Senior manager jobs in birmingham

The Youth Endowment Fund 

Research Lead –Local Violence Prevention

Reports to: Head of Guidance and Reporting

Salary: £55,000

Contract: 2 years fixed term 

Location: Central London, Hybrid* 

Closing date: Tuesday 15th July at 12pm

Interviews: Week commencing 28th July 2025

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.

At the Youth Endowment Fund, we are working to create lasting change. To succeed, we must build a world-leading body of knowledge on the violence that affects young people and how it can be stopped. This means producing rigorous, relevant evidence — through synthesis, data analysis and in-depth research into young people’s lives. But knowledge alone isn’t enough. We must make it accessible and actionable: showing what works, how services need to change, and how the systems around them must adapt. And we must partner with the people who can make change happen — across policy, practice and local systems — to turn evidence into impact.

About the role

The Research Lead will lead the development of YEF’s research, resources and recommendations in our neighbourhood focus sector.

We focus our efforts on seven essential sectors: education, policing, youth justice, youth sector, children’s services, health, and neighbourhood. “Neighbourhood” refers to our work supporting local partnerships – such as Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), community safety partnerships or the new Prevention Partnerships - and hyper-local approaches like our neighbourhood fund. 

Their primary responsibility will be to develop a series of actionable and evidence-informed guidance and resources for use by local violence prevention partnerships. This will include self-assessment tools for partnerships to assess their effectiveness, tools for understanding the nature of local violence problems and how they could be solved, and resources to support partnerships to identify and safeguard vulnerable children. Creating these resources will require the Research Lead to collect insights and evidence from across YEF’s work and develop YEF positions on fundamental questions about violence prevention. If successful, the Research Lead could have an outsized impact on YEF’s strategy and mission.  

These resources will support YEF colleagues to deliver our new ‘Area Leaders Programme’ (ALP). This is a new programme which you will help form. It helps local multi-agency partnerships to find and implement the best ways to prevent violence. YEF is working directly with partnerships, providing high-quality professional development, tailored advice and support, system mapping, and a national community of practice. The ALP focuses on strengthening five key elements of effective violence reduction:

1. Building strong and accountable partnerships
2. Understanding local patterns of violence
3. Identifying and supporting children most at risk
4. Improving safety in high-risk places
5. Sharing best practice across agencies

Following a pilot in four areas in 2024/25, the programme will expand to 20 more areas over the next two years. This will lay the groundwork for wider national initiatives, such as the Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, and support implementation of the Serious Violence Duty. The Research Lead will develop resources and guidance for the ALP. As the programme is delivered iteratively, they will work closely with YEF programme leads and local partnerships to test, refine, and improve materials before wider rollout.

The Research Lead will be part of YEF’s Research team. The Research team is at the heart of our efforts to learn what works and put it into practice. We do this by developing the YEF’s funding strategy and creating free, highly accessible research summaries and actionable recommendations for policy makers, commissioners and practitioners. We’re a high-performing team which values intellectual rigour and getting to the truth, compassion for children, ambition about what we can achieve and humility about what we know. We love to discuss the latest developments in research methods, but we’re not just interested in research for its own sake. We want research to lead to actual changes in outcomes for children.

Key responsibilities

The Research Lead will develop a portfolio of impactful projects.

· You’ll lead the research team’s work in our local neighbourhoods and partnerships priority sector. You’ll become the YEF’s expert in this area. You’ll make sure we understand the key issues, stay on top of the latest research and are connected to the right people.

· You’ll ensure we produce accessible, evidence-based resources and guidance that local partnerships can use to develop more effective strategies. You’ll work with YEF colleagues to test, refine, and improve materials before wider rollout

· You’ll set the YEF’s research agenda for your sector. You’ll make sure we invest in research that fills important gaps in knowledge and leads to important changes. You’ll ensure that our strategy and decision-making are informed by the best available research. This is a great opportunity to influence large amounts of funding and direct it towards the most impactful projects.

· You’ll develop great relationships with experts and represent YEF in external meetings and events. You’ll promote evidence-based policy and practice by speaking at conferences and events.

· You’ll lead the development of evidence-based recommendations in your focus area. You’ll draw on research and expert insight to identify potential changes to policy and practice. You’ll design and develop innovative and impactful resources which support the application of your recommendations.

· You’ll take on other responsibilities appropriate to your role. This could include leading the publication of YEF’s evaluation reports or writing ad hoc briefings and evidence summaries for the Government and other partners.

About You

You are this sort of person:

· You want to play a significant part in reducing the level of violence affecting young people. You care about having an impact. This might mean you’ve worked directly with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, for organisations that fund or deliver relevant programmes, or have conducted research on this topic.

· You share our belief that an evidence-based approach is our best hope of preventing violence. You’re fascinated by research, but you’re not just interested in research for its own sake. You want to achieve actual changes in outcomes for children.

· You know a lot about violence prevention, especially local partnerships and structures like VRUs or Community Safety Partnerships. You know the key ideas and debates, recent policy developments and key people. You’re comfortable talking about this topic with experts.  There are many ways to acquire this knowledge. You might have worked in a local authority or local violence prevention organisation, conducted research on them or learnt about them during a degree.

· You’re a confident reader of research and have strong critical appraisal skills. You know when research can be trusted and when it can’t and can confidently articulate your views on the strength of research. You might have gained this expertise through your academic studies, research or professional experience.

· You have at least three years’ experience working in a role that required you to think about research. This could include a range of roles in policy, academia, funding or practice.

· You write in a way that people easily understand. You have that rare skill of writing in plain English. You have experience of translating complex research findings into plain writing that everyone can understand.

· You have excellent project and time management skills. You can work independently, quickly and to a high standard. You have experience of managing contractors or budgets.

· You are good with people. You’re comfortable working with a wide range of people, including senior academics and other research experts, children and their families, practitioners and policy makers. You’re able to provide constructive challenges when required.

· You learn fast but remain humble. You like learning. You’re very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know and that you can always learn more.

· You work well in a team. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You support your colleagues to produce excellent work.

· You’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, views and values.

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. 

Hybrid Working Details  

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.

As part of our commitment to flexible working, we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.

To Apply 

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by 12:00pm Tuesday 15th July 2025. 

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter, within a maximum of 1000 words, covers the following questions below:

1. A clear example of a situation where you have translated research into actionable resources or recommendations.

2. A clear example of a situation where you’ve supported an external partner or colleague to apply research evidence to an important decision.

Interview Process 

Interviews will take place in the week commencing the 28th July 2025. 

There will be a task to prepare for in advance. 

PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 

• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

• Four half days for volunteering activities

• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support • Volunteering days - 4 half days per year

• Death in service - 4 times annual salary

• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm

• Financial support including travel and hardship loans

• Employer contributed pension of 5% 

Personal Data   

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.   

Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) 

Location: Workplace Offer; Hybrid Working

The position is offered on a 0.6 FTE basis (21.75 hours per week). This role will be home-based but will require travel to Edinburgh and/or other parts of Scotland for in-person meetings as required.

Are you passionate about making a real difference in children's lives through impactful policy and public affairs engagement? Are eager to develop your skills working with Scottish Government, MSPs, and other key decision-makers in Scotland? If so, we want to hear from you. 

Barnardo's is looking for a Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) to help shape our influencing in Scotland. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone eager to build on their existing knowledge and experience with policy influencers in Scotland while playing a pivotal role in creating positive, lasting change for children, young people, and families. 

In this role, you'll work closely with our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Lead (Scotland) to implement our influencing plan. You'll help raise Barnardo's Scotland's profile among key stakeholders and policy influencers. You'll be involved in: 

• Monitoring key developments within the Scottish policy landscape 

• Managing relationships and liaising with stakeholders at all levels 

• Conducting research and producing reports to support our policy objectives 

• Supporting reactive policy work to respond to emerging issues 

• Organising events to showcase Barnardo's vital work and engage decision-makers 

Your efforts will ensure that the voices of children, young people, families, and our services are central to our influencing activities in Scotland.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Are you an accomplished and innovative leader with a proven track record, looking for a unique opportunity to dedicate one day a week to something genuinely exciting and impactful? Do you have extensive experience in the charity or related sectors and a desire to apply your strategic thinking and networks to drive forward pioneering initiatives?

The Good Faith Foundation is seeking an experienced and visionary individual to join the foundation on a part-time basis as a Charity Development Lead. This is not a standard development role; it's designed for someone with significant expertise who wants to contribute strategically and drive innovation within the Foundation. The successful candidate will help the foundation explore new avenues and shape the future direction of our work on specific, high-impact projects. 

This role offers:

• A unique opportunity to apply your wealth of experience to exciting, innovative projects with genuine potential for impact.
• The chance to work strategically on complex societal challenges with significant autonomy.
• The opportunity to make a significant impact on society's most difficult problems with a limited time commitment.
• The chance to collaborate with experienced professionals dedicated to social change at a national strategic level.ch

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of students and equip them to put their faith into action?

SCM is looking for a recent graduate to spend a year working with us to help us to continue to build on the work of our successful Faith in Action project. 

Run in partnership with Project Bonhoeffer, a small charitable trust, the project began in 2012 with a vision that Christian students in Britain would have a greater awareness and understanding of Bonhoeffer’s radical approach to faith and discipleship, and its implications for Christian living in the modern world. 

The project has helped to run over a dozen campaigns from Food Poverty to Peace, and had an immeasurable impact on thousands of students through blogs, resources, and relationships. All of this is bringing to light many ‘Bonhoeffers’ of today negotiating the implications on Christian living in the world.

In 2021 we developed the Faith in Action project as a graduate scheme by employing two graduates to work on the project; one to lead on theology bringing a depth of learning and theological refection, and the other to be a campaigns lead, taking us always back out into the world to make a difference.

The project has been very successful, and now we are looking to grow it for further. We are looking for a passionate graduate to join the project for the 2025-26 academic year.

In this role, you will be a theologian to make other theologians, and will provide the framework for students to be able to reflect theologically on their life and modern Christian Living. You will be responsible for growing the breadth of SCM’s Faith in Action resources, and discovering new ways of connecting with the current membership via the trends of social media or engaging in face-to-face reflections. An activist to make other activists, you will coordinate social action for SCM, engaging the membership in social justice projects that maximise our impact in society and the world.

You will work to build relationships between SCM communities and members to equip students with the skills they need to become faith-filled agents of social and political change and lead them in theological reflection to discern their involvement in local and national campaigns. You will also work to develop relationships with other Christian social justice and campaigning organisations to create opportunities for students to put their faith into action. In all of this, you will be supported by our small but perfectly-formed team, who will share your values and fully understand your aims in this project.

The role will require some travel within Britain, as well as semi-regular visits to the office in Birmingham, which may also include an overnight stay. All reasonable expenses for travel and accommodation will be reimbursed. Some evening and weekend work may be required for which time off in lieu will be given.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and LGBTQ+ individuals who are currently underrepresented in the organisation. Due to the nature of this role and the responsibilities of the successful post-holder, a genuine occupational requirement to be a committed Christian is in place for this role in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

Please use the forms provided; CVs will not be accepted. Applications should be submitted electronically in Word format by email to the address provided in the application pack.

Student Christian Movement is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1125640, and in Scotland number SC048506