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The National Youth Agency is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to join our Executive Leadership Team.

Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £85,000 per annum
Remote: This role is homebased (within the UK) with occasional to meetings, events and conferences.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

Responsibilities will include:

• The COO leads the day-to-day functioning of the organisation to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective delivery of services. This is vital for maintaining operational stability and achieving strategic outcomes.
• They design and execute strategies that align with the organisation’s mission and long-term goals ensuring resources are used effectively and priorities are clear.
• They promote a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through supporting employee engagement, productivity, and organisational success.
• The COO collaborates closely with the CEO/CFO and other senior leaders to drive strategic initiatives and business growth, ensuring unified leadership and coherent decision-making.
• They partner with the CFO to manage budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation. Financial oversight ensures sustainability and supports informed investment in strategic priorities.
• Strengthen governance and risk management frameworks, aligned to regulatory expectations and best practice while proactively managing reputational and operational risks.
• The COO cultivates strong relationships with partners, clients, and stakeholders to enhance service delivery and reputation. These relationships are key to influence, collaboration, and impact.
• They lead efforts to improve processes and adopt best practices across the charity to enhance efficiency and keeps the organisation competitive and responsive.
• They ensure that daily activities support the charities long-term objectives.
• The COO mentors other directors and departmental heads and fosters leadership capabilities across teams.
• They establish and track KPIs to identify inefficiencies and guide improvements through data-driven decision-making to enhance accountability and results.
• They evaluate and refine workflows to boost productivity developing efficient processes to reduce waste and improve service quality.
• They act as a bridge between departments and the CEO to ensure cohesive execution of strategic plans preventing silos and promoting organisational synergy.
• The COO serves as a senior figure in national and cross-sector forums, conferences, and strategic partnerships to strengthens the organisation’s voice and influence.
• They demonstrate commitment to Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in both internal culture and external programmes to foster a fair and inclusive organisation.
• They work with the CEO, CFO and Director of Growth to identify and pursue new revenue streams and strategic partnerships. This expands the organisation’s reach and sustainability.
• They engage in public speaking, media interactions, and external representation demonstrating clear communication, credibility, and stakeholder engagement.
• They develop and embed evaluation frameworks to assess progress against strategic goals. The measuring of our impact ensures accountability and informs future planning.
• They promote the organisation’s brand at events and through networking.

The COO takes on other responsibilities as needed to support the organisation’s mission.

About You

Essential competencies of the Chief Operating Officer:

• Extensive experience in senior leadership with a proven track record in operations, financial and risk management, and delivering high-performing teams, ideally in the charity sector.
• Strong understanding of business functions such as HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and execute effectively.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Commercially astute, process-driven, and highly pragmatic in approach.
• Experience in driving performance and fostering a collaborative culture.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field; MBA preferred

Why Work for NYA?

• NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
• NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
• A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
• NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
• We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Monday 29th September 2025:

A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
A covering letter highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.

Please note: The covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 80% AI generated content will be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Youth Work changes lives

Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it.As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.

We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.

REF-223747

Head of Fundraising

Location: Lewes

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum

Hours: 37 hours per week

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

The Role

At Chailey Heritage Foundation, they give children and young people with complex disabilities the opportunity to pursue their fullest potential. As their new Head of Fundraising, you’ll lead their strategy to deliver transformational change — inspiring supporters, building partnerships, and

Key Responsibilities

As their Head of Fundraising, you will:

• Lead and inspire their dedicated fundraising team, ensuring a proactive, collaborative, and professional approach
• Shape and deliver ambitious strategies across trusts, corporates, major donors, community fundraising, events, and legacy giving
• Build strong, lasting relationships with donors, trusts, corporates, and major supporters
• Represent Chailey Heritage Foundation at events, presentations, and networking opportunities
• Provide regular reporting to trustees, senior leaders, and the Development Committee, ensuring governance, compliance, and fundraising systems are robust and effective

Skills and Qualifications

• A strong track record of success across multiple fundraising streams in the charity sector
• The ability to build lasting partnerships, diversify funding, and inspire donors at every level
• Experience of leading and motivating teams to achieve ambitious goals
• Strategic vision combined with hands-on delivery, and the confidence to innovate where it matters most

Benefits

• Enhanced Annual Leave – 25–30 days (plus bank holidays), increasing with service
• Enhanced Healthcare Cash Plan – claim back everyday health costs such as dental, optical, therapies, and counselling
• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Enhanced maternity, adoption, and paternity leave
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to their Wellbeing Centre
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Retail and leisure discounts, including Blue Light Card
• Free onsite parking, café, and kitchen facilities
• Death in Service benefit

 To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Chailey Heritage Foundation, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

This is a key role responsible for overseeing and managing the delivery and development of our Gateway programme for women.  Alongside the daily management of staff and volunteers, this role is responsible for ensuring that the services provided are safe, best practice and compliant with all relevant policies and procedures. 

As we seek to grow and reach more people, this role will play a vital role in undertaking strategic reviews of all current services and informing new service delivery and design.  This will be undertaken in partnership with other service leads and working closely with senior leadership colleagues. 

Please note:  A requirement of the role is for the post-holder to be a practising Christian in accordance with the Equality Act 2010

Please note:  A requirement of the role is for the post-holder to be a woman in accordance with the Equality Act 2010

Main duties:

· Oversight and delivery of all programme activities relating to Gateway including drop ins, one-to-one support, group activities and faith based activities.

· Establish and drive the overall strategic vision for the service in line with the operational plan and informed by the needs of the people the service exists for

· Lead the design and development of new services in line with client needs, resources, staffing and strategic purpose of the team.

· Hold direct budget responsibility for day-to-day operations and in line with any specific funding requirements

· Be an active member of the Off the Fence leadership team

· Review and implement policies and procedures for safe service delivery

· Provide reports on key activity, outputs and impact in line with KPIs and other reporting requirements.

· Line manage the team of key workers, providing regular performance reviews, pastoral support and identifying training needs.

· Support with the recruitment and onboarding of new team members, including in-house training and supervision

· Ensuring that key workers have a good working knowledge of local services, referral routes, other agencies and when to highlight safeguarding concerns.

· Provide pastoral support for the team and volunteers in the service

· Lead Bible studies, prayer meetings for staff, volunteers and at external events as required

· Recruit, retain and manage volunteers in line with organisational policies and procedures

· Ensure safe and efficient delivery of services in line with health and safety, safeguarding, data protection and safe working practices.

·      Plan and maintain safe staffing ratios through effective resource allocation

· Design and delivery of projects/activities in line with fundraised income, including reporting and engaging with funders as required

· Build and establish key sector relationships across the city to enhance the team’s reach and impact in the community

· Oversight and pastoral responsibility for the faith-based activities delivered for and with clients

· Build and establish relationships with other providers who can meet the needs of our clients e.g. local health teams.

· Contribute to wider profile-raising activities of Off the Fence

· Review and implement policies and procedures for safe service delivery

· Have responsibility for the safe processing and storage of client data in line with data protection regulations and policies, including CRM.

· Regularly review the effectiveness, safety and efficiency of all services including drop ins and one-to-one support.

· Active membership of and attendance at local forums, groups and networks

Key attributes and experience required for the role:

· Proven experience in managing frontline services and staff teams (minimum 3 years in a supervisory/management role)

· Experience in delivering services with vulnerable client groups

· Strong knowledge of the legal and statutory framework for housing, benefits, employment.  Ideally, knowledge of local services and support agencies.

· A passion for seeing women thrive – practically, emotionally and spiritually

· Strong alignment with the vision of Off the Fence, and a commitment to our organisational focus

· Strong understanding and application of safeguarding, data protection and health and safety policy.

· Experience in service design, service improvement and project management

· Experience in supporting people with complex and multiple needs, including substance abuse and severe mental health.

· Excellent organisational and time management skills

· High level of integrity, professionalism and confidentiality

· Ability to interpret policies, legislation and data effectively

· Proficient in Microsoft Office, and experience of CRM management

· A requirement of the role is for the post-holder to be a practising Christian in accordance with the Equality Act 2010

Vision and values

Off The Fence reaches out to break the cycle of poverty in Brighton & Hove, ensuring that no one is left behind. We believe in resisting poverty, empowering people, and restoring hope, and we work toward a future where social and spiritual poverty no longer exists.

By 1997, Off The Fence became a registered charity, allowing us to expand and tackle poverty in a deeper way, through compassion, excellence, unity, integrity, and a Christ-like approach to supporting the most vulnerable.

Poverty is complex—it’s not just about finances, but about housing, mental health, education, and belonging. To address these needs, Off The Fence now provides three core programmes, each offering a different form of practical and emotional support.

As poverty in Brighton & Hove has increased, so has our commitment. At the heart of our work is a belief that every person deserves dignity, hope, and the opportunity to rebuild their life.

The Gateway Programme at Off The Fence is dedicated to empowering women facing crisis, emotional hardship, or practical difficulties. Our Gateway Women’s Centre is a trauma-informed safe space where our support team offer confidential, one-to-one emotional, practical, and spiritual support. Through drop-ins, an essentials bank, and referrals, we equip women to confidently navigate life’s challenges.

Our goal-based workshops and wellness sessions provide opportunities for personal development while creating moments of joy and belonging. By breaking cycles of isolation, restoring self-agency, and connecting women to strong support networks,

Gateway empowers women to rebuild their lives. Whether through restorative care, discipleship sessions, or access to external services, women supported can step into a future of stability, community, and hope.

As a Christian organisation we seek to live and work by our values:

· Christ-like: we desire the best for others (Col 1:27, 1 John 3:16)

· Excellence: we aim for outstanding quality (1 Cor 12:31, Phil 4:8)

· Unity: we achieve more together (Ps 133, Eph 4:3)

· Compassion: we care for those who are suffering (Col 3:12, Matt 9:35)

· Integrity: we do what is right (Prov 10:9, Titus 2:7-8)

Working at Off the Fence

We are a small but highly dedicated team, passionate about seeing transformation across Brighton and Hove.  Off the Fence employees are entitled to:

- 25 days annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays, with extra days added for long service

- Up to 5 days of mission leave (pro rata)

- 7% employer pension contributions

Notes for applicants

If you’re applying for this role, we ask that you submit your CV and a cover letter.  In your cover letter please outline how your skills and experience align with the requirements of this role, as well as explaining why you want to be a part of Off the Fence.