Senior advocate jobs in Birmingham
We’re recruiting an experienced, creative and hands-on communications specialist to work with Platform Places and Footwork over the next 10 months – to develop our bold narratives and inspiring content that help drive locally-led neighbourhood transformation.
- Target start date: 11th May 2026
- Time input: 3 days per week (0.6 full-time equivalent), with flexibility for up to 4 days per week in certain busy periods, by mutual agreement
- Remuneration: £55,000-£61,500 per year (pro rata) depending on experience
- Flexible working: Work hours can be flexible as long as role objectives are met
- Location: Hybrid, remote or in-person (option to work from our London office). Monthly in-person team days in London, plus occasional trips to partners in Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol and London and learning gatherings (expenses covered).
- Contract type: PAYE employment contract. 10 months fixed term.
- Eligibility: Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.
About us
In 2025, Platform Places integrated with Footwork Trust, becoming what we call ‘civic partners’. Together we facilitate locally-led neighbourhood transformation – so people have the power to live affordably, sustainably and together.
About Platform Places
Platform Places is a national cross-sector collaboration and not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to unlock town centre buildings for amazing ideas that help us live affordably, sustainably and together. We convene councils, community leaders and asset owners around the country to build powerful partnerships, to unlock buildings for local benefit. We support these Partnerships with access to funding, technical expertise and networks.
Our deeper intention is to localise and democratise who owns, controls and transforms town centre and neighbourhood buildings, so that communities can:
- design spaces to meet local needs – whether affordable space for arts, music, healthcare, local food, housing, nature connection, reuse & repair, childcare etc
- retain and reinvest the wealth generated by these buildings.
We’re inspired by pioneers like Hastings Commons, Stour Trust, SAFE Regen, Civic Square, Nudge Community Builders, Makespace Oxford and other members of the Mycelial Network.
About Footwork Trust
Footwork (UK charity Footwork Trust) supports local people to transform their neighbourhoods for the better and builds alliances to make this possible.
Since 2022, Footwork’s ‘People and Place’ programme has supported over 50 community innovators to turn their bold ideas into lasting positive change, in response to a local social or environmental challenge. Often reviving land and buildings for community use, they are part of a growing force for fairer, locally-led regeneration, making the places they call home more resilient and equitable.
Through national and local events, Footwork creates spaces for peer support and shared learning, showcases inspiring examples, and convenes built environment practitioners to enable true collaboration with community partners.
Together, Footwork and Platform Places co-facilitate the Mycelial Network for Community Asset Developers.
About the Local Property Partnerships pilot, 2024-2027
Thanks to National Lottery players, Platform Places and partners have received almost £2.5 million over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The funding is being used to enable communities to come together and secure long-term spaces for the activities and services that they need the most.
This fund and programme resources local leaders in neighbourhoods in Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool City Region, Bristol and London – working towards shifting multiple buildings into long-term local ownership. We’re also supported by our national partner organisations Architectural Heritage Fund, Power to Change and Social Investment Business. Our intention is that this work will lay the groundwork for a larger follow-on funding programme, which catalyses England-wide adoption of this approach.
The role
We’re looking for an experienced, creative and hands-on communications specialist to join our small team and network of local and national partners.
The Communications Lead will focus on our key programmes, with the below time distribution. The challenge and opportunity is to hit the ground running and drive communications across our key channels – to help attract allies, funding and support, and inspire replication of these approaches in neighbourhoods around England.
2 days per week, ‘Local Property Partnerships’:
- You’ll lead on promoting, and sharing learnings from, Platform Places’ exciting pilot programme (funded by National Lottery Community Fund) – which is localising and democratising who owns, controls and transforms town centre buildings in five neighbourhoods across England.
0.75 days per week, ‘People and Place’:
- You’ll promote, and share learnings from, Footwork Trust’s ‘People and Place’ programme – which supports community innovators to turn their bold ideas into lasting positive change for their place.
0.25 days per week, Wider movement building:
- You’ll work on ad hoc broader communications opportunities that support our mission and the programmes – for example, creating a content piece with local or national partners from our wider network, or pitching a media story that cuts across all our programmes.
This involves the following areas of responsibility:
- Build on our working communications strategy
- Work with co-directors to develop our bold, inspiring core messaging, and update our boilerplate narratives
- Manage digital channels for Platform Places and Footwork: a) plan and create regular social media content; b) write newsletters (approx. quarterly); c) upload and edit website content, on Squarespace (drag-and-drop editor) and occasionally Wix (guidance available).
- Strategic media relations: build journalist relationships and pitch stories (local or national), op-eds and comments
- Work with local and national partners to share inspiring and compelling stories
- Develop practical how-tos and templates, together with partners (you'll have support initiating partner relationships)
- Provide comms guidance to local programme partners
- Support co-directors and partners with speaking engagements and event opportunities
You’ll start from a strong foundation of communications activities, along with our established tone, visual identity and branded templates – with lots of freedom for new ideas.
About you
- You’re as comfortable with creative storytelling as you are with practical resources
- You’re a campaigner for systems change – experienced in attracting allies and creating communications for diverse audiences
- You make it sing – you turn dense or complicated materials into clear and effective narratives to shift opinion and action
- You’re a collaborator – you can effectively hold relationships with local and national partners to plan and deliver coordinated communications
- You can ‘wear all the hats’: you get stuck in on strategy and roll up your sleeves on delivery; you know when to pitch to media and when the tactic is digital; you can knock up great copy or quick Canva graphics without aiming for perfection
- You’re efficient and resourceful, comfortable leading on comms in a small (and collaborative) team, and know how to make things happen on a small budget (and when to seek external specialists)
- You’re passionate about community-led places and social and environmental justice – and you’re knowledgeable about at least one of: high streets, property, retrofit, community business, heritage buildings, cultural venues, town planning, neighbourhood governance
We know you likely have a particular comms specialism, with more strengths and experience in some areas than others. We’d love to hear about this, and about your approach to getting stuck into the rest.
Our team & culture
You’ll be joining our small, agile team of six people across Platform Places and Footwork. We meet in-person on a monthly basis to have lunch together and plan ahead, and have weekly online huddles to check-in and discuss priorities.
We work flexibly around our needs, whether a caring responsibility or otherwise.
Our culture is driven by our values: generous sharing, diverse perspectives, active listening and curiosity, staying networked and joy.
Non Charity Employer The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are seeking an exceptional leader who can act as a credible spokesperson and ambassador for the Catholic Union, building trusted relationships across the Church, parliament and wider society and helping to grow the Catholic Union’s influence and engagement in the years ahead.
Founded in 1870, the Catholic Union of Great Britain brings Catholic laity and Catholic social teaching to the public square across England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with dioceses, parishes, MPs, MSPs, MSs, peers and Catholic organisations, our vision is of a society in which Catholic laity are informed, equipped and encouraged to engage in public life.
Our work is shaped by three key themes: engagement, education and encouragement. Through these we foster informed participation in public debate, help Catholics and the wider public understand contemporary social and political issues through a Catholic lens, and inspire greater confidence for Catholics to contribute to civic and community life.
In recent years the Catholic Union has developed from being largely volunteer-led into a more professional and strategically focused organisation, strengthening relationships across the Church and wider society. Our Weekly Briefing, now read by around 6,500 people each week, has become a key channel for parliamentary reporting, Catholic news and reflection.
As Director, you will lead the Catholic Union at an exciting moment in its development. You will represent the Catholic Union publicly, strengthening relationships with bishops, diocesan leaders, parliamentarians and Catholic organisations. You will act as a trusted ambassador for the Union, grow our channels of influence and engagement, and work with Trustees, Council and a small experienced team to support the organisation’s continued development.
If you are inspired by the opportunity to serve as a public voice for a respected Catholic organisation and help foster thoughtful dialogue and engagement in public life, we would love to hear from you.
For more information, please see the job pack attached. Closing date 10th April.
Thank you!
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for a part time governance and compliance officer to oversee our governance and risk framework as a non-profit regulated by the Charities Commission (England and Wales) and OSCR (Scotland).
You will identify, develop, maintain and implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance and risk mitigation with the various regulations that we must adhere to such as Charities Commission, OSCR, Fundraising Regulator, Companies House, UK Data Protection and Safeguarding.
As governance and compliance officer, you will deliver high quality, professional and compliant governance across the charity, nationally and in supporting our network of support groups (see About IA) ensuring we comply with statutory regulations, that protect our members and the charity itself while applying best practice principles.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Developing and documenting a detailed understanding of charity practices, paying specific attention to areas where IA is bound by statutory regulations
- Developing robust policies and procedures that ensure charity compliance and best practice
- Remaining up to date with current regulations that IA is bound by and ensuring any changes are implemented within any imposed deadlines
- Regularly review and maintain policies and procedures auditing your findings to ensure exemplary record keeping following up with implementing changes
- Implementing policies and procedures amongst staff, volunteers and the Board of Trustees with robust record keeping introducing governance cycles to keep everyone updated with current policy and communicating changes where necessary
- Identifying risks, recommending mitigating actions and reporting your findings to the management team and Board of Trustees
- Reviewing and updating IA’s risk register
- Recommending and monitoring recommended training among staff and volunteers especially where IA is bound by statutory regulations
- Liaise with third-party suppliers to IA who are responsible for providing services to the charity that support our governance and risk framework
- Supporting Trustee recruitment, induction, training, and evaluation processes
PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
- Demonstrable experience of at least 12m in governance and risk management within a not for profit environment with working knowledge of UK charity regulations. Exceptional candidates from a commercial background would be considered
- A thorough working knowledge of risk management
- Development, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of governance and risk frameworks
- Documenting, reviewing and mitigating risk
- Demonstrable experience of regular reporting to management
- Strong working knowledge of UK data protection regulation
- Working knowledge of safeguarding requirements
- Exceptional record keeping skills to satisfy audit requirements
- Management of third-party relationships including suppliers to IA and volunteers who are carrying out their volunteering role in line with IA’s policies and procedures
- Team player
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
- Experience across the not-for-profit sector
- Working with volunteers
- Basic understanding of AI and the benefits of using it within the not-for-profit sector
- Experience supporting Boards or Trustees
- Regulations governing charity fundraising
SKILLS AND QUALITIES
- Highly organised
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Flexible, adaptable in approach, creative thinker to manage the balance between governance and continuing to provide a personal approach to vulnerable adults
- Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Proactive and solution-focused
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
To apply, please submit:
1. Your CV (up to 3 pages)
2. A covering letter outlining your suitability to the role (max 500 words)
Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video conferencing (such as Zoom) discussing previous experience and role fit with successful candidates going through to a second round. This includes alignment to IA’s values. Please allow up to 1 hour for this stage.
Second round interviews are expected to be via video conference. Successful candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short brief and asked to present at interview their understanding of a governance issue facing charities. Please allow up to 1 hour for this stage.
Applications should be submitted via the advertising platform including your CV and covering letter. See attached role profile for recruitment timetable and further details about us/the role, including contact details for an informal chat, if required, before applying. Applicants are encouraged to ensure availability in line with the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification.
While IA recognises the value of AI technology in the current climate, IA reserves the right to ignore applications where we have reason to believe that they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools.
Please let us know if you require any additional support to attend or undertake an interview or if there is anything we should consider as part of the interview process
Apply as above. Additionally, please refer to the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification
6 - 10
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Dataro are looking for a Partnerships & Marketing UK Manager to help grow their presence across the UK charity sector. This is a varied role that combines partnership development with hands-on marketing and events delivery, making it ideal for someone who enjoys building relationships, spotting opportunities, and turning ideas into action.
Around 70% of the role will focus on partnerships and new business growth; identifying and developing collaborations that build pipeline and raise Dataro’s profile across the UK. The remaining 30% will focus on delivering marketing activity and events on the ground, from conferences and webinars to partner activations and community engagement.
You’ll work closely with Dataro’s global marketing and partnerships team, with access to the tools, systems and support needed to make things happen. While the role sits within a global team, this position will play a key part in shaping and delivering activity specifically for the UK charity market.
This role could suit people from a range of backgrounds. You might currently be working in corporate partnerships, marketing, partnerships, data, or events within a UK charity, or in a technology or service provider that works with the nonprofit sector. What matters most is that you understand how strong relationships translate into income and impact, and that you’re comfortable taking ideas from concept through to delivery.
Importantly, you don’t need to meet every single element on the person specification to apply. If you have experience building partnerships, running sector-facing marketing activity, or working closely with charities - and you’re someone who enjoys spotting opportunities and making things happen - we’d love to hear from you.
This is a great opportunity to join a growing organisation that still retains the energy and ownership of a startup environment, while working with charities across the UK to help them strengthen their fundraising and supporter engagement.
Application notes
Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.
To progress your application, please contact THINK Recruitment via the contact info in the pack to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date.
If you need assistance with downloading the pack, please scontact THINK Recruitment and our team will support you.
Timeframes
Closing date for applications: Midnight 24th March
Virtual interviews – Tuesday 1st or Wednesday 2nd April
