Senior digital innovation officer jobs in Edinburgh
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
At Bipolar UK, our mission is simple yet life‑changing: to empower everyone affected by bipolar to live well and thrive.
We work to reduce stigma, improve understanding, and ensure no one faces the condition alone. Our vision is a world where every person affected by bipolar has access to the right treatment and support, an understanding community, and the tools to live well.
About Bipolar UK
We are the only national charity dedicated to supporting people affected by bipolar. Through our peer support line, peer support groups, eCommunity, digital tools, workplace training, research collaborations and awareness‑raising campaigns, we reach tens of thousands of people each year.
Our work improves understanding, reduces isolation and empowers people to stay well. We are a small, ambitious, and fast‑growing team driven by purpose, compassion and innovation. Our culture is collaborative, supportive and rooted in lived experience.
Job Summary
The Senior Partnership Officer will play a pivotal role in building, strengthening and diversifying Bipolar UK’s high‑value relationships, with a particular emphasis on corporate fundraising and identifying strategic, mutually beneficial collaborations that support the charity’s long‑term needs.
Working closely with the Strategic Partnership Manager, you will manage and grow our portfolio of major donors, corporate supporters, and strategic partners. You will provide exceptional stewardship, ensuring partners feel valued, engaged, and inspired to deepen their relationship with us.
A key part of the role will involve proactively identifying and cultivating new corporate prospects, developing compelling propositions, crafting funding proposals, and pitching confidently to decision‑makers at all levels. You will help implement robust cultivation plans and ensure effective monitoring and evaluation across all partnership activity.
You will also work collaboratively across the wider Fundraising Team - including with the Fundraising Officer - supporting campaigns, events, and individual giving where needed.
This is a home‑based position with travel required for meetings and events across the UK. Some evening or weekend work may be required.
Key Responsibilities
1. Growing Corporate and Strategic Partnerships
- Drive the growth of corporate fundraising through proactive identification, research and cultivation of new corporate prospects.
- Develop innovative, mutually beneficial partnership opportunities, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Charity of the Year, sponsorships, staff fundraising, corporate challenge events, payroll giving and cause‑related marketing.
- Create compelling propositions tailored to corporate audiences.
- Lead and support pitches to secure long‑term, strategic and income‑generating partnerships.
- Collaborate with internal teams (e.g. Services, Communications) to co‑design new partnership concepts, projects or services that align with charity priorities.
- Support the development of partnership agreements and ensure expectations, deliverables and benefits are clearly defined.
- Work to a mutually agreed financial target and use the CRM to track and record relevant data to grow our donor pipeline.
2. Strengthening High‑Value Donor & Partner Stewardship
- Deliver excellent relationship management to major donors, corporate partners and strategic allies.
- Provide regular updates on impact and organisational achievements to deepen engagement.
- Organise meetings, briefings, events and engagement opportunities to showcase our work.
- Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of all interactions on Salesforce.
- Create tailored materials, proposals and events to support ongoing partnership activity.
- Represent Bipolar UK through presentations at corporate and partner events.
- Track performance and impact of partnerships, supporting continuous improvement.
3. Supporting Wider Fundraising
- Work collaboratively with the Fundraising Officer, SPM and wider team to maximise fundraising opportunities across all income streams.
- Provide hands‑on support for individual giving campaigns, events and community fundraising when needed.
- Contribute to team planning, cross‑team projects, and organisational initiatives.
Strengths
You will thrive in this role if:
- You are an exceptional relationship‑builder with the confidence to engage senior stakeholders and corporate leaders.
- You bring creativity, energy and ambition to developing powerful partnership ideas.
- You are an excellent communicator - skilled in writing compelling copy and delivering persuasive pitches.
- You are a proficient user of professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn to support your work.
- You are an engaging public speaker, confident at events, in meetings and online.
- You are methodical, analytical and data‑driven, with strong record‑keeping and reporting discipline.
- You are adaptable, organised and calm under pressure - thriving in a small, fast‑paced organisation.
- You enjoy autonomy, value professional development, and proactively shape your own work.
- You are reliable, detail‑focused, deadline‑driven and comfortable working remotely with minimal supervision.
- You have a keen understanding of the charitable sector in the UK.
Skills and Experience
Essential:
- Minimum 2 years’ experience in major donor fundraising, corporate fundraising or partnership development.
- Proven track record of generating new business at 5 and 6 figure levels - from prospecting through to securing partnerships.
- Experience working to, and achieving, income targets.
- Strong understanding of the corporate sector, CSR and corporate fundraising mechanisms.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience delivering pitches and proposals.
- Excellent project and time‑management skills.
- Understanding of ethical fundraising and GDPR compliance.
- Experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM.
- Confident user of Microsoft Office and quick to adopt new technologies.
Desirable:
- Experience within a mental health or health‑related charity.
- Understanding of bipolar gained through lived experience or supporting a friend or family member.
Other Information
The main tasks may be amended from time to time to reflect evolving organisational needs. Changes will be made in consultation with the post holder.
The post holder must comply with Data Protection, Health & Safety, and Equality & Diversity legislation, and follow all organisational policies and best practice.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your application by 5pm 20th February through Charity Job including your CV and a covering letter. If we receive a high volume of applications we may close applications early.
Your covering letter (max two A4 pages) should outline:
- how your experience matches the person specification
- what you would bring to the role
- why you want to work for Bipolar UK
Interviews will be held w/c 2nd March, either online or in person.
Please note the final appointment is subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.
Good luck and thank you for your interest in supporting Bipolar UK’s vital work.
Our mission is to empower everyone affected by bipolar to live well and fulfil their potential.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
The Bikeability Trust is entering a new exciting phase of our strategy to 2035 to ensure more children can cycle with confidence. A year into our strategy we have reviewed Executive Team roles and responsibilities and are now looking for a creative Communications and Fundraising Director to lead our mission driven communications, income generation and impact reporting functions.
You will be an experience senior leader in communications, who has the drive to take our strategy to the next level. A key member of the Executive Team, working across the home based diverse staff team to bring together the impact of our work through corporate communications and influencing. We recommend reading our annual reviews on the Bikeability website to see a flavour of the work you could be leading.
Our income generation work is focussed on small impactful corporate partnerships, we have tested some individual giving and are planning to host a fundraising Ball in 2026. Experience in fundraising is desirable, with communications experience as essential as this role will ensure strong relationships with Government.
If you would like to have a short discussion with the CEO before applying please contact Emily Cherry CEO. We are looking to interview shortlisted candidates on the 23rd or 25th February. We are looking for a candidate to start from 1st April or sooner.
Equipping more than five million children with the skills and confidence to cycle on today’s roads
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation (IPWSO) is seeking a talented and motivated CEO who will deliver our organisational strategy which aims to improve the lives of all those affected by a rare genetically determined disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).
The role of CEO at IPWSO is both challenging and rewarding. You can help deliver change for people affected by PWS from across the globe by helping us build solidarity, promoting scientific reasoning and research, helping to foster new relationships, supporting our members, and striving for equality for everyone affected by the syndrome.
You will work alongside passionate volunteers and experts in PWS from across all continents and with a skilled and small staff team based in the UK. We are all dedicated to making a tangible difference!
For the full person specification and the JD, please refer to the attachment below.
#CEO #Chief Executive #Chief Executive Officer
Please see the application pack for the full Job Description and Person Specification.
Apply on the Charity Job website and submit a copy of your CV with a covering letter of no more than two A4 pages, describing how you meet the requirements of the role and the criteria outlined in the Person Specification. Include in your covering letter the names, position, organisation, email, and telephone contact of two referees, one of whom should be your current/most recent employer. References will only be sought once your express permission has been granted.
We will be reviewing applications and interviewing applicants on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early, as the advertisement may close before the 19 February 2026.
To unite the global PWS community to collectively find solutions to the challenges of the syndrome.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Salary: £34,582 – £36,120, plus £3,366 London weighting or £500 Home Working Allowance (as applicable)
Location: Hybrid (London office) or remote within the UK
Contract: Permanent
Help shape fundraising products that change lives
We are looking for a highly skilled and thoughtful Senior Product Officer to play a key role in developing, delivering and improving a wide portfolio of fundraising products. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how supporters engage, contribute and connect, while working within a supportive team focused on meaningful impact and continuous improvement.
Sitting within the Engagement and Fundraising directorate, you will support and lead on the development and fulfilment of new and existing fundraising products—from regular giving and lotteries to digital propositions and innovative new ideas. You’ll work with colleagues across multiple teams, external suppliers, volunteers and supporters, ensuring every product is developed to the highest standard and contributes to long-term fundraising goals.
This is a role for someone who thrives on variety, enjoys solving problems creatively, and brings confidence in managing data, stakeholder relationships and product development. You’ll join a mission-driven team committed to inclusion, flexibility and ensuring every supporter has a great experience.
What you’ll do
- Lead or support the development, innovation and delivery of fundraising products
- Manage the fulfilment and end-to-end delivery of products across the organisation
- Create and maintain product performance reports and financial models
- Contribute to product development roadmaps, business cases and strategic papers
- Work with suppliers, external partners and internal teams to ensure high-quality delivery
- Provide insight through research on sector trends and comparable organisations
- Support budget management, including raising purchase orders and processing invoices
- Promote best practice and share specialist knowledge across teams
- Work cross-functionally to maximise fundraising outcomes
- Support campaigns that promote products to new and existing supporters
What you’ll bring
- Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex ideas clearly and persuasively
- Confidence presenting updates, ideas and pitches to a range of audiences
- Ability to analyse, interpret and communicate numerical and financial data
- Strong time management skills, with experience managing competing deadlines
- Proven ability to build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Creative and innovative problem-solving skills
- Experience in a customer-focused environment such as fundraising, sales or marketing
- Proficiency in Windows-based software including word processing, spreadsheets and email
- A commitment to high-quality service delivery and a flexible, collaborative approach
What we offer
- Salary: £34,582 – £36,120
- Plus either:£3,366 London weighting (for hybrid London workers), or £500 Home Working Allowance (for remote workers)
- Flexible hybrid or fully remote working options within the UK
Our commitment to inclusion
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
Join Racing Welfare as Head of Fundraising and Make a Lasting Impact!
Are you an ambitious, results-driven fundraising leader with a passion for making a difference? Racing Welfare is looking for an exceptional Head of Fundraising to join our senior management team and take the helm of a thriving, high-performance fundraising operation. This is a unique opportunity for someone who wants to shape the future of British horseracing’s charitable support, driving growth and innovation in a vital sector.
About Racing Welfare:
Racing Welfare is a registered charity dedicated to supporting the workforce of British horseracing – from stud, stable, and racecourse staff to those in related professions. Our mission is to help these dedicated individuals thrive in their careers and lives, offering guidance, practical assistance, and support throughout their journey – from recruitment to retirement.
The Role:
As Head of Fundraising, you will play a central role in Racing Welfare’s strategic direction and growth. You’ll work closely with the Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer to craft and execute an ambitious fundraising strategy that delivers innovative income streams to fund our vital services. You’ll lead, inspire, and develop a talented team, empowering them to deliver outstanding fundraising initiatives and events that drive real change.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop & Deliver Fundraising Strategy: Work with senior leadership to shape the charity’s fundraising vision, ensuring the strategy aligns with our wider goals and drives long-term sustainability.
- Innovative Fundraising Campaigns: Create and implement engaging campaigns, managing budgets and evaluating performance to optimise success.
- Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and motivate a high-performing fundraising team, supporting their professional growth and achieving collective goals.
- Building Strategic Partnerships: Cultivate relationships with trusts, foundations, and corporate partners to build lasting, mutually beneficial collaborations.
- Drive Operational Excellence: Oversee day-to-day fundraising operations, ensuring smooth management of income, expenditure, and compliance.
You Will Bring:
- Proven experience in fundraising or commercial management, with a track record of successfully recruiting donors and sponsors.
- A natural leader with exceptional people management skills, able to inspire and empower teams to excel.
- Solid experience in budgeting, financial planning, and performance management.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage and motivate diverse stakeholders.
- A passion for innovation and the ability to think strategically about fundraising opportunities.
Bonus: Experience in the horseracing industry is desirable, but not essential.
Why Racing Welfare?
This is your chance to take on a leadership role in a respected and impactful charity. You’ll be part of a passionate team, working in a dynamic environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth. The role offers flexibility with the option to work from home or our Newmarket office, alongside occasional travel across the UK (including evenings and weekends).
As a charity, wellbeing is at the forefront of all we do. We aim to be a leading employer in the industry and make sure everyone at Racing Welfare has the opportunity to thrive.
If you’re ready to make a significant contribution to the future of Racing Welfare and help improve the lives of those who dedicate themselves to British horseracing, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply Today:
Submit your CV and covering letter to join Racing Welfare and lead our fundraising efforts to new heights.
We welcome enquiries from everyone and value diversity in our workforce. The closing date for this role is 16 February 2026. First stage interviews will be held the week commencing 23 February 2026 in person in Newmarket. We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date if we receive a large number of suitable applications.
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 DOE
Racing Welfare is committed to safeguarding and will always recruit all personnel in line with government guidelines, relevant legislation, and the Charity Commission's best practice guidance.
This post is not exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. We only ask applicants to disclose convictions which are not yet spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Racing Welfare’s Safeguarding Statement of Intent can be found on our website.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
We're looking for an enthusiastic Head of Fundraising with a strong track record in fundraising and grant management, who is particularly motivated to join Khulisa because of a deep commitment to our mission – supporting the wellbeing and mental health of young people.
About Khulisa
Khulisa, meaning 'nurture' in the Zulu language of South Africa, is an award-winning charity dedicated to providing therapeutic support to young people. We focus on reaching those who are most at risk – young people from deprived communities who are often marginalized, vulnerable to exclusion, and at heightened risk of becoming involved in crime
Our approach centres on safe, exploratory methods that aim to understand behaviour and experiences often rooted in trauma, abuse, and neglect. We deliver intensive therapeutic programs within educational and community settings, empowering young people to confront the underlying causes of their emotional distress and work toward healing. To create lasting, sustainable change, we work to establish trauma-informed environments around young people by equipping parents, caregivers, educators, and other professionals with the tools they need to offer effective, supportive care. Currently, our services are active in London and Manchester.
About the role
Over the last two consecutive financial years, we have raised approximately £1 million each year – primarily through trusts and foundations, corporate donors, and individual supporters. As the successful candidate, you and the team you lead will play a pivotal role in maintaining this level of fundraising success, ensuring our vital work with young people continues to flourish. This role will involve:
- Reviewing and evaluating our funder qualification processes to ensure donors align with our values and meet our ethical standards.
- Ensuring that detailed research on prospective funding opportunities, including trusts, foundations, corporate partners, HNWIs, are carried out and that plans for making approaches are developed and carefully implemented.
- Initiating, nurturing and maintaining strong relationships with prospective funders and donors.
- Working together with the Senior Leadership to develop and periodically review Khulisa's 3-year fundraising strategy, taking ownership of key elements and processes, and periodically developing and testing new fundraising approaches.
For a full list of duties and responsibilities, please see the attached job description below.
The post holder will be required to work from home permanently but be willing and able to easily travel to various locations across the London and the North West as necessary to fulfill the requirements of the role and to engage with stakeholders and colleagues.
What we're looking for
Abilities/Experiences
- Extensive fundraising and grant management experience working on large bids (£100K plus).
- Excellent writing skills with ability to produce clear, concise and engaging reports.
- Demonstrable ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and build relationships easily.
- Demonstrable experience of successfully raising funds from Trusts & Foundations, Corporates and Major Donors.
- Experience of leading or significantly contributing to development and/or delivery of a fundraising strategy.
- Experience of budget management and financial processes in income generation activities.
- Experience of mobilising and managing implementation of grant agreements from initiation to reporting and possibly reapplication.
- Ability to confidently negotiate or renegotiate with senior stakeholders on programme budgets, deliverables and objectives.
Knowledge/Skills
- Good knowledge of Khulisa's work and ability to use this to creatively engage with new donors and secure their interest.
- Strong knowledge of CRM database, preferably Salesforce, in managing funder/donor relationships and fundraising activities.
- Strong account management and negotiation skills.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We are actively looking to recruit a diversity of talent. We embrace, respect and value the difference in our employees and believe that we and our work is better for it. We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment that consists of fairness, dignity, and caring for everyone, and one that enables every employee to flourish and realise their potential.
To apply, please submit a CV and Covering Letter, both of which should be no more than two pages, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements for the role as laid out in the Job Description.
We advise candidates to review the attached Job Description prior to applying, to see if this role and organisation is a good fit for you.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Head of Health Information and Education
We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.
We currently have around 95 staff based in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to grow our staff team to deliver our ambitious strategy, On a mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.
Job summary for Head of Health Information and Education
The Head of Health Information and Education is a key role at Bowel Cancer UK, leading the delivery of our health information and health professional education. We currently provide high quality support, but we know we need to do even more, reach more people and have an even greater impact.
The Head of Health Information and Education will, alongside our Clinical Lead, lead the development and delivery of our services in this area. This is a pivotal role with key areas of focus:
• Drive innovation in health information.
• Drive innovation in the content and delivery of health professional education.
• Expand our reach and accessibility to ensure no one faces bowel cancer alone.
• Build strong partnerships with stakeholders.
• Champion technology and digital solutions to enhance service delivery.
You’ll work closely with the Director and the Services Leadership team to set strategic direction and ensure our services are impactful, inclusive, and evidence based.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.
We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Organisation
Family Fund is the UK’s largest charity supporting low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people.
We help thousands of families every year with essential grants, services and practical support. But we do much more than that. We champion families’ voices, challenge inequality and help shape the conversation on disability, childhood illness and disadvantage.
The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to shape how Family Fund connects with people across the UK. As a newly created role, it offers real scope to define and develop the function, while playing a central role in strengthening the organisation’s voice and influence.
We are looking for a bold, creative Group Director of External Affairs to join our Senior Leadership Team. At a time when families need us more than ever, you will raise Family Fund’s national profile and influence, positioning the organisation as a trusted, evidence led voice on childhood disability, serious illness and the broader challenges facing low-income families. You will build and sustain strong relationships with policymakers, funders, and the public ensuring the organisation secures the visibility, support, and resources needed to drive lasting change for the families we serve.
You will lead an energetic, specialist team spanning communications, media, public affairs, partnerships and research, bringing these areas together through a joined up external engagement strategy that delivers real impact.
Some key responsibilities include:
- Lead our communications, media, public affairs, partnerships and research teams
- Raise Family Fund’s profile as a trusted national voice
- Build strong relationships with policymakers, media, funders and partners
- Help drive real change for families through influence and insight
Who we’re looking for
We are looking for an experienced leader who loves the power of communication, influence and connection.
Key attributes will include:
- Senior experience in external affairs, communications or public affairs
- A strong track record of influencing policy and engaging senior stakeholders
- Experience leading teams and working at senior level
- A warm, confident communication style and great relationship skills
- A real passion for Family Fund’s mission and social justice
This is an exciting, high impact role with the chance to make a genuine difference to families across the UK.
Candidate Briefing Pack
For comprehensive information about Family Fund, the role responsibilities and the person we are looking for, please download the Candidate Briefing Pack.
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for this fantastic opportunity, please provide the following with your application:
- An up-to-date CV
- A supporting statement of no more than 2 sides of A4, outlining your experience, motivations and suitability for the role.
All applications are being handled by our recruitment partner, Russam. All applications should be uploaded via the Russam website.
If you have any difficulty uploading your application or if you would like to have an informal and confidential discussion about the role, please contact Melissa Baxter - Managing Partner, Charities at Russam.
Closing date for applications: Monday 2nd February 2026
Initial interviews with Russam: 17th and 18th February 2026
Interviews with Family Fund: 4th, 5th and 6th March 2026
Flexibility will be provided if needed - do let us know as soon as possible if you are unavailable on these dates.
We commit to inclusion, equality and diversity and we welcome applications from all parts of the community. Family Fund is a Disability Confident Leader. We will invite to interview all disabled applicants who meet the requirements for the role. If you have a disability, and are happy to let us know, please highlight this in your covering letter. We have also signed the Armed Forces Covenant, and we welcome applications from the Armed Forces Community.
Remote (UK-based) | Full-time | £123,969 + benefits
Oak is a fully remote, mission-driven organisation offering high levels of flexibility, autonomy, and purpose. We’re a national not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with teachers to create high-quality, sequenced curriculum and lesson resources for pupils across all subjects and age groups.
Our culture has been independently recognised through:
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Flexa verified (93% overall score, including 95% for working hours and 97% for role modelling)
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Escape the City's Top 1% Employers – based on anonymous colleague reviews of culture, development, and impact
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Investors in People Gold - through external accreditation and colleague feedback
About the Role
Oak is entering a critical new phase. Over the next three years, we will support the implementation of a revised national curriculum, deepen adoption of our digital products across schools, and play a leading role in shaping the safe and ethical use of AI in education.
We are now seeking a Director of Engineering to lead the technology that underpins this work.
This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for Oak’s engineering strategy, technical architecture and platform delivery. You will lead engineering teams to build and operate reliable, secure and scalable systems that support teachers at scale and enable innovation across the education sector.
You’ll work closely with product, design, data, teachers and content leaders to ensure our technology choices are grounded in real classroom needs, strong pedagogy and value for money, while also pushing forward what’s possible with the latest approaches and tools. You’ll empower teams to get solutions built and products and features shipped.
We welcome applications from candidates with senior engineering leadership experience across technology, digital or public service environments, including those who have not previously worked in education.
If you’re excited by the challenge of building dependable systems that quietly do the heavy lifting for teachers, and shaping how safe AI is used across the sector, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing
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Develop and manage a high-performing Engineering department, leveraging internal and/or external relationships
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Manage the Engineering department budget (minimum of 6-figures)
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Accountable for the department's delivery against division and organisation-wide KPIs.
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Set and lead Oak’s technical direction, ensuring secure, scalable and high-performing platforms aligned with organisational and product priorities and public sector digital standards.
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Oversee software engineering, architecture, embedding engineering excellence, operational reliability, strong SDLC practice and continuous improvement, and ensuring compliance with relevant digital, security and data standards (including GDS and GDPR).
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Lead the implementation of data-intensive and emerging technologies (including AI/ML), ensuring production-ready systems and compliance with Oak’s technical and safety requirements.
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Member of the Senior Leadership Team.
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Lead the strategy and planning, and model the culture of the organisation.
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Work in cross-functional and product-oriented squads with colleagues from across the organisation, as required.
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Deputise for the CEO and take on other general responsibilities as required.
What We’re Looking For
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3+ years’ experience overseeing engineering or technical capabilities of a department or division.
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Experience of being part of a senior or wider leadership team.
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Experience of recruiting, developing and managing a high-performing department
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Experience of managing a 6-figure budget and ensuring value for money.
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Extensive experience delivering secure, scalable, high-quality digital services in production environments.
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Experience implementing and operating data-intensive or emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML), ensuring safe, reliable and responsible deployment.
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Experience leading the evolution of engineering systems over time, including evaluating new technologies, scaling cloud-based services, and ensuring high availability, CI/CD maturity and long-term platform resilience.
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Experience having deployed production ready AI technology (desirable).
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You will be comfortable working at pace, with a range of digital systems (including proprietary ones as required) and you will continuously look at ways that the team can keep getting better. You will be excellent at working as part of a remote team, building relationships and managing your time effectively.
Our Benefits
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25 days annual leave, plus one extra day for each year of service (up to 28)
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Additional Oak closure days over Christmas/New Year
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11% employer pension contribution (with no minimum employee contribution)
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A 36-hour working week, with half-days on Fridays or every other Friday off
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Fully remote working — we’ll support your home set-up and offer coworking options if preferred
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Twice-yearly in-person offsites to collaborate, connect, and have fun
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A culture that genuinely supports flexibility, autonomy, and trust
Inclusion and Belonging
We believe diverse teams build better products. We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those who are underrepresented in the tech and education sectors.
We use the Applied recruitment platform to help reduce bias in our hiring process.
Key Info
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Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK with the legal right to work here
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Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time
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Closing date: 23:59 on Wednesday, 4 February 2026. We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in, and may close the role early
If this sounds like the kind of role and team where you could do your life’s best work, we’d love to hear from you.
Next Steps
We aim to run a fair, inclusive process that helps people show what they can really do.
Stage 1: Apply (via Applied)
You’ll apply through the Applied platform. Your application will be scored anonymously against the published criteria and reviewed by more than one assessor.
Stage 2: Short practical exercise (video)
If you progress, we’ll send you a short brief and a few suggested technologies you could use. You’ll then have time to go away, create a simple prototype or generate an insight in response to the brief, and record a short video walking us through what you have produced and why.
For this role, we will be looking for evidence of technical judgement and engineering thinking, for example, how you approach system design, reliability, security, data or AI safety, rather than production quality or polished demos. The exercise is designed to be accessible to candidates who lead engineering teams and may not code day to day.
Videos will be scored by a small group of assessors using clear criteria.
Stage 3: Interview
A shortlist of candidates will be invited to a competency-based interview, assessed against the criteria set out in the job description.
We’ll share full details, timelines and support as you progress. We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments at any stage.
Use of AI in applications
You can use AI to help draft your answers, but remember, we are looking for your experiences and insights, not generic or AI-generated responses.
We score for specific, real examples and your own judgement. If your answers read like AI output or could describe anyone’s experience, they will score poorly.
We are receiving excellent responses to our job advertisements. This may lead us to close the role early, so if you are considering applying, then please get your application in early to avoid missing out.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.