerships in areas such as – but not limited to- system change, innovation, disaster risk finance, humanitarian insurance, digital transformation, AI, and capacity strengthening. The team will also explore the value offer and commercialisation potential behind specific initiatives and services.

Based in the Business Development directorate, the Adviser will work closely with the Strategic and Commercial Partnerships Senior Manager to further strengthen the new function. The role will support on the external facing partnership development and management, whilst also playing a central role in ensuring the value-add catalyses inward impact at Start Network. As such, the role will engage with colleagues across the organisation and gain full insight into the full breadth of Start Network’s portfolio of programmes and initiatives. The role will also contribute to researching and analysing commercialisation potential and options for Senior Leadership consideration.

The successful candidate will have a strategic mindset and leverage their ability to creatively identify opportunities to maximise impact. They will be motivated by the opportunity to be proactive and take initiative. It will be key for the candidate to build strong relationships internally and externally, with excellent communication skills and an ability to convey complex ideas simply. They will also have strong organisational skills and be comfortable balancing multiple priorities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Manage and Maximise Partnership Impact

• Build and manage a portfolio of strategic partners, including external engagement and  internal coordination with relevant teams
• Develop plans to maximise the impact of current partnerships, in line with our strategic priorities and mission, in collaboration with relevant teams
• Develop partnership governance agreements(e.g. contracts, Statement of Collaboration, and Memorandums of Understanding)
• Develop joint proposals to advance partnership potential, and manage subsequent budget and reporting obligations
• Manage delivery and project management of strategic partnership initiatives
• Act as key focal point to lead on communications related to partnerships, liaising with the Communications Team as necessary (e.g. develop case studies, briefs and external-facing material)
• Monitor partnership performance and strategic value-add

Prospecting & Partnership Development

• Research and identify prospective partners and engagement opportunities - particularly in the global south - that will add non-financial value to our mission and will help us accelerate our impact and system change ambitions
• Liaise with teams to identify gaps and opportunities for leveraging strategic partners in priority areas  
• Secure opportunities for engagement with prospective partners by developing and pitching ideas for collaboration. Prepare supporting material as needed and coordinate with relevant internal teams (presentations, pitches, briefings, engagement plans, etc)
• Build relationships and collaboration with academia, think tanks and other organisations that can strengthen our work and influence
• Manage the partnership assessment process for prospective partners by assessing strategic alignment, coordinating appropriate risk assessments/assurance reviews, and facilitate discussions with colleagues from relevant teams to guide decision-making
• Identify key events, forums and engagement opportunities for the team, and coordinate participation with managers, heads and directors based on strategic priorities and partnership needs
• Support the Senior Manager to manage, develop and formalise new partnerships

Research & Analysis of Commercialisation Potential

• Support data collection and analysis of key areas in which there may be potential for commercialisation, liaising with internal and external stakeholders
• Support the Senior Manager to undertake a competitor and stakeholder analysis, and feasibility assessment in shortlisted areas
• Contribute to the articulation of value offers and a menu of options for Senior Leadership consideration
• Support the Senior Manager in developing the commercial partnerships strategy and implementation plan
• Scope prospective partnerships in line with commercialisation ambitions

Elevate Function Service Offer 

• Act as primary focal point for socialising and advising on partnership processes across the organisation (engage team focal points, organise trainings/inductions, etc.)
• Support the continuous strengthening of the strategic partnership service offer and partnership development processes to guide internal ways of working, aligned with the Start Network mission and culture
• Maintain knowledge management systems to enhance visibility, coordination andinstitutionalisation of partnerships (e.g. ASANA Partnership Tracker and dedicated strategic partnership pages)
• Develop tools, templates and frameworks to support teams engaging with strategic partnerships
• Support the preparation of value offers for capacity strengthening internally, including but not limited to how strategic partnerships can be mobilised to support the Hubs
• Identify opportunities to collaborate across teams to amplify the effectiveness and visibility of our partnerships. For example:
  • Liaise with the assurance team to standardise partnership agreements and templates
  • Work with the communications team to develop innovative communication strategies and outputs to attract prospective partners, expanding outreach
  • Liaise with the MEAL team to do co-develop case studies to evidence impact
  • Coordinate with advocacy colleagues around sector-wide events and publications, identifying opportunities for strategic partnership engagement and outreach
• Promote a positive culture around strategic partnerships
   

START NETWORK CULTURE

· To carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children

· A commitment to the Start Network vision, principles, values, and approach

· The Start Network team is an agile group of individuals who use their experience and skills across the network, so flexibility to work in and with different teams and functions is a part of our culture.

PERSON PROFILE

Essential Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in a related field
• Experience in the humanitarian or development sector
• Experience managing or coordinating partnerships, contracts, or stakeholder relationships, particularly in a nonprofit, social enterprise, or business development setting
• Team player with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, and with a flexible and adaptable approach to working across teams and functions;
• Ability to adapt to evolving priorities and timelines, responding effectively to opportunities and stakeholder needs’
• Proactive self-starter and entrepreneurial mindset, with a willingness to organise own work and take initiative to identify opportunities
• Strategic thinker with the ability to interpret and synthesise information for decision-making
• Confident speaker with the ability to present complex information adapted for different audiences and represent Start Network externally to build partnerships
• Experience writing communication pieces or reports for external audiences
• Experience developing and maintaining knowledge management systems and templates/tools to strengthen processes
• Passion for Start Network’s mission and for developing partnerships in the Global South

Desirable

• Project management skills, or experience in coordinating programmes and projects.
• Experience working with commercialisation or social enterprise models and approaches
• Subject matter expert and/or experience working within priority strategic areas, such as system change, innovation, disaster risk finance, humanitarian insurance, digital transformation, and AI
• Experience in negotiating Memorandums of Understandings/contracts/partnership agreements
• Experience working in a multi-cultural or international setting
• Masters or equivalent in relevant subject

The Company

Start Network is made up of more than 90 non-governmental organisations across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to local and national NGOs. Our programmes allow members to deliver humanitarian action around the world.

Our mission is to create a new era of humanitarian action that will save even more lives. We aren’t driven by media headlines or political will, we’re here for the communities affected by and at risk of crises.

We are an organisation committed to doing things differently. For some roles, we need more technical humanitarian expertise, but for other roles, we are looking for relevant transferable skills, the right attitude, and a passion to bring change.

Location: Bristol office, hybrid (minimum three days a week onsite)

Salary: £50,285 per annum

Job Type: Fixed term maternity cover, approximately 15 months. Minimum 30 hours a week, up to full time (37.5 hours)

The role:

This role covers the current post-holder's maternity leave for an anticipated 15 months. As Financial Controller you will lead CSE's finance team, directing and overseeing the finance function in compliance with appropriate accounting standards and practices, company and charity law.

You will provide timely, accurate financial and management information to support strategic decision-making and effective budgetary control by our Senior Leadership Team, Trustees, project managers and other budget holders. You will line manage the Finance Manager and Finance Assistant and be a member of CSE's Senior Management Team.

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations, you will work alongside the wider Operations Team to provide operational support that underpins delivery of our charitable mission. This is a fast-paced role and we need someone who can get up to speed with minimal delay.

Specific responsibilities

An applicant appointed to the role will be expected to:

• Take responsibility for day-to-day accounting, invoicing, payroll, VAT returns, payments and banking, credit control and cash management, including timely monthly management accounts.
• Line manage the Finance Manager and Finance Assistant.
• Co-ordinate the annual budget cycle and mid-year budget refresh alongside the Director of Finance & Operations and SLT.
• Attend monthly SMT meetings to share the previous month's financial results and handle related queries.
• Prepare accurate, accessible reports on organisational, team, staff and project financial indicators to support timely decision-making.
• Maintain the organisation's financial records to appropriate accounting standards and prepare documentation for the annual audit and other statutory reporting.
• Liaise with CSE's auditors to enable an effective and timely annual audit.
• Support project managers to plan and manage project budgets, providing financial data for reporting to clients and funders.
• Provide expertise on financial costing and monitoring approaches for new project funding proposals, reflecting funder requirements.
• Provide finance support to Retrofit West CIC, including financial reporting, statutory obligations and payroll as required.

To see a more detailed list of responsibilities please see the supporting documents attached. These documents are also available to download from our website.

About you:

Essential attributes for this role include:

• Fully qualified ACA, ACCA or equivalent accountant.
• At least seven years' post-qualification experience, including at least five years in a financial management role.
• Working knowledge of accounting standards, VAT and HMRC regulations in England, including requirements applicable to a UK charity with a trading subsidiary.
• Experience of leading the preparation for an annual audit.
• Experience of preparing routine financial and management information reports for senior executives and staff.
• Experience of using timesheet software to track allocation of staff time to different cost centres.
• High level competence with Sage accounting software and MS Excel.
• Able to analyse, structure and sense-check financial data to produce clear, informative reports, with excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven management skills.
• Self-motivated and organised, able to work with limited supervision and manage conflicting priorities.

Please note, the above is an overview of the skills required for this role. To see the full list of essential and desirable skills please see the attached job description.

Benefits:

CSE offer a range of other benefits including:

• You will be entitled to 25 days' paid holiday (plus statutory holidays)
• Company pension scheme with 8% employer and 6% employee contributions
• Subsidised bike purchase and Tech Scheme
• Life Assurance
• Health Cash plan
• Retail discounts
• Discounted breakdown cover and many more.
• We will pay fees and expenses on relevant training courses.
• We are flexible with working hours and will discuss this openly if you are invited to interview.

How to apply

To apply, submit a CV and cover letter our Jobs email (available in the candidate pack). Your application should demonstrate your suitability against the criteria in the person specification and job description. 

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 7 September 2026.

First interviews are expected online on w/c 14 September 2026, with final panel interviews at our Bristol office on w/c 21 September September 2026. The earliest start date is early October 2026.

This role requires a basic DBS check. If invited to interview, we will ask for evidence of eligibility to work in the UK.