Senior major giving officer jobs in Birmingham
Digital Transformation Lead
Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer
Employment Status: Permanent, full-time/part-time (flexible)
Location: Home-based
Salary: £45k-£55k, plus excellent benefits
Role purpose
Adoption UK is undertaking a major digital transformation, initially focused on CRM and website development. We’re looking for a talented digital and data enthusiast to lead this transformation programme and subsequently oversee our ongoing digital development. This will be aligned to our strategy and preferred technology stack, and will include managing key relationships with our digital partners.
You’ll refine and implement Adoption UK’s digital strategy, leading our digital transformation project to successful completion. You will work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the project’s vision and scope meet the business and operational needs of the charity. The role includes direct line management of a Digital Manager and matrix project management of existing roles in data management and website content management. An important part of your role will be proactively identifying opportunities to integrate digital approaches into all current and upcoming projects.
Digital is key to Adoption UK’s future, and this is a high profile role within the organisation. We’re looking for someone with experience of delivering change, who is an excellent communicator and a passionate digital advocate profile role within the organisation. We’re looking for someone with experience of delivering change, who is an excellent communicator and a passionate digital advocate.
Background – our digital transformation
Like many charities, we’ve historically developed our digital framework and footprint organically, with insufficient web and CRM integration and functionality, duplication, and data silos. This has resulted in data management and website capabilities that don’t fully meet our users’ needs. We’re addressing this by:
- Investing in our customer facing platforms and data management systems, connecting all our divisions and services, and delivering integrated systems that provide a positive customer and stakeholder journey.facing platforms and data management systems, connecting all our divisions and services, and delivering integrated systems that provide a positive customer and stakeholder journey.
- Developing the next generation of digitally accessible services.
- Extending our inhouse digital capability to support continuous delivery.
Key accountabilities
- Lead the refinement and implementation of the charity’s digital strategy.
- Lead a project team to successfully deliver change in line with the agreed project timeline.
- Manage the governance and assurance framework for delivering our website and CRM digital transformation programme.
- Build and manage relationships with key stakeholders across the organisation and with current and future digital partners. Use these networks to:
- Promote digitalfirst principles and best practice, and raise awareness of our work.
- Increase internal stakeholders’ understanding of the benefits and opportunities that digital approaches bring.
- Proactively identify opportunities to increase our digital capability and integrate digital into current and upcoming work.
- Revise and deploy a performance assessment framework to track individual digital projects and ensure services comply with digital and data bestpractice standards.
- Assess and report on Adoption UK’s digital and data maturity, ensuring compliance with data security standards.
- Manage our external digital and IT partners, including contracts and performance monitoring.
Essential criteria
- A strong understanding of digital and technology trends, with experience implementing a Microsoft based technology stack based technology stack.
- Experience in successfully delivering digital change projects.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex or technical information clearly and simply.
- Experience of building relationships with, engaging, and influencing internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Able to engage effectively with both technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Experience working at a senior level to deliver change or implement strategy.
- Ability to work under pressure and respond quickly to changing circumstances and tight timelines.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in an organisation that uses agile development methodologies.
- A strong understanding of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) principles and approach, and of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles, audit, and compliance.
Adoption UK is the leading charity for adopted and care experienced people and adoptive families.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Join a charity which helps families wherever and whenever they need us
Lia’s Wings is the only charity delivering life-saving aeromedical transfers by plane both within the UK and overseas. We make sure babies and children receive the vital treatment they need, no matter where they are. Alongside these urgent medical transfers, we provide tailored, wrap-around support for families to help them through a crisis, creating long-term improved health and well-being outcomes.
We are seeking a new Director of Fundraising to help us increase our income to support more families.
The successful candidate will set the strategic direction for fundraising, lead the team to build strong and sustainable income streams and ensure the charity has the resources it needs to deliver and expand our vital services.This is a wonderful opportunity to help shape the future of our small but mighty charity. The successful candidate will bring proven fundraising leadership experience, strong relationship-building skills, and a genuine passion for providing life-changing support to babies and children.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and deliver a multi-year fundraising strategy aligned to organisational goals.
- Lead income development and diversification across corporate, major donor, trusts and foundations, community fundraising and events.
- Lead the development of compelling cases for support, proposals, and donor communications.
- Build a strong corporate partnerships programme, including aviation sector engagement and charity of the year partnerships.
- Identify and cultivate major donor prospects, working closely with the CEO where appropriate.
- Grow individual giving, including regular giving, appeals, and legacy development.
- Oversee the trusts and foundations pipeline, ensuring high quality applications and stewardship.
- Provide strategic insight to the CEO and Board on fundraising performance, opportunities, and risks.
- As a member of our Senior Management Team, contribute to organisational planning, budgeting, and impact. reporting.
We are looking for someone with:
- Proven track record of delivering significant income growth across multiple fundraising streams.
- Experience developing and implementing fundraising strategies.
- Strong leadership skills, with experience managing and developing teams.
- Demonstrable success in building relationships with high-value donors, corporates, or trusts.
- Experience working in a small or growing charity environment.
For further details, please see the attached job description.
How to apply:
To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) should demonstrate how you meet the person specification set out in the job description.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 27th February.
Please note first round interviews will take place online Thursday 5th and Monday 9th March. A second (and final) round interview will take place in London on the morning of Wednesday 18th March.
The UK's only aeroplane ambulance charity: ensuring British children can access lifesaving and life-changing medical treatments when in urgent need.



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.
About the Programmes Officer role:
This is your chance to sit at the heart of a pioneering national programme that could reshape how kinship families are supported across England.
As Programmes Officer, you’ll be part of the operational engine behind a complex, high-profile feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) – keeping delivery tight, evidence strong and nothing falling through the cracks. If you thrive on pace, precision and being the person who quietly makes big things happen, this might be the role for you.
Kinship is undertaking a major feasibility RCT of Kinship Connected, a Kinship Navigator Programmes.
This is a complex, multi-partner programme involving funders, independent evaluators, local authorities, internal delivery teams and kinship carers with lived experience.
The Programmes Officer plays a critical role in ensuring the programme runs smoothly day to day. This is a technically demanding, detail-heavy role requiring excellent administration, strong initiative and the ability to anticipate what is needed next.
The Programmes Officer works closely and day-to-day with the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager and is a key part of the core delivery spine of the Kinship Navigator feasibility RCT.
The role provides structured operational, administrative and coordination support that enables the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager to maintain oversight of timelines, risks, dependencies and delivery quality.
This role requires someone who is comfortable working at pace, highly responsive to direction, and able to anticipate what the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager will need next in order to keep the programme running smoothly and evidence-ready.
Please note - we are looking for people who can start immediately ideally. This is due to the nature of the mobilisation and delivery timescales.
Purpose of the role:
To support the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager in mobilising and delivering the Kinship Navigator feasibility RCT through exceptional administration, proactive coordination and anticipatory problem-solving.
You will act as a trusted operational support, ensuring systems, data, documentation and local engagement activity are accurate, well organised and up to date, allowing the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager to focus on delivery oversight, risk management and external accountability.
Key responsibilities:
Programme delivery and coordination
- Support mobilisation activities across all workstreams, ensuring actions, documentation and timelines are tracked and followed up.
- Maintain delivery plans, action logs and trackers using Asana.
- Support coordination of onboarding activities with local authorities and internal teams.
- Ensure all operational documents are version-controlled, accessible and kept up to date.
- Flag emerging issues, risks or capacity pressures early, with clear evidence.
Local authority engagement and ecosystem mapping
- Coordinate local engagement activity across participating local authorities, including planning, logistics and follow-up for local events.
- Map each local authority’s kinship care ecosystem, including statutory services, voluntary and community organisations, referral pathways and gaps in provision.
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date local authority profiles and ecosystem maps.
- Ensure local intelligence is captured consistently and stored accessibly using agreed systems (e.g. Notion).
Outreach and local marketing support
- Support outreach and engagement activity by helping develop programme-specific marketing and engagement materials, working with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure alignment with Kinship’s brand and messaging.
- Adapt and manage local collateral for each participating local authority, ensuring materials are accurate, up to date and easy to use.
- Maintain clear version control and accessible storage of outreach materials, incorporating feedback from local partners where appropriate.
- Use Canva, Padlet and other agreed tools to adapt and produce local materials for events, Communities of Practice and local authority engagement.
Communities of Practice support
- Provide operational support to the Head of Programmes in coordinating Communities of Practice in each participating local authority.
- Support scheduling, logistics, materials and follow-up actions.
- Capture learning, actions and insights clearly and consistently.
- Support translation of local learning into insight for programme improvement and future scale-up.
Administrative excellence and anticipation
- Deliver a consistently high standard of administration across the programme.
- Maintain clear, structured and accurate records across all systems.
- Anticipate upcoming needs, deadlines and risks, taking initiative to address them early.
- Proactively prepare information, materials and updates without needing to be prompted.
- Act as a reliable operational anchor, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
- Anticipate the information, updates and preparation the Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager will need to manage delivery effectively.
Data, systems and technical delivery
- Maintain accurate and timely data entry across Salesforce and related systems.
- Support data quality checks and evaluator requirements.
- Use Asana, Salesforce, Notion and Canva confidently and fluently.
- Support documentation, manualisation and knowledge management.
- Ensure systems are used consistently and to a high technical standard.
Coordination, reporting and communications
- Coordinate meetings, agendas, notes and follow-up actions.
- Support preparation of dashboards, updates and reports.
- Ensure information is shared clearly, accurately and on time.
How to apply:
Please apply for the role of Programmes Officer by sending a tailored CV and responding to these 4 questions below in the online application process. Please read the guidance notes in the job pack.
Closing date is 9.30am on Weds 4 March, with interview in person on Tues 10 March 2026.
1. Alignment to Kinship and the role: Why do you want to work for Kinship? And what can you bring to this role (think about the job specification)
2. Programme coordination and administration: Tell us about a time you supported the delivery of a complex programme or project. What were your specific responsibilities, and how did you keep work organised and on track?
3. Initiative: Describe a time when you spotted a potential issue, gap or risk before it became a problem. What did you notice, what action did you take, and what was the outcome?
4. Digital systems and learning new tools: Give an example of a time you had to learn a new digital system or tool quickly to support delivery. What was the context, how did you learn it, and how did you use it in practice?
What we offer you:
- Flexible working - we understand how important it is to balance family and work life.
- 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (1 April to 31 March) pro rata (3 to be taken at Christmas shutdown)
- Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential advice line and counselling)
- Charity Worker Discounts.
Some tips for your application:
Read the guidance notes in the job pack.
Make sure you’ve read the job description and the essential requirements – make sure your application reflects those points in the requirements very clearly.
Tell us why you want to work for Kinship. We’re interested in working with people who share our values. You can read about our values above.
Keep your response clear – use bullets points and short paragraphs if that helps. It will help the recruitment team to focus on your knowledge, skills and experience.
We know people might use AI – however make sure the answers reflect you and who you are and your experience. So many applications are the same because they’re using AI. Make sure you stand out.
We support kinship carers in their homes and communities, giving advice and helping them work through problems to find the best way forward.



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.
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!
About Metabolic Support
Metabolic Support is the UK umbrella patient organisation for people affected by Inherited Metabolic Disorders (IMDs) – rare, lifelong genetic conditions affecting around 40,000 people in the UK and over 1.4 million worldwide. Since 1981, we have been at the forefront of rare disease advocacy, research, newborn screening and community support, empowering people with IMDs to live well.
About the Role
This is a senior, strategic and hands-on role leading our fundraising and communications activity. You will drive sustainable income growth, raise our profile nationally and internationally, and tell our community’s stories with clarity, compassion and impact.
Working closely with the Chief Executive, you will shape and deliver an ambitious fundraising strategy, develop diverse income streams, and build strong relationships with trusts, foundations, corporates, major donors and supporters. You will also lead our communications and brand, ensuring consistent, high-quality messaging across all channels.
As part of a small, agile team, this role suits a confident self-starter with emotional intelligence, strong leadership skills and a passion for making a tangible difference in rare disease.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead and deliver an integrated fundraising and communications strategy
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Grow income across trusts & foundations, corporate partnerships, individual giving, major donors, community and events
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Act as an external ambassador for Metabolic Support
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Oversee communications, marketing, social media and brand development
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Manage donor relationships, stewardship and CRM (Nutshell)
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Provide fundraising forecasts, reports and budgets to the Board
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Ensure compliance with GDPR and fundraising regulations
About You
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Proven experience in fundraising, communications or income generation
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Strong track record in at least one key fundraising area (e.g. trusts, corporates, major donors)
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills
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Confident relationship-builder and storyteller
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Highly organised, proactive and comfortable working autonomously
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Strong alignment with Metabolic Support’s mission and values
Other Information
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UK-based with eligibility to work in the UK
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Willingness to travel and work occasional evenings/weekends
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you passionate about bringing art to everyone? Do you believe in the power of digital to engage people with the arts? We’re looking for an enthusiastic Philanthropy Manager to join our friendly and dedicated team.
We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries, particularly individuals who experience physical, mental or social barriers to accessing the arts.
About Art UK
Art UK is an art education charity and the online home for every public collection of art in the United Kingdom. It is making the UK’s national collection of art accessible to everyone online – for enjoyment, learning and research. Art UK brings together art from almost 3,500 British institutions in one of the UK's largest ever arts partnerships and showcases this art to a global audience of 5.5m users per annum. Approaching 60% of this audience is overseas.
Art UK provides significant support to museums and galleries in the UK, by providing them with a shared digital platform to showcase their art collections, reach new audiences, and generate income. Most of these collections would not be able to show their art online without Art UK. The Art UK platform is rich in story content, learning resources for teachers and students, and public engagement opportunities. A shared e-commerce infrastructure helps collections generate much needed commercial income.
About You
As the Philanthropy Manager, you will be a confident and persuasive communicator, comfortable engaging with supporters and stakeholders at all levels. You will have a solid knowledge of philanthropic giving and a deep appreciation of the value of high-quality donor stewardship. Highly organised and detail-focused, you will enjoy working with data and be skilled at producing compelling content both on and offline. You will bring initiative, creativity and the ability to work independently, while also being a collaborative team player.
The Philanthropy Manager is a new donor-facing role, which will focus on expanding and strengthening a major donor portfolio to increase five and six figure income from individual donors and family trusts for Art UK. You will lead on managing and growing Art UK’s philanthropic giving programme, which includes the Patrons and supporter events programme and our major donor activity. Working within an ambitious team, you will have the support of a freelance Prospect Researcher to identify new prospects, and the Development Manager and CRM Officer to develop donor journeys and relationship management systems. You will report to the Head of Development, work closely with the CEO and Chair of the Philanthropy Board, and collaborate with colleagues across the organisation.
You will actively promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of your work, reflecting your commitment to our organisational values and contributing to a positive workplace culture.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and maintain a robust prospect pipeline through identification, research, cultivation and relationship-building to secure five-figure gifts and long-term support
- Manage a portfolio of mid-level individual donors, converting one-off supporters into deeper donor relationships
- Manage and grow Art UK’s mid-level regular giving programme, strengthening donor relationships through face-to face meetings, events and personalised communication
- Develop donor development strategies, using CRM to analysis and identify higher gift prospects from existing donor pool and maximise giving potential
- Lead on major gifts for annual Big Give campaigns, identifying and securing keystone pledge donors, and leveraging networks to reach giving targets
- Create and implement, effectively and in a timely manner, development plans for each donor to retain and upgrade donors and document all activities in CRM Beacon
- Prepare and personalise correspondence and fundraising materials, including donor stewardship and reports, funding proposals and acknowledgement letters as appropriate
- Work closely with the Marketing team and other colleagues to showcase Art UK’s work and enhance donor engagement
- Organise and deliver events for major donors and prospects (with support from the Development team), including attending events where appropriate
- Support management of the American Friends of Art UK (launching 2026), including donor stewarding and events programming
- Support senior leadership and board members in the preparation and delivery of high-quality donor pitches to secure new philanthropic gifts
- Monitor progress against targets and maintain accurate reporting, including updates to Art UK’s Board of Trustees and the Philanthropy Board
- Ensure pledges and donations are processed efficiently and that donors are thanked promptly and personally
- Work closely with all members of the Development team to ensure prospecting and cultivation activity is aligned and complementary
- Ensure all philanthropic fundraising activity is conducted in line with legal, regulatory and ethical best practice e.g. GDPR and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Code of Practice
Necessary Skills
- Essential: Experience managing a pipeline of philanthropic supporter prospects, including researching and devising bespoke cultivation plans
- Essential: Proven experience as a major donor fundraiser with a track record of securing five-figure gifts.
- Essential: Proven experience creating, implementing and evaluating philanthropic fundraising strategies
- Essential: Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to identify and shape innovative partnership opportunities
- Essential: Outstanding relationship-building and networking skills, including digital engagement
- Essential: In-depth understanding of the philanthropic fundraising environment
- Essential: First-class written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to engage with a wide range of stakeholders
- Essential: Experience analysing and using supporter data to inform campaigns
- Essential: Strong copywriting, proofing and editing skills
- Essential: Experience using CRM databases with a high level of accuracy
- Essential: Thorough knowledge of fundraising best practice and legislation
- Essential: Self-motivated, reliable and exceptionally organized
- Desirable: Experience planning and managing fundraising events
- Desirable: Experience in donor acquisition through online giving platforms, direct marketing by email and social media campaigns
- Desirable: Active interest in the visual arts and awareness of UK art collections
- Desirable: Experience working with a diverse range of audiences
- Desirable: Experience working on projects with a broad range of partners
- Desirable: Experience of US fundraising and philanthropic giving
Contract terms
- Full-time
- Permanent contract
- Salary £38,000 per annum
- Three-month probationary period
- One-month termination clause
- Work from home, within 2-hour travel time to central London (once monthly travel to London for evening events and meetings required)
Benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus regional Bank Holidays
- Paid Christmas closure period (Christmas Day to New Year’s Day)
- Flexible working hours
- Workplace pension scheme
- Training and development opportunities
- Mental health and wellbeing support
- Above statutory paid sick leave
- Enhanced paid parental leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Monthly wellbeing hour
- Trained Mental Health First Aider’s
- Regular staff socials, both virtual and in-person
- Eye tests paid for up to £35, glasses subsidised up to £30
Art UK is a charity – the online home for the UK's public art collections
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.
SUDC UK is a national charity dedicated to funding research, raising awareness and supporting families affected by Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Our team is passionate, warm, friendly and impact-driven.
SUDC is the sudden and unexpected death of a child aged 1-18 years where the cause of death remains unexplained despite a thorough investigation. 40 children are affected every year in the UK, more than young child deaths due to traffic accidents, fires or drowning and comparable to 1-2 seemingly healthy children dying every fortnight, often going to sleep and never waking up.
As a specialist charity, SUDC UK informs, empowers and advocates for families when their child dies suddenly and unexpectedly. We operate nationally and have expertise in SUDC, bereavement support, the child death process, genetic investigation, SUDC research and medical screening.Founded by three bereaved parents, we have deep understanding of the impact of SUDC and loved children, and their families, are at the heart of all we do.
The purpose of this role is to lead and deliver our income generation and marketing strategy, growing sustainable income streams while increasing our profile, reach and impact. This dynamic and rewarding role blends strategic leadership with hands-on delivery, including first-line management of a small team.
We are recruiting a Head of Income and Engagement to provide strategic leadership and vision for two critical functions—Fundraising and Marketing & Communications—bringing them together into a unified, high-performing team. This role focuses on shaping strategy, building external relationships, and driving organisational growth through income generation and brand engagement, rather than day-to-day operational management.
You will set the direction for attracting significant funding, particularly through corporate partnerships, while strengthening what PAPYRUS already does well:
- Securing grants and trusts funding
- Harnessing the passion of our large, committed supporter base - including bereaved families and others who raise voluntary income for us
In a challenging financial climate, you will lead efforts to grow these income streams and maintain a strong, values-driven presence across press, social media, and broadcast channels. The role requires influence, innovation, and the ability to inspire all managers and staff, as well as external stakeholders.
Please visit the careers site for the full job description and person specification for the role.
Salary: £58,523 per annum (Scale SCP 46) progressing by increments to £62,852 per annum (Scale SCP 49)
Hours: 36 hours per week Location: Remote with regular travel across the UK
Contract: Permanent
Benefits: You will receive 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time workers), hybrid and flexible working arrangements, an attractive pension scheme, Simply Health membership, enhanced sick pay and enhanced parental pay. Please visit our website for more details.
Closing date: midnight on 22nd February 2026
We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications so, please submit your application as soon as possible.
PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment, and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
PAPYRUS is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk that interact with the organisation. The organisation recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these vulnerable groups by a commitment to procedures to protect them. The charity expects all staff and volunteers to fully support and promote these commitments.
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.
Context:
Kinship provides direct support to, raises awareness of and campaigns for the rights of kinship carers across the UK. Kinship carers are navigating complex family relationships, trauma, poverty, discrimination. The children that they care for have frequently experienced abuse or are at risk of harm. Safeguarding concerns can be disclosed by kinship carers at all contact points with Kinship.
Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect is a collective responsibility and requires a safeguarding approach that is aligned to statutory frameworks, is professional, consistent, trauma-informed and proportionate to level of risk.
The designated safeguarding officer holds organisational responsibility for Kinship’s safeguarding framework and actions. The role works collaboratively with a team including a Safeguarding Trustee and a group of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads drawn from key service areas across the charity.
The role provides expertise, professional guidance and clear direction across the organisation, supporting staff and volunteers to make sound safeguarding decisions within a framework.
Purpose of the role:
The Designated Safeguarding Manager works closely with all teams across Kinship to embed proactive, person-centred, and partnership-driven safeguarding practice to protect children and adults at risk of harm.
The role provides professional oversight to Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads through individual and group reflective practice and supports high-quality and defensible safeguarding decision-making. The role drives contextual safeguarding approaches, promote professional curiosity, continual professional development and ensures safeguarding responses are informed by lived experience and the realities of kinship care.
At Kinship safeguarding concerns come from risks of harm to adults and children often with risks of harm to multiple people in the same family context.
This requires careful, trauma-informed decision-making and support for staff responding to complex safeguarding situations.
How the role works:
Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Designated Safeguarding Manager holds responsibility for safeguarding practice across the organisation and provides expert oversight and organisational assurance ensuring safeguarding is embedded consistently, proportionately and in line with best practice.
This role will require flexibility for occasional travel in England and Wales.
Key responsibilities:
Organisational safeguarding accountability and assurance
- Act as Kinship’s Designated Safeguarding Officer, holding organisational authority for safeguarding decision-making and escalation.
- Hold organisational accountability for safeguarding practice, ensuring responsibilities are well defined, understood and embedded across the organisation.
- Maintain and assure a robust safeguarding framework, including defined roles, escalation routes, decision-making thresholds and accountability arrangements and balance safeguarding rigour with compassion and proportionality.
- Provide safeguarding oversight and assurance during service development, mobilisation and organisational change to ensure risks are identified, assessed and mitigated.
Trauma-informed safeguarding practice and oversight
- Embed trauma-informed safeguarding practice, ensuring all decisions, interventions, and organisational processes:
- Recognise the impact of past and ongoing trauma on children, kinship carers, and families.
- Prioritise emotional and psychological safety while balancing protection, autonomy, and empowerment.
- Integrate trauma-awareness into risk assessments, safety planning, case management, policies, and service design.
- Support staff through reflective supervision, guidance, and training to respond effectively.
- Provide professional oversight and reflective practice support to Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.
- Provide expert safeguarding advice and consultation to staff and managers, supporting the assessment of concerns, threshold decisions, appropriate escalation, and proportionate, trauma-informed decision-making.
- Quality-assure safeguarding practice and decision-making to ensure actions are proportionate, person-centred, trauma-informed, and defensible.
- Maintain appropriate oversight of safeguarding records, risk assessments, and safety planning.
Policy, compliance and organisational assurance
- Develop, review and maintain safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance in line with legislation, statutory guidance and Charity Commission expectations.
- Ensure safeguarding systems, processes and recording arrangements are robust, accessible and consistently applied.
- Provide regular safeguarding assurance, analysis and learning reports to senior leadership and the Board of Trustees.
Culture, capability and continuous improvement
- Embed trauma-informed, contextual and culturally responsive safeguarding practice across the organisation.
- Promote professional curiosity and reflective practice, supporting staff to exercise sound professional judgement and avoid overly procedural responses.
- Design and deliver safeguarding training and guidance for staff and volunteers, building organisational capability and confidence.
- Lead learning reviews following safeguarding incidents or near misses, ensuring learning informs service and practice improvement.
Equity, inclusion and anti-racist safeguarding
- Ensure safeguarding practice actively considers how race, ethnicity, racism and intersecting inequalities shape risk, vulnerability and access to support.
- Support teams to identify and challenge bias and assumptions through reflective practice, supervision and learning.
- Embed equity, inclusion and anti-racist principles within safeguarding frameworks, policies, training and quality assurance processes.
Partnership working and external accountability
- Work collaboratively with statutory partners and external agencies to support effective safeguarding responses.
- Represent Kinship in multi-agency safeguarding forums, reviews or regulatory engagement as required.
Experience (Essential)
- Significant experience in adult and child safeguarding practice, including oversight of complex, high-risk, and multi-agency safeguarding situations.
- Experience providing professional oversight, reflective supervision, and structured learning support to safeguarding practitioners or leads, without direct line management responsibility.
- Experience embedding contextual safeguarding approaches and promoting professional curiosity in decision-making.
- Experience of working confidently with complexity, challenging constructively and supporting teams to do the right thing in difficult situations.
- Experience developing, reviewing, and embedding safeguarding policies, procedures, training, and learning frameworks.
- Substantial experience working with dispersed or multi-disciplinary teams, supporting wellbeing, professional development, and reflective practice.
- Experience working in voluntary sector, community-based, or service delivery organisations, particularly where safeguarding concerns arise through multiple routes.
Knowledge (Essential)
- Strong working knowledge of adult and child safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance, and recognised safeguarding frameworks, with the ability to apply them proportionately in practice.
- Up-to-date knowledge of children’s and adult social care systems.
- Understanding of trauma-informed, strengths-based practice in work with adults, children, and families.
- Awareness of how racism, inequality, and structural disadvantage can increase risk and shape safeguarding experiences, particularly for Black and minoritised communities.
- Understanding of organisational safeguarding governance, including accountability, assurance, escalation, and risk management.
- Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities within the voluntary and community sector, including Charity Commission expectations, trustee duties, and regulatory requirements
Skills and abilities (Essential)
- Strong professional judgement, with confidence in making and defending complex safeguarding decisions.
- Calm, credible, and reflective approach in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
- Ability to support and challenge colleagues constructively through reflective discussion, learning, and coaching rather than directive management.
- Clear, compassionate, and adaptable communicator, able to translate safeguarding complexity for diverse audiences, including operational and service delivery teams.
- Highly organised, able to manage multiple safeguarding priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
- Ability to work collaboratively across wide-ranging professional teams and external partners.
- Values-led, with a demonstrable commitment to equity, inclusion, anti-racist practice, and culturally responsive safeguarding.
Qualifications (Essential)
- Relevant professional qualification (e.g. social work, health, or related field), or equivalent professional experience.
- Evidence of ongoing professional development in safeguarding children and adults.
- Permission to work in the UK.
Attributes and general characteristics (Essential)
- Commitment to the values, aims, and objectives of Kinship.
- Respectful, empathetic approach to working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Flexible and willing to travel across England as required.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
Desirable
- Lived experience of kinship care.
- Experience using Salesforce, Asana, Notion, and/or general AI tools for case management, project management, or documentation.
- Experience in innovation and continuous improvement within safeguarding practice or organisational culture.
How to apply:
Please apply for the role of Designated Safeguarding Manager by sending a tailored CV and responding to these 5 questions below in the online application process. Please read the guidance notes in the job pack.
Closing date is 9am on Mon 2 March, with a first interview (30 mins online) that week and a second interview in person on Tues 10 March 2026.
For all questions, please provide a maximum of 250 words per answer.
1.Alignment with Kinship: Why do you want to work for Kinship, and why does this Safeguarding Manager (Designated Safeguarding Lead) role matter to you at this point in your career? Please refer to Kinship’s work and services in your answer, and explain what specifically about this role you are drawn to.
2.Trauma informed practice: Describe a specific example where you have led or overseen a safeguarding concern using a trauma-informed approach.
3. Contextual safeguarding and professional curiosity: Tell us about a time you applied contextual safeguarding or professional curiosity to a situation where the initial concern did not tell the full story. What did you notice, what questions did you ask, and how did this change the safeguarding response?
4. Reflective practice and supporting others: Give an example of how you have supported others to improve safeguarding decision-making through reflective practice (for example group reflection or one-to-one discussion). What was the issue and what changed?
5. Equity, racism and safeguarding: Describe a situation where race, ethnicity or structural inequality affected safeguarding risk or decision-making. How did you recognise this and what did you do to ensure a fair and proportionate response?
What we offer you:
- Flexible working - we understand how important it is to balance family and work life.
- 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (1 April to 31 March) pro rata (3 to be taken at Christmas shutdown)
- Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential advice line and counselling)
- Charity Worker Discounts.
Read the guidance notes in the job pack.
Make sure you’ve read the job description and the essential requirements – make sure your application reflects those points in the requirements very clearly.
Tell us why you want to work for Kinship. We’re interested in working with people who share our values. You can read about our values above.
Keep your response clear – use bullets points and short paragraphs if that helps. It will help the recruitment team to focus on your knowledge, skills and experience.
We know people might use AI – however make sure the answers reflect you and who you are and your experience. So many applications are the same because they’re using AI. Make sure you stand out.
We support kinship carers in their homes and communities, giving advice and helping them work through problems to find the best way forward.



