Location: Remote (based in England & Wales with occasional travel required)
Salary: £33,065 - £36,380 pro rata
Hours of work: Full-time (open to 4 days part-time)
Contract type: Permanent
Why work for Kids Matter?
- Generous annual leave – 25 days (plus bank holidays) per year pro rata, with time off between Christmas and New Year's additional to this allowance.
- Remote working contribution – receive £40/month pro rata towards the costs of working from home and/or using a co-working space.
- Access to coaching sessions, training opportunities and our Employee Assistance Programme (a confidential support service for staff).
- Flexible working across weekdays to suit your schedule.
About us
Kids Matter is one of the UK’s fastest growing children’s charities.
Our vision is to see every child in need raised in a strong family. Our mission is to reduce the impact of poverty on children through community-based parenting programmes.
Research shows that group-based early intervention parenting groups are the most effective way to support children in need. We train peer facilitators in local churches - the largest voluntary body in the country - to run our affordable, accessible and highly effective parenting programmes, written by Clinical Psychologists. They come alongside parents and carers, building long-lasting community in addition to encouraging confidence and learning positive parenting skills.
We value difference and diversity, and we want our workplace to be built on shared values of equality and mutual trust, with team members representing the wide range of backgrounds and experiences that exist within the UK. We therefore actively encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, particularly those who are African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or part of other minority ethnic communities, who have lived experience of the impact of low-income/low-support circumstances, and who are living with a disability or identify as being neurodivergent.
About the role
The Partnership Development Lead role involves:
- Shaping and delivering Kids Matter’s national partnerships strategy
- Pioneering, networking and building relationships with church networks & denominations across the UK
- Engaging churches & charities on the journey to partnership
About you
Do you love sharing vision and motivating others for a cause? Are you a strategic thinker and confident delivering outcomes? Can you build relationships and network effectively with church networks and charities across the country? Are you a Christian with an active faith in Jesus? Do you have a passion for Kids Matter’s vision of seeing every child in need raised in a strong family?
Then we would love to hear from you!
How to apply
You can apply for the Partnership Development Lead position by clicking ‘Apply via Website’ and completing a copy of our online application form.
The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 10th June 2024. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email.
We also ask for all applicants to submit an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, which will be sent to you to complete following the submission of your application. This form will be used for anonymous analysis to ensure our overall recruitment procedures are fair and transparent. It will never be viewed or used as part of the selection process. It is optional to submit this form.
If you have any questions, please refer to our recruitment FAQs document. If you would like any application and interview support or you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, please contact Katie Washington (Operations Assistant).
Please see the job pack for more details on the role and application process.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is a people power alliance of diverse local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member communities are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.
This leads to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £2 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parents and Communities Together (PACT), Sponsor Refugees, and Refugees for Justice, that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of over 14,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.
South London Citizens
South London Citizens is a thriving chapter with a growing team of ~18 organisers and project staff. We are building the power of communities in South London through borough alliances (in Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Merton, Croydon) and the wider region by developing community leadership and supporting people to take action on what matters most to them. Over the past three years, we have worked in partnership with mental health trusts to deliver a pioneering organising project, South London Listens (SLL), to prevent mental ill-health, and more recently with wider South London NHS leaders to take action on a range of issues (from low wages to housing conditions) that impact our communities’ health.
Purpose
We are looking for two Associate Organisers to join our thriving and dynamic team in South London building the power of local communities. These roles will support local organising, and have a specific focus on health and living wage organising.
In this exciting and innovative role, you will work with community organisations, including faith institutions, schools, universities, and community groups. Your primary responsibility will be to
1. build ‘Be Well’ teams to support the wellbeing of their communities, as part of the South London Listens partnership;
2. find and develop new community leaders within their organisations; and
3. take action to tackle the social determinants of health inequality (e.g. lack of migration status, racism, housing conditions, low wages and precarious work).
One or both of the roles will also include specific organising with low paid workers to lead the fight for a real living wage and living hours.
With your passion, energy, and commitment to democracy, you will support communities to build the power they need to win justice and make a real and lasting impact. Join us in the fight for a healthier and more equitable future for South London.
A central focus of an Associate Organiser is their own development: learning the craft of Community Organising under the guidance of an experienced Community Organiser. An Associate Organiser is working towards becoming a competent practitioner of the craft of broad-based community organising methodology, and focuses on the building of relational power, the recruitment and retention of dues-paying institutions, the development of leaders, the strengthening of member institutions, leader-led public actions, and the winning of systemic change. Your learning and development will be paramount in the first few months as the responsibilities given to your experience and skills develop.
We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel like you fit all the criteria. We are particularly interested in people who are angry at issues of injustice, who have demonstrated taking action on that in some way, who can communicate effectively, who can build relationships of trust with a diverse range of people, and who believe in the capacity of ordinary people to make extraordinary change! We are less interested in whether you understand every word in the responsibility list below or whether you have worked as a professional organiser before. You are also encouraged to reach out if you have any questions about whether you might be suitable for the role.
Main Responsibilities
Working as an Associate Organiser in South London for Citizens UK your main responsibilities will be to:
Grow and deliver on the priorities of South London Listens and our broader Health organising
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Build and support new Be Well Hubs in a range of institutions in your allocated boroughs. Including identifying new institutions, delivering training, and supporting them once they are established.
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Work with other organisers to deliver on the priorities identified by communities that are part of the South London Listens project
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Ensure reporting and capturing of stories of the South London Listens project are captured and shared to celebrate and grow the project.
At least one of the roles includes supporting our organising efforts for more just work and wages
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Identify and develop worker leaders
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Take action with South London Citizens leaders to increase the number of living wage and living hours employers in London
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Develop and deliver community organising training for worker leaders
Build relational power to further the goals of CUK
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Actively participate in the development of a comprehensive power analysis appropriate to the desired sphere of influence for each project/assignment
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Establish working relationships with identified leaders and demonstrate ability to move them into action, including as part of the wider alliance; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required
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Conduct one-to-ones to develop relationships with leaders and understand their concerns.
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Tell a wide range of Community Organising stories effectively to influence others and achieve CUK’s goals
Identify and develop relational leaders prepared to act with others for the common good
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Identify and discern actual and potential leaders with the passion and ability to drive change in their borough alliance and through South London Listens.
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Proactively create opportunities for leaders to develop, in particular tertiary or new leaders; nominate for training on the core taster curriculum and Be Well Hubs training.
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Successfully deliver workshops in local institutions, South London Citizens community organising introductions and Be Well training.
Strengthen institutions and develop Broad Based Organisations
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Ensure good understanding of the basic interests and traditions of typical member institutions
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Organise a small cluster of up to 5 standard member institutions or 1 strategic partner to work together for the achievement of common goals
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Support pre-existing core teams and create/develop new core teams to provide leadership at local level and in South London Listens
Support leaders through the Cycle of Action in order to create change
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Support member institutions and Be Well Hubs in running listening campaigns
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Organise neighbourhood actions; demonstrating increasing independence in working without the need for close supervision
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Take the lead in supporting groups of leaders through the cycle of action on neighbourhood issues; aiming to achieve neighbourhood and health wins
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Evaluate the effectiveness of actions; demonstrating ability to incorporate lessons learned into future actions
Contribute to CUK’s financial viability through effective fundraising & financial management
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Contribute to fundraising to the value of at least £20,000 per annum through one or some of the following:
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WWritinge regular updates on the work to be shared with the funders and maintain a healthy relationship with them
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Recruit new dues paying institutions; work together with a more senior Organiser to negotiate annual membership fees and letters of understanding
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Liaise with the Finance & Operations team to update the membership database and ensure timely invoicing and fee collection
Contribute to effective teamwork and live out our ‘Inclusion’ value
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Be proactive concerning personal professional development and wellbeing: i.e. by reading widely, developing a healthy work-life balance and demonstrating ability to reflect on own organising craft & improve on self-identified weaknesses
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Demonstrate ability to work effectively with colleagues and participate in a team
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Produce all required reports and follow CUK’s procedures on time and to the required standards
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Contribute towards an inclusive environment for all colleagues and community leaders, so that our spaces are a place where all are able to participate
Participate in the development of the craft of Community Organising and play a role in the Guild of COs
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Schedule an average of at least three 1-2-1 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice
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Commit 10 working days per annum (pro rata) to the preparation, delivery, and evaluation of Citizens UK National Community Leadership Training or other local or regional trainings or other activities organised by the Learning and Innovation team.
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Participate in a Guild Team and help it develop as a Community of Practice that enables Organisers across the UK to develop their skills and experience.
Personal Specification
(D) Desirable, (E) Essential
EXPERIENCE
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Previous campaign experience (D)
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Evidence of having acted in a leadership role with peers or in local community activities (e.g. within a faith institution or clubs/societies) (E)
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Experience of project management; evidence of having delivered work on time and to standard (E)
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Able to demonstrate previous experience of ‘learning by doing’ in a work or project environment; evidence of being open to feedback and comfortably coachable (E)
KEY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
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Ability to speak additional languages, especially Spanish for one of the roles (D)
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Excellent interpersonal awareness – ability to listen well and appreciate a viewpoint or opinion that is different from one’s own (E)
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Excellent concern for impact – ability to adapt own behaviour to address the needs or concerns of someone else (E)
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Good communication skills – able to speak with conviction and passion; and to make a logical argument (E)
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PERSONAL QUALITIES & VALUES
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A self-starter with ability to take initiative and work independently (E)
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A passion for justice (E)
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A positive enthusiasm for working with faith congregations, trade unions, schools, and other community organisations (E)
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An interest in and experience of politics and public life (E)
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Able to work in a team (E)
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Willingness to work within accountable relationships (E)
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Self-motivated and adaptable (E
The successful applicant will be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check. DBS checks are renewed on a 3-year cycle.
Interviews are planned to take place on Wednesday, 12th June (subject to change).
Please note this is a 12-month fix term contract with a possibility to extend, funding permitting.